filingaccount

My suggestion is to follow a simple 4 step program.

Step 1. Delete your posts regarding this. Never bring it up with anyone again.

Step 2. It's never illegal to receive gifts.

Step 3. Deny involvement, as it's true.

Step 4. See Step 2 and 3.

Let us assume that the number of arrivals are correct for a moment. Actually, I do not doubt the arrival numbers at all. What I do wonder though is who arrives.

Also, after many years of non-stop building, it is clear that there is a huge oversupply of tourist accommodation in many parts (eg. Phuket, Samui).

I try to keep informed about tourism through friends who are in the field, and it seems they are in agreement about a few things.

Quality tourists are down significantly. A quality tourist for them is a person who buys a 2-3 week stay at a 4 start establishment, and who buys other services (e.g. tours) through them. The general consensus seems to be that these quality tourists have tried traveling to Thailand, perhaps even a few times, and do not wish to return.

Also, there seems to be an enormous drop in "Farang" visitors, and a large pickup in Middle Eastern tourists, as well as South Asians & Chinese. It seems these visitors do not buy the same services as Farang tourists, and the service market has not adjusted. It is also noted that South Asians & Chinese spend a little less per visit. Chinese tourists very often buy their tours from their home country, stay in Chinese owned hotels & are driven around to select destinations only (often being strongly reminded to spend their money at "approved locations").

Islands like Phuket, Samui, Tao and resort towns like Hua Hin, Pattaya do have a very bad reputation (dirty, pricey, dodgy, lots of hookers), and independent travelers often ask about alternative destinations where they can "experience the real Thailand". Koh Tao seems to be in total shambles right now with illegal building, no water/electricity supply, and they have even built a resort on the very famous "double island with the small double beach in between". Tourists who arrive now are greeted by the very tacky sunchairs with umbrellas. Natural beauty is gone completely. Tourists are of course disappointed and leave with a feeling of "was that all? It was disappointing."

Tourists are also fed up with the overcharging, trickery, and unfair treatment found in all tourist areas, not to mention the constant barrage of hookers coming at you from every direction.

It is also noted that many western tourists ask for "Bungalow" or "Thai style" accommodation and there is less and less supply of decently priced destinations offering this. There seems to be an abundance of 10,000+ Baht 5 star villa destinations though. Many potential tourists decline with the comment "I work hard all year to save up for a good 3 week vacation, but I can't afford to spend more than US$ 2,000 for my vacation. I would prefer to spend about US$ 500-600 on the hotel in total." Finding anything in this price range is very difficult now.

So the conclusion is is somewhat of a good news/bad news thing.

The good news is that Thailand probably will see the 14.6 million visitors this year, with a decent growth next year (unless Thais go ).

The bad news is that the visitors who do arrive do not use the facilities and services that Thais have so diligently built up the past decade. They tend to spend their money at the street stall for dinner instead of the fancy restaurant, and they rather stay at "Mikes place hotel residence" for 500 Baht a night than, "Baan Puuyai, paeng maak" for 24,000 baht a night.

But then again, this is just the subjective observations of one person, and I will of course be very wrong

Thats in the usa right? Dont know if they ship to thailand and then have to pay duties? looks a good deal

Normal duty is 5%, plus 7% VAT, and then of course you have the shipping cost.

Air, heat, light and moisture are all bad for your coffee beans.

The key is to store them away from these environmental influences as much as possible. This of course means you have to keep them in airtight and dark containers preferably in dry and cool places.

So you'd go "Aha! The freezer!", but sadly you'd be very wrong.

Let us explore what happens with the coffee bean when you freeze it.

Briefly; Coffee gets its distinct flavor from roasting. The roasting process releases the beans natural oils which is the main source of flavor. The darker the roast, the more oil is released and the more flavorful your coffee becomes.

The process of freezing will break down these oils on the surface - the oils are what gives your beans the "shiny" look and also what makes them slippery. Furthermore, the beans are porous (in other words, not very solid) and during the process of freezing your beans will absorb moisture and odors from your other items in the freezer. In a best case scenario this would cause your beans to lose their natural flavor rapidly, and worst case your expensive gourmet coffee beans will taste from the frozen fish, chicken, pork, salami and cheese you have stored. Not very exciting anymore...

You can freeze your coffee beans once, in a worst case scenario, if you intend to store them for about 14 days. You do have to be mindful about odors in any case. If you have a lot of other food items in the freezer, consider not freezing your beans. In any case, freezing your beans is not recommended though. After about 2 weeks the beans tend to break down and will quickly become less flavorful. Do not take the beans out and refreeze them again. This quickens the process of breakdown of the natural oils.

So what about the fridge? Shouldn't this be better then?

No, it's even worse. The same applies in a fridge as it does in a freezer. Your beans will absorb more moisture and odors and the oils will break down quickly.

But I'm in Thailand! It's +40C with 80% humidity every dang day. What can I do?

Relax. It's not so difficult.

If it's possible, buy only freshly roasted beans on a weekly basis. This solves all your problems in one step. Simply store your 1 week supply in an airtight, dark container and store it near your coffee machine. If you drink the supply in a week the breakdown of the coffee isn't so significant and you'll be quite hard pressed to taste the difference between a fresh supply and the week old supply.

My bean supplier is very far away and it's not convenient for me to go there every week. What can I do?

The absolute best you can do is to get a wine cooler with a dehumidifier built in. This keeps your coffee cool, but not cold, removes excess humidity and stores the beans in a dark place.

Yeah, but an expensive wine cooler is not what I want nor do I have the space for it. Any other suggestions?

Sure! Buy freshly roasted beans that are in small valve sealed bags (e.g. 250 gram packages). The valve sealed bags are a sure sign that the manufacturer roasts his beans and immediately packs them, ensuring the highest freshness. The valve allows CO2's to escape, which the roasted beans release for several days after roasting, and also allows moisture out. The seal is one way, meaning that no air or moisture can seep in. Then store the beans in a cool (but not cold) place.

I buy 5 KG bags from my supplier. It's cheaper that way. What should I do?

Consider changing and buy smaller bags. We strongly recommend 250 gram bags. The small price difference is worth it!

If you insist on the big bag, divide your coffee into smaller containers. Airtight zip lock bags can be a good choice. Try to remove all the excess air from the bag using a straw or a vacuum (or you can get the vacuum bags normally used for storing clothes). You can freeze the extra bags, but please be mindful of moisture and odors. Freezing is not ideal, but might work in a pinch. Store the extra bags away from everyday items - and this can't be stressed enough - in cool, dark, airtight and dry conditions.

I heard that if I grind the coffee and store it vacuum sealed it will preserve the flavors. Is this correct?

No. This is absolutely the worst thing you can do if you intend to store you coffee longer than a few hours.

The oxidation that takes place after your grind the beans will destroy the flavor very quickly and you'll end up with a brown watery substance not worthy of the name coffee.

Briefly, this is our suggestions for the best coffee beans:

• Buy directly from the roaster, or from a dealer who can ensure quick delivery of the freshest beans.
• Make sure the beans are stored in small valve sealed bags. After opening, store in dark, airtight containers.
• Store the beans in a cool place.
• Grind just enough beans for the amount of coffee you are going to enjoy, and grind just before making your cup(s).

As far as I know all mobile carriers in Thailand have these options. You have to set them from the phone though (normally under "settings" -> "call settings" or similar).

http://jib.co.th/TH/category.asp?Lang=TH&ID_Category=61

This should give you an idea of whats available.

Thanks for gettng back on topic for those of us actually interested in purchasing new laptops.

I was wondering about the Toshiba factor, are parts pricier than most or are these things all pretty interchangeable? A friend of mine swears by Asus while another one wouldn't touch Lenovo with a ten foot pole.

So, is it really all subjective?

I do appreciate the earlier link to squaretrade's report on laptop reliability so I do get there are varying degrees of "good" laptops.

And does anyone have an opinion on refurb?

Yes, lets stay on topic. It's better that way, and it shows this little thing called "respect" to the OP

Most likely the parts costs the same for any manufacturer to produce. The price differences, if any, if mostly policy and partly how large of a presence they have in the local market.

Build quality is actually not subjective, however, what is subjective is personal experience. If you buy brand <x> and you see nothing but grief, you will of course not be happy, and to you brand <x> sucks. I try to gather as much data as I can before making any suggestions (You'd be working hard to get a recommendation out of me.) and so far the data I have agrees with the data of the report linked in this thread.

Personally I wouldn't buy refurb computers of any kind. It's not the same as buying a 2nd hand car.

If you get a full 1 year warranty, then it might be less of a risk, but even then please make sure that several parts are brand new (eg. HDD, DVD/CD-ROM, keyboard, touchpad). I'm also hesitant about the LCD as they tend to dim over time. If the mainboard goes bad, you might look at a costly replacement. I'd be wondering why it was refurbished in the first place...

Pot calling the kettle comes to mind with all the drivel written here. Thanks for the clarification NOT.

I agree that sometimes there are people who like to "find faults" in others without offering anything constructive, and it is somewhat of a bother.

I normally try to clarify what I write in a polite and hopefully non-complicated manner should it be required (English, after all, is only my 3rd language so sometimes I might not be 100% clear), but I do take offense when I am singled out and "attacked" wrongfully (specially when it happens more than once).

I would appreciate if you would try to refrain from replying inside threads should you disagree - if off topic - and send me a PM. I don't mind discussions at all...

I don't much like to clutter threads with off topic posts, but I will respond in kind to any post targeting me.

..........

And to get back on topic. My personal favorites right now are the Lenovo Thinkpads. The build quality and support gotten for the price asked is quite fantastic. ASUS is normally not far behind, but they lack in the software support area. They stop tend to stop supporting their laptops within a couple of years. This can be a good thing, they free up resources for the next iterations of laptops. Or it can be a semi-bad thing, ASUS laptops last much longer than a couple of years... Repairs and hardware support seems to be top notch.

Sony seems to have decent laptops when they get their act together, but sadly they are somewhat inconsistent with their product lines. And they are a bit pricey.

Toshiba and Fujitsu make good laptops, but they do not have as strong presence in Thailand as others so local support might not be the best. And they seem a bit more expensive compared to the other brands.

Actually, I believe, Android 2.2 and newer requires updated (improved) specs.

I think the capabilities of the lowest end CPU's are not in line what these new iterations need.

This could be why we do not really see the VIA CPU's on Android 2.1 but instead Rockchip and ARM A<x> CPU's.

You are underestimating the importance of security and protection against malware and your advice in this matter is jeopardizing peoples data ind integrity.

What exactly is it that you want to say with your statement? For what reasom do you write this at all?

Where do I say anything what you seem to imply?

I clearly state

"If you use common sense while online you will never even see a hint of a virus near your laptop. There really is no need to install intrusive and resource hogging software (that many

times do more harm than good). There are a few software that are of use though. What they are depends on the O/S you choose."

The break down by sentence is as follows:

Sentence 1. If you are careful online then you should not be near viruses.

Sentence 2. Carefully choose good software.

Sentence 3 & 4. Clearly states there are good software for the purpose of protection BUT it depends on the O/S.

I understand that English might not be your strongest language, but making thinly veiled attacks when you clearly do not understand what you read is, at best, ignorant and at worst could be considered willful trolling.

Do not choose Acer, Dell, Compaq, HP, MSI, Samsung nor Gateway. You need reliability.

You say this based on what?

Do you have personal experience with all these or you read a test from somewhere?

This is based on decades of experience repairing, testing and using all brands. It is also backed up by world wide statistics supplied by the various vendors. I also have direct connection with several brand authorized central repair centers world wide who do not mind sharing their repair numbers privately with me. What are your experiences?

I would appreciate you stop the attacks, and provide something constructive instead. Nobody likes someone who attacks other peoples suggestion and advice without providing any in return. At least provide something of value....

What kind of torrent? What kind of tracker? What package speed? How many users share the connection? How many seeds and peers on the torrent? Do you use the WiFi, LAN, USB connection? Where are you located?

What are your PC specs? Which operating system? Which torrent client?

After doing some more research, and getting recommendations from the manufacturers the 3 following are apparently the top ones in each size category.

7" M703

8" M808

10" M100

They also state that there is no possibility to upgrade (at least not easily) the O/S of the tablets, but they all do have Android marketplace access.

Thanks filingaccount for the spreadsheet, very nicely done!

Seems most of the high-end tablets are Windows based. The most interesting unit imo is the ZT-180 - 1024x600, 1GHz, Android 2.1 for $190. My only worry is still whether there will ever be an Android upgrade available for it.

Yes tominbkk, if it's Android it will have an onscreen keyboard just like Ipad.

I think the Nano CPU based ones use Windows because Android doesn't really need that kind of power.

I wouldn't count on that the Chinese made tablets would be upgradable. I'm fairly sure you can patch them with the latest update in the same version range (eg. 1.7.2 to 1.7.4), but perhaps not to another version entirely (eg. 2.1 to 2.2). I contacted the manufacturers and see if their products can be upgraded properly.

I agree that the ZT-180 is very tempting. I would probably go for that one or a 7" for ultra portability (limiting myself to ebooks, youtube and similar things). Or why not both...

Security, malware etc.

If you use common sense while online you will never even see a hint of a virus near your laptop. There really is no need to install intrusive and resource hogging software (that many times do more harm than good).

Excuse me? You recommend windows and no antivirus?

No. Please go back and read again.

I'll paste what I wrote a while back. After the quote is my suggestion, based on your short list of requirements.

First, consider the 3 most important things on any computer. Keyboard, Monitor and Mouse.

These are the 3 things you will always use. Always. Every single time.

Keyboard.

How does it feel when you type on it? (I suggest trying several different keyboards in quick succession. Try to type the same short message.)

Are the keys solid? Does the keyboard "flex" when you press down on any key? (Try pressing "G" and "H" and see if there is any "give"). Is there any "cracking or creaking" noises when you put a little more pressure on the keys from normal typing?

Do the keys seem "loose"? eg. They rattle when you type. Put your finger on a key and without pressing it down, move your finger left to right a few times. Is the key moving a lot with your movement? If it is, you might want to think about the extra wear this puts on the keys over time. (yes, you will always have sideways movement even though you think you press straight down when typing).

Traditionally IBM and now Lenovo keyboards have been the best. This has changed with Netbooks though and they are more or less on par with others.

Monitor. (LED backlit LCD's use less power, and are thinner.)

There are 2 main types of screens and they are easily identifiable. Glossy and Matte.

A glossy screen will always reflect a varying amount of the "scenery" around you. This is particularly noticeable with darker colors on screen.

A Matte screen will not reflect much of anything at all.

Some people do not mind the glossy screens as they like the little extra color vibrancy/contrast given. Drawback is that in Thailand, during daytime, the ambient luminance (eg. sun light) is very high, and so you have about a 50/50 chance of seeing whats on screen and whats behind you.

Matte screens seem "dull" when presented side-by-side with a glossy screen. Don't be fooled, the Matte screens are in no way inferior and in fact might be considered far superior to glossy screens due to the simple fact you will never have to worry about reflections, and thus you will actually see what's on screen...

Mostly sold today are glossy screens for some reason.

Mouse.

Oh-boy. There are as many touchpads as there are laptop/netbook models. I suggest looking for a touchpad that allows your finger to move effortlessly and without you having to press down or other wise make an effort to move the cursor. How does it react when your finger is a little damp? Cursor not moving or moving slowly? Are the mouse keys easy to press? Does it have the features you need (eg. scroll bar)?

It should not be a pain or an effort when you use any of the 3 above. In a good scenario you should not even recall how it was to use the keyboard and mouse. It should be automatic. If it is not, try another. You should not have to strain your eyes trying to read whats on screen because of a blurry screen, reflections, glare or any other issue. If it's difficult to read now, imagine how it will be when you really use it 3-4 hours at your home/office.

Ok, so now the very basics are cleared.

On to the specs.

Nowadays you can get a hold of almost any sort of performance in a laptop/netbook. From the painfully slow, to the ridiculously fast.

The first question you should ask yourself is "What am I going to use it for?". If you know how to answer this, you already are 90% of the way to the correct purchase.

There are way too many variables for me to even begin to explore what would be good for what purpose. Everyone has their own preferences when it comes to programs, all of which have different requirements.

I can offer you a few guidelines though.

Longevity comes from 2 things mainly. CPU speed and amount of RAM. The more, the better. But more power comes with a big drawback, less battery time. It also means it will run hotter, and quite likely noisier.

Batteries generally last 1 year with 80-90% of full capacity, then they tend to decline rapidly. Few batteries make it past 3 years and are still usable. Take any manufacturers claim of battery time and cut it in half. Yes, half. That's what you are going to get in a real life scenario. A good practice is to try and keep the battery fully charged as much as possible. This reduces wear.

Do you want to take advantage of the Windows 7 fancy Aero effects? Then you need to purchase a laptop with a more powerful GPU (aka VGA card). This means you'll end up spending a few thousand Baht more.

Do you absolutely need an optical drive? Can you switch to USB flash memory?

Does it have a media card reader (eg. SD card reader)?

Make sure it has all the USB/firewire/pc card/other expansion port that you need.

Does it offer Gigabit (1000 Mbit) LAN and 802.11n WiFi? (traditionally LAN's are 100 Mbit and WiFi 802.11g).

802.11n WiFi is backwards compatible with .11 b/g. To fully take advantage of .11n you need a .11n WiFi router. The benefit is higher speeds, up to 300 Mbps, instead of 54 Mpbs with .11g. Practically it means you get about 4-5 times the transfer speed. This is particularly beneficial if you transfer large files over your WiFi network between PC's.

Sound generally is quite bad on a laptop. The hardware might be decent, but most speakers are bad.

Make sure it has good headphone/external speaker jacks if you need to use the sound for any media/communication.

Warranty.

Most cheaper laptops/netbooks offer a limited 1 year local warranty.

If you need anything different please ask if they have an extended warranty program or an alternative laptop/netbook with longer and/or international warranty.

Buy from a reputable dealer. If the shop seems shoddy, it probably is.

I personally like Matte screens due to the simple fact I can use it during day time. There is nothing worse than sitting down, and seeing your own face on the screen and have to struggle to see text. Glossy screens are ridiculously bad for real work, particularly work involving text, numbers and graphics.

I type a lot, so I like to use robust keyboards. The best ones, by far, are Lenovo Thinkpad keyboards.

I would seriously consider chaging the slow HDD for an SSD. Yes, SSD's are smaller and pricier, but they are hugely superior in terms of speed.

If you need extra storage, consider adding external storage. If you have your workplace well designed, adding a couple of large external 3.5" HDD's will not be a bother.

High resolution LCD's on laptops are good, but not really practical for anything less than 17" screens. I would consider getting a 14" laptop, and adding a large monitor. This gives you a bigger screen with even higher resolution, dual screens, and should you need it, portability.

For the Operating system, I would choose the one that all your applications run on. If your apps run Win7, choose the 64-bit O/S. It runs both 32 and 64-bit applications.

If you do not have to, please do not use WinXP.

MacOS, although people tend to go over the top praising it, is not suitable for your operations.

I suggest getting as much RAM and as powerful CPU as you can afford. Your battery life will suffer, but I doubt you will trade stocks while on the go...

Security, malware etc.

If you use common sense while online you will never even see a hint of a virus near your laptop. There really is no need to install intrusive and resource hogging software (that many times do more harm than good).

There are a few software that are of use though. What they are depends on the O/S you choose.

Do not choose Acer, Dell, Compaq, HP, MSI, Samsung nor Gateway. You need reliability.

So anyway, this is a lot longer than I expected it to be... I'll snip it short. PM me if you want more details and suggestions.

I have combined the ones I think are usable in terms of specs and price. (I removed all with WinCE, or with slow CPU's, smaller than 7"LCD's, or the ones very similar to the ones included, and over priced items)

I have been informed that shipping by DHL from China to Bangkok is about US$ 25 per item. I know that DHL charges 200 baht per package as a "handling fee", and normally they add on 5% import tax and 7% VAT.

MID price.xls

I have received a bunch of spreadsheets from various suppliers. If you are interested, I can email you copies.

I have been in contact with many suppliers about "iPad clones" (not an entirely accurate terms, but it will do).

Apparently they are available in LCD sizes of 7" up to 10.2".

Resolution: 800x480 or 800x600 for 7-8"screens. up to 1024x600 for larger screens.

CPU: 500+ Mhz VIA or Rockchip up to 1.6 Ghz Atom

RAM: 128 MB up to 2 GB

O/S: Android 1.5 to 2.1 or WinCE 6.0 (depending on device)

Connectivity: WiFi on most. 3G+WiFi on some

Storage: 0 to 4 GB built in

External storage: Memory card support up to 32 GB

USB slots: On some

Media playback: On the low CPU speed devices only 320x240 resolution video is possible, 1080p on the highest end ones.

Most 7-8" LCD devices with VIA or Rockchip CPU's are in the price range of around US$ 100-170 and the 10"LCD's with Atom CPU's cost as much as US$ 350.

The cheapest one is US$ 58, but only has 128 MB RAM, 7"LCD, a keyboard, runs WinCE 6.0.

I was thinking of importing 1 or 2 for personal use and testing. Is anyone else interested? The benefit would be reduced shipping costs. (To be absolutely clear, this is not a for profit thing, it's finding out if these have potential or not, and have some fun).

PM me if you are interested, and we'll co-ordinate a purchase.

To get an accurate speedtest, simply download a file and view the speed it downloads at.

Speedtests are cashed and manipulated by ISP's, so they are highly unreliable at best.

No sharp pain, just a cold, dull ache really. The most pronounced symptom is a stiffness of the heel and calf on getting up, and a general lameness a day or so after strenuous exercise.

Running up from the heel in a vertical line, the soreness is a small area about 2" from the top of the heel bone, about level with the ankle bone.

This I am very familiar with and I am sorry to say that the only thing that will help, short and long term, is long and light stretching.

You must stretch the whole leg front and back, but focus on stretching the Achilles tendon.

PM me if you want specific stretching routines.

The drawback if you have a Thai Wife, there is nothing broadcast in Thai... that might cause a bit of trouble & strife..... oh no, no soap operas!

Those you can stream from the Thai TV's online streaming channels. Works quite well as their servers are in Thailand and most ISP's have decent local bandwidth.

He was obviously unwilling to explain how it could be so cheap.

The only reason it can be that cheap without being stolen goods is that the guy didn't pay tax on the cars (eg. smuggled).

What could happen down the line is when you go to register the vehicle, the revenue department will ask you for additional (or all) tax.

The seller will make away like a bandit as the "tax" you should pay through him is no more than pure profit.

Another scenario could be that the cars he is selling are rejects from the manufacturer and he managed to get his hands on them under the manufacturers impression he would salvage parts, then destroy the vehicle on their behalf (less likely scenario though).

The risk is that he'll make sales for the next 9 months or so, and then his business is mysteriously gone with perhaps only a cell phone number to call.

Maybe note down all serial numbers of the car, double check with customs or other relevant authority before purchase.

Normally, when someone gives you a deal cloak & dagger style, you most likely are being taken for a ride.

But then again, he might be legit. You could ask when he started selling these cheap cars and who bought them. Ask to see registration papers that have gone through 100%.

Check, check and then double check everything.

Edit: I forgot about the obvious warranty repairs. Who does them? Where? Do you get full warranty from the brand locally?

I have had the occasional discrepancy with various communications providers. For one reason or another my payments sometimes doesn't get "confirmed" in their systems and thus I "owe" them money.

What I do is the following:

1. Keep scanned copies of all bills and payment confirmations (receipts etc).

2. Ask the service provider to forward me a copy of the supposed "outstanding" bill. I state I will pay if the bill is indeed outstanding. (most fail right here, and then I just say "ok, so no outstanding bill. No need to pay as there is no bill." Sometimes they try to argue that I should pay anyway, then I just say "how do I know you are not trying to cheat me? I will not pay because someone contacts me. What happens if I contact you and say you must pay for something? Could be good business to ask for payments without proof." Makes them silent 99.9% of the time.)

3. If copy of bill is sent, I counter IMMEDIATELY via email stating bill <x> was paid and supply electronic copies of said bill payment.

4. Wait for them to fumble the ball.

Decent shill post. B- for effort, C for execution.

Did AirAsia pay Thaivisa to advertise?

@filingaccount

I heard some negative feedback on UltraSurf some time ago, might have been false alarm, see here: http://www.how-to-hi...f-is-malicious/

I did some snooping around when I noticed some odd behavior with ultrasurf+FF addon.

I came to the conclusion it was non-malicious (although I could be wrong). But to be sure, I don't use it for secure sensitive sessions anyway (not even gmail). I have better tools for that

But thanks for the heads up anyway, and with a link no less.