Saturday, 25 May 2013
Friday, 24 May 2013
Thursday, 23 May 2013
Sexy Asian Lady #81
The lady on the right from the Philippines pushes all the right buttons.....
via Bhaby Red
via Bhaby Red
Thailand 3G - quirky set up process and slow performance
On Monday, I called in at the AIS counter in Tukcom and signed up for a post paid 3G contract. When I say I signed, it's a bit of a lie. I have no work permit so I have to get a Thai to sponsor me, (sign docs and hand over copy of ID card). The lady at the AIS counter said I should receive an SMS from AIS in the next 14 days advising me of my application approval and at that time, I should return to AIS Tukcom to complete the 3G account set up.
After 2 days, (yesterday), I received the SMS confirmation message Problem is, I'd been reading bad reports of poor 3G performance in Thailand so I decided to hold off switching from 2G until things had improved.
This morning, (Thursday), I was on a call, (incoming), when I lost the signal. I couldn't receive or make calls. It remained that way for the remainder of the morning which had me suspecting AIS had cut off my 2G link to encourage me to move to 3G.
So this afternoon, back to Tukcom. My contacts were transferred from old to a new Sim, (same #, free), and after 30mins of AIS working on my phone, I was told everything was done but I'd have to wait a further 2 or 3 hours for my new 3G account to be activated... Return home, do not pass Go, do not collect $200... After 4 hours my phone was still off so on the grounds I'd nothing better to do, I powered my phone off and on. Presto, new 3G account active.
First impressions.
It's the first time I've switched from 2G to 3G so I have no reference point for the process involved. That said, two visits to Tukcom, possible 14 day wait, a 2 to 3 hour wait with dead phone are all part of a process that I reckon would excite Heath Robinson
For Internet browsing, AIS 3G is as fast as the slow Wi-Fi connection I had with 3BB. It's not a radical improvement but it works and seems stable around central Pattaya.
It's hard to distinguish any difference on phone calls between the 2G and 3G services. Friends will tell you that's because of my crap phone........
Apps that were dormant with a wi-fi connection are beavering away like mad with an open data connection. Apps guilty of covert data usage are Google Play Store; YouTube; Drippler and Line. If you don't get a grip of these apps you could pretty quickly exceed your monthly data usage limit and run up penalty fees. For Android users, check out Onavo, a quality data usage monitor. For IOS users, who cares...... if you can pay over the odds for a fashion item, you can pay penalty fees..... you've probably paid for an unlimited plan anyway......
Conclusion
It's early days but I'm no worse off than I was on 2G and things can only get better.... right? Who's laughing?????
This morning, (Thursday), I was on a call, (incoming), when I lost the signal. I couldn't receive or make calls. It remained that way for the remainder of the morning which had me suspecting AIS had cut off my 2G link to encourage me to move to 3G.
So this afternoon, back to Tukcom. My contacts were transferred from old to a new Sim, (same #, free), and after 30mins of AIS working on my phone, I was told everything was done but I'd have to wait a further 2 or 3 hours for my new 3G account to be activated... Return home, do not pass Go, do not collect $200... After 4 hours my phone was still off so on the grounds I'd nothing better to do, I powered my phone off and on. Presto, new 3G account active.
First impressions.
It's the first time I've switched from 2G to 3G so I have no reference point for the process involved. That said, two visits to Tukcom, possible 14 day wait, a 2 to 3 hour wait with dead phone are all part of a process that I reckon would excite Heath Robinson
For Internet browsing, AIS 3G is as fast as the slow Wi-Fi connection I had with 3BB. It's not a radical improvement but it works and seems stable around central Pattaya.
It's hard to distinguish any difference on phone calls between the 2G and 3G services. Friends will tell you that's because of my crap phone........
Apps that were dormant with a wi-fi connection are beavering away like mad with an open data connection. Apps guilty of covert data usage are Google Play Store; YouTube; Drippler and Line. If you don't get a grip of these apps you could pretty quickly exceed your monthly data usage limit and run up penalty fees. For Android users, check out Onavo, a quality data usage monitor. For IOS users, who cares...... if you can pay over the odds for a fashion item, you can pay penalty fees..... you've probably paid for an unlimited plan anyway......
Conclusion
It's early days but I'm no worse off than I was on 2G and things can only get better.... right? Who's laughing?????
Wednesday, 22 May 2013
Oxfam accuses UK Government of tax hypocrisy
People who avoid paying tax by stashing their money in tax havens could have contributed enough to end extreme poverty across the world twice over.
Oxfam calculated that individuals, rather than companies, have deprived UK government of £100bn in revenue. It also accused the Government of failing to tackle the issue of UK tax havens, while talking tough about corporate tax avoidance.
Oxfam claimed that more than a third of the £12 trillion held in tax havens by individuals around the globe is believed to be in British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
Read the full article at Sky News.
Rag - There's no way it will change. Taxing ordinary people was introduced to finance the whims of Kings. It was never meant to target the elite class and one way or another, it probably never will.
Colosseum, Pattaya
A new Colosseum is under construction on Threppasit Road, between Pattaya and Jomtien.
The width of the roads in the car park are clearly designed for tourists coaches and if I was a guessing man, I'd have to say it's an Alcazar style venue but that is purely a guess.
The width of the roads in the car park are clearly designed for tourists coaches and if I was a guessing man, I'd have to say it's an Alcazar style venue but that is purely a guess.
The Ultratravel 100 Awards 2013
Ultratravel readers have voted across 20 categories, from best hotel, airline and airport to favourite city and country. This week their favourites were announced at the 2013 Ultratravel 100 awards in London's Dorchester Hotel.
Read the full list of winners and runners up at The Telegraph.
Rag - Sadly, Thailand didn't score very well in any of the 20 categories.
Read the full list of winners and runners up at The Telegraph.
Rag - Sadly, Thailand didn't score very well in any of the 20 categories.
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