Valentine

Not sure if this is any use or not but may help explain the situation.

http://wiki.vuze.com/w/Bad_ISPs#Thailand

Behave yourself.

Looks like a famous mutton pie from my hometown which is as far away from Scotland as you can get.

ISP is True in BKK.

Serious problem with trackers timing out recently on several public sites. After a couple dozen attempts can usually get one to load up. Once you actually get the tracker, downloads are normal. Using Deluge on Linux. I suspect certain IPs are being throttled at the international gateway. Probably not disabled completely, just throttled way back so you get dropped packets and timeouts.

What I have seen testing a tracker with wget is that the first few K come in, and then it stalls. This is where the True proxy comes into play. If you keep wget'ing the tracker, eventually it works after a few dozen attempts. Of course, it is now completely stored in the True proxy, and Deluge picks it up just fine after that.

My hunch is this is not a TOT issue, at least not one that any of the local offices are aware of. It could be something that the core network guys have implemented and not told anyone about in an attempt to free up existing bandwidth rather than adding more. Since CAT and True also have international fiber connections, my assumption is that these probably are not corrupted, and sometimes you get lucky and your connection goes primarily through an unmolested link for the entire tracker download.

Very annoying problem actually, but I'm sure there is a way around it. I just don't download often enough to justify spending alot of time on this. It does seem to be a real issue though. I don't think anyone is imagining it.

I had a guy from TOT call centre confirm they were throttling torrents because "it is not fair to other customers". He also agreed that TOT did not have enough bandwidth.

Sounds like fun but a tad expensive. Is this the so called 4D cinema being referred to in another post? I was envisaging a larger version of the 4D mini theatre in Siam Paragon.

Big price difference now,but i agree a Mitsu is nice as trucks go

Im a bit anti truck because too many are not used as intended.Green Plated and in the Fast Lane Empty!! ,when a Yaris/Jazz is made for Shopping.

When you have kids to take to school, shopping to do plus a business that requires carrying large & or heavy loads then a 4 door pickup is ideal plus they virtually drive like a sedan these days. Without the large heavy loads a Jazz would suit me fine as even a big bloke like me can fit in comfortably.

Look fellas:

I understand the craving for a good burger -- especially a cheeseburger -- having grown up on 'em.

But holding on to that craving is like retiring to Tuscany and dining at Subway.

You've got one of the world's healthiest and tastiest cuisine's nearly on your doorstep: fresh, home-cooked, inexpensive Thai meals.

Why do you even bother with burgers anymore?

Get. A. Life.

Variety is the spice of life so why the sarcastic comment? I reckon most expats who live here enjoy all the types of food on offer. What is wrong with wanting a good burger or pizza or anything other than Thai occasionally? It is great to have such a cosmopolitan variety of food & recommendations make it much easier to sort out the wheat from chaff.

Yes maybe that is it, will give it a try

Please post if you get any details on pricing & whether or not they have a dealer in Phuket as it may be of interest to others. Resales for this type of vehicle will be difficult & will not attract a good offer but there are those who do not care about that. Toyota & Isuzu probably have the best chance for a decent resale price although I have a Mitsubishi Triton for 2 years now & am extremely happy with it plus it comes with a 5 year/150,000 km warranty.

Cheers but no prices on web site, no location of dealers and when you try to send message to them it does not work!!!!

Did you try signing on as a member first? You might have more luck.

i think this 4D the previous poster has mentioned is one of these mini theatre's that shows 10 minutes films, and not mainstream movies on the big screen at central festival or jungceylon. having said that it would be a great way to watch some films in the future. i remember way back when they introduced sensor suround sound to the film 'earthquake'....imagine the fun they could develop for the public these days.

Yes, you are right it is a mini theatre with short shows although there could well be a 4D theatre upstairs in the cinema complex. I too remember "Earthquake" & having been through a few real tremors the effects in the movie theatre were quite dramatic. The term "sensory overload" comes to mind when thinking about a full length feature film in 4D but I would still love to see them. Pity they do not have 4D at Central which is my preferred location for movies as normally I try & avoid Patong these days.

Tata,a Hi Lux Copy made in India, runs on Gas and Oil, good value,i didnt realise it wasnt a Jap,or Ford,A friend lent me one, take a Look.Only in White i think.

Looks nice can you and if so where to go and have a look see.

http://www.tatamotors.co.th/en/models.asp

Just to confirm, its not an entirely farang social event?

If not, obviously the thai wives/g/f/s will end up in one corner whilst their farang partners will end up in the opposite corner.....

If its an entirely farang social group, I'd be interested to hear.

I know at least one of the original attendees has a Thai wife so perhaps it is not your thing. However, maybe you should attend as your assumption could be entirely wrong & you will find that Thai people, even the female variety, have good hearts & feelings along with interesting tales of their backgrounds. To view Thai life through the eyes of someone who grew up here is an uplifting experience & certainly helps to understand the culture better. Mixing only with farangs on a social level will never do that. Thais love to socialize as much as anyone & can become quite shy when placed in a mixed situation but when they loosen up there is a lot of fun.

Both SFX cinemas (Central & Jungceylon) show 3D movies (with the glasses etc)

Jungceylon has just opened a 4D cinema where the seats move too.

The only 4D cinema I have been to was at the aquarium in Siam Paragon. Pretty spectacular as not only the seats moved but water spraying & pseudo electric shocks. I notice yesterday Resident Evil : Afterlife is now showing at Central Festival which should be pretty good in 3D considering the same technology from James Cameron (Avatar) was used to film it.

So where is this place Spikey's located. I don't know the place ... I'm in Rawai. Thanks, Jimi

I'd like to know too. I've always wanted to find somewhere to eat pub grub when passing through Kathu around lunchtime.

Not sure if it is the same one but only about 100m on the left after you turn up the Kathu waterfall road. I hear this advertised on the radio as having fish n chips as well.

I would disagree about 'traditional bacon' being streaky and crisp.

Maybe more like this:-

Perhaps I should re word it & say I like fatty bacon which tastes better, to me, & this makes good crispy bacon which I prefer. One can always ask, when placing the order, how they like their bacon cooked. I prefer a good English breakfast that does not use back bacon & lately this seems to be hard to find but then again I don't often eat this type of breakfast & I do not scour the island looking. However, this forum is good for getting recommendations.

Seems to me many places are serving the yuppy back bacon rather than traditional streaky variety which I much prefer as it makes good crispy bacon. What is it with this trend for using back bacon which is not as tasty? Maybe it is perceived as being more healthy which for the life of me I cannot understand when it is in the middle of a big fry up. Flinstones, Chalong, had the proper bacon when I was there yesterday.

The upcoming Resident Evil - Afterlife in 3D should be pretty cool.

Thanks for the directions Valentine, I think I know where you mean. Since I never got a reply from LivinLOS, have you eaten there? Do you know what beers are available on tap?

Thanks, Jimi

I only know the place from my wanderings around Jungceylon so don't know if the food is good, bad or indifferent.

I have the same problem from cable in Phuket but I think it is getting better as I do not seem to be put off by it so much. There used to be movies where the audio came on after the lips stopped moving.

I had occasion to call TOT yesterday due to intermittent cutouts of my adsl connection & also queried about torrents. The operator confirmed TOT were deliberately traffic shaping/throttling torrent downloads because it was not fair to other users. I suggested to him the actual reason was simply that TOT does not have enough bandwidth & he agreed. He also said the free upgrade to the 6MB package that it would only apply for Thai sites, international would still be 4MB (maximum I have ever had on speed tests is 3.6). There signage now actually states up to 4MB/sec.

BTW a download I received said it came from demonoid.com & so I do not understand the confusion about needing to be invited as stated in another thread.

My twin daughters are looking at possibilities for university study & came across RAC who supposedly guide & assist students to towards their desired course of study & university. I was just wondering if anyone has had any experiences with this institute. The "G" course looks fairly intensive but reading through what they do it appears as if they are mostly spreading public knowledge but make it more convenient to access.

http://urrac.com/en/index.php This country seems to abound in tuition schools & they thrive because the public school system is lacking but it is not easy to sift through & find the really good, genuine ones. Any comments much appreciated. BTW their school grades are pretty good.

Most of the time it is just passport & the form which they need. A couple of times I had to fill out a new form but then it reverted back to just stamping the tear off piece from the form which they staple in your passport.

J.I.B. in Phuket Town seems to have a fairly good range when I briefly checked the place a couple of weeks ago. They have a printed list of products on offer which apparently are the same prices as their 3 shops in Panthip Plaza. It is on the same road as the bus station but on the opposite side.

Will echo Irish times does a good food spread and Guinness should be back on tap..

So, you've eaten there before then and it was good? I haven't tried it and not sure where in that building maze it is located. What other beers do they have on Tap. Guinness sounds good if they had Harp or something good to make a Black and Tan.

If you are in the outside circle facing the big water feature, turn left & head up the outside arcade towards Nanai. It is on the right side. There are lots of eateries lining this arcade.

I doubt the majority of drivers on Phuket have any concept of safe braking distance let alone care.

am i the only one who thinks this is a crazy way to buy a house here , in the uk palces with short leases are considerably cheaper reaszons being you have a good chance of losing the property or having to pay a hefty sum for new lease.........think id rather take the chance and put in misses name or with usufat or whatever you call it.....

maybe if i was 70 i might try this way as id probably be dead by the time lease expires and you cant take it with you when your dead

You are not as I also feel that leases are not the way to go. No matter how you word it, have it registered & think all the angles are covered there are no precedents for judges to rule on & besides I don't think legal precedents mean anything here. Have it in a Thai name, ensure you have superfecies i.e. registered ownership of the building but this has to be done absolutely correctly. At least then the property is freehold & therefore a more attractive proposition for a buyer.