Are there any  second hand book shops left in Pattaya? The well known one on Soi Pothole is expensive and grubby. Are there  any others? What's the library  like on Sukhumvit  near Father Ray's? Failing that: what are the best bit torrent  sites for books? Thanks

Yeah I'd like to know the answers too, especially how to get bit torrent to work in Thailand without paying for an expensive VPN.

5 hours ago, foreverlomsak said:

Yeah I'd like to know the answers too, especially how to get bit torrent to work in Thailand without paying for an expensive VPN.

I have been bit torrenting here in Thailand without VPN for 15 years with zero issues I download 1Gb or more daily of TV programs and movies no problem at all

Any shops that buy used books? 

1 hour ago, Yellowtail said:

Any shops that buy used books? 

The only one I can think of is Canterbury Tales (on soi "pot hole" as noted above). Not sure if they pay cash or if it's "in store credit".

The owner is in a wheelchair and the books tend to be a bit "unsorted". Some are worn some have been on a shelf (somewhere) for too long. Quite an assortment though. I've got a stack I've picked up from there I still haven't gotten around to reading yet.

(They have a "browsing bar" in front where one can sit and pretend to read while having a copy and sneaking peeks at the massage parlour and the bar across the street.)

https://www.google.co.th/maps/@12.9288925,100.8853765,3a,75y,31.93h,76.55t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1skw3a2FlJ1qlfNqDWp1yhgw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en

I haven't found many others. There is/was a German used book store on Soi Batman a while ago. but the last couple of times I've gone past there I had the impression it was closed. Never bothered to inquire though as I couldn't read German anyways !
 

17 hours ago, foreverlomsak said:

Yeah I'd like to know the answers too, especially how to get bit torrent to work in Thailand without paying for an expensive VPN.

You dont need a VPN to download torrents, just go the the usual Pirate bay, RARBG etc. Bittorrent is a program for downloading torrents, after you find the torrent

17 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

You dont need a VPN to download torrents, just go the the usual Pirate bay, RARBG etc. Bittorrent is a program for downloading torrents, after you find the torrent

 

I think they were eluding to the idea that it's safer to use a VPN, because downloading torrents isn't exactly kosher.

An easy private book torrent site to gain membership is called myanonamouse - I  don’t know how you gain access, but check around on Reddit or Google the application process.

 

I really don’t think we need to worry torrenting within Thailand, but when you do, you are exposing your IP address to the world, you are better off using a private site than a public tracker like PB, rarbg or 1337X.

39 minutes ago, BenDeCosta said:

 

I think they were eluding to the idea that it's safer to use a VPN, because downloading torrents isn't exactly kosher.

hard to say whether a foreign corporation would go after someone in Thailand for copy right issues, it may not be be worth their while in the long run unless Thailand fully cooperated. Personally, I've used one for many years..

58 minutes ago, BenDeCosta said:

I think they were eluding to the idea that it's safer to use a VPN, because downloading torrents isn't exactly kosher.

Don't think anyone cares in Thailand.

I'm sitting here typing wearing my knock-off ManU t-shirt, using a knock-off Win7 operating system, this morning I was reading a downloaded knock-off Ken Follet Century trilogy.

8 minutes ago, from the home of CC said:

hard to say whether a foreign corporation would go after someone in Thailand for copy right issues, it may not be be worth their while in the long run unless Thailand fully cooperated. Personally, I've used one for many years..

Every courier with the exception of Kerry’s seems to call me to find out wether I’m at home and where my place is - so if the MCPS calls, I will tell them I’m not at home.

45 minutes ago, recom273 said:

Every courier with the exception of Kerry’s seems to call me to find out wether I’m at home and where my place is - so if the MCPS calls, I will tell them I’m not at home.

 

And why would you be getting a call from the Montgomery County Public Schools?

 

I hate the fact that they call before delivering here. My Thai is just about good enough so that I can talk to the guy and tell him where my house is, but it's still irritating, I just wish that they come and knock on my door.

 

In the UK, the only time I was ever called prior to a delivery was when we were having a car delivered.

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

Don't think anyone cares in Thailand.

I'm sitting here typing wearing my knock-off ManU t-shirt, using a knock-off Win7 operating system, this morning I was reading a downloaded knock-off Ken Follet Century trilogy.

 

Then, I assume you may have made a ham and cheese sandwich with fake bread, fake cheese, fake ham, and fake condiments. Drank a glass of fake fruit juice and then retired to the bedroom in a vain attempt to satisfy your fake wife (husband).

 

Thailand certainly is an acquired taste.

 

Why, oh why do they insist on putting mayonnaise on pizzas in place of mozzarella cheese? Mayonnaise is not a good substitute for cheese, and ketchup is not a good substitute for pizza sauce. It's no wonder that most Thais don't like Western food, because they've only ever tasted the Western food in Thailand, which is absolutely disgusting. Sorry for getting off-topic, feel free to delete.

The delivery guys (most of them) call ahead of time because if there is no answer, they will (often) skip going to your place, or will just stop at the security booth. They don't want to wander around the village looking for your house and asking the neighbours if they know when you'll be home (etc, etc).

I've watched them and they often seem to be calling not the next delivery, but the one after that, so they aren't wasting time making stops where no one is home or answering the phone.

3 hours ago, Peterw42 said:

You dont need a VPN to download torrents, just go the the usual Pirate bay, RARBG etc. Bittorrent is a program for downloading torrents, after you find the torrent

Every time I search on Pirate Bay all I get is a screen sawing load a VPN.

46 minutes ago, Kerryd said:

The delivery guys (most of them) call ahead of time because if there is no answer, they will (often) skip going to your place, or will just stop at the security booth. They don't want to wander around the village looking for your house and asking the neighbours if they know when you'll be home (etc, etc).

Agree but I must be really in the sticks then, there is not a village security booth unless you count the local Police Box and the Highway police station about 3 km away. The family plot in the village contains 3 houses, the one before me is #182, mine is #35, and the one behind me is #63/1. God knows the numbers between me and the main road (1/2 a km), and some houses are three deep from the Soi.

They've got to phone to be able to find you, it's not a case of going 2, 4, 6, 8, etc. as they travel along the road.

 

https://www.gutenberg.org/

 

 

16 minutes ago, foreverlomsak said:

Every time I search on Pirate Bay all I get is a screen sawing load a VPN.

 

no need for a VPN in Thailand

Try  using a host file ( https://www.abelhadigital.com/)    and U block origin  in your browser ( firefox) to get rid of the adverts.

 

2 hours ago, BenDeCosta said:

Then, I assume you may have made a ham and cheese sandwich with fake bread, fake cheese, fake ham, and fake condiments. Drank a glass of fake fruit juice and then retired to the bedroom in a vain attempt to satisfy your fake wife (husband).

I did have fake ham (luncheon meat from BigC)

The cheese was real (Mainland Cheddar from NZ)

The bread was also fake (nasty sweet wholemeal from 7-11)

The fruit juice also fake (reconstituted from concentrate)

I'm also drinking fake wine (coolers)

And my misses is absolutely fake, I have to pay her 10Kbht/month to pretend to love me.

 

My entire life is fake, but it's a really good fake!

 

What was this thread about?

Oh yes, SH books. The first year I was in Thailand I used the many SH bookshops in Chiang Mai, but then I went digital, got myself a Kindle (lost it to 'fat battery'), and ever since I've downloaded all my novels from Mobilism. I've hardly ever wanted a book that I couldn't find there. Got a new Kindle arriving from Lazada tomorrow, 3,300bht, same price as it would have cost from Amazon UK (maybe 5 pounds more).

Just now, BritManToo said:

I did have fake ham (luncheon meat from BigC)

The cheese was real (Mainland Cheddar from NZ)

The bread was also fake (nasty sweet wholemeal from 7-11)

The fruit juice also fake (reconstituted from concentrate)

An my misses is absolutely fake, I have to pay her 10Kbht/month to pretend to love me.

 

My entire life is fake, but it's a really good fake!

 

I would argue that the Mainland Cheddar from NZ is fake, it is absolutely tasteless compared to a proper cave-aged Cheddar from Somerset, and they don't store it at the correct temperature here so it loses it's flavour rapidly. So I've got you on all counts!

 

Thai ham is awful (my wife says it's usually really small).

 

Thai bread is packed with sugar and tastes like cardboard.

 

But it's like in The Matrix, when the guy is eating a steak that doesn't exist "ignorance is bliss".

Assuming they are open try KSR. Wife just told me she'd read they're selling property in firesale. Tossed in the towel tourists going to return for years.

 

What's wrong with Amazon or download epub, PDF, etc ???!!

On 5/29/2021 at 10:06 PM, foreverlomsak said:

especially how to get bit torrent to work in Thailand without paying for an expensive VPN

 

It might be your ISP blocking bit torrent downloads.

 

Fifteen or so years ago, when ADSL broadband was slowly being rolled out to Jomtien, I was living in Jomtien Complex Condo. They came up with a deal with some guy who paid to install the necessary kit in the condo, and you could subscribe at the eye-wateringly expensive price of 2,400 Baht/month. For 2006/2007, it was OK speed-wise and, as usual here, there was no monthly data allowance, but the system prevented you from downloading bit torrents. The guy who set it up had secured a deal with True to provide the actual internet connection to the condo, and maybe he was scared that lots of residents using torrents would overload the system, but in spite of many people complaining nothing was done about it, and you had no alternative as, at the time, the condo management wouldn't allow any other ISP's to provide a service within their walls.

I too get a lot of ‘better use a VPN’ messages showing  my IP address. Since I always use ExpressVPN, I guess it’s working pretty well because the addresses shown are from all over the place, depending on where I’ve chosen.