filingaccount

Many people have posted about chalk, sprays, liquids etc...

The only thing that will last for any length of time is killing the queen.

And how do we do that? With poisonous ant "food" they bring back to the nest. It is then consumed by all ants in the nest, including the queen. Your ants will be gone within a few hours, and they will NOT be getting back anytime soon.

I use ARS ant killer. It comes in a small sealed bag and a plastic box with holes in it. Place it near the entry point (or alternatively along the path) of the ants, and they will go nuts over it.

I have cleared several ant infested houses and condos with this stuff.

It's relatively safe as it is not airborne nor liquid, and any residue will easily be vacuumed up once ants have taken their "leave"

If you are very nervous, simply keep you child away from home over an afternoon while the ants have their party and you should be fine.

It doesn't work with those BIG black or BIG red soldier ants though.

Start carrying around a recording device (similar to what journalists use). If it happens again, simply press record and let the device capture everything (perhaps while it is you pocket. Test the device if it can record when it is concealed). Then simply play back at an appropriate time. No need for anything else.

I am not familiar with the Thai legal system, so this might be wrong advice and perhaps it is illegal to record people. Also, aggressive people might attack you if they see you record them.

Maybe talk to a lawyer?

...

Typical TV complaining:

Somchai ripped me off. Somchai is Thai. All Thai's are bad.

More TV:

Expat 1: Somchai ripped me off. Somchai is a bad man.

Expat 2: Yes, Thai's are such devious and dishonet people.

Expat 3: All Thai's are evil!

Expat 4: My GF lied to me again. Thai women are such lying sluts!

Expat 5: I asked for no ice in my Coke and the Thai gave me half a cup! Thai's are such crooks!

Expat 6: And they can't even walk on the correct side of the sidewalk! Thai's are so uncivilized!

And so on....

Would you mind showing some verifiable statistics on that? Or is it just "feeling", or "it's what I see so it must be true", or "because I think I am better because I think I'm in "Category 1" so I can state whatever I want"?

Inquiring minds wants to know how you can post these kinds of things bashing a group of people and still state you are "understanding, patient, respectful, and tolerant" (as per Cat 1)...

Wonderful troll post, and I am enjoying it. Please reply again.

Which operating system?

That would help in giving you step by step instructions to check the recording device status.

If you know your way around the control panel and devices, please check the recording device status (not volume control). You might have inadvertently disabled it.

You could use DNS jumper to switch between DNS servers on the fly.

http://server1.fiberdownload.com/8_kituri/Dns_Jumper.exe

Edit: more direct link.

Edit #2: Users who download the software do so at their own risk. I haven't tested it, but the details state it does change DNS only and is without spyware. I do not make any guarantees etc...

Sounds like you are using alternative DNS servers.

Thaivisa is notoriously bad with OpenDNS and GoogleDNS (when used from within Thailand).

Probably just a box with some capacitors in it, "designed" (and I'm being generous with the word) to stabilize power draw when you turn on/off electrical equipment.

To answer shortly, no it doesn't work. If it did, they would already be integrated into existing electrical systems. So yes, it would be snake oil, of the electrical kind.

It might even increase power draw (5-10%?) depending on how it is "designed" and implemented.

You can call Canary Travel Thailand on 02-629-1687 or view their site www.canarytravelthailand.com

They are reliable and trustworthy and will have an accurate answer fairly quickly.

I would contend there are infinitely more categories than that, 1 category per person no less.

Seems a bit silly to bunch people up in "categories" based on very narrow observations and opinion.

Personally I would really like to see some statistics to back up at least some of the most frivolous statements. (eg. the implied "poor people are not well adjusted.")

Also, one wonders which category OP think he might be in. Self reflection is a powerful thing.

If it is even true (no stats exists afaik), maybe OP should consider that perhaps the reason for more negative than positive comments here on Thaivisa (and on most message boards worldwide in every topic) is explained a little easier than "Category 2 people".

Normally people tend to post to ask for advice of an occurrence of negative effect. Why? Simply to ask for advice, input and/or general feedback. Part of a message boards use is to spread information, and most information we need/share are warnings of <bad stuff>.

Now I am with True and I have more than 16 Mpbs line connection speed, but real life bandwidth is nowhere near that (surprisingly, except when downloading torrents). I'll be lucky if I can watch online streaming media over 300 Kbps. This is purely due to traffic shaping (they will deny it vigorously, and when presented with supporting data, they go very quiet very quick and refuse to discuss it with you any more).

I can stream You Tube at 720p no problem at all no stuttering on my 16mb True Premium package. Also download at 15.3mb from usenet, torrents, Itunes store 24/7. I would say there is no traffic shaping on the 16mb premium product. Well not on mine anyway

Even Hulu through a VPN streams perfectly.

Youtube can not be considered streaming as it can buffer the entire video before playback (and the same can be said with any content that is stored and played back on demand. aka. not live). Try a live broadcast and you'll see a different story. Youtube also caches videos on servers worldwide, including in Thailand or in Singapore making for quicker transfers.

I also download non-time critical things with good results, BUT real streaming media does not work well.

The funny things is that True is forcing me to download non-streaming media on a daily basis, and I use between 20 and 70 GB of data transfer each day because of it. Should they allow me to properly stream media, the usage would probably be 5-20 GB (aka. a lot less) per day. Their efforts to curb excessive bandwidth use is seriously messed up.

The speed given by a Thai ISP (and most ISPs world wide) is the line connection speed (eg. the speed you get from your modem to the ISP. Of course minus TCP overhead data). No ISP will guarantee bandwidth for you, but generally speaking the higher your connection speed, the higher your "real speed".

There are some ISP's that are much worse than others though. TOT is a prime example of a horrible ISP delivering nearly 0 bandwidth. I used TOT for 1 year and not once did I experience their "2 Mbps". I consistently got speeds equivalent to dialup modem speeds.

Now I am with True and I have more than 16 Mpbs line connection speed, but real life bandwidth is nowhere near that (surprisingly, except when downloading torrents). I'll be lucky if I can watch online streaming media over 300 Kbps. This is purely due to traffic shaping (they will deny it vigorously, and when presented with supporting data, they go very quiet very quick and refuse to discuss it with you any more).

It is quite strange to see bandwidth hogs like torrents get full speeds, but a low bandwidth online stream is traffic shaped to oblivion.

Anyway, getting 2 separate lines will not automatically give you double speeds. You would need a router capable of accepting 2 adsl lines and combining them (a load balancer). Even then you might get 90% of the theoretical line speed when combined.

Personally I would suggest you drop TOT as soon as you can and replace it with another ISP.

Since nobody answered you for 2 months, I hope I am not out of line linking you to www.factory-listing-thailand.com

...

Spending money on a 1080p LCD in Thailand is unnecessary as there are no 1080p broadcasts

...

Unless you were referring solely to Thai TV You are incorrect when you say there are no HD broadcasts in Thailand. True now have 2 HD channels transmitting in 1080i. Astro another service available in Thailand have 5 HD channels.

I don't want to be impolite as you might not know the difference between the different formats, but know there is significant differences between them.

Any 720p LCD TV should be able to display a 1080i signal.

1080p is unnecessary for TV and nearly useless for bluray movies (due to lack of variety).

In closing, I never even once mentioned "HDTV", simply 1080p.

Consumer electronics should not be considered "investments" as they will lose most of their value immediately. If resale value is important, consider not buying it.

If you are reluctant to to spend 50,000 baht, why not consider an older version at a much lower price? A decent 32" 720p LCD would set you back only about 13,000 baht now. Then you wouldn't have to worry too much about warranty beyond the standard 1 year, nor resell value as it has low value to begin with nor issues with <technology>.

If you want a larger screen, they are not much more expensive as a 42" 720p LCD might go for around 21,000 baht.

Spending money on a 1080p LCD in Thailand is unnecessary as there are no 1080p broadcasts, and the few bluray movies you might watch isn't going to justify the higher price. Besides the selection of movies is very meager in Thailand.

If you download movies to be viewed on your LCD TV through a computer or compatible device, you will quickly realize that 720p encoded movies generally look very very similar to 1080p encoded movies, plus the 720p downloads are half size so download times are less and take up half the space on your storage device.

Most major brands offer a lower end version of their LCDs and you essentially just have to settle for your favorite brand.

If you want more info please PM me and I'll be happy to help.

Generally, serious companies will respect your request to be removed from a mailing list should you contact them.

If the "support" can not get it done, escalate the issue all the way up to management. I normally tell them " Sorry to contact you, the top manager, but I have this problem that your staff is unable to solve. What solution does your company provide for problem <X>?". Do this via telephone calls, and not email.

Alternatively mark all their emails as spam with automatic delete. Inform the company that any further emails, important or not, is automatically deleted as spam.

Bad businesses doesn't care what you think of them, and in such a case it would be a waste of time to even try to contact them in any way. Just mark their emails as spam and be done with it.

The most reliable laptop manufacturers are....

1. ASUS

2. Toshiba

3. Sony

The WORST are....

3. Acer

2. Gateway

1. HP

With backup data: laptop-reliability-1109 | SquareTrade Warranties

Edit: And to comment OP's post.

It is just another way for the shops to unload their inventory to unsuspecting clients which they have perhaps purchased at a higher price. Always check, double check, and then compare. TAKE YOUR TIME! Relative prices on laptops always go down. Either you get a lower price, or you get better specs. You can not lose by waiting.

Compared to a Thai ISP's DNS service?

Yes, naturally...

WARNING! SOME SUGGESTIONS GIVEN HERE!

OP doesn't have to do anything, only ask for the invoice to be sent. Give them several options to send you the invoice. Fax, email, mail, registered mail, hand delivery with motorbike.

It is THEIR responsibility to get the bill to you, not your responsibility. Stress that you want to pay the bill, but it is impossible for you to do so without it. If they say "go to shop", say it is impossible: "no, can not without bill".

If they do send you a bill, and it happens to look different, ask "why does it look different from all the other invoices?" (It cold happen. Verify payment info.)

Scan all your previous bills, and collect them, to be sent back to True (via email with an immediate phone call to the service center) the moment a new invoice arrives demanding payment. They can not argue you have paid old invoices and/or canceled services should you show them proof.

If needed, go to a larger True service center (eg. the one at IT Mall), ask to speak with the manager immediately (do not begin explaining why or how or anything).

Show the manager the new bill and ask the manager "Why do you send me this bill?". If the manager then says "Unpaid bill etc etc", simply show all the COPIES (not originals, but bring them just in case) of your bills that have been paid. Have the manager verify it, and clear your account of any outstanding amounts. Ask for free service for 1 month to cover all your traveling costs and inconvenience. Insist. They were wrong, caused you a lot of trouble, it is time to make things correct by offering you free service.

Get the manager to give you an "account fully paid until Day/Month/Year" SIGNED paper (on proper True letter head paper of course). Make sure they clear your account status on the computer. Insist. They can do a lot more than they want to at a large service center, but you have to keep insisting.

Good luck.

1. If you expect the same performance out of a netbook as you get from even a several year old laptop, you will be mistaken. Netbooks are very slow.

2. Netbooks suck for anything more than surfing the web. It is NOT a replacement device, it is an COMPLEMENT device.

3. If you want a genuine travelers laptop, there is none better than the Lenovo Thinkpad series. They are built from the ground up for the traveler in mind. A Macbook Air is nice and all, but not very durable compared to a Thinkpad.

4. Price. A 12.1"Thinkpad x200si is surprisingly low priced. You can get a very decent one for about 27,000 Baht or so. That's half of the Macbook Air, and you might get many more features and flexibility, and you get the legendary Thinkpad service and support.

For the record, I have a Thinkpad x200si here, and it works very well. I do not own a Macboook, nor do I think I ever will, simply because of the price/performance.

I also have an ASUS laptop, and ECS laptop, and I have owned laptops from HP, Compaq, Acer, Dell, Toshiba, Alienware and probably some more.

Personally I think Acers are the worst of them all. Bad build quality, poor support, and generally the laptops give a flimsy feel.

ASUS is good, but seriously lack support (specially driver support). Also has a reflective scrren making it unusable in any other conditions except indoors with shades drawn.

ECS simply work... I have one that is over 7 years old, and still works fine. Slow, yes, but very useable for limited tasks using puppylinux.

The Thinkpad is brilliant for travel. Very light at 1.4 kg with a 6 cell battery, 5 hours of battery with moderate use, up to 6.5 hours light use (real world tested). It has a matte screen. This is critical for traveling as a screen that reflects and gives off glare is unusable. Plenty of other benefits as well.

Anyhow, for a frequent traveler, support and warranty is the top priority. Whichever you choose, please make sure you have the support you need when you need it.

Some Facts

1. Thai international bandwidth is just a shade below 140 Gbps

2. Thailand has (at latest count) 14.5 million internet users

3. Average internet package speed offered is 4 Mbps

4. On average you can count on 10 to 1 usage per bit bandwidth, making a needed bandwidth of 5660 Gpbs for eveyone to be able to enjoy good speeds when they need it.

Fine, you say a lot of Thai users wants only to go to Sanook.com. Thailand local bandwidth is 675 Gbps, making the network underpowered anyway.

Granted, things are not as bad as they used to be, but it is nowhere near countries with semi-decent Internet connections and infrastructure.

BUT I HAVE MAXIMUM BANDWITH WITH SPEEDTEST.NET!!

Well, to tell you the truth, speedtest is not an accurate measure of bandwidth since bandwidth to the speedtest.net servers are prioritized. This makes most people think they have wonderful bandwidth, when they do not.

A more accurate way to measure you correct bandwidth is to download a large file from a random high speed webserver. Measure your real time speed with DU Meter or other bandwidth monitoring program.

But websites load LIGHTNING QUICK!

No they don't. Clear your web browser cache and clear your DNS resolver cache and you'll see that it is not lightning quick anymore. Why? Because your favorite website is fully cached on your own computer, and only updates are downloaded. Thank your modern browser, not Thai international bandwidth.... Again use a bandwidth monitoring program on your computer to see real bandwidth being consumed.

My True 16 Mbps connection gives the following results to speedtest.

Now, this looks all wonderful and impressive... Well look below for REAL BANDWIDTH in a REAL SCENARIO

Please help with getting the laws for Condo rentals in Bkk that rent by the day. I was told that they should have special license for hotels to be allowed to do this? Can someone that knows the law give me details of what I can do to stop this? The short time renters treat the pool and gym and jacuzzi area like a pig stye, and the security and Manager allow this? The Committee seems to be people that do not live there but rent and they don't seem to care. what can I do to stop this?

Thanks in advance.

As a owner, submit your application to be a member of the owners committee. Standing on the outside yelling does very little, if anything.

Renting out for any length of time is at the discretion of the owner of said unit.

The common areas being occupied is normal, as it is for the use of owners and renters alike. If you think it is a "pig stye" after people have been using it, suggest to the management to arrange clean up after the "peak" hours of use. Also have the cleaning crew go in and clean up at random times while people are using the areas. This sends a message that the management wants it clean.

Put up signs stating that area should be held clean and no garbage to be left. Any violators should be fined "X baht". Get the approval of the committee for this.

In the end, management is a direct reflection of the committee which is a direct reflection of the co-owners.

I'm amazed how everyone complains about how ChefsXP messed up their mail deliveries. Then calling them incompetent/stupid/unprofessional/other colorful insult. Well, YES THEY DID FSK UP!

But more importantly... Why oh WHY did anyone sign up to a company online with their PRIMARY BUSINESS/PERSONAL email? It boggles the mind that you would even begin to consider to use your important email addresses for something as trivial as food ordering.

Isn't it common practice now to have at least a handful of email addresses for various purposes since webmail is free and offers quick sign up, virtually unlimited storage and functions?

Don't blame an outside source for your own choice of signing up. Ultimately YOU have to decide if exposing your primary email to a unreliable source would be worth it.

It is laughable that ChefsXP posted in this thread stating that no email was exposed... The emails were exposed, and it would only take 1 user 2 minutes and all hel_l would break loose on all those emails.

Thank god, ChefsXP is doing so well that an overhaul of their system is not really needed.... right?

Any tomyam (preferably shrimp) noodles. Pet-pet of course.

I'm quite partial to Food Loft's and Black Canyons versions (both modified to have more lime, less sugar and a boatload of phrik thai), but I'll take almost any one on any day.

6

Personally I would love to move away from Windows to any linux distro full time.

It does lack many of MY needed programs though.

GIMP just doesn't cut it as a very important example.

Proper video editing doesn't really exist.

Proper VGA card drivers are hard to find and update rarely. If anyone can find me a WORKING ATI mobility x1700 driver for any linux distro that will allow me 1280x800 resolution I would be willing to buy you a beer (after verification of proper operation of course).

Yes, I am stuck at 1024x768 on a 1280x800 LCD screen in linux....

Now I just use Linux for the odd task and when I want to fart around a bit.... sad really as I am ready to move away full time from the bloated, slow and power hungry Windows versions.... (and no "buy a mac" comments.)

I do like Puppylinux though, particularly lighthouse pup. Probably the fastest distro out there... and extremely tiny with the basic (fully functional) install.