spidermike007

19 hours ago, bluesofa said:

I don't know if this is near where you're referring to?

Two PBS articles (which I think it's OK to post links to?) dated today, about redesigning a section right now to make it elevated:

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/design-adjustment-will-cause-10-month-delay-dual-track-train-project-korat/

 

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/b2-6bn-approved-elevated-dual-rail-tracks-korat/

 

That looks like what I was referring to. So much for efficiency. 

7 hours ago, Cheops said:

As I already wrote use the CounterServicePay app. Can pay electric and water bill both metro and rural and the app is in Thai and English..Pay with your cc.

Not available for iPhone.

17 hours ago, oobar said:

If you are going to run 220V lines from a nearby transformer (which is shared with others), you would not need a second one at your home, because the voltage has already been stepped down for home use.   All you would need is a meter.   That's entirely different from what we did.   We paid to have PEA bring the high-voltage lines to our location, and the voltage was stepped down there by a transformer that we also paid for.   You will have  voltage drop with only 220V over 1.2 km, and it may not be adequate for your home needs.  And there can be disadvantages in sharing transformer capacity with others.  During construction, we used a km or more of insulated 220V from a shared transformer, and it was nowhere near adequate for what our completed house requires.   I assume PEA will run high-voltage lines to your site, since they did for us.  You just have to pay.  For a 300 sq meter house, at least where we live, I don't think a shared 220V is the way to go.

Thanks for the info. The transformer is only 26 meters from the post on the road, where we would be hooking up our electric. But, obviously that is shared with others. So, do you think we would need to have a dedicated transformer? If I was looking at enough electric for one main house, and two smaller houses down the road, would a 50 kVA transformer be adequate? Are they affordable? Or best to just try to get the PEA to do all the work? 

On 6/7/2018 at 1:33 PM, riclag said:

"A vast majority of Americans feel more optimistic about their prospects than they have in a decade. Will they really want to rock the boat come November and throw out the party at the helm? We shall see".

http://thehill.com/opinion/finance/368904-economists-agree-trump-not-obama-gets-credit-for-economy

Not true. Fake surveys. I have a business in the US, and consumer confidence is the lowest I have seen it in the past 20 years. The top 2% are doing very well, and the top 10% are doing well. But, other than the stock market and real estate, the US economy is not what they say it is. The micro economy is struggling. Thousands of retailers are going under, millions are becoming homeless, at a rate never seen before in US history, and the average consumer is afraid to spend money. I see it firsthand. I can feel it from buyers, or potential buyers who are too afraid to buy. 

All smoke and mirrors. Sure, the stock market is doing well. Why? Massive tax cuts, that the average American is going to pay for. And by cutting services, pay, and benefits, and asking more out of the average worker, the bottom line is improving. Does that benefit the average person? I am talking about far over half the population. Probably closer to 70%, are having a harder time than before.

And lastly, the fake inflation numbers. I do not need you to cite me the basket of goods nonsense. I am talking about the stuff we buy on a daily basis. Prices are skyrocketing. Everywhere I look. 

On 9/12/2017 at 4:21 PM, Dan5 said:

I''ve been paying my electric bill online for over 7 years now. I just pay the bill through my K bank account the same way I do for True, etc. I'm in Bangkok. 

I have tried everything with the Kbank online app. Tried scanning. PEA is not listed as a utility. How do you do it?

From what I understand, fleeing the scene of an accident is not really considered a crime here. It is more or less expected, as the majority of Thai men do not have the ability to take responsibility for a situation they have caused, own up to it, and do the right thing. So, fleeing is the first instinct for most. I have witnessed situations where the police caught someone fleeing from the scene of an accident, and there was no penalty, reprimand, or fine. Perhaps if there is a death, it is a different story. 

Especially on the southern islands, where there is very little law and order. The toy cops will let you off for just about any crime, if you have some cash. And typically the taxi mafias are far more powerful than the cops. Perhaps even more powerful than the impotent army. 

7 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

Where is the location you're referring too?

 

Off the main highway, near Korat, on the way to Bangkok. Impressive amount of construction so far, and working at a fast pace. 

17 hours ago, stud858 said:

500,000 baht. 

I think that would get you an excellent off grid solar system.

Batteries,  backup generator + Solar water heater. 

 

 

 

Not from what I understand. I am told for 500,000 it would be a minor passive system, incapable of running three or four AC units. Also, there are many cloudy days, as it is a stormy area. 

On 6/12/2018 at 12:35 PM, Crossy said:

Is all the run on your land or it is public roads? Where will the meter be positioned?

 

1.2km is looong way to run 220V, you are looking at some pretty big cables. I'll do some sums later.

 

Concrete poles are the norm here, they're cheaper than steel and don't rust.

 

 

Most of the run is in front of farms, where there are no homes. It is a small rural, gravel road. That info would be helpful. Thanks.

17 hours ago, oobar said:

We built our rural home exactly (and coincidentally) 1.2km from the nearest transmission line on the main highway.   The PEA ran high-voltage lines, three-phase, to our house, and a contractor did the work from there to our panel.   Like others, I think the distance is a bit far for 220 volts.  The transformer required for a living area of about 300 square meters with eight air conditioners was not cheap, and the total cost for everything, including poles, ran about 500k.

That is very helpful. So far the PEA said they would not run the lines for only one home. They told us we would have to do it ourselves. There is a substantial village transformer about 50 meters from the post, that we would be running the line from. Do you think we would need our own dedicated transformer? What do they cost? There is a chance we may eventually build a second or maybe even a third home on the land, for some friends. But, that is way down the road. For now, I assume we will need up to 10,000 watts of power, for refrigerators, freezers, washer and dryer, computes, electronics, water pumps, lighting, and at least three or four AC units, etc. We are looking at about a 300 square meter home. 

If I am uncertain, and they quote me 1,100 baht for an item, I counter with 200 baht. The look on their face is worth it! Sometimes they say, no 300 baht. That is when I know I am onto something!

If only our president was as intelligent and as articulate as Stormy Daniels. If only. She could bring back an aura of confidence, and integrity to the White House. Stormy for president. She has my vote. Gotta be better than Captain Chaos. 

Has anyone seen all of the work that is being done on the elevated speed train from Bangkok to Korat? Pretty impressive. Hope they keep up the pace. This is all good for the future of Thailand. If they can replicate the success they have had in Bangkok, with the skytrain, and the MRT, elsewhere with high speed trains, it would change the country. 

Little P. is as corrupt, or perhaps far more corrupt that his predecessors. The amount of money being made at the top right now is staggering. Most people know that. I am sure that figure is fake. It is probably closer to 80%. Corruption could be dealt with. But, you have to start by arresting and convicting current members of the police, the army, the ministers, and the parliamentarians. Not former. Current. There is no interest in doing that, nor any will, nor any moral or ethical people at the top. Always remember one thing. Little P. was installed to protect the elite, the powerful, those that are connected, and those in office. Period. End of story. 

If there is one thing you can always count on with this administration, it is that anything positive they do, will only last two weeks. Then, it is all forgotten, or someone at the top is given enough to make it go away. 

8 hours ago, Basil B said:

I think Hilary was the only one with the balls to take on the NRA, as I recall over 50% of Americans are in favour of tougher gun control... could be an election winner.

That may be true. And in my opinion the NRA is a terrorist organization, in that they support so much terror within the US. 

But Hillary was one of the worst candidates since Mike Dukakis. She was absolutely tone deaf, and suffered from a poor message, no party platform, a totally dysfunctional democratic party apparatus, severe hatred of her foundation, and the corruption that oozes from every pore of that filthy institution, and some really, really dumb things she said.  

Had Wasserman Schultz not been leading the party, that would have been another million votes for Hillary. She was a mafia pig. Had Hillary not made that completely ignorant statement about the deplorables, that would have been two to three million more votes. And had the party not treated Sanders like a pariah, that would have been another three million voters, willing to throw their support her way. That was the election right there. They made so many countless mistakes, it boggled the mind. Plus, there was no real message, Trump kept talking about the difficulties Americans were facing, and Hillary would not go there one iota. Neither would she address terrorism, for fear of offending some Muslims. She did everything wrong, and deserved to lose. As a life long democrat, I could not bring myself to vote for her. What does that say?

However, in retrospect, had I known what a complete buffoon Trump would turn out to be, I not only would have voted for her, I would have volunteered some time to promote her. LOL.

The fascinating part of this issue, is that neither Trump, nor any democrats or republicans have offered a solution to the immigration problems. How do you even begin to address illegal immigration, when the legal immigration system is completely broken. We do not hear Captain Chaos, nor any of his supporters talking about this. The quota system is completely broken, and has been for decades. The US is no longer able to attract the best and the brightest from around the world, because of the difficulties involved, in getting visas for those positions, even though there are not enough Americans to fill those positions. This has been addressed by one high tech CEO after another, and yet nobody does anything to fix it. 

Want to make America great again? Then start letting the brightest minds from around the world come and work, live and build the economy. 

I can understand the outcry on one level, with the uneducated masses fleeing to the US. We cannot allow the nation to become a culture of only dishwashers, maids and landscapers. That appears to be the direction it is heading. On the other hand, American companies need cheap, illegal labor to pick grapes, and fruit, and process meat, and run their factories. Few companies seem willing to pay a wage that would attract American workers, to these positions. So, it is not a simple problem. And those that are trying to dumb it down, to a number of slogans, and talking points that their master has been using, are simply not thinking the problem through with much articulation. 

Trump's executive order on immigration threatens what goes to the very core of America's innovative edge: the ability to attract global talent. Even if the ban is lifted, the damage has been done. Global talent has been put on alert. America’s science and tech edge has long been fueled by the talented immigrants it attracts from across the world. Immigrants have played an incredibly important role in America’s high-technology competitiveness. Foreign talent makes up a huge share of America’s science and technology workforce, and from a third to half of the founding teams of significant U.S. technology startups. The reality is that high-skill immigrants can choose where to go. For decades, they’ve picked the United States and those choices have benefitted us.

https://www.citylab.com/life/2017/01/how-trump-threatens-americas-talent-and-innovation-edge/515010/

It is expected, and typical of this brain dead leader, to agree with the Burmese solution to this crisis. It is of course a non solution. Why would any Rohinga want to return to the scene of genocide? Were the Rohinga representatives consulted in any of this? All Burma is trying to do, is save face, internationally. All Little P. is trying to do, is placate a neighbor, who supplies Thailand with alot of it's natural gas, and a significant amount of it's labor. End of story. And as usual Suu Kyi and the Burmese military have been, and are being genocidal racist maniacs. They are not to be trusted. Not for a minute. 

The daily rantings of a madman. He really needs to get back onto his meds. His insanity, and inability to grasp the facts are alarming. 

I do not like the other bill. I will support this bill. No, wait a minute. I like both bills. My advisors just told me I was talking out of my ass again. I do that alot. I do not read. I have alot of attitude. Usually that is enough for my followers. They do not require me to know the facts. Just to be a butthead. Which I most definitely am. Perhaps one of the world's greatest buttheads. Everything about me is great. Have you noticed? I am a great man. I am HUUUUUUGE. Tremendous. Unstoppable. I can get away with anything. I may be the greatest man who ever lived. May be? No, I definitely am. 

Trump CANNOT pardon Manafort, if he is convicted of state crimes. Only federal crimes. Manafort is exactly where he belongs. He has been skirting laws for so long, and getting away with it. He is now realizing that by dealing with Mr. Radioactive, he has attracted unwanted attention. I hope he is tried and convicted. However, prior to that, he would probably choose to throw Captain Chaos under the bus. 

He also referred to his supporters as his followers. Does he have a prophet complex? Is he a God, or  Guru with followers, or a politician with supporters? I believe he was being absolutely serious about wanting to be president for life, and about wielding absolute power over his "followers". He wants to be a dictator, and has no respect for democratic principals, the free media, and those who oppose him. He wants to be like his buddies Kim the serial killer, and King Vlad. Give him enough power, and he will attempt to destroy our democracy.