Regular features from January 2004 97th Issue

The Digital Doctor - When it all goes pear shaped

I'm guessing all of us at some stage or another have had that dreaded blue screen of death or error window popup with a totally incomprehensible message while halfway through something really important. The wheels stop turning, the mouse goes into the freezer and your whole world grinds to a painful halt. Your first reaction is to launch the damn thing through the nearest window shouting "you like windows … how about this one!" while your monitor makes a satisfying crunch as it shatters into a thousand pieces upon impact. This maybe the most rewarding reaction in the short term but there are several other things you can do to possibly prevent this happening in the first place or remedy it when it does happen.
Microsoft thought it would be a great source of entertainment to provide their users with utterly futile error messages when something goes wrong leaving your average Joe scratching their heads thinking "should I have studied another language at school?" The blue screen of death (BSOD from now on) can occur for a number of reasons, the primary being a conflict within Windows Virtual Device Drivers (VxD's). A virtual device driver is a program for each of the computers hardware devices; they're used to maintain the status of a hardware device that has changeable settings. Virtual device drivers handle software interrupts from the operating system rather than hardware interrupts. These files are often from 3rd party vendors (eg. your hardware suppliers) so when one of them has a bug it will invariably crash your entire system leaving you with that marvelous blue screen and a bunch of numbers. Hardware problems are also a likely cause of BSOD's if you have a failing hard disk, dodgy stick of RAM, or faulty graphics card it can all cause them. This is why diagnosing and fixing the problem is not one of the easiest things to do.
One of the more useful things Microsoft have done was provide their Knowledge Base, which can be found at www.support.microsoft.com. This is a huge, (yes I mean huge) database of known problems and issues with M$ products (you can see why I emphasized the huge part now!). You can copy down your little error message collection of numbers and letters on the screen (something like A Fatal Exception 0E Has Occurred at 0028:C0008BC8…… ) and enter them into the Knowledge Base to see if there is a solution. Of course you'll have to do this after a restart to get the infuriating cerulean wall off your screen.
If the error occurs at the same time, every time then you can usually pinpoint it down to a conflict in one piece of software. Random ones are a little harder to solve, especially within the contents of this article! If you have recently installed any new software or hardware and are noticing errors, uninstall it see if that was the cause, Windows can be fussy with what applications it likes to play with. If your machine is overheating this can also cause random errors in the software, make sure your fans are dust free and the box has enough ventilation. Making sure you have the latest drivers for your hardware can also go to lengths to eliminate the chance of getting lockups, go to the hardware manufacturer's website and download them.
I have also noticed that certain versions of Windows are more prone to lockups and BSOD's that others. The worst I have seen has to be Windows ME (Millennium Edition although I prefer Major Errors). This operating system, Microsoft will also admit, has more bugs than an Issan night market. Windows 98 is by no means the best but compared to ME it rocks. The best thing you can do if experiencing problems and crashes using ME is the big format and upgrade your operating system. When Windows XP first emerged on the scene it wasn't a lot better, very unfriendly towards non M$ products and with its built in "connect me to Microsoft every ten minutes and give them all my details" function I didn't like it. Now with the release of Service Pack 1 it's a lot more stable and well behaved, all of the automated stuff such as error reporting, automatic updates, remote assistance etc can be turned off after all these machines are still supposed to be personal. XP is a solid platform and providing you have a reasonably fast machine (at least 128 Megs of RAM, preferably 256) is a fast system to work on. My personal favourite though has to be Windows 2000, from my experience it's the most stable of the lot. Now at Service Pack 4 most of the bugs have been ironed out and crashes when they do occur are more than likely caused by third party software or misbehaving hardware.
System crashes and lockups can have a multitude of causes, providing you keep your beast in good order by cleaning the hardware and keeping the software tuned by removing unwanted programs etc you should keep lockups and blue deaths at a minimum. Of course in the real world nobody's perfect and things go wrong, when they do and you're having computer conundrums you can always call the Doc on 01-1911742 to set things straight.

mjy@digitalmetrix.net
www.digitalmetrix.net

This is the second article on retiring in Thailand.

Having sorted out your accommodation, your health insurance your visa and your local bank account it's time to look at your life savings. What do you do with your lifetime's accumulated wealth?
The first of many considerations should be what sort of consumer protection there is in the jurisdiction where you intend to put your money? Did you know for instance that if you had your money in a British bank that went bankrupt you are only entitled to 90-% of the first STG 20,000. So if you had a million sterling invested you would only get back Stg 18,000. Please don't say it wouldn't happen- remember BCCI? Check out the bank guarantees in your home country and only ever leave the guaranteed amount in that bank.
Many retired people are not afraid to face up to the fact that they will eventually die and most do not wish to, if they can avoid it, to gift the taxman at home a load of money in inheritance tax and capital gains taxes. Neither do they wish their beneficiaries to pay some lawyers probate fees and admin costs which can decimate your lifetime savings quicker than a Wall St. crash. All of these fees can be avoided if your portfolio is carefully constructed and located in the proper offshore jurisdiction.
So to your money-Modern portfolio theory sets out reasons for, among other things, the wisdom of diversification. It shows that when multiple risky assets are pooled into a single portfolio, the variance of the portfolio is less than the variance of any single asset. The practical application of this can be seen in the explosion of mutual funds over the past decade. Investors around the world are more diversified than ever. Sometimes even the financially sophisticated disregard these principals of modern investment advise. But as a retiree wishing to play golf, swim, read a little and have a few beers with your new expat friends your main concerns are probably that your capital is safe and you're in a position to keep ahead of inflation.
We are not in the Hua Hin market here. One size does definitely not fit all. It is an impossible task to advise unknown individuals with a multitude of biases and risk attitudes about portfolio construction. Without a face to face meeting, I can only generalise and advise certain courses of action.
Take advice from a reputable offshore finance broker but don't be stupid enough to entrust them with any of your money. Try and avoid bank financial services. They are very restricted in what they can sell which means that your potential for gain is restricted. Before you transfer money to any financial institution make a phone call during working hours to those people and make sure they are the genuine article.
Ask your broker if they have a professional qualification and don't be afraid to ask to see it.. Whatever you are presented with make sure you fully understand the risk factors involved. Ask a few pertinent questions. Can you revoke the application and in what time period? What would it cost you to cash in your investment in the first year? What would be the tax position if I decided to return to my country of origin?
Believe me it is a lot easier to ask a broker a few embarrassing questions now than wave goodbye to your savings at a future date. Don't jump into anything. Think. Think. Think.
One other thing-be sensible and only invest in companies with at least 100 Billion Dollars under management and with a pedigree of 150 years.
If you adhere to these few simple rules you will cut the chances to be conned to zilch.
Have a happy worry free retirement in Thailand. It's all in your own hands. Treat the people here as well as I've advised you here to treat you money and happiness is assured.

For further information on this article please contact
Jerry McMenamin at
jerry@swissinvestcenter.net

Dog Rescue News

There have been quite a few developments at the Dog Rescue Center recently. Firstly, we have a new volunteer, Kendra from the USA. She's in Hua Hin to study Muay Thai and has been very helpful, both practically and in the ideas department!
We are very pleased to report that Mott has been adopted. An Englishman and his girlfriend originally took him with the idea of taking him to the Bangkok suburbs to live with her family. They were so impressed, though, they have kept him! We're all delighted that he is so happy and has found such a good home.
Work continues on a new website. Hopefully www.dogrescuecenter.org will be up and running soon. When it is, please pay us a visit.
There has been an influx of sick dogs. Last month we had dogs with enteritis, severe burns, malnutrition and one with a maggot infested hole in her back. This month, Verity found two sick puppies, whose mother had died. Unfortunately, it was too late for them too, and they died within a couple of days of being in the center.
Residents of a soi near the center called for our assistance with two dogs living there. The residents feed the dogs and look after them very well, but they were concerned with their health. We took both dogs to the vet, where we found that the male (although he was virtually blind and had hip problems) was actually very fit, all things considered, so he was taken back to the soi. The female has a tumour in her genital area, which was bleeding. She has been given two chemotherapy treatments and needs at least two more. However, her general health is excellent and she's convalescing at the center. When she has the "all clear", she will go back home to join her gentleman friend!
Khun Kittipong Potirucht and his wife brought in two more sick puppies. We have named them Zig and Zag. They were very near to death, having severe mange and being very emaciated. However, they are now being cared for in Dawn's house, and 3 meals a day and medication have transformed them! They should be ready to go to the center in about a month.
Jack and Button, two of the puppies mentioned above, have been put into the center. Jack (skin problems and starvation) has settled down well, but Button (she had a hole infested with maggots in her back) couldn't settle with the dogs in the center, so she is now back at Dawn's house. Both are available for adoption. Please contact us, if interested.
We now have premises for a charity shop! HHDRC and Mercy House Orphanage will be sharing a shop on the third floor of the Hua Hin Shopping Mall. Please visit us; all proceeds from the sale of goods will go directly to either Mercy House or us. The HHDRC part will be selling new & used goods, such as books, clothes, toys, ornaments etc. You can pick up a bargain and give to charity at the same time! If you can donate anything suitable for resale at the shop, please call Dawn on 01 9814406 or Maureen on 01 8534586. We have planned a fundraising bazaar, but it has had to be postponed until February, for lack of a suitable venue. (Can anyone help?) Details will be announced when confirmed.
On another good note, we have received some very welcome donations this month, both of money and goods for resale. We'd like to thank everyone who has given to the dogs.
Lastly, a Western jazz band, currently playing in Brasserie de Paris restaurant have offered their services free of charge, to do a fundraising 'gig'. After hearing them, we think it would be a great idea to combine their melodious sound with a relaxing cruise. Details aren't confirmed at time of going to press, but keep your eyes peeled around the town for details!

Transformational Thinking
Welcome to the Thinking Age!

In previous "Transformational Thinking" articles in the Observer we have concentrated on a few basic thinking skills designed to expand the parameters of our perception to allow us to generate more choices and therefore make better decisions in our lives. We have also looked at how the effects of our decision-making impact ourselves and others.
These are skills that can be learnt and applied by anyone, regardless of age (within reason!), educational background, race, religion or status, and regardless of the type of decision we need to make - professional or personal.
Transformational Thinking was designed from the "off" to be Universally Applicable and this basically means that it can be used by anyone in any situation anywhere in the world. A tough call, but let's take a look at an example of this in action.
Bill Gould and his team have just returned from the Maldives, after delivering a Transformational Thinking training program to two of the resorts within one of Asia's leading chains of hotels, resorts and spas.
Having spent five weeks training the corporate office in Bangkok and six weeks in the Maldives the results have been remarkable. During this time, all people within each office or resort have learnt the skills of Transformational Thinking - this means everybody from the CEO to the gardener, without exception. And all have been able to apply the skills to their real-world problems creatively and with very favourable results.
During this short time alone, it has been taught to people of the following nationalities: Thais, Indians, Maldivians, Sri Lankans, Bangladeshis, British, Australians, Germans, Italians, Singaporeans, Filipinos, Swiss, Japanese, Spanish, French, Belgians, Indonesians, Danes and Vietnamese.
In the case of the resorts, illiteracy rates were up to 30% and often there were five different languages being spoken during the sessions.
This would be enough to send most trainers running and screaming out of the classroom. But the experience of teaching Transformational Thinking over the past 25 years and, more importantly, the knowledge that it always brings results, means that no challenge is too great - and in teaching that everything worthwhile must survive the light of challenge, then Transformational Thinking is no exception.
In the Maldives, the two resorts involved are beautiful little islands nestled in the Indian Ocean - each their own little country, quite isolated from the outside world. The resorts have 250-300 staff members apiece and are 5-Star ventures, offering unparalleled excellence in service and amenities in a setting that takes your breath away.
On the face of it - why change anything? It's Paradise already. However, the parent organization that we are working with shares the view that there is always room for improvement - as soon as you reach the desired level of service, then improve it! Otherwise there is only one direction to go in.
That's why Transformational Thinking Co., Ltd was asked to step in and deliver a program that would help to unite Corporate office and the five resorts in the chain - around 2000 people in total. They wanted to ensure that the whole organization was pulling in the same direction so that it was in a position of harmony and strength as they head towards another period of expansion.
How do you do that? By designing new systems? By creating a uniformity of standards across the group? By re-writing the employee manual? Well - yes, these are traditional ways of going about it. We believe a different approach is necessary if the results are to be effective and sustainable.
The entire potential of any organization is its people and that's the only potential they need!
It is the people that run the systems, implement the standards and are the difference between an organization merely surviving and one that flourishes and leads the way in its field.
This may seem obvious - but you'd be surprised, with every ISO plaque that goes up around the world, how little attention is paid to the people. That's why we were asked by an industry leader to design a program around the needs of their people.
Yes - systems do need to change as business realities change, but the Transformational Thinking approach of giving people the skills to design change for themselves has already produced sustainable results that exceeded even our expectations.
By including people in the process and by removing the threat of censure, individuals become more creative with their problem solving and begin to communicate with each other through a better understanding of human relationships. When whole organizations are practicing these skills, the results spread out accordingly - from the individual right through the fabric of the company and we have everyone pulling together in an environment of mutual trust and respect.
Barriers are broken down and the level of co-operation and co-ordination between departments produces new opportunities and ideas for the general good.
On a personal level, relationships are repaired or enhanced; family problems ironed out; career paths developed; important decisions given more thought before that decision is made. The personal drives the professional and by focusing on this we generate positive results on all three levels of the personal, professional and relational.
We have had many instances of attendees staying after class to discuss personal issues using the same skills. Many have gone home to teach it to their spouses and children. One person in the Maldives was so grateful that he went home that night and looked at his life in a new way and called his wife to discuss how he could be doing more for their relationship; another said tearfully that it was the first time that anyone had told him that his ideas counted and wanted to immediately call his family so that they could learn it too.
These are the small, individual moments (we call them "little miracles") that we at Transformational Thinking live for. All positive change begins inside - it's just that most people don't know where to start.
Attendance at our training sessions on the resorts was at a record high for those resorts and, with much of the training during the Ramadan fasting month, when concentration levels are most severely tested due to rumbling stomachs and parched tongues, this is a testament to all involved.
I hope you have taken something from this update on how a small company in Hua Hin is moving, step by step, into a more international arena, by taking a different approach to the others.
Please check our website,
http://www.transformationalthinking.com for more information or email us at
info@transformationalthinking.com.

Rotary Round-Up - Another busy month for Hua Hin’s Rotary Club

Left- Proud moment for Rotoract member Arraya Morakran as she receives flowers from P.D. Dr Danai to celebrate her achievement in passing exams enabling her to go to America to represent Thailand’s Rotoract.

Some very important work for Rotary members as they give out Polio drops to some of the towns children

Dr Danai the club president at the end of his term of office welcomes overseas Rotarians.

Rotaract dancers from Rajamangala Institute of Technology Wang Klai Klangwong campus who are sponsored by the Rotary Club.

The team pictured left worked very hard ensuring the smooth running of the Annual Ball.

Golf Society Charity Dinner

  
Mick proud winner with Duang (left) A happy Steve receives the plate from Berny (right)

  
Thomas receives trophy from Berny (left) Mr Wit supervises Ulf's attempt at the yard of ale (right)

Features

this month

regulars

stories

sports

golf

funnies

back issues