retiree

I'll be in a similar position some day and have the same question. I have always assumed I could purchase an immediate fixed annuity, e.g. https://www.annuity.org/annuities/beneficiaries/ If an annuity contract has a death-benefit provision, the owner can designate a beneficiary to inherit the remaining annuity payments after death. Any large broker or insurance company should have a product like this -- is there a reason it doesn't work? -- Retiree

I don't think anybody discards the PLOS study. And I think Dr. Dror's advice is sensible at all times: if you have low sun exposure (common in Israel), and don't take vitamins or drink vitamin D fortified milk (not mandated in Israel, or Thailand either), then it's a good idea to follow the "official advice" of the Israeli government (and the WHO, US, and many others) on vitamin D supplements: 600 IU/day (800 IU if over 70). Dr. Dror is also a strong proponent of masking and vaccination (from age 5 on up), btw. However, I suspect that most readers have very little interest in what the doctors and scientists who wrote the PLOS paper actually have to say (beyond the headlines). The paper shows a correlation between very low vitamin D levels in Israel (where this is common -- 64.3% of the Israeli Arab population, which the paper focused on, have < 20ng/mL), and more severe Covid-19. Some people then might then make a series of unsupported assumptions: - a subgroup of Israelis with low vitamin D levels have severe Covid-19, - people with severe Covid-19 everywhere might also have low vitamin D levels, - Covid-19 might be common because low vitamin D is common (up to 80% of some national populations are called "insufficient"), - if very low levels are bad, then high levels might very well be protective, - if high levels are protective, perhaps they're just as good as vaccines, which are also "just" protective against severe disease. - a though might occur that maybe one could take vitamin D instead of getting vaccinated, - indeed, maybe if everybody took vitamin D, they'd all be protected and we wouldn't have a Covid-19 epidemic -- maybe "herd high vitamin D" levels could stop these diseases entirely. Now, my impression is that takes some effort (or disability) to have dangerously low vitamin D levels, of which the most obvious consequence is rickets (which I doubt any of us have ever encountered). It is estimated that in London (which closer to the North Pole than Calgary in Canada is, mind you), fairly white Caucasians need about 9 minutes of mid-day sun exposure (baring hands and face in winter, and arms and shins in warm weather); they estimate 25 minutes for fairly dark-skinned people. And most daily multi-vitamins have several hundred IU (Centrum Silver has 1,000, ordinary Costco / Kirkland Daily Multi has 400 IU), and fortified milk has 400 IU or more per liter. Meeting Vitamin D Requirements in White Caucasians at UK Latitudes https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5946282/ https://www.bytemuse.com/post/interactive-equivalent-latitude-map/ (scroll down a bit to see it). Nevertheless, the VITAL tests -- double-blind RCTs -- show that it is very easy to have levels that are called "insufficient" (up to 80% of the population!) but do not seem to have any health impact that is improved by vitamin D supplements, even when combined with calcium. That's why the New England Journal of Medicine last month advised to stop calling the 20-30 ng/ml range "insufficient," https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMe2205993 VITAL Findings — A Decisive Verdict on Vitamin D Supplementation ... there is no justification for measuring 25-hydroxyvitamin D in the general population or treating to a target serum level. ... people should stop taking vitamin D supplements to prevent major diseases or extend life. -- Retiree

The problems with observational studies (including this one in PLOS) in general, are that: - they report on correlation, not causation, - they do not investigate the entire population, i.e. why do other people with low vitamin D not have Covid-19? - it is very difficult to rule out confounding (simultaneous or parallel) variables that might be the actual cause. Thus ... - the observed variable (in this case vitamin D) may itself be a symptom of a shared cause. The PLOS authors are entirely forthcoming in pointing this out; see the "important limitations of the study" section (last two paragraphs of the Discussion) First, vitamin D deficiency can be one indication of a wide range of chronic health conditions or behavioral factors that simultaneously increase COVID-19 disease severity and mortality risks. This is how good science works -- you strengthen your case by raising the strongest possible arguments against it. A few paragraphs before they also note that: A recent study suggested an association between UVA or UVB exposure to COVID-19 disease severity independent of vitamin D [34]. That reference [34] says: https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/115/4/1123/6448988 Our data also support an association between exposure to UV-B or UV-A, independently of vitamin D and SARS-CoV-2 infection, so results for predicted 25(OH)D need to be interpreted cautiously. [34] also points to this editorial, which discusses possible causation: https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/115/4/987/6530387 Putative roles of solar UVA and UVB exposure and vitamin D supplementation in reducing risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 severity 3 mechanisms seem to be related to solar UV exposure: vitamin D production, NO liberation [nitrous oxide, I assume], and viral inactivation. The PLOS article also points to this note, whose title is self explanatory: Letter to the Editor: Vitamin D deficiency in COVID-19: Mixing up cause and consequence https://www.metabolismjournal.com/article/S0026-0495(20)30298-5/fulltext Finally, the PLOS article has a long series of references (26 - 37), that study Arab populations in general to investigate possible cultural and genetic reasons for the "high percentage of vitamin D deficiency among Israeli Arabs" (although their own data "showed no effect of ethnicity on disease severity and mortality"). These other studies discuss factors that that may engender susceptibility to Covid-19 in parallel with, rather than being the result of, low vitamin D. Again, let me reiterate the central weakness of studies like the PLOS article. I take it at face value that a lower vitamin D status was more common in patients with the severe or critical disease. But I also recognize that whenever a doctor advises a non-Covid, low vitamin D patient to take a supplement, and also to get a little more fresh air, sunshine, and exercise, s/he is also demonstrating just how easily confounding variables may undermine observational studies. -- Retiree

The July 27 2022 NYTimes article (legally unlocked): Source link: They note that: Labs in the United States then arbitrarily set 30 nanograms per milliliter as the cutoff point for normal vitamin D levels, a reading so high that almost everyone in the population would be considered vitamin D deficient. The main study (called VITAL) the NYTimes points to is here: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2202106 CONCLUSIONS Vitamin D3 supplementation did not result in a significantly lower risk of fractures than placebo among generally healthy midlife and older adults who were not selected for vitamin D deficiency, low bone mass, or osteoporosis. A second double-blind study of 20,000 older Australians they point to is (emphasis mine): https://www.thelancet.com/journals/landia/article/PIIS2213-8587(21)00345-4/fulltext Administering vitamin D3 monthly to unscreened older people did not reduce all-cause mortality. Point estimates and exploratory analyses excluding the early follow-up period were consistent with an increased risk of death from cancer. Pending further evidence, the precautionary principle would suggest that this dosing regimen might not be appropriate in people who are vitamin D-replete. I'll mention in passing that this is exactly what happened with the antioxidant supplements (beta-carotene, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and selenium) studied in this well-known paper (a review of seventy-eight randomised trials with 296,707 participants) -- they did not extend, and in some cases reduced, life span: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22419320/ Back to vitamin D, the editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine the Times points to says (emphasis mine): https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMe2205993 VITAL Findings — A Decisive Verdict on Vitamin D Supplementation ... More than 10 million serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D tests are performed annually in the United States. Results from these tests often include the classification of vitamin D “insufficiency” (<30 ng per milliliter) and “deficiency” (<20 ng per milliliter), prompting vitamin D supplementation. In this ancillary study and other VITAL studies, no subgroups defined according to baseline 25-hydroxyvitamin D level, even below 20 ng per milliliter, benefited from supplements.2,3,7 Thus, there is no justification for measuring 25-hydroxyvitamin D in the general population or treating to a target serum level. ... What are the implications of VITAL? The fact that vitamin D had no effect on fractures should put to rest any notion of an important benefit of vitamin D alone to prevent fractures in the larger population. Adding those findings to previous reports from VITAL and other trials showing the lack of an effect for preventing numerous conditions suggests that providers should stop screening for 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels or recommending vitamin D supplements, and people should stop taking vitamin D supplements to prevent major diseases or extend life. -- Retiree

With all due respect, the more apt comparison is to a randomized controlled trial (RCT) in which a subset of patients receive a placebo ("blind") treatment. We don't know how many of the students had palpitations, chest pains, etc. because they received injections, and were in a group of young people who (probably) expected to have some kind of reaction, or might have had a similar symptom by coincidence in the same period. Cohort studies are particularly useful over the long term, with large groups, unambiguous outcomes (like death), and variables that can't be blinded; e.g. the effect of cigarette smoking. Note that according to Table 5, there was no statistically significant variation in any of the 11 electrocardiograph measures taken before, during, and after the test. This isn't my area of expertise, but this appears to be a well-conducted and useful study partly because it reports its findings, and doesn't overreach by making unsupported claims about cause and effect. -- Retiree

To get back to the original question, I think there are several reasonable explanations. First, Walmart sells an apparently identical item -- same part number -- for $9.09. Gross profit 24.4% (est) 2022, but for items like this I could imagine they're paying the same as you or less per item. https://www.walmart.com/ip/DT3266F-Portable-Digital-Multimeter-Clamp-Meter-AC-DC-Voltmeter-Ammeter-Tester/171810582? Second, the marginal cost of production of one unit is probably very, very low -- think of cosmetics. There are many similar products, with minimal product differentiation, and assembled with minimal labor. I would think that just about all of the parts are just commodity items, some of which (the switch and most of the internal electronics) are used for other electronic doodads as well. Third, it's not unreasonable to imagine that even, if Walmart "owns" this particular design, the Chinese producer might have the right to sell to the ASEAN market. Or might have just licensed it to Walmart's (I think) 24 countries themselves. Fourth, these particular units might have failed Walmart's quality controls (laughs!), but are still good enough for most home applications; e.g. seeing if a wire is live, which doesn't require high accuracy. Think of factory outlet stores -- selling rejects is a common business model. Fifth, yes, companies do go bankrupt, and yes, their stock is usually sold off very quickly and cheaply by the creditor (who is in the money business, not the clamp business). Think of Big Lots stores. Sixth, Lazada is locked in a death battle with Shopee -- has either one ever had a profitable year? So for now, at least, losing money to build market is part of the business plan. Seventh, I think that our notion that it should be more expensive is anchored in the fact that very similar looking tools may provide more functionality and much higher quality / circuitry, for a higher price; check out Fluke. Interesting question, -- Retiree

If it were me, I'd - remove the micro-SD, - stick it in an adapter that allows plugging into a computer USB port, - copy the SD to your disk (you said it's mostly still readable, right?), - maybe try PhotoRec, but the documentation implies it will not be useful for late-arriving files (which might have been split up among free spaces on the SD card if you've used it for a while), - use chkdsk from a command window without the -F option, so it just tells you what it would do, - finally, either use chkdsk or the GUI tool via Explorer to fix the (hidden) disk index as necessary (which might save or lose) if you want to keep using the micro-SD. I hope I understand your situation correctly, and good luck, -- Retiree

There's a procedure called immediate implant that can be used. It's a judgment call by the dentist; these guys report on a bunch of them. The conclusion from here (and other published studies) is that it's a good procedure if you're a good candidate for it ???? https://www.aegisdentalnetwork.com/cced/2019/03/immediate-placement-of-dental-implants-in-molar-extraction-sockets-an-11-year-retrospective-analysis Fwiw I recently went to see if immediate implant was an option for a bad first premolar / bicuspid that I suspected needed pulling (quite a bit of gum and bone recession over the years, and the Dental Hospital had advised yanking it a decade ago). Long story short, my new doc at Phya Thai recommended a bone graft -- best case it could save the tooth for another 10 years, middle case it would improve the situation prior to an implant, and worst case it would cost a bit and do no harm. About 4 months in now; so far so good. -- Retiree

From the first study (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8788157/). Emphasis mine: To date, 5.5 billion vaccine doses have been administered [1] ... Ultimately, two studies [13,14] (case report and case series) were retrieved for inclusion in the review. The studies comprised data from four patients (three males and one female) Three of the patients received essentially the same treatment as the OP -- two recovered, and two are "recovering" (see Table 1). The only study they cite in support of a "statistically significant" connection (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8267343/) says: But, given the low level of evidence (i.e., studies with no control group), weakness in data collection (i.e., using self-reports and/or medical records), and high heterogeneity among studies reviewed, these results should be interpreted with caution. ("high heterogeneity" here means they're different sorts of studies, so results can't be readily combined) From the second article, there's just one patient -- who had tinnitus before she was vaccinated (emphasis mine): In the current study, a woman ... first experienced bilateral tinnitus in 2020, it remained stable thereafter. ... The THI also decreased to 12 by the end of September 2021. About a month later, the patient received her first dose of the vaccine and the second dose one month after. ("THI" is a measure of severity) Point is that publications are often quite limited in their evidence and conclusions, but are also very forthcoming about these limitations, and worth reading all the way through. -- Retiree

Getting back to the question, the answer is yes, be patient. The aftertaste cleared up in about 5 days. My takeaways: -- use water, rather than a stick, to help carbon and resin pour down the funnel in to the filter cylinder (to avoid pulverizing the powder). - -with a UF membrane and the Mazuma filter, allow more time for initial flushing through all three stages -- not just the carbon + resin stages. I didn't want to clog the UF membrane, so I don't think I let the drinking spigot run long enough -- my bad. I suspect the taste was due to teeny bits of resin & DVB getting caught in the UF membrane, and in the bottom of the resin tank. On the Mazuma, the drinking water flow pipe is a little lower than the dishwashing spigot; my old tank had them at the same level. The membrane probably fouled a bit in the first few uses, and took longer than expected to dissolve out. With a traditional ceramic filter, I usually stiff brush the ceramic after a day or two to clear off the fine carbon and resin that made it through. The UF membrane does not appear dirty (and can't be brushed anyway). Still, next time I'll take it out and try to spray-clean it after a day or two, and maybe try using a rubber hose to backwash it -- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/am/pii/S0376738816319937 has an interesting backwash discussion. And there are various chemical solutions that can be used for periodic cleaning down the road, if needed. Thanks all for comments, -- Retiree

Yes, it's puzzling. WHO International Agency for Research on Cancer https://gco.iarc.fr/today/online-analysis-map (the table tab, sorted by value) Estimated age-standardized incidence rates (World) in 2020, all cancers, both sexes, all ages Population Value Australia 452.4 (50% of all Aus are diagnosed with cancer by 85, www.cancer.org.au) New Zealand 422.9 Ireland 372.8 United States of America 362.2 (40% lifetime risk, www.cancer.gov) Denmark 351.1 The Netherlands 349.6 Belgium 349.2 Canada 348.0 France 341.9 Hungary 338.2 Norway 327.5 United Kingdom 319.9 Switzerland 317.6 Germany 313.2 .... Thailand 164.0 #88

Very sorry to hear that. I hope that you will find, as many do, that over time at least the tinnitus aspect can become a little less intrusive. -- Retiree

uhh, what is that?

Thanks for the comments. Fwiw, a) early aftertaste is a pretty common phenomenon, apparently, b) the resin and DVB binder are not toxic, at least in the tiny amount that might be dissolved, and c) I think tap water is generally safe -- especially in well-maintained apartment buildings in the middle of the city. It's just not tasty and it leaves spots on the glasses. It's certainly possible I just pulverized some of the resin beads while poking them through a funnel into the tank (with a chopstick -- I would'a could'a should'a poured water down the funnel instead). I guess I'll just swap in store-bought water a little more frequently for a few weeks, and switch out the resin if the taste doesn't clear up. Btw, Bangkok does test water continuously, just like any other city, and water coming out of the plants is perfectly safe (well, salinity was high for a bit last year, but is usually about half the recommended level). See: https://twqonline.mwa.co.th/map.php?type=cl live from the Metro Water Authority https://www.pwa.co.th/download/pwastandard50-1.pdf waterworks website A recent study at end-points is here -- water stored in poorly maintained (pressure) tanks seems to be a particular problem: https://www.e3s-conferences.org/articles/e3sconf/pdf/2018/05/e3sconf_iwa2018_01011.pdf The study points out that: WHO recommended in distribution system should be free residual chlorine above 0.2 mg/l to prevent post contamination. (WHO 2011) The live map shows chlorine levels usually several times higher, with 0.2 the minimum as far as I can see, and over 1.0 through almost all of central Bangkok. No surprise people use carbon filters! This article (and some of its citations) is a really interesting look at water distribution in general: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0043135418302392 In particular, it makes the point that the omnipresence of microbes in drinking water systems has been proven and acknowledged . I am not personally aware of any reporting of outbreaks of water-borne illness from Bangkok tap water -- has anybody seen this? Actually, I wonder whether or not first-world water-related problems like Legionnaire's disease pose a greater risk ???? -- Retiree

Just replaced my 20-year old stainless steel 3-stage water filter with a similar, new Mazuma M3F3-UF guy. Ordinary carbon and resin tanks, and a newfangled "UF Membrane" for the drinking water (it can be replaced by an ordinary ceramic filter). https://mazuma.co.th/en/product/m3f3-uf/ In any case, I'm getting an aftertaste in the drinking water. The Interweb says that the taste can be due to temporary leaching from the resin stage (I used the bag of Mazuma resin that came with the filter). I've always used the cheapest HomePro carbon / resin / ceramic in the past, and never had this before. Letting the water run and/or backflushing for a few 20-minute runs don't seem to help. Anybody else get this? Should I just be patient until it goes away? Thanks in advance for any advice, -- Retiree

I just got one of these 'cause it was local (Khorat). Took about 3 days to Bangkok. 380 baht + 45 baht shipping. No brand packaging, but battery was pre-installed and appears to work fine. https://shopee.co.th/เครื่องวัดพลังงาน+Watt+220V+10A+2200W+มีไฟ+Backlight+คำนวณค่าไฟได้+Power+Meter+Energy+Watt+Plug+Voltage+Current+Freq+PF-i.2540532.1525564683/

I also had sudden onset tinnitus, although not so severe and at a greater age. Was given a short course of prednisone, which I think is standard, but did not work for me, which is also common. You will find a great deal about this online. Klonopin (clonazepam) is sometimes prescribed; there is plenty of literature on this. I was prescribed it, but didn't want to go down that path. Good starting points (follow the citing works): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25858126/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14763236/ Note that tinnitus is believed to be due to the fact that the ear is far more sensitive than we realize; hence people will experience tinnitus sound in perfectly silent soundproof rooms as the brain ramps up the ear's sensitivity, and tries to fill in expected ordinary background noise. A way to trick the brain into lessening this is to focus on an external sounds. There are many online sites that generate ambient sound / noise of all types, e.g. https://noises.online/ or https://mynoise.net/ You want something that's just complex and audible enough to grab your ear's attention. I find that having a barely discernible wave sound play at night (small bluetooth speaker under a pillow, run from my phone) is very helpful for this. All this said, these methods are just for the symptoms. Regular age-related tinnitus resulting from long-term ear damage doesn't seem to be curable, but given your youth (remember, this is Thai Visa), overnight onset, and the fact that it's just one side I'd continue to see medical advice if it were me. Good luck, -- Retiree

More general comment here. There is a tendency for foreigners to see a single monolithic Thai market that is stacked against them. I think, rather, one has to see four distinct markets operating in parallel. In order of prices they are: - the fine print market: both online and in sidewalk vendor stalls. Prices are very low, usually because of small quantity, short expiration date, used item, off brand, etc. - the rational market: mostly online. Both sellers and buyers have access to "true" best legit prices (e.g. Amazon + VAT + shipping). At the low end prices are competitive with this, but there are also somewhat higher prices for value-added features, e.g. local seller, local service, easier returns, C.O.D., high number of reported sales, better seller reputation, etc. - the traditional market: mostly regular stores or their online presence. These continue to reflect pre-Amazon/Lazada/Shopee pricing, when brands and/or competition in Thailand were limited and consumers were much less informed. They persist among less-informed consumers and those who prefer local stores, lack credit cards, make impulse purchases in the store, rely on store-owner's advice, etc. - the irrational market: online. No upper limit on pricing, because as a rule sellers do not maintain any inventory -- they simply resell goods they themselves buy in the rational market. This is very easy to see on used book sites and Amazon books, where ordinary used books that are available new are listed for hundreds of dollars. The usual explanation is that these sellers hope for accidental sales and/or very uninformed consumers, and persist because there is essentially no barrier or cost to market entry (or lack of sales). As for the D3 puzzle, Costco's Kirkland brand (a reputable seller) is readily available for $11 - $15 / 2,000 IU / 600 gel caps in the US, so we know for a fact that good D3 can be cheap. This is the target the better Lazada/Shopee sellers will approach (plus shipping, VAT, and their profit). In this particular case, expiration dates add downward pressure (I sometimes buy very short-date stuff if I'm confident it's stable and has been safely stored). Interesting question, -- Retiree

Also curious about this question. The answer seems to be that nobody knows what the ideal amount of added K2 is, or (as Jingthing notes) if it is even necessary for healthy adults who just don't get enough sunshine, and take "standard" D3 doses (which seem to be < 4,000 IU/day is safe, at least 600 IU/day is recommended, I,000 IU/day is common). The reality afaik is that most research has been done in the context of other health conditions that might be improved (osteoporosis in older women), or worsened (cardiovascular problems) by an improper balance of D3, K2, and calcium supplementation. This is a recent survey that gives a sense of how trials (including some broad senior studies) are conducted, and why results are not always easy to generalize from. Critical appraisal of large vitamin D randomized controlled trials (2022) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8778517/ A second well-known paper (1,500+ citations) is the cautionary tale. It is a large metasurvey of high-quality studies of several anti-oxidants, and concludes that these supplements either had no benefit, or were more likely to be harmful than helpful. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Christian-Gluud/publication/6478122_Mortality_in_Randomized_Trials_of_Antioxidant_Supplements_for_Primary_and_Secondary_Prevention_Systematic_Review_and_Meta-analysis/links/02e7e51c88f67b5cb5000000/Mortality-in-Randomized-Trials-of-Antioxidant-Supplements-for-Primary-and-Secondary-Prevention-Systematic-Review-and-Meta-analysis.pdf Fwiw, I take 1,000 IU of D3 daily 'cause I get nearly zero sun exposure. I don't worry about K2. -- Retiree

Speaking from experience, whether or not to do a graft is a judgement call by the dentist. See for example https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5601489/ Takeaways are summarized below; "survival" means 6 months - 1 year, and "success" is 3-5 years. Block grafts have 98.9% survival rate and 99.05% success rate Particulate grafts have 100% survival rate and 66.6% success rate Blood derivatives have 97.8% survival rate and 96.6% success rate Composite bone grafts have 99.6% survival rate and 66.06% success rate Allografts have 90.9% survival rate and 82.8% success rate. Xenografts are 85.4% / 73.2% The different types have to do with technique, bone material, and implicitly complexity and cost. I've had successful xenografts (cow bone), which I assume are the cheapest and most common variety. Smoking, gum condition, and other health issues, as well as the dentist's skill & experience, can all affect likely outcome; e.g. this study cites 6.5% to 20% increased failure risk for smokers: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3894084/ Bottom line imho is that a very good dentist will turn some patients down, or refer them to more specialized and expensive practitioners / procedures. -- Retiree

Current Paperwhite model is pretty close. But, I wanted the glass screen, aluminum body, and better lighting (25 vs 17 LEDs). Oasis is also slightly larger, yet Paperwhite is 9% heavier. Tbh though I think a plastic screen is just buyer's remorse waiting to happen. -- Retiree

I think in at least some cases this is cause by two distortions due to contracting rules: - this has been improved, but traditional gov. contracts wanted dedicated equipment (per contract) because it was easier to audit use of funds than shared equipment (between contracts, which could be abused by double-billing), - "cost-plus" contracts that specify some profit rate can help prevent price-gouging, but they also mean that the more you spend, the more you make. The irony is that in both cases the cost-cutters who want to starve the beast (by not hiring useless bureaucrats like accountants and auditors!) are the ones who make the problem worse.

Fwiw I have about 1,100 books in azw3. They take a little more than half of the 6.2gb available on an my 8gb device. However, a tiny fraction (40) take 1gb because illustrations were not properly compressed for Kindle screens somewhere along the line -- they're 90-95% bigger than they need to be (but I haven't gotten around to redoing compression on Calibre). At any rate when I bought it I figured 8gb would be plenty. I think the 32gb model is for folks who want audio books and don't want to just store / listen on their cellphones (for which add-on memory is about 10-15 cents / gb these days). --Retiree

So, let's see. US prices for 8gb PaperWhite 11th are $140 / $160 = 5,027 / 5,745 THB = ads / no ads. On this LazMall site: https://www.lazada.co.th/products/all-new-kindle-paperwhite-2021-832-gb-gen-11-68-worm-white-i3102399787-s12836518857.html? they range from 5,769 (ads / 7-day guarantee) to 8,699 (no ads / 1-year guarantee). Some are out of stock, as you mentioned. I'd guess that the 7-day guys are store demos, returns, rebuilt, etc. Other details that can affect prices are grossly inflated shipping costs (more common on Amazon, I think; this particular site has free shipping). A few useful terms to know: มีโฆษณา with ads ไม่มีโฆษณา no ads ประกัน 7 วัน 7 day guarantee ประกัน 1 ปี 1 year guarantee Bottom line is that the market is pretty competitive & efficient. In my experience the best legitimate prices in Thailand for relatively costly or brand-name electronic goods usually turn out to be a little bit higher than the best [Amazon + VAT + legit shipping] price. The exception is more generic / lower cost / made-in-China stuff, which is usually cheaper from China via Lazada or Shopee. -- Retiree

One other Kindle / Amazon / China note: I ordered a replacement battery for my Kindle Voyager from Amazon, and belatedly realized that the US seller was also drop-shipping from China to US then to Thailand. Took about 2 months to arrive -- I should'a just gone with Lazada & 20-30 days. --Retire