jeffer

If you decide to stay in Thailand, you are going to "need" 2 or more phones anyway. The cheapest place to buy the latest model of phones is Vietnam.

The reason two or more phones are needed is because most of the hill tribes use 1-2-call, and they won't call u on dtac as they pay a daytime fee good until 5 pm, and they call during the unlimited time. And they can't call dtac.

Always wondered why I never got calls from hill tribe folk and now I know...

all this nonsense is so easy to get around

they know this- so why bother?

You know, I've said that all along myself, but I can tell you they are making it much harder than before to get around for certain sites. There are a couple of political type sites that were previously easy enough to view but aren't any longer. I imagine they must be getting better at blocking and after this week there are now thousands more sites for them to practice on, but then it's something the powers to be have only themselves to blame... talk about shooting yourself in the foot.

The i7 are not here yet (I think) so keep your powder dry.

I called Jedi the other day & they didn't have them.

There are plenty of shops with i7 processors on their price lists... JIB, Hardware House, Busitek... Jedi, so surely someone has some by now.

i7 EE-965 3.20GHz, a bargain @ 41,500 baht 

Something like the new E7500 isn't on any pricelists here, yet I had one in my hands in Singapore during the week so I'm curious to see the timelag before it's available in Pantip.

Re: memory, you will be paying a premium for DDR3 (triple channel) compared to DDR2. I have seen reviews running 6x2GB but that would probably set you back 10-20k here in Thailand. Take a look at review sites like Anandtech, Tweaktown etc. to see if the performance is worth the price, what with DDR2 being so low in price currently. 

Unless you have money to burn then check out performance reviews comparing high end Quad or Core 2 Duo with i7. It's not just the higher cost of DDR3 but the higher cost of a i7 motherboard. Whatever you pay for a i7 based system today will probably be double what it will be in 12 months time for something even faster. Consider buying a P45 based setup now and get an i7 version with Windows7 when prices have dropped as they will have by early 2010.

I have a HIS ATI 4670 video card, let's you play most modern games at medium resolution, about 3000 baht so it might be a good match for  you.

An upmarket cooler will cost about 2000 bt but if you're not gaming then you might even find the Intel supplied cooler okay. The dust will still come depending on where you have your case and if it has a filter but if you have a long haired cat...

Don't forget to buy a decent power supply, 2000 baht would be the starting price for an upmarket system but don't get carried away and buy an overpriced 850watt model if you don't need it. Modular versions are good to save cable clutter. Unless you are running multiple high end video cards then a quality 500 watt model might be all you need. 

The 7 baht charge has been around for a few years so it's legit. Normally applies when they send out someone especially to deliver mail from overseas, not when delivered as part of your regular delivery. It might be something to do with the sender requesting proof of delivery, I'm not sure.

It's difficult in Thailand for an accused to plead not guilty if bail is refused, something judges are now very reluctant to grant to foreigners due to a long history of accused persons absconding before trial. In many cases it now doesn't matter what surety is offered or what level of representation is made by your embassy as the court assumes as a foreigner you will jump bail.

Pleading not guilty can mean being held on remand for anything up to two years in very poor conditions. Something relatively simple like asking for an interpretor can result in an adjournment of 90 days so in the end many people decide to plead guilty whether they are or not, otherwise who knows how long it will take to conclude the case. Always keep this in mind whenever you hear of a foreigner pleading guilty in a court case as a guilty plea might be made just to bring things to a conclusion, possibly to allow the pardon process to begin. Pleading guilty will often see a sentence halved which is likely the best you will get in a judicial system that doesn't really have the plea bargaining options you can find in other countries.

By the way, for those posters who always bring up the idea of repatriation so you can serve your sentence back home, it's a lengthy legal process and isn't afaik ever used for short sentences. It relies of course on there being in place an existing agreement between Thailand and the other country. The most recent case I'm aware of that allowed someone to complete the remainder of their sentence in their home country was for someone who had already served 16 years in Thailand! 

Well I am a frequent flyer and flew on Air Asia for the first and last time today.

First hit with a ridiculous overweight baggage fee.

Only 15 kgs per person for free and every kg over that is 90 Baht.

Next found out that you can not check your baggage thru. Flight was Surat Thanni-BKK-Chaing Mai.....all on Air Asia. Had to stand around and wait FOREVER to get the luggage in BKK, got to the check-in counter upstairs 30 mins prior to departure, told "flight closed, go to other counter" Told "so Sorry, buy another ticket"...........which I did, on THAI.

What a complete rip-off airline, but as my old pappy used to say "if you want clean, high quality oats, you have to pay a fair price. However, if you are happy with oats that have already been thru the horse once, then that comes a bit cheaper"

Maybe next time you could consider having a travel agent make your booking and get them to explain the terms of conditions of your booking to you as seems like it's all a bit difficult for you to manage without adult supervision.

Yeah I get silly offers all the time, some offer 10000 when i advertise at 14000, probably yourself, so lets see you want internet that generally cost about 5-600 a month to the landlord and you want it for 250 or free etc and lets not forget many suppliers want a minimum contract of 6 months oh but you only want to stay 3 months...........sure we can do that ,why not just stay for free.

You think that 590 baht a month internet connection is going to be used exclusively by one condo only? More likely multiple condo tenants each paying 250 a month...

Reports of ladyboys trying to mug you on Suk around Asok have been around for years but until the other week I'd never experienced it even though I've walked alone along Suk late at night many a time. On a Monday night about 9pm on the odd numbered side just before the Asok intersection I had some ladyboy make a grab for my pants pocket just as another emerged from the shadows. Gave the first one a big shove and yelled at the other one and they both backed off. I can imagine if you had been drinking you might not react quickly enough to avoid getting pick pocketed. Even at 9pm it was deserted on that part of Suk so no one about to assist, probably no one would anyway.

The HIS IceQ 4670 is an excellent card. Where can you buy it in Thailand? Is it available in Bangkok?

JIB sell it so take a walk around Pantip or Fortune, should be easy enough to find, Thanni sell it online too. There are different versions from Sapphire, Power Color and Asus around as well but the HIS one is a good allrounder if you aren't a serious gamer but still want to play the odd game at a decent resolution sometimes.

Not silent, not overclocked, smaller memory but on sale Asus EAH 3850

For 3000 I got a HIS IceQ 4670 quiet and cool especially if you don't game, a double slot card. A newer card with similar performance to some of the 3850 models and gets good reviews.

The Australian Government are proposing blocking 1300 websites, mostly child pornography, excessive violence, instructions in crime or drug use and advocacy of terrorism. Rather than wasting their time with such trivialities it's time they followed the Thai example and concentrated on blocking websites that deserve to be blocked.

But suppose your monthly shopping bill is 6,000 Baht and that 25% of the items you buy end 25/50/75 satang then these will be rounded upwards following the death of the satang.

This would mean a possible gross loss of 120 baht per month which is a 2% loss. Over a year that would amount to 1,440 baht: Enough for a decent night out on December 31st.....

If they are abolished we would all lose, the profits would return to the shopkeepers. Plus as the UK pound is set to go sub 50 Baht in 2009 I reject the idea until 50 satang is work less than 1/2 a UK penny. It is still worth 1 UK penny and is set to appreciate.

Relax Syd. What would happen is the total of the bill gets rounded up or down to the nearest baht if paying cash, not each individual item. Pay by credit card or cheque and you will pay the exact amount.

Fascinating opinion article by Wassana nanuam in The Bangkok Post on New Years Day. Maybe soon we will be welcoming new Thai Visa member Kuhn 6080 Ad Hoc Unit... 

They get the meter passed by whichever department approves these things, then it gets fiddled afterwards. Heard this from a couple of drivers recently including one of my regulars. Wasn't very common for a while but it's becoming popular again they say. The old way was to control it by some hidden switch.

Windows Live Hotmail currently doesn't support Windows Live Hotmail Google Chrome. It's not a problem to sign in and read your mail but when it comes to typing in the main message field... There's a few workarounds out there but they didn't work for me.

Ooh I better cancel my holiday booking to Thailand because they might shut the airport for a few days and I'll have to stay on the beach a bit longer.

Maybe I should choose somewhere less dangerous like Zimbabwe.

~runs to cancel holiday, not~

I know some people who cancelled their annual holiday to Thailand and will be going to Malaysia instead. They run a small family business and can't afford being stranded in Thailand. Spending a few extra unplanned days in Thailand is not something they are prepared to risk. Add to this reports from unhappy tourists in their local paper so they decided to give Thailand a miss this time.

An Edit to add that last night I was in the Sukhumvit area and the place was really, really dead at what should be the absoulte height of the tourist season. That little stretch between Soi 3 and 5 where all the freelance hookers stand was overflowing with the girls (and 'boys') - I've never seen so many there...maybe they are leaving the other areas that are even deader to come to main street?

So, I'm not the only person who noticed the same thing between Soi 3 and Soi 5. I walked along there earlier in the week and wondered what was going on, overflowing is no exaggeration.

Big improvement over the old one.

agreed

See the FAQ at the top of the page for a good list of websites.

If you are coming from the USA then most things will be cheaper than in Thailand however bringing bigger items e.g. a large monitor needs to be weighed up against the convenience of transporting it as well as the possibility of any additional payments, sorry I meant taxes... imposed by customs. All depends on the country you are coming from but the recent fall against the baht of some currencies doesn't help. Graphics cards, large screen monitors and high end power supplies are typically items where Thailand can be overpriced. If baggage restrictions mean you are limited to what you can bring in then for many things it may not be worth it to make only a small saving. Then there is the possible lack of a warranty if something goes wrong. Getting items repaired under warranty that were purchased outside of Thailand is never a given. 

Sept, with the number of flights Air Asia have daily and the length of the travel period, if they distributed the free tickets evenly across all flights then my guess is there would be no more than 10 free tickets per flight. Keep in mind this promotion made news in countries around the world, not only South East Asia so I'm sure they would easily have sold more than 10,000 tickets in a day. Try the site Sam mentioned, makes it easier to search but for most destinations tickets have been sold now. Still 0 baht tickets to Ho Chi Minh City in March so not everything has sold out.

Maybe someone who can read Chinese can Google the number and read what people say about it as it gets over 100 hits.

Sorry, but Silom is not an area I get to much. Closest I can suggest is at Fortune. Can't remember the floor it's on but it's located at the Rama 9 end of Fortune, you have to walk past all the smaller computer shops in the direction of the hotel. It's a larger store, about the width of 5 regular shops. The replacements they sell aren't made by Samsung but look very similar. I have a Sharp and a Samsung replacement, working fine after 2 years. The Sharp isn't meant for my tv (didn't have my model) so a couple of menu items don't work but all the basic stuff does. I showed the sales guy my old one and let him select what he thought was best.

The Civil Court yesterday ordered the Aviation Department to pay Bt50,000 compensation to former senator Chirmsak Pinthong for failing to deploy a metal detector at Nakhon Si Thammarat Airport.The court said Chirmsak had to be compensated for worry he faced when taking a Nok Air flight out of the airport on August 16. The former senator feared the flight may not be safe given there was no metal detector to check things passengers carried into the aircraft. Unhappy with what he perceived as lax security measures, Chirmsak lodged a complaint against the Department and Nok Air demanding Bt5.5 million in compensation. 

The case was the first filed under the Consumer Case Procedure Act, which took effect on August 23 to allow consumers to sue more conveniently. Chirmsak lodged the complaint on August 25. "My case took only four months and the court summons witnesses by itself," the former senator said yesterday. 

He encouraged other consumers to protect their rights just like him. 

Ruling on Chirmsak's case, the Civil Court ordered the Aviation Department to pay Bt50,000 compensation to Chirmsak. 

Walailak University borrowed the metal detector from Nakhon Si Thammarat Airport for use during its conferral ceremony, and returned the device on August 15. But airport staff did not start using it again till August 17. The court has acquitted Nok Air on grounds that airliner's duty is only to provide aircraft.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/12/18...al_30091259.php

By Kesinee Taengkiew

The Nation - December 18, 2008

Can't advise about the codes but for future reference, Amorn, the big electrical chain store sell replacement Samsung remotes (and many other brands) for 50-200 baht depending on the model. If you know your remote model number then they will probably sell a replacement. Even one that's not the exact remote will usually work so long as it's a replacement for the same brand.