Bill Gates on Thailand's hanging internet and hanging wires

[webfact]

Bill Gates on Thailand's hanging internet and hanging wires


Image: Daily News

BANGKOK: -- Microsoft mogul Bill Gates has spoken out about Thailand's poor electrical system and frequent power cuts.

And he even posted one of his holiday snaps in the kingdom - a tangled mess of wires that is a familiar sight for residents in most Thai cities, reported Daily News. But some were cross with his claim that suggested people in Thailand were stealing power from the grid.

The joint founder of Microsoft was commenting for followers on his Facebook fan page.

“Due to faulty infrastructure, many urban areas suffer from frequent blackouts and power cuts, and the electrical grid often doesn’t serve the people who need it most." he said.

"I’ve visited many cities filled with tangled wires such as those in this photo from Thailand, where people have illegally tapped into the grid on their own to get the power they need—at great personal risk.”

Lots of people took to the Daily News site to comment about Mr Gates' observations. Some generally agreed. Sombut Dispanunit said: "Embarassing isn't it? What a mess. There are no standards and there is no improvement. Even in new housing projects the electrical systems are just the same."

But Surasi Maawai said: "Sure I hate those wires. But there are not many power cuts. And people in Thailand don't steal electricity as he says. Don't look down at the Thai people."

Others just poked fun at the American billionaire saying that the Thai electrical systems worked as well as his Windows 10 operating system.

Source: Daily News


-- 2016-06-27

[casualbiker]

Surasi Maawai needs to check out the party lights at a temple gathering or wedding etc.. all are illegally tapped into the overhead power wires! The fella just needs to open his eyes..

[LomSak27]

"Surasi Maawai said: "Sure I hate those wires. But there are not many power cuts. And people in Thailand don't steal electricity as he says. Don't look down at the Thai people." - Others just poked fun at the American billionaire saying that the Thai electrical systems worked as well as his Windows 10 operating system."

Khun Surasai's response says it all. "Don't look down on Thai people" that obsession that someone, somewhere is saying bad things about Thai people, or disrespecting Thailand. Oh My!. Bill Gates said nothing of the sort.

Stealing power, I have had free cable for 7 years because my landlord spliced a feed cable, heh. As for the Thai electrical system and Windows 10. Not fond of it but as far as I know Windows 10 has not killed anyone, whereas I know of two westerners who have been electrocuted by faulty wiring

Edited June 27, 2016 by LomSak27

[Confuscious]

"Others just poked fun at the American billionaire saying that the Thai electrical systems worked as well as his Windows 10 operating system."

ROTFLMAO

If Thai electrical systems are working as well as ANY version of Windows, Thailand would be in huge problems.

Fact is that it is not difficult to make anything work better as Windows.
Even for a Thai.

[Mango Bob]

Our power goes out at least twice a week. Plus sometimes half the house has power and the other half doesn't. I will not touch the power in this house to fix. Let someone come and do it.

[rkidlad]

"And people in Thailand don't steal electricity as he says. Don't look down at the Thai people"

I'm sure there the are plenty of Thai people stealing electricity. Some people really need to grow up. But unfortunately, we now live in a society around the world where BS compliments are revered and the truth is taboo. Very sad.

[Dexlowe]

Bill Gates or no Bill Gates, the bottom line is that electrical wiring in Thailand is a disgusting and shameful mess. Anyone can put up wiring on power poles, the authorities just don't care.

[chainarong]

Yeah we know Bill , only last week I brought this up , if you look closer you have high voltage above household low voltage and in the mix telephone cable , if the high voltage does come down and is still alive , you certainly wont need Microsoft , that's if you are near a fuse box , appliances or on the phone ......................

[CaptHaddock]

In the US power cuts following wind storms are quite common because the power lines are above ground. Compare with Germany where all the lines are buried and power cuts are apparently unknown. This is what happens when a rich country decides to neglect its common commitment to infrasctructure of which the power lines are only one example among many.

[DM07]

Yeeees, Khun Surasi!

And now go back to your room, daddy needs the computer!

And don't forget your meds!

[bluesofa]

Being very boring, I keep track of how often the power goes off in our village.

Just checked my extensive records! In the past two years we've had twenty-two power outages, ranging from ten minutes to nine hours.

[daoyai]

I live in a Thai city, and the photo is typical, what amazes me is how infrequently my power goes off and how short the duration until it is restored...also at 4baht a KWH... i don't complain.....

[halloween]

In the US power cuts following wind storms are quite common because the power lines are above ground. Compare with Germany where all the lines are buried and power cuts are apparently unknown. This is what happens when a rich country decides to neglect its common commitment to infrasctructure of which the power lines are only one example among many.

Germany is both relatively small and quite wealthy. Both are relevant factors when "A new 138 kV overhead line costs approximately $390,000 per mile as opposed to $2 million per mile for underground (without the terminals)." http://www.elp.com/articles/powergrid_international/print/volume-18/issue-2/features/underground-vs-overhead-power-line-installation-cost-comparison-.html

Add to that another factor, Thailand has frequent localised and general flooding due to its climate.

[LomSak27]

Their seems to be far too many comments about power cuts, and bad wiring. Lets get back on the track. sneering at Bill Gates .... making snotty comments about the US power system, or why we hate Windows 10, but uh, still use it

In fact anything other than the Original Post and issues it raised. Deflect, Distract, Redirect; that is what we of the Troll Team are live for.

Go Team Troll !

[huahinjoe]

Agree cables are looking bad in Thailand but for example this Lebanese telephone trunk is pretty hard to beat for sure



On the serious note, It might have to do something with the way they distribute the power, seems like excessive cable usage but surely its more expensive if they put up many smaller transformers cost more money then having to put up one big one and everybody connects to it with longer cables. Underground cabling working fine in european cities but it cost more money to lay down the infrastructure and Thailand have so much flooding also, it would need a fairly more expensive system. Multi millionaire Bill Gates maybe can invest in some kind of new solution to tackle these problems if he worried about this issue that much

[Toknarok]

They're building a house on the block next to mine. For the past two months there has been a wire running from the power pole opposite my house across the road to the building site. Thais don't steal electricity - what absolute nonsense. I'd post a photo but what's the point people like Suransai wouldn't believe and ignore.

[CaptHaddock]

In the US power cuts following wind storms are quite common because the power lines are above ground. Compare with Germany where all the lines are buried and power cuts are apparently unknown. This is what happens when a rich country decides to neglect its common commitment to infrasctructure of which the power lines are only one example among many.

Germany is both relatively small and quite wealthy. Both are relevant factors when "A new 138 kV overhead line costs approximately $390,000 per mile as opposed to $2 million per mile for underground (without the terminals)." http://www.elp.com/articles/powergrid_international/print/volume-18/issue-2/features/underground-vs-overhead-power-line-installation-cost-comparison-.html

Add to that another factor, Thailand has frequent localised and general flooding due to its climate.

That's a point for Wyoming perhaps. But the sections of the US that are far wealthier than the average and have high-population density, like the Northeast, still have all the power lines above ground, except for major cities.

How about that US education scores at the bottom of the OECD countries, way below Germany, Finland, and South Korea, none of which is as rich as the US? Or the US healthcare system that weighs in at number 37 in the UN scorecard below Slovenia?

The polarization of wealth in the US, i.e. the class war, has put a priority on abandoning the public good.

[worgeordie]

Bill Gates,might be Persona non grata,and not welcome in Thailand,

even if he told the truth,thats how it works here.

regards worgeordie

[robblok]

Here in the village they are upgrading the electrical cables. We used to have blackouts often (few seconds) and more rare longer ones. I hope this will solve the problem. I got a few UPS systems so I am not really worried about it but still its nice to have good power.

[steelepulse]

I'm surprised they haven't brought old boy up on some computer crimes charges.

[halloween]

In the US power cuts following wind storms are quite common because the power lines are above ground. Compare with Germany where all the lines are buried and power cuts are apparently unknown. This is what happens when a rich country decides to neglect its common commitment to infrasctructure of which the power lines are only one example among many.

Germany is both relatively small and quite wealthy. Both are relevant factors when "A new 138 kV overhead line costs approximately $390,000 per mile as opposed to $2 million per mile for underground (without the terminals)." http://www.elp.com/articles/powergrid_international/print/volume-18/issue-2/features/underground-vs-overhead-power-line-installation-cost-comparison-.html

Add to that another factor, Thailand has frequent localised and general flooding due to its climate.

That's a point for Wyoming perhaps. But the sections of the US that are far wealthier than the average and have high-population density, like the Northeast, still have all the power lines above ground, except for major cities.

How about that US education scores at the bottom of the OECD countries, way below Germany, Finland, and South Korea, none of which is as rich as the US? Or the US healthcare system that weighs in at number 37 in the UN scorecard below Slovenia?

The polarization of wealth in the US, i.e. the class war, has put a priority on abandoning the public good.

Not only am I NOT american with very little interest of that country, I was talking about Thailand. Which is what we tend, or at least try, to do on TVF.

BTW besides cost, there are quite a few other reasons why above ground transmission cables are a better choice, most of which might be difficult to understand without qualifications in that field.

Edited June 27, 2016 by halloween

[happy chappie]

Do yourself a favour and don't step foot in Thailand again as you might get a suprise on arrival after bringing thailands rep down.thinking about it you could probably fill the biggest brown envelope in the world.

[DLang]

He obviously didn't trip over some while walking across a pedestrian bridge.

[CaptHaddock]

In the US power cuts following wind storms are quite common because the power lines are above ground. Compare with Germany where all the lines are buried and power cuts are apparently unknown. This is what happens when a rich country decides to neglect its common commitment to infrasctructure of which the power lines are only one example among many.

Germany is both relatively small and quite wealthy. Both are relevant factors when "A new 138 kV overhead line costs approximately $390,000 per mile as opposed to $2 million per mile for underground (without the terminals)." http://www.elp.com/articles/powergrid_international/print/volume-18/issue-2/features/underground-vs-overhead-power-line-installation-cost-comparison-.html

Add to that another factor, Thailand has frequent localised and general flooding due to its climate.

That's a point for Wyoming perhaps. But the sections of the US that are far wealthier than the average and have high-population density, like the Northeast, still have all the power lines above ground, except for major cities.

How about that US education scores at the bottom of the OECD countries, way below Germany, Finland, and South Korea, none of which is as rich as the US? Or the US healthcare system that weighs in at number 37 in the UN scorecard below Slovenia?

The polarization of wealth in the US, i.e. the class war, has put a priority on abandoning the public good.

Not only am I NOT american with very little interest of that country, I was talking about Thailand. Which is what we tend, or at least try, to do on TVF.

BTW besides cost, there are quite a few other reasons why above ground transmission cables are a better choice, most of which might be difficult to understand without qualifications in that field.

Congratulations on your nationality and your lack of interest in the US. As an American myself I sometimes feel obliged to point out the narrow-mindedness of know-it-alls like Gates who enjoy comparisons that favor rich America over vastly poorer Thailand.

I am interested to learn from someone with expertise the advantages of above-ground power lines and why the Germans are apparently not aware of them.

[sebastion]

How dare Mr Gates speak the truth.

Doesnt he know that Thais dont like it?

[shirtless]

Bill gates can go back to saving the world and influencing politicians , Doesnt he know Thailand knows best when it comes to electricity and anything else, just ask any Thai.

[clockman]

The truth always hurts!

[Lannig]

If you look carefully above your head, you'll notice that the spaghetti-style hanging cables are phone cables and not power cables, most of the time.

Not that this changes anything to their ugliness and the ineptness of the people who put them this way.

Edited June 27, 2016 by Lannig

[clockman]

Fragile egos.!

[ratcatcher]

Our power goes out at least twice a week. Plus sometimes half the house has power and the other half doesn't. I will not touch the power in this house to fix. Let someone come and do it.

Simply shocking!!