Saturday 24 May 2014

Hard Drive Magnets: mount a Cree 30W LED spotlight on a dirt bike


I bought one of these Cree 30W LEDs


note i've attached a Hard Drive Magnet to a rubber doorstop and bolted the Cree to that

fits in my hand (see the magnet?)



I mounted a frame on my bike - made from a small folding stool frame, a piece of wood and some convenient iron based attachments - note the pipe clamps near the sunglasses. Note also the yellow stretchy holds the frame down against the faring - YMMV



after i place the spot on the frame i just clip on my power cord



I have so much wire because it doubles as a workshop or emergency light if i have a breakdown at night

then i just plug it in to the 12V socket i previously installed



those rare earth magnets - they are versatile and, for now, cheap because there are a lot of hard disks out there that are dead or dying

p


Friday 23 May 2014

Thai coup 2014


not much out there in the MSM has any value on this issue or anything much else about Thailand

but I've found a couple of things interesting

this one:



and the Economist:

[...] In late November the king signed a decree mandating that all decisions by the powerful defence council were subject to veto by the crown prince. The council includes the service heads and the permanent defence secretary. The heir apparent is now, in effect, their boss [...]

Al Jaseera:

If Thailand’s royalist elite can learn to live with democracy, the country may be able to move forward. The alternative is that Thailand’s crisis is settled with violence and bloodshed rather than compromise and negotiation

The Diplomat:

The fear of losing hard-won privileges to the rural masses is a very real one for the royalist elites, sections of the military and many middle-class Bangkokians


i'm interested in this organisation: The Thai Crown Property Bureau


this was a quick (few hours) assessment of this material:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_Property_Bureau
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chirayu_Isarangkul
http://www.forbes.com/sites/simonmontlake/2012/01/20/in-thailand-a-rare-peek-at-his-majestys-balance-sheet/
http://politicalprisonersofthailand.wordpress.com/2014/05/24/thai-monarchy-a-factor-in-dispute/
http://robinlea.com/pub/JCA-Thailand-the_good_coup/08-The_crown_property_bureau_and_the_crisis_of_1997.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maha_Vajiralongkorn

please correct any errors and notify me of corrections

pop


Wednesday 21 May 2014

Wanted: Thai Architect


Here's a house in Nakhon Si Thammarat that was started but never finished - perhaps because the owners were wiped out by the Asian crisis of 97/98.


note the 4 large car-ports on the road.


note how thin the floors are though the framing seems ok



if i could figure out how to complete the house, and how much that might cost, I might be interested in trying to do it.

Anybody out there?

p


Tuesday 20 May 2014

Teach your grandmother to suck eggs


I heard a conversation which went something like this...

Grandson: "Grandfather, first you have to set the page properties"

Grandfather: "No, first the font. Don't teach your grandmother to suck eggs"

Grandson: "Don't teach your grandson to implement an app that sucks 100 million eggs at once"


p

ps

great recipe for noodles

put on the kettle

get a biggish noodle bowl

crack a country fresh egg or two in the bottom - living in Thailand makes this easier and cheap





open one of those not to cheapo instant noodle packets

empty the flavour sachets into the bowl and deposit the noodles on top



sprinkle in a handful of frozen veggies and slice in a couple of nice hot Thai chilies



add just enough water (any temp) to cover the eggs and zap it in the microwave til the eggs are cooked - like 2 minutes top

pour in boiling water and cover for a few minutes



tease out the noodles, mixing in everything

cover or eat when ready

yum



p

Sunday 18 May 2014

I just love Nakon Si Thammarat


I just love Nakon Si Thammarat



see how young these kids are - primary school kids riding a motorcycle





May, Not far from Pak Nakhon

p