lomatopo

Even in the 1960s, the NSA was sweeping up phone call records 'like a giant vacuum'

Face it: the NSA knows plenty about you, and our growing reliance on technology is only making the agency's controversial surveillance efforts easier. But the National Security Agency has been around for a long time, predating the internet and your email inbox by decades. Even when the agency wasn't collecting cell phone records or purposefully looking at your Gmail inbox, its mission was largely the same. The Washington Post recently took a look at the agency's ways of old, and much like today, the NSA's aggressive approach to monitoring international communications often raised eyebrows.

http://www.theverge.com/2013/8/24/4654654/in-1960s-the-nsa-swept-up-phone-records-like-giant-vacuum

How the NSA spied on Americans before the Internet

In May 1984 — an apt year for columns about “Big Brother” — The Post’s Michael Schrage warned of a future in which the government could snoop on unsuspecting citizens by subpoenaing their floppy discs. Personal computers were new, expensive and not particularly common; the first dot-com domain wasn’t even registered until the following year.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2013/08/23/how-the-nsa-spied-on-americans-before-the-internet/

NSA hacked into encrypted UN communications, leaked documents show

This guy Snowden is diabolical, cunning, calculating, deceitful. Snowden means to harm the United States and to harm us severely. He needs to be nabbed and put away for life.

I think you forgot a step? We call it a trial.

FYI, the Google Nexus 4 does NOT have a user-replaceable battery.

I have come to the conclusion that its probably my launcher

Yes, it probably would have helped if you had mentioned you were using a 3rd party launcher, in your original post.

You can un-root (de-root?) a phone in the event you need to make it look "original".

If you want to use a decent ad-blocker (AdAway) you need to root the device.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/649816-a-i-s-one-2-call-3g-pre-paid-sim-on-2100-mhz-3g-a-review/

Thanks for taking the time to reply. Yes, we don't know either. We have tried the manual selections, after reading all of the suggestions in this forum. No matter what network we selected, we get no data connection. This is on Galaxy S2, Galaxy S4, Galaxy Tab 7, Galaxy Note phones. Since we can't get hold of DTAC's call center, we just trawled the web to find that hundreds of people on the Thai websites have the same problem, some have managed to get the call center but have not received any satisfactory assistance. Many have actually asked to be removed from TRINET but have been fobbed off. Since signing up for TRINET actually meant that the phone number has effectively been transferred to a new service provider and re-registered as such, I imagine that DTAC are not in a position to do that easily. I personally have 2 SIMS that have not been registered for TRINET and they work fine.

Having said that, I have always found, in BKK, the EDGE service to be more reliable than so-called 3G. We would be happy to get EDGE back !

I am assuming you applied to transfer to tri-Net, and have received the SMSes notifying you of your successful transfer? I assume you have a newer IMSI SIM?

This sounds like an APN configuration issue? Have you enabled data roaming?

Did you get the "second SMS", which is basically an OTA APN file, and enter the code "1800" (without the quotes), which essentially saves the APN config. to your phone?

Here is a working tri-NET APN config. on an SGS4:

Note the Authentication type (PAP), and the APN type (default,supl). Remember to "Save" the APN before exiting!.And to select it!

http://pantip.com/topic/30821843

That model would work here in Thailand on available GSM and 3G networks. Apologies for not mentioning that in my first post.

NSA having flashbacks to Watergate era

Not since the domestic spying scandals of the 1970s has the NSA faced such a crisis. But intelligence officials say the problems are fundamentally different.

The National Security Agency is facing its worst crisis since the domestic spying scandals four decades ago led to the first formal oversight and overhaul of U.S. intelligence operations.

President Obama acknowledged Friday that many Americans had lost trust in the nation's largest intelligence agency. "There's no doubt that, for all the work that's been done to protect the American people's privacy, the capabilities of the NSA are scary to people," he said in a CNN interview.

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-nsa-spying-20130824,0,6838536.story

An Open Letter to My Former NSA Colleagues

I can only guess how much more horrified the ex-NSAers I know—you, my former colleagues, my friends, my professors, and my mentors—must be. Unlike me, you have spent much of your working lives helping the NSA build its power, only to see your years of work used in a way it was never supposed to be used. You could speak out now in a way that violates neither your secrecy agreement nor your honor. It's hard to believe that the professors I know at universities around the country would remain silent as the NSA abuses their trust and misuses their work.

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2013/08/nsa_domestic_spying_mathematicians_should_speak_out.html

Lawmakers Probe Willful Abuses of Power by NSA Analysts

NSA Officers Spy on Love Interests

NSA paid millions to cover Prism compliance costs for tech companies

Based on the specs listed on the Samsung/HK page my guess would be no.

The GT-N5120 supports 800/900/1800/2600MHz LTE, while TrueMove H has limited LTE here on Band 1 (2100 MHz).

Eventually we might have LTE here on 1800 MHz, but that possibility is looking more and more remote.

They approached the Thai Government about a joint venture through Thailand. They have experience in building High Speed Train systems and maintaining them. The Chinese are not stupid I don't know where you got that idea. They would see to it that a proper job was done.

This New Yorker article about the rail boom in China was very interesting:

While it is fairly easy to get a Grand Jury to indict someone, we like to that in the U.S. you can indict a ham sandwich, it is another to prove to a jury, beyond a reasonable doubt, that someone is guilty. This assumes, if he surrenders, that the U.S. will grant Mr. Snowden his Sixth Amendment right rather than whisking him off to Guantanamo or using a Military Tribunal.

Forensic computer evidence would seem to form the bulk of the government's case, and it's not clear how much evidence Mr. Snowden left behind, or even if they could prove he either stole it or disclosed it. My sense is that the grab on Mr. Miranda was one of several efforts to obtain this evidence.

Additionally, in order to obtain a fair trial the defense would presumably be allowed significant leeway on discovery, which the government/NSA would hope to block, and which a judge or jury might decide precludes Mr. Snowden from receiving a fair defense.

Lastly, proving that Mr. Snowden's alleged crimes, especially in light of his motivation - that being to expose illegal/unconstitutional government activities, rather than for personal gain or political ideology, actually did any harm to the United States might be impossible to prove. All in all, it would be an interesting trial, but maybe the government will ultimately decide to drop these charges?

There is no statute of limitation for the Espionage Act, which was originally enacted in 1917. The government was not successful in prosecuting Daniel Ellsberg and Anthony Russo for releasing the Pentagon Papers.

There were no casualties. Why is it that a Thai news story never, ever includes an interview with some of the passengers?

Not an interview per se but a first-hand account of the most recent derailment, prior to this most recent one:

http://thatbackpacker.com/2013/08/04/bangkok-chiang-mai-train-derailed-august-3/

Carrier locked or subsidized phones purchased in the U.S. can be challenging to un-lock. In some cases carriers will provide un-lock codes for customers in good standing or those who've completed their contract.

Since, it sounds like, you spend the bulk of your time in the U.S., you really need to focus on the service provider, or MVNO, which offers the best service, plans, coverage to meet your requirements.

If it so happens that AT&T, or T-Mobile, meet your requirements then you could go with them, and even purchase an un-locked phone, and go with a pre-paid or month-to-month contract, wither directly or via an MVNO. While more and more people are doing this (MVNO), the total percentage still ~ 10% (MVNO).

There are some nuances to the GM mobile data market in the U.S., re: 3G and LTE, and while the Thai market is a bit less nuanced, and assuming you want a single handset to use in both markets, with GSM voice, text, data and 3G data, your options may end up being somewhat limited. Add to to that, many handset versions available in the U.S. may be different variants than those sold in other countries.

https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=nexus_4_8gb&hl=en

https://play.google.com/store/devices/details/Samsung_Galaxy_S_4?id=samsung_galaxy_s4&hl=en

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=I9500&N=-1&isNodeId=1

https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=htc_one&hl=en

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=htc+one&N=-1&isNodeId=1

http://store.apple.com/us/buy-iphone/iphone5?cppart=UNLOCKED/US&product=MD293LL/A&step=accessories

Assuming you have AT&T coverage, you could go with StraightTalk, an MVNO which resells AT&T service month-to-month:

https://www.straighttalk.com/wps/portal/home/shop/serviceplans/!ut/p/b1/hYzLCsIwEAC_xR_Irsnm4THURyxYtR7UvUhaRIKmvYj9fRG8Wuc2MAwwnImQ0BmCE3AXX-kWn6nv4uPjbC5zLDdq74Osg9W43oXisLIVkldQAqcmi6HNAoU0aqZIO2PQTbVFDUfg0UOB48F2Kb8B_sD_ORBaqEKfr5B5ca_DMHkDBzQuZw!!/?s=y

There is a new version of (Android) chrome: 29.0.1547.59

Not sure if it might address your issue(s)?

Post-paid, I believe.

Yes, SQ has had their lounge here at BKK since SBIA opened - I have the vaguest recollection that the TG lounges opened a few weeks after the airport opened 28 Sep 2006 but that the SQ lounge was open on day 1; I flew out that first day but used one of the Louis Tavern lounges that morning. The SQ lounge is a * Gold lounge you can use it instead of the TG lounges, although it is a bit out of the way, a bit on the small side and has limited opening hours.

I have no idea if BR plans to close their lounge here, but airlines are often looking for ways to reduce costs and increase alliance synergies so it seems like they might be considering it? I assume they have some sort of lease which probably would govern if/when changes might be made. One can always chat up the agents in the lounge as they usually know what is going on.

BR does have limited flights ex-BKK, the only daily being LHR/BR67 (BR 61 and BR 75 fly four times per week) and the equivalent of three dailies to TPE.

SQ have five (5) dailies from BKK to SIN.

I remember this kidnapping from 2007, with Police, and American-born Thais, involved:

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/04/14/headlines/headlines_30031870.php

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/116091-american-abduction/

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/116068-police-implicated-in-kidnapping-foreigners/