In case you forgot, Bangkok is still sinking

Bangkok is one of 13 of the world's largest 20 cities at risk of being swamped as sea levels rise in coming decades, according to warnings at the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change held here.

The still expanding megapolis rests about 3 1/2 to 5 feet above the nearby gulf, although some areas already lie below sea level. The gulf's waters have been rising by about a tenth of an inch a year, about the same as the world average, says Anond Snidvongs, a leading scientist in the field.

But the city, built on clay rather than bedrock, has also been sinking at a far faster pace of up to 4 inches annually as its teeming population and factories pump some 2.5 million cubic tons of cheaply priced water, legally and illegally, out of its aquifers. This compacts the layers of clay and causes the land to sink.

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Despite Eric's best efforts no-one guessed 'Bangkok'

Weird note on a Thai street.

Their immoral members may supervise.

Apples's big iPhone mistake

On a recent stroll through MBK's 4th floor (the phone floor) you would think I was lying if I told you the iPhone HAD NOT launched in Thailand. The iPhone was everywhere. Every booth large and small is selling them for between 22-28,000 baht($650-750). Big signs are up promoting the phone in Thai language, Thai script is available for the keyboad, and there are just as many iPhone accessories as any other phone. One guy was loading the latest software, was offering the new 1.1.1 crack already (just a few days old) and could answer just about any question you had about one.


So Apple's mistake? I guess it's to be expected from an American centric company like Apple, but selling the 8gb iPhone in the USA for $399 (13,600 baht) is way to cheap. They should have skipped the deal with AT&T, skipped the whole attempt at locking the phone, and sold it world wide for $699. That's what most of us are paying over here anyway for an unlocked version- except for now $300 of that goes to those that import, sell and unlock it. Unfortunately for Apple, Americans have been trained to expect subsidized phones and lengthy service plans. This is not the case in most of Europe and Asia. Here we buy a number, and buy a phone. Switch the phone when you want. Switch the number when you want.
Just more proof the "walled garden" is dead.

RSS feed of the Top 10 Thai Blogs

Top 10 Thai Blogs as a single RSS feed. (As decided by me, or anyone wishing to comment.)

iPhone doesn't let you have friends from Thailand.

Adding a contact from Thailand? Sorry, but that is not going to happen according to Apple. Thailand is not listed as a country option on the iPhone.

Stand with the Burmese Protesters via avaaz.org

After decades of military dictatorship, the people of Burma are rising – and they need our help. Marches begun by monks and nuns snowballed, bringing hundreds of thousands to the streets. Now the crackdown has begun, but the protests are spreading...

Train Drives Through A Bangkok Market

Nice find Rocketboom.

Burma protest planning, back to the drawing board

I feel bad to say it, but it looks like we'll be living another ten years with the military in control of Burma. Unfortunately for lack preparedness or an ability to connect to the outside world, the Burma protests fell well short of the push needed for any kind of real change. Unfortunately not enough images like this made it out of the country. Burma, maybe when your internet is restored you can read some tips, on staging an effective protest :

Have signs, lots of signs, and make them two-sided. Remember, photographs are visual things. For the most part, one group of people yelling and shaking their fists looks the same as another. So if you want your message to get across in print, you need some kind of recognizable symbol in the picture. I'm not suggesting that you should walk up to the photographer and show them your sign, but if you're there waving it about, you want to give the media a chance to capture it. Making two-sided signs helps.

Yes.. that is signs, not umbrellas. Until the message is really captured for all the world to see, the world will never be moved to action.

Liselotte Agerlid, who is now in Thailand, said that the Burmese people now face possibly decades of repression. "The Burma revolt is over," she added.

"The military regime won and a new generation has been violently repressed and violently denied democracy. The people in the street were young people, monks and civilians who were not participating during the 1988 revolt.

"Now the military has cracked down the revolt, and the result may very well be that the regime will enjoy another 20 years of silence, ruling by fear." more...

Hopefully in 20 years, the protesters will be armed with cameras, signs, blogs, media outlets and outside contact ready to bring a bit more light on to their plight.