dblaisde

57 minutes ago, sambum said:

The fact that they pulled 3 people from a sinking car didn't cross your mind, then?

Always nice to meet people without a sense of humor.

Heroism for simply getting wet from that moat.

On 5/16/2016 at 10:32 AM, Bench499d said:

Probably because Steve Ballmer once said that Linux was like a cancer.

More like a cure for cancer, and a free cure no less. Certainly a cure for Steve Ballmer.

After buying Asus machines for years, I got a number of dogs and switched to rebuilt Lenovas, the X220 in my case. I buy them from ebay at between $120 and $200 and they're really solid machines for Linux. Getting one sent to Thailand might be a chore. Dunno, that's why I had kids who travel a lot. Excellent battery life, fast response, very solid construction. At the moment I'm running Mate Ubuntu. Very stable. These machines are very well supported by the Linux community, partly because they've been around for 4 years or more and partly because Lenova makes very Linux compatible machines. (though the new ones aren't as good, I've heard).

On 6/29/2016 at 10:06 AM, thai3 said:

what's linux?

It's big, warm and hard but doesn't make the sheets dirty.

4 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

Sure, she is probably having a great time of her own when you are gone.

Also as it should be. The expectation that one person can provide you with everything you need out of life (and forever) has naturally led to our divorce crazy societies.

"Love is the ideal. Marriage is the real. Confusion between the ideal and the real never goes unpunished." (Goethe)

>>What do you like most about Thai girls?

How easily they can change their sex....

On 7/20/2017 at 8:28 PM, Gary A said:

I too have tried many different distros. I was pretty happy with Mint but got bored with it. I now have Zorin on my laptop and netbook. Zorin works pretty well on my low powered netbook and even better on my laptop. I am using SSD's on both machines.

Thanks. Never heard of Zorin, but then new distros are coming out all the time. The linux world is a democracy, alive, inventive, chaotic and sometimes unstable, but I much prefer it to the dull greedy totalitarianism of Windows or Apple. I like Android too, on my phone and for the same reasons (and they use Linux as a foundation...about to change), though Google has turned evil. I'm hoping for a good Linux distro for my android someday. "Software wants to be free".

Actually "Ubuntu Mate", not listed. It has the support and stability of Ubuntu (and wide user base to resolve questions easily) but using Mate as a desktop rather than the usual (and to me ugly and inefficient) standard Ubuntu desktop ("Unity", which Ubuntu has decided to ditch).

I've used many other versions, starting with Slackware in 1994, at a time when you had to compile your kernel if you wanted to add a new device driver. (I was a software engineer by trade so it was a natural, having used Unix a lot at work.)

I'm 70 now, so the stability and user base of Ubuntu is a good fit.

Been using Linux since 1994, about a year after it first debuted.

The good thing about Linux is that there's a distribution for just about any purpose or machine, including running on old slow computers (slow until you put Linux on, but deadly slow with Windows).

Many standard Linux variants are built for modern machines, so they *can* run slow on old machines, but unlike Windows you can either tweak standard distros to run a lot faster by using lighter software (as suggest above), or install a distro especially designed and configured for older machines.

jippytum, I've been using Linux since 1994, pretty close to when it first came out, both at work and home.

I wouldn't run anything else.

Linux will usually run on just about any computer, including those that come with Windows installed, and Macs as well, and also tablets...But check before you buy to make sure. That's critical.

The advantage of Linux is that you have lots of choices, security isn't broke, and there's a large support community to help you along. And....everything is FREE.

If you're a newbie, you want to check out how well Linux works on whatever computer you're thinking of buying. I've run Linux on many different platforms. Right now I'm running it on a Lenova x220, a 4 year old high end computer (refurbished, and very well) that I bought for $200 on ebay a few months ago. Runs like a dream. Lenova has always been Linux friendly (hardware wise).

There are many different versions of Linux. It's best (esp. as a newbie) to go for one easy to set up with lots of user support, where a google search will quickly answer most of your problems. I'm running "Mate Ubuntu 16.04" at the moment, because it is stable and very functional. Mate with Ubuntu because I like the traditional Mate linux utilities and desktop better than the straight Ubuntu version, and I just turned 70 so I want things simple and familiar. Of course there are many other Linux versions with exotic features and very slick behavior, but some of this is "state of the art" and not appropriate for a new user, because of complexity and bugs.

You'll find little on the surface that differs from a Windows or Mac in layout or features. Linux is much faster than Windows running on the same machine though, and isn't busy spying on you (like Windows 10). And besides, where does the average user spend most of his time: in the browser, and browsers function and look the same on all computers.

Anyway, if you want Linux, check to make sure that it runs well on the machine you choose. Do this by basic searches in google like "linux Dell 5509" or "Ubuntu Dell 5509" (or whatever your computer name and model number is), for example. Because Linux is public domain and hardware is private domain, it may take awhile for Linux user written drivers to catch up with newly released hardware.

One good thing about Linux is that the average user is much more informed than the typical Windows or Mac users, so any questions are usually answered authoritatively and without the endless searching that might be required to find an answer to a simple Windows problem.

And if you end up hating Linux, you can always reinstall what the machine came with in the first place. (machines usually don't come with Linux installed).

thanks Joe.

I just got my US Social Security and I want it sent to Bangkok Bank in Bang Saphan. What do I need to do to set up a direct deposit account with them?

They seem to want my Social Security card which would require a replacement card ordered from the US. But from what I read on the BB website (see below), a letter of reference from the US Embassy would do it, which would be easier. Any others have experience opening a Bangkok Bank direct deposit account?

** Also, I wonder if I could simply photocopy my passport and sent it to the US Embassy, since I live 6 hours to the south of BKK.

Thanks

http://www.bangkokbank.com/BangkokBank/PersonalBanking/SpecialServices/ForeignCustomers/Pages/Account.aspx

• ONE of the following documents:
  • A letter of reference from one of the following:
    • Embassy or international organization
    • An official document from another country, such as a document from the  relevant agency giving evidence of the customer’s right to receive pension funds
    • Customer’s home bank to Bangkok Bank via the SWIFT messaging network
    • Person acceptable to Bangkok Bank e.g. branch officer, customer, government officer or company executive
    • Educational institution located in Thailand and acceptable to the bank
    • Company that is acceptable to the bank, confirming the customer is in the process of getting a work permit

On 6/25/2017 at 1:59 PM, Satearn said:

Mmm, 5000 men? She had a lot of sausage in her mouth...wouldn't want to marry her!

 

At least she's an expert in something!

1 minute ago, Minnie the Minx said:

Her marketing skills are somewhat lacking, she dated 5000 guys and not one stuck around? Anyway this is a silly scam.

As they say about America (and I'm American) "no one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of Americans". Same, same Thailand.

Let's see: 5000 men at $100+ a man, buy my book, go to my courses, and play me 14,000B to get you married to a Saudi...what could go wrong?

Thanks all. Much appreciated. 

2 minutes ago, Mattd said:

Sorry, now I'm confused 

 

Lopburi3 gave nice clear instructions regarding postal reporting.

 

I am just saying that IF you do go outside of Thailand at any point, then the dates for the reporting change, the report is ONLY if you are actually in Thailand for 90 consecutive days.

Right, and thanks. And what you say clarifies when I have to do these things. And I do saunter around to other countries sometimes, which will lighten the admin load here. :) cheers!

2 minutes ago, Mattd said:

How do you mean after your first reentry? 

As I stated before, if you depart from Thailand at any point, then the 90 days begin from (and include) the day you come back in to Thailand.

So if you leave Thailand before 30th August 2017, you will NOT need to report the 90 days on that date, the next report would be 90 days from the day you come back.

For example, If you happen to travel a lot and are not in Thailand for 90 consecutive days in any one period between now and your extension renewal date, you would not need to report for the 90 days.

I just meant such things as this, illuminated by lopburi3 above:

. Copy of any travel/return stamps (update copy as required)

. Copy of arrival card (update after each travel)

4 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

You send them:

Stamped (10 baht) return env with your delivery address

Copy of passport data page

Copy of entry visa/stamps

Copy of latest extension of stay

Copy of any travel/return stamps (update copy as required)

Copy of arrival card (update after each travel)

Your last receipt for reporting (for next report include that page they attached to your passport)

Right on the money. Thanks. "I guess the patient will live another year".

5 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

You will be doing a 90 day report that is not a renewal of your extension of stay.

Just read the part titled "Notification by registered mail". 

Right.

5 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

You do not have number 3 on that list but that is not a problem since it is your first report.

But presumably it will be a problem after my first re-entry, so I'm supposed to submit this pile of past "notifications" (number 3 on that list) for every 90 day reporting? (which means I've got to send them in, which hopefully they'll return, so I can resend them in for subsequent 90 day reports?) Tell me I'm hopelessly confused :)

Ubon---

Yeah, sorry about that (trouble getting both photos to show up, so I had to commit to see how it would look before continuing to write the post).

So I use TM47 for the 3 month "renewal" of my 1 year "permission to stay", and follow the "word salad" on http://bangkok.immigration.go.th/en/base.php?page=90da. (no criticism of you, mind)

Thanks again. Fortunately I've got friends who do this all the time so I'll have "real world examples" to go on, since Thailand bureaucrats seems to belong to another planet at times.

cheers,

Doug

Thanks to all,

Yes, I understand (though I may not have phrased it well) that these 90 day check-ins are simply that. I just wanted to do them on the right dates, and conveniently: by mail if possible.

Yes, on the advice of a friend, I *did* pay the 3800B to allow me as many trips out of the country as I wanted for a year, if that's the question you're asking.

1) I mostly wanted to know that I interpreted the dates on the stamp correctly as far as my reporting obligations go and

2) the situation if I decided to do the whole thing by mail. (eg the right way to protect myself if the renewal gets lost or mislaid-send it "registered return receipt"), and

3) how Immigration determines my next renewal date and

4) how well they'll inform me what that date is if I renew by mail.

All newbie questions. I just don't want to make newbie screwups, since I've been told they come at a high price in time and money.