Mousehound

Good stuff chaps, I will go and check out the shop you have suggested this week.

Thanks

Serious question. These reptiles can live up to 10 years. How long do you intend to stay in Thailand?

http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/advice/reptile-care-advice/bearded-dragon

In all honesty, a hamster or a gerbil is much more suitable pet for a child. Easy to maintain and don`t need specialist care.

A hamster would be great. And (just to keep the humour going) if he gets bored with that and you decide to get a largish reptile you can always feed it the hamster.

Pets are important for kids, in my opinion.

I haven't really had a problem in Thailand. In NY I learned fast to watch out for the cab drivers, they were pretty fast to short change you.

The most sensible advice came from NorthJohn and it's what Hubby and I do. Bangkok Bank has branches every 300 meters in this town, so it's easy to maintain a stock of small bills at home. No need to use the "bank of 7/11" to obtain your small bills.

I just make it a practice to pay for EVERYTHING exactly. Most of the clerks here don't know how to make change anyway.

I wonder how they made change correctly for me 99.9% of the time for over 20 years if that is the case. Perhaps you fell off the bus again Nancy. Are you challenging Donald Trump?

My goodness -- it's nice to know who my Thai Visa fans are. Comparing me to Donald Trump -- really? And what's with ya'll who "Liked" Bill97's inane post? You should be ashamed of yourself, especially if you know me.

As others have pointed out -- it's not unknown for incorrect change to be made here -- or really anywhere else in the world, for that matter. Most people today aren't drilled with arithmetic skills in schools today -- that's as true in my country as it is here in Thailand. It's just good practice anywhere in the world to give clerks correct change and not expect them to act as a bank for you.

Wow! Being compared to Ronald Chump - now that is a really excellent insult! Keep it up guys - this is fun.

Those hats double, ironically for the electro wave influenced, as satellite dishes. If you point them at your neighbours dish you can get the signal for free. You need to take them off your head first though (nearly forgot to mention that).

As I understand it you need a sterilization certificate at least. In addition, rare orchids come under the scrutiny of CITES. As there is a trade in rare orchids in particular they can attract attention. You run the risk of them being held for examination even if you have a sterile certification.

I always thought music was a universal thing.

Live in a tent and eat roadkill. You could live on 1000Bht a week easily. Of course you can do that in most countries.

If you own the house you can get the whole thing soundproof including double glazed windows. I was shown such a house in Sydney next to the airport, couldn't hear a thing

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I like the sound of that. Does it also prevent one from hearing one's wife nag about one not having cleaned up the yard? Sorry I've had one too many! On a serious note I am looking into double glazing. The sound proofing, as well as the drop in the cost of cooling are a compelling argument for me to go ahead.

II find it hard to believe that the OP contacted an Australian Government Department. This rule has been enforced for years. And is clearly stated as Government regulation.

http://travelsecure.infrastructure.gov.au/international/lags/dutyfree_to.aspx

I just got an Intel NUC last week for that exact purpose. You can install pretty much any operating system on it including Windows7/8/10, Linux, XBMC (dedicated media center). WiFi, Bluetooth, Infrared, 4 USB3 ports, VGA & HDMI port, 7.1 Audio on the HDMI, optical audio port, etc. and can play 4K video I did order it from Invadeit.com but locally J.I.B. may have them. They come in several flavors, specifically what CPU you want to use.

I had a spare SSD drive to put inside and have a 1TB USB3 box with my videos attached to it.

Intel NUC

Intel NUC.JPG

We have one of these - actually our second installation. I really like them and have one I use as a portable PC rather than a laptop. - between work and home (with monitor, keyboard etc at each end - I am a cheap Charlie. Essentially they are just a mini PC. Fortunately my wife is a tech guru - I don't think I am too bad but struggled with this. Had problems with incompatible memory compounded by a faulty memory problem. The wife works on satellite systems and has every qualification under the sun as well as twenty years experience. So as soon as she diagnosed the problem it was fixed. We run connected to server for heavy storage. What software you drive your viewing experience with can be tricky to optimise. We run ours as a Windows machine. But the Op seems to be short on tech savvy so I am not sure I would recommend it. Simple is best. As posted there seem to simpler solutions than a NUC.

I get a high pitched whine - most likely nothing compared with the OP. However, if I hum at the same pitch it seems to go away for a while. Could be worth trying.

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Strewth! Turn it up cobber.

I think we need to wait and see how the Thai legal system handles this before getting too excited. Thai law seems no worse than any western country to me in that all countries have some pretty strange laws. The Police are just doing their job. The courts will do theirs and then laws are either amended or not. The real test will be in the end result. That is the time to analyse the situation. A possible scenario might be that the event is indeed found to be technically in contravention of a law. In such a circumstance provided a sentence is not mandated then the court has the ability to sentence as it sees fit. The lobbying by significant others and public opinion would most likely have a bearing on the sentence - it could be a token sentence. This would say that the law was broken but there are mitigating factors. It may be that it is then recommended that the law be amended to say allow Contract Bridge through registered clubs to be exempt. Then it is up to the law makers to make their decision. This is just one scenario.

I don't think it helpful to rant at the Thai legal system or the Police. Laws are always being changed as the world changes. That is how the law works. Compared with some of the recent laws in Australia the Thai system seems far more considered. For example, any group of five would need a special license to meet. Or that if you discussed you employment contract with your wife, lawyer or accountant very heavy fines and jail were a real very possibility. The withholding of your labour can also lead to jail. But until recently you could urinate on the offside front wheel of your car, whilst stationary and on a carriageway, but to do so on a rear wheel could result in a trip to the choky.

Sad to hear. She was the first CM barber to cut and shave my head when I came to CM nine years ago. She was further up the soi (closer to Mr K then). She was my son's barber also. Over the years we saw her many times.

Lucky you weren't in Perth. Police would just say "civil matter, your problem". As happened to me when a pickup truck ran down the side of my car and took off - two weeks without a acar and $500 excess as well as loss of no claims bonus. Rather be in CM it seems.

I have been using a Canon 6D with my trusty and favourite lens: 400 5.6. This is a slow but lightweight lens that is very sharp for the money. No IS of course. This is a great low light combination but I have had a couple of months of disappointment with shots being blurred. I thought this through and worked out that firstly the range setting on the lens needs to be set on max for flight shots, the ISO is best on 1200- even in good light and the camera has to be set to focus priority. I am now getting far faster focusing and sharp flight shots. Even so I think I will need a 7D2 for the flight stuff. The 6D is amazing in dark understorey work but a challenge in flight focusing where it is very slow. My best mate just bought a Canon 1C and the latest 400 IS prime and convertors. lucky devil. He has no idea what he photographing but the results are amazing.

That 400/5.6 is a superb lens. Focusing is very fast in good light. Its main drawback is when in poor light e.g birding along trails with thick canopy it struggles to focus and quite often focusing on objects with higher contrast either in foreground or background instead of the bird you want to shoot. And being a slow lens I often need to crank ISO way up to get some decent shutter speeds but this too is not without limits. At times even at ISO3200 speeds are still way too slow to overcome camera shake. One area it excels in is BIF shots in the open with plenty of light.

I am still using the old 7D and don't know if there is an option to set it to focus priority. Time to go back to the owner's manual.

Yes - I agree. It is the old story of compromise. I use a tripod and gimbal often which helps but often hand hold and to get those quick draw flight shots really is beyond the 6D. I am hoping my pal with the 7D2 will sell it to me for a good price. It is very fast to focus - better it seems, or at least as good as the 5D3 he has gotten rid of. The 6D is a great "poor mans" full frane and possibly the best of all the Canon line up in low light. But as stated flight shots are really hard work. There are just not enough focus points for a start.

I just posted in the TV "Nature" thread that I expect to be in the Trang area doing some private study - if there is anyone in that area that would like to catch up for a field trip drop me a PM.

Looks like I may be doing some scientific field work in the Trang area in about four months time. (private study) Are there any members living in the area that might like to team up for a day or so of research, observation and photography?

I have been using a Canon 6D with my trusty and favourite lens: 400 5.6. This is a slow but lightweight lens that is very sharp for the money. No IS of course. This is a great low light combination but I have had a couple of months of disappointment with shots being blurred. I thought this through and worked out that firstly the range setting on the lens needs to be set on max for flight shots, the ISO is best on 1200- even in good light and the camera has to be set to focus priority. I am now getting far faster focusing and sharp flight shots. Even so I think I will need a 7D2 for the flight stuff. The 6D is amazing in dark understorey work but a challenge in flight focusing where it is very slow. My best mate just bought a Canon 1C and the latest 400 IS prime and convertors. lucky devil. He has no idea what he photographing but the results are amazing.

Well, all that I have read is that there are no humming birds in Thailand and I have a useless humming bird feeder to prove it

PM me and just pay the postage and it is yours (including) the "nectar" mix

Feeder.png

I would put it out anyway. You could get a lot of very interesting insects. Butterflies, diurnal moths, native bees etc. Many other birds like nectar as well. In addition insects attract birds also. Hang it up a bit away from the house though.

Usual? Olive-backed!

Agree about the Olive backed. Also agree that the thrush does not fit anything I would expect in Thailand.

If you can't find someone to make it you can make your own. My grade nine kids make this stuff. I use two cuttlefish. (Get them from pet shops). Get the inner surfaces flat with a file or rubbing on a brick. Press the two surfaces together about the key. Pull them apart and there should be an impression. Scratch a channel leading from the impression at an angle toward an end - this allows air to escape. Make a slightly larger channel at the same end to pour molten aluminium. Bind the two halves (less the key of course) with fine wire. Bury in sand with the pour hole and breather hole uppermost and exposed. Heat up bits of can or any aluminium you can find - a gas torch you can buy in hardware shops or take the whole thing in a box to someone with an oxy torch. . I like old window frames but anything will do - you don't need much. The most difficult part is finding an iron ladle to heat the alloy in and then carefully pouring it. I have used an old heavy cast ladle but you could make something up. The nice thing is once you have things set up then you can make many things. Jewellery, belt buckles and small cabinet fittings are some of the things I have made. Cleaning the product up with files can be a little tedious. There will be lots on YouTube on this. But you may not have a suitable place to do this sort of work. You do have to be careful. pouring molten metal over the kitchen bench leads to dismissal from "she who must be obeyed" I know!

Another way to melt metal would be if you had a BBQ or could make a small fire with charcoal and then use a hairdryer to fan the coals you should be able to melt aluminium.

Earwigs are Dermaptera and are no real problem but watch out for Rove beetles that are very like earwigs but without the cerci (pincers). These can be nasty. They give of very powerful toxins that can result in severe blistering and other problems.

I have started up and run businesses for years in many countries. I have always made enough to live on. But I worked in retail and marketing for ten years first and then started small business and grew them to sell.

1) Keep overheads low. Don't sign a lease - rent a space in some other business if you can. Have an alternative source of income. Keep your investment small until you perfect what you are doing. Work at steady gains. Don't go into debt. Don't mortgage your house. If you have worked for the government for years and suddenly feel the urge to go into business forget it - they all fail. As do farmers in my opinion (Unless you are catering to the government or farming sectors).

2) Rather than ask what you can earn ask : How much do I need to break even and how much profit do I expect or want to make by such and such a time. Factor in a salary cost for your time and effort.

3. Don't believe anything if someone is trying to sell a business. At least work in that business for three months to see if things are kosher. Have an exit strategy - remember don't get into debt and in my opinion keep well clear of shopping centres.

4). Only get into something if you have specialist knowledge and preferably really are enthusiastic about what it is you chose to do.

5). If you are not a competent book keeper then you need to get that down first. I have a accounting qualifications but still rely on tax specialists. Set budgets and stick to them.

6). Ensure you set up a business correctly - it should be watertight to fit your requirements. You need a good accounting firm you trust for this. beware of anything that is too good to be true and seems far too cheap to resist.

7). Research like business' day in and day out. Know everything about what you are about to do and have a good marketing plan as well as a good financial one.

Be prepared to work 365 days a year and 18hrs a day if that what it takes. Realise that many families have fallen apart as a result of being in business. Some have also been held together by a business. If you don't have someone with real people skills and a flair for retailing you will find things hard going. Most small businesses run with a personality on the front desk so to speak.

A good operator is one that knows the business, runs a tight ship, is enthusiastic, understands budgeting, fills a need, provides good value and has that illusive something called charisma - that attracts and retains good staff and keeps customers returning.

I had some great and generous teachers/mentors over the years. Mostly New York Jewish and later HK Chinese. I never made it big but made a good living. Even with that background I would be cautious. In every country I have been in, nine out of ten business fail in the first eighteen months. But the urge to create something is primeval. Sometimes you just have to do it.

Sorry to get back on track but this may be of interest:

By working on cost of living comparisons with this site (below) it is possible to come up with a comparison with ones own "home" city. This is interesting as I can say for instance that two can live OK in my "home" city on say $1000 a month - excluding rent and that the same standard of living in CM would cost me 57k Bht. In fact with rent and the way I would like to live comes out uncannily close to the 65K BHt that Thai Immigration want.

You can play with the figures - changing say the number of meals out a day and Thai V western food, so it is quite fine grained.

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/comparison.jsp

G'day all you cobbers an sheilas that out back of Burke an beyond the Black Stump. Have a bonza day. Knock back a couple of schooners an she'll be apples.