IsaanT

... but not the half I would choose to be aligned with.

Jerry, with respect, that appears like confirmation bias.

I have news for you @Robert_Smith I have seen reports that you spend time watching stock markets and bitcoin prices. You may strive for more but I don't think it's coming. Naturally, you will be aware that the biggest fall on the US markets since 2022 occurred yesterday. I am well-versed in stock markets and stock market history. The markets are long overdue a correction. As such, the correction will be deeper and longer than anyone might imagine. You don't know me from Adam, but my advice would be to get out while you can. I won't be offended if you don't but you will remember my words for a very long time. As a single indication of what I believe, Morgan Stanley recently stated that the S&P500 could drop to 5,500 by the summer and then recover to 6,500 by the end of the year. Well, it's at 5,568 as I write. Let's see where it is at the end of this week and month, let alone summer....

Firstly, Thais respect wealth, although it might be culturally insensitive to build a 'mansion' in a village. They have no problem with someone being comfortable, so why should it be a problem for me? Secondly, it might be insensitive to directly flaunt wealth with lots of shiny new things. There are more subtle - and sensitive - ways to enjoy life. Thirdly, and most importantly, I'd rather live in a community of genuine Thais who look out for each other and always rally round to help each other, as we do them; as a result, crime is non-existent here. I expect these characteristics are not so prevalent in some of the coastal cities.

It reminds me of the canine world. It is known that dogs will do anything to get attention from their owners - it's called strokes. Good owners do stroke their dogs, of course. Bad owners beat their dogs, but the dogs still come back for more because it is attention from a human. To an animal psychologist both of these actions are 'strokes'. It appears that Bob seeks attention, however it can be found, and controversial statements are easier for a damaged personality. If he is taking the pee, it's a unique way of doing it. Nope, it ain't that clever. He's lonely, probably friendless, and definitely not rich (successful people don't have his characteristics - unless he obtained the money in a nefarious way). Only a masochist would visit this forum so often and consistently fail to be courteous to the members: if it was a private club he would have had his membership revoked a long time ago. I would really like 'Bob' (or whatever his real name is) to think about his approach and wonder what he is achieving. Maybe he's the last one to get the joke.

It's a good question. 'Bob' is a tormented soul, and it would be good for everyone -primarily him - if he was to emerge from the dark side and rebuild his character. Maybe he is a lost cause and he is best left being laughed at. It's his choice.

We both know that isn't true. I'm sure an imaginative man such as yourself could disprove me if he wished to, but you can't. I used to dream of flying my own aircraft, so I learned to fly and bought my own aircraft, which I used to fly all around Europe. If you wish to be tedious, I can provide evidence of my dreams. Where's your evidence?

Slightly off topic... @Robert_Smith As we've worked out that you a delusional fantasist who pretends to have lots of money but doesn't, and brings incessant pessimism, disrespect and rudeness to this forum, what would it cost for you to agree NOT to post anymore...?

Au contraire... There is increasing credible information to suggest that Trump and Putin are closer than the western world would like, given Putin's proclivities for terminating any opposition. We don't know exactly what Putin has on Trump, but Trump is doing his usual distortion of the truth to help his own arguments in Russia's favour ('Ukraine started it', 'Zelenskyy's support is very low', 'He's a dictator', etc.). Zelenskyy is treading on a fine line when dealing with Trump but he acted responsibily for his country under extreme duress and the western world is supporting him. That's not a coincidence.

I'm guessing my comments didn't translate into Polish accurately.

Denial? I prefer understanding. I may not agree with, support or adopt new things that I become aware of, learn about and understand, but I find out enough to give me a valid opinion on the topic.

As well as all the healthy food items, I also make hydrogen-enriched water. This also tackles free radicals and has other health benefits too. I've noticed positive effects from drinking the water.

The Isaan region of Thailand has its own language called Isaan (ภาษาอีสาน, Phasa Isaan). It’s actually a dialect of Lao, closely related to the language spoken in Laos, but influenced by Thai over centuries.

The OP said three hours drive NE of Bangkok - there's a lot less planes overhead once one gets out of Bangkok, and they're usually above 25,000 feet! 🙂 The image below shows the live air traffic at the time of posting.

I don't know how long you've lived here but it's not the same as your home country. There are different rules, different ways of doing things and different values. Perhaps you could try to integrate with the local culture instead of railing against everything. You appear to be angry and to not fit in here at all, and it does make me wonder why you chose to come here in the first place. For all your claims, there appears to be no evidence that you have any wealth at all. I'm sure there are many ways you could show this but I suspect the truth is that you have a big imagination and a small bank balance/income, and you hide your disappointment behind your exaggerated stories. If you don't or can't abide by the rules here, your blood pressure would probably benefit if you returned to the place where you do understand the rules (and understand the consequences of non-compliance).

Sadly, I expect the wingers and complainers would still pay the 💰 to have their voices heard.

There are some things I'll never understand... such as how many people try to engage in reasonable conversation with the OP when all his responses are rude, disrespectful or insulting. This constant attention-seeking via negative posts makes me wonder just how damaged the OP must be.

I would agree but the photo appears to show a tyre, not a wheel.

An excellent example of AI use. I recently proof-read my son's business website (he's just made the break to being his own boss). I suggested several modifications and enhancements to his partner, who had constructed the website. Occasionally, when it wasn't entirely black-or-white, I copied the sentence or paragraph into whichever AI engine I was using at the time and asked it to correct the spelling, grammar and punctuation in best English business style (note the specific request). I have to admit it came up with a couple of ideas that I hadn't thought of but I was pleased and grateful. Conversely, I remember writing my resignation email notice to all my colleagues in my company. I thought about using AI to create something but I knew that would be TOO EASY!! I spent several hours, on and off, constructing my own humourous departure notice and felt better for having created it myself. Some of my colleagues kindly said it was the best resignation email they'd every seen. For everything else, I have to have a good reason NOT to use AI...!

I remember the early pioneering days when ChatGPT was first made available to the public. It was 30th November 2022. Since then it has evolved and come a long way. Let's get this in perspective - that's less than 2.5 years. I will be intrigued to see where we are in ten years' time but it certainly won't be going away. The responses from any AI system are SO dependent on the request. For example, if it was requested to provide a news report of a particular instance IN THE STYLE OF The New York Times (insert the news medium of your choice) it will oblige. As a simple example, ask it to report a news article (or make up a story) IN THE STYLE OF William Shakespeare; I would hope you would be impressed. As already referenced by CharlieG, there is a whole science now about prompt engineering, i.e. how to construct an appropriate request to eliciit an appropriate response. In essence, be specific and provide all relevant details in the prompt in order to obtain an appropriate request. As an example, I could ask AI to provide a route that can take me from Bangkok to Chaing Mai. It would give a response. However, If I said 'Please provide me with a route from Bangkok to Chaing Mai. I would appreciate a comfort/refuelling/eating break around every two hours, and I prefer PTT stations to the others. Please also suggest places of interest along the way, and I am happy to accept minor diversions along the route to be able to visit them. Lastly, I would appreciate suggestions which avoid large towns or cities, especially in peak traffic periods.', I will get a very different response (try it!). In simple terms, it is just like how you feel when you have been asked a question - do you feel you have all the relevant and pertinent information in order to construct a response? As has also already been stated, it's still the same with computers - Garbage in, garbage out. Take the time to construct a good prompt and you will be rewarded with a good response. Should you still be disappointed, please post your query and response here and I or others can help analyse it and make helpful suggestions. Finally, I remember one or two of my colleagues were openly sceptical about AI when it first appeared. There will always be doubters. Personally, I use it almost every day. At that time my company was paying management consultants (Cognizant) huge sums of money for advice and recommendations that I quickly found could be equalled by ChatGPT. I feel it is like asking a really wise and infinitely-knowledgeable friend to help me. I am smart enough to recognise when it might have misinterpreted my request but that would be my fault for not being clear enough (it's rare but it can happen). Embrace it - your life will be enriched accordingly.

Looking at the photo, I'd estimate the visibility to be at least 400 metres, probably more. I expect the visibility is less of an issue - it's the sharp bend in the road (possibly after a long straight) that might have lulled the driver into a false sense of security. Chevrons on a steel barrier on the bend should prevent any further accidents (or stop the vehicle from going in the pond).

Perhaps owning a car will open up new opportunities, as described above. I drive in Bangkok occasionally (usually visiting family in the Sukhumvit area) and can concur that driving outside Bangkok is a comparatively-enjoyable experience. I bought a 2012 pick-up last year. It only had 80,000km and had one careful (very elderly) owner. It looks and drives like new. Importantly, it's a four-door cabin so it has all the advantages of five seats like a family saloon but has much better load-carrying capacity (you might be surprised how often this is useful). I get it serviced by a main dealer each year and I expect it will give good service for many years. As you know, older cars have lost most of their depreciation so no need to worry about big capital costs diminishing. Other advantages of pick-ups include a near car-like comfort level, almost immunity to potholes because the suspension is tougher than saloon cars, and the imperious view over the other traffic (as enjoyed by Range Rover owners and other 4x4 types). The construction is also very solid, which is why it's not unusual to see 30 or 40-year old pickups still plying their trade. Lastly, the diesel engines are easily good for 300,000km if looked after, and the torque from a big turbo-diesel makes driving both relaxing and surprisingly rapid compared to some of the lean-burn small petrol-engined cars that need to be thrashed to get convincing acceleration for an overtake. The downside of pick-ups is fuel consumption. Personally, I rationalise that diesel is so cheap here compared to Europe that, pound-for-pound, it's the equivalent of getting 60-70mpg in the UK so I don't worry about it.

We live in an increasingly-connected world (as all the members discussing Thai taxation are learning about global taxation). I wouldn't assume hospital records will remain unconnected. Having said that, TiT so it may or may not happen as quickly as you might imagine.

Just for completeness, the small cracks in the sidewalls that have been mentioned are caused because old rubber oxidises (caused by heat, air contaminants but mostly from UV), resulting in shrinkage because the rubber has dried out. This affects the tyre's structural integrity so replacment is imperative. Rubber in tyres contains natural oils. Sidewall dressings are available which make the tyre look blacker and cleaner but also contain oils to help rejuvenate the rubber. Personally, I just apply some silicone oil occasionally to feed the rubber. And I keep my cars and motorbikes parked out of direct sun at home.