The Computer Doctor

by Richard Bunch

From Sammy, Houston: We recently installed Windows 2000 on our PC, since then, it has worked just great! When we had Windows 98 on it there were always annoying messages and illegal functions occurring, usually at very inopportune moments. That aside it was one of the best computery decisions we have made. One thing both my husband and I like is the increased security Windows 2000 offers, files and folders can be locked away so only those users who have specifically been allowed permission to see them can gain access. This is a boon with children in the house who we don’t want to see some things or even have the ability to delete them; our accounts for example. There is, however, one thing that is missing that I find very annoying: Spider Solitaire. Do you know how I can get this? After all, I’ve got to pass the time somehow!

Computer Doctor replies: Sammy, you are certainly not alone. I have lost count of the number of people who have asked this very question. Of course Microsoft’s Spider Solitaire was not part of Windows 98 anyway, but part of the Plus pack which had to be purchased separately. There is of course Pin Ball, which is part of Windows 2000, but if this isn’t your bag, then there are other Spider Solitaire games around, one that seems to fit the bill is SolSuite 2000, which has an abundance of solitaire games in it and includes a Spider Solitare much like the one you are sadly missing. Check it out at their website www.solsuite.com. If any readers know any other comparable solitaire programs or a good Backgammon program, another game that I get frequently requested, please write in.

From Cass, Japan: I will be coming to work in Thailand soon and would like to bring my desktop with me. Will I have to pay any special duties or fines before being cleared by customs at the airport?

Computer Doctor replies: This is a subject I don’t feel qualified to answer so I’ll turn it over to our readers. If anyone has experiences of this please e-mail us.

Send your questions or comments to the Pattaya Mail at 370/7-8 Pattaya Second Road, Pattaya City, 20260 or Fax to 038 427 596 or E-mail to [email protected]. The views and comments expressed within this column are not necessarily those of the writer or Pattaya Mail Publishing.

Richard Bunch is Managing Director of Action Computer Technologies Co., Ltd. Providing professional services which includes; website design, website promotion (cloaking) turnkey e-commerce solutions, website hosting, domain name registration, computer and peripheral sales service and repairs, networks (LAN & WAN) and IT consulting. Please telephone 038 716 816, e-mail [email protected] or see our website www.act.co.th

Successfully Yours: Ingrid Van der Heyden

Ingrid Van der Heyden is multifaceted, delightful, attractive, fit, creative, talented and multilingual. An accomplished Public Relation’s Manager, windsurfer, artist and mother she has a talent that only a rare few people have - to be personable, charming, beautiful and clever, as well as approachable.

Born in Belgium, Ingrid felt compelled to draw in school and although her mother was a painter and a sculptor, her parents flatly refused to allow her to pursue art as a career, seeing no future in it.

At age 18 she then started her career with General Motors Belgium, in the administration office, which developed into Public Affairs. While GM filled her days, she found this was not enough. “Even though I enjoyed my work I just had to have some means of self-expression, so I went to art school for seven years in the evenings.”

She took a two year leave of absence when she married husband Mark, whom she also met at GM, so they could go to Michigan together. Ingrid then took the opportunity to attend The Flint Art School there for 2 years.

On their return, her art began to become a very important part of her life. She specialized in (metal) etching and had a fully equipped studio in her home, holding a successful solo exhibition of her graphic work in Belgium five years ago.

But there is more to Ingrid than ‘come up and see my etchings’! About that time she noticed an old railway station nearby that was to be demolished. She remarked to her husband that someone should find a way to preserve it and give it a function. Ever practical, his reply was, “Then do something about it.”

The next day she started what was to be a three year involvement. Ingrid was the chairman of the community non-profit organization and was instrumental in giving the old condemned building a new lease of life as an art centre.

All this left Ingrid very busy with administration and although she enjoyed it and had originated the plan, it became all-consuming and took over her life, leaving little time for family or her own art work.

A year ago her husband took a transfer to Thailand, probably in self-protection! Ingrid admitted, “I didn’t want to come at first. I felt awful leaving my project; however, after three years of working solely for others, now it is the time for me.”

Lack of her home studio changed things somewhat when she came here, which forced her to change her medium to oils and conte pencils. Ever resourceful, she has even discovered a supplier of prepared canvasses and water based oil paint in Naklua. But as an expat wife, transfers are the norm, and soon she will be packing up her easels and canvasses to go to China.

“I love it here now and I am sure I will be back here one day, even if it is when I retire. Everything has a reason and I am going to use our transfer to China to study with a Chinese artist. I would like to develop my style to be more minimalist, to be able to put everything into one stroke. The Chinese are masters of being able to capture the world of emotion in one single brush stroke.”

Ingrid describes her current style as figurative. “I want to try to find a balance between figurative and abstract. Abstraction shows the emotion and the figures make it more clear to the viewer. My art to me is an expression of human feelings, a release of my emotions, a connection with nature. It is a way to express all these things, and for me it is necessary.”

The recent “Corner of Asia” Pattaya International Ladies Club (PILC) art exhibition, where some of her works were on show, demonstrates this. Ingrid says she is inspired by the Spanish artist/sculptor, Bofill, for his impressive representation of figures in front of an immense background. She also loves the work of Klimt and Gaugin but does not copy any of them; her style is all her own.

Ingrid joined the PILC immediately on arriving here, even though she knew the transfer was only for one year. She believes it is important to “Develop your social contacts and not isolate yourself just because you are afraid to lose friends. You are living now, you cannot postpone life or friendships - now is the time to enjoy them.”

Her advice to other expats here is, “Do the things you don’t have time for at home. Develop yourself. Do not postpone it, now is the only time for it.”

Her advice to fledgling artists is virtually the same - just do it. “Draw a lot, take a sketch book with you and draw all day. Stand still and look. If something moves you, try not to lose it, try to capture it, even with a written word or a quick sketch.”

The most important values to Ingrid are: “My family, honesty and nature, if I can say all that.” Married for eleven years, Ingrid now has two children, Lauren 9 and Eline 7, while success for her is, “About living and life, and achieving the things you want.”

Ingrid has made an impression on Thailand, and it on her. Her brightness will certainly be missed, but as she says, she will return. She hears Thailand calling. And she will bring her art materials next time!

by Mirin MacCarthy

by John D. Blyth

When, in the early 1920s, the famous Great Western Railway of Britain was re-casting its passenger timetable following the end of the First World War, it included a new afternoon train, 14.30 from Cheltenham, the well-known Cotswold Spa town, to its London Terminus at Paddington. It was not to be a heavy train, about six coaches including one from Hereford, to be attached at Gloucester - less than 200 tons, and an easy job for the Churchward ‘Star’ (4-cylinders, and incorporating much detail from the Company’s French built compounds), or ‘Saint’ Class (2-cylinders, and full of Churchward’s genius).

‘Castle’ Class locomotive No. 5016 ‘Montgomery Castle’ at Old Oak Common depot, London.

The first stage of the journey from Gloucester to Swindon was, and still is, far from being a high-speed route; the train, climbing all the way to the summit at Sapperton Tunnel, also serves a number of moderate sized towns - Stonehouse, Stroud, Brimscombe and Chalford, then ‘over the top’ and down to Kemble, then a junction for Cirencester and Tetbury, and so to Swindon, where Brunel’s ‘superhighway’ was joined ... 77.3 miles of almost straight track, gently falling at about 4 feet for every mile; an ideal racing ground.

The original schedule for this final dash for the capital is thought to have been 80 minutes (58 mph average), but by 1923 this was reduced to 75 minutes (61.8 mph and qualifying for the title ‘the fastest train in the British Empire’). The Empire’s railways, to be frank, had not in general been built for high speeds, so this was a scant compliment! So again, in 1929 the timing was reduced to 70 minutes (66.3 mph average). In 1931 a further 3 minutes was cut from the schedule, and it was on the basis of this tight timing that the record runs of 1932 were made, the average was now 70 mph. I will come back to some of these notable runs.

Finally, the timing was cut to a level of 65 minutes, at an average of 71.3 mph and this was enough to claim the train as the ‘Fastest Train in the World’. On some occasions the locomotive carried a headboard to this effect (as seen in the illustration).

By this time there were enough of the 1923 ‘Castle’ Class locomotives on the road for one of these to be allocated regularly to the train, and nominally this gave a little extra power compared with the ‘Stars’ from which they were developed, but it is known that there were many drivers (and firemen) who hankered for more of the ‘small 40s’ to be built; they had the excellent Churchward No.1 boiler, by then established as one of the very best steam-producers in British locomotive history. That on the ‘Castles’ was a compromise; Churchward in his last years had designed an excellent ‘mixed traffic’ 2-8-0, Class 47, and after trials they were all fitted with the new, hopefully standard, ‘No.7’ boiler. Churchward sought agreement to the fitting of this to all his 4-6-0, and the small-wheeled freight 2-8-0s, but on the grounds of weight (just half a ton in each case!) this was rejected by the Civil Engineer. Churchward, near to retirement, seems to have accepted this, but under his successor a new standard boiler, the No.8 was designed, and fitted only to the new ‘Castles’, plus a few of the ‘Stars’ rebuilt to ‘Castles’, most of the two being very similar. Hence the compromise: long experience has shown the No.8 to be more sensitive to less than perfect conditions. In addition, the ‘Castles’ had cylinders one inch greater in diameter, with no adjustment in the size of the valves, which made them less free-running. A ‘Castle’ could be pushed into speed, but I long felt that they were at their happiest at about 70-75mph, with around 400-450 tons to haul, rather than the high-speed dashes of the ‘Flyer’, although the position changed dramatically when in the ’50s and ’60s, many ‘Castles’ were fitted with double exhaust arrangements.

Now I must refer to a few of the outstanding runs made on the ‘Flyer’ in the ’30s. On 16.9.1931, ‘Castle’ No. 5000, at the time something of a ‘special’, took the train from Swindon to London in 58 mins., 20 secs, just touching 90 mph., at one point, the average being 79.5 mph. On 6.6.1932 (just over 68 years ago as I write!), a very special effort was made with some expert timing men on board, and an all time record was achieved of 56 mins 47 secs., 87.7 mph, start to stop, a record not to be beaten by steam traction in Britain. The engine this time was No. 5006, of which little was heard of before or since, leaving this writer, at least, wondering how it came to be chosen and what might have been achieved by another ‘Castle’.

Finally, much later in the decade, No. 5037, relatively new, blazed up from Swindon with an extra coach and a heavier set of 223 tons against 186, and was ahead of the 1932 timings by Southall, 9 miles from ‘home’, but was then ‘eased’ to come in well before time, but breaking no records.

Another look at the exploits of 68 years ago is worthwhile: the two recorders, the late and well-known Cecil J. Allen and Humphrey Baker of Bath, asked the G.W.R. if they could make a day of it, by agreeing a special stop in the 5.00pm Paddington to Cheltenham (which normally ran non-stop to Kemble Junction), and in the 5.15pm Bristol to Paddington, normally not stopping east of Bath. Both, surprisingly, were agreed, and their time on the move are recorded as follows: Swindon-Paddington: 56 3/4 mins., Paddington-Swindon: 1 hr. 00mins., Swindon Paddington 1 hr 12 1/2 mins. Total distance 231.9 miles; total time on the move 181.25 mins. - 76.6 mph. By year 2000 standards these speeds look quite paltry, but for 68 years ago, and using a form of traction that had, even then served rail for over 100 years, they were remarkable indeed. And even today, try to equal it by road, on any British motorway you care to choose, but doing what the train did, and that is running within the maximum speed limits laid down, and with due regards to the safety of the public! At that stage they begin to look a bit more like the standards of the 21st Century.

The time of 56 mins 47 sec., of 6.6.1932 was to stand for this section until long after steam traction had gone. Indeed I think it took the Intercity 125 mph ‘High Speed Train’, which had been introduced in the mid ’70s, to conclusively beat it. So what was wrong with steam?

After 1939 the ‘Cheltenham Flyer’ never ran again, but the G.W.R. had introduced in 1935 a fast Paddington - Bristol train, ‘The Bristolian’ - London to Bristol, 118 miles, in 105 minutes, 67 mph. Lost with the war in 1939, it was re-introduced at the insistence of the B.R. Western Region Manager, against all the advice of his officers, in 1954, and was again a great success. But it ran at times wanted by the travelling public - the ‘Flyer’ didn’t!

by Jan Olav Aamlid President House of the Golden Coin
http://www.thaicoins.com

On the 24th of June, a well known numismatic firm Spink conducted a banknote auction in Singapore. Collectors and dealers from all over the world were present in the auction room. Lots of commission bids had been received prior to the sale and some collectors and dealers were also bidding by telephone during the sale.

In the Thai section there was a very interesting collection of Thai banknotes. Several Thais had made a special trip to Singapore to buy some of these extreme rarities. But the ones in the room did not buy much, as there was a telephone-bidder that outbid everyone. Altogether, this person spent 4,300,000 baht to secure these 16 banknotes.

All the 16 Thai banknotes in the sale were Government Issues, Specimens, printed between 1902 until 1935. The printer was Thomas De La Rue Company Limited, a well-known English printer of banknotes and bonds. This collection might be the archives of the printer since some of the banknotes do have the approving signature of the Thai officials. Some of the banknotes are printed in different colors than the ones that were put into circulation.

Specimen 5-Ticals 1st September 1915 sold for 143,000 Baht

The most expensive Thai banknote in the sale was a 1,000-Ticals banknote from 1st April 1902. This is a uniface banknote in red and pale brown colors. 1,000-Ticals was 1,000 baht. At that time the one baht coin was the size of a half crown with the weight of about 15 grams. 1,000-Ticals in 1902 was a huge amount of money, so I believe there was not many of these notes issued. In my almost 20 years of collecting Thai banknotes I have not seen one offered. The estimate for this rare banknote was 340,000 to 450,000 baht, but the hammer did not drop before 700,000 baht.

Specimen 100-Ticals 1st August 1916 sold for 338,000 Baht

The cheapest Thai banknote in this sale was a 10-Baht from 5th November 1932. The banknote is brown and green and pale pink. The motif is a winged garuda bird at top left and a three-headed elephant low right. Here the telephone bidder had to pay 28,600 baht. The estimate was about 20,000 baht.

Color trial 1,000-Baht 1st of April 1925 sold for 221,000 Baht

When there were only 5 Thai banknotes left the bidders in the room really gave the telephone bidder competition. The first three banknotes were all 5-Ticals uniface banknotes issued in 1903, 1913 and1915. The first three banknotes sold from 125,000 baht to 143,000 baht. The 4th uniface 5-Ticals in the sale had the signature of the Thai official approval on the back. This might be part of the reason why this banknote sold for about three times as much as the first three: 416,000 baht. Another reason might be that the Thai collectors and dealers wanted to bring something back from the sale.

The 16 banknotes in this sale are all very rare, their conditions were very nice, the prices paid might be high, but sometimes collectors know that this is the only chance to acquire something of top rarity.

Most of the service girls and boys in this town rely on boosting their meagre to average incomes by customers leaving tips. This largely American phenomena is like a cancer here in Pattaya and parts of Bangkok but has thankfully not found its way into other parts of Thailand, at least not in my experience. I don’t have a problem leaving a tip every now and again where the service has been good. However, what I find most annoying are places where the staff almost abuse you if you decline to leave a tip. Almost without exception these are places where the service was practically non-existent and yet they still expect a tip. The whole idea of tipping is for service rendered. No service, no tip.

In the Hotspots: Bubbles, the flagship of the Top Class Entertainment group celebrated its second anniversary on Thursday night June 22 with a party hyped as ‘the Event of the Year’. Every half an hour Bubbles conducted a show with dancing maidens from the other clubs in the group coming in to perform on stage.

Seen Around Town: ‘Thomas Keating’ has just produced the second of his Pattaya Bar Hopping Guide Maps and, as was expected, it’s even better than the inaugural edition that hit the streets in March. And it’s still free.

The second edition, while still having plenty its original hot-spots, also has places like Delaney’s (Royal Garden Plaza); the Pig N Whistle (a nosh-house as well as pub in Soi 7); Stoney’s (an outdoor boozer that has to be one of the best places to sit and watch Walking Street) and the Atlantic Bar (up at Soi 2, right opposite the Sabai Room bathing salon) among the newcomers.

Out of the Rumour Mill: A well-known and respected nosh-house, run by a feisty but good hearted ex-pat lady and her husband, are hoping to relocate to larger and more centralised premises in the near future. For a long time now the place has been well patronised by local ex-pats who are familiar with the noshery’s location and the quality of its grub.

However, its current location restricts her plans to develop the business in different areas and that’s why she’s had her heart set on this new site.

Negotiations are still at a delicate stage and, Thailand being Thailand, anything could happen at the last minute to throw the proverbial spanner in the works.

In the Hot Spots: Recently a local ex-pat publican found himself on the wrong end of a broken beer glass wielded, not by a drunken lager lout or recalcitrant katoey, but by the man with whom he intended to go into partnership.

The boozer, situated off the beaten track, was going to be turned into a short-time playhouse and the contracts had already been signed and an opening date prepared.

The story goes that the Thai wife of the purchasing partner was accused of pocketing proceeds that did not belong to her. Needless to say, the new partner was a little put out at the accusation and, after smashing the beer glass (it’s unclear whether the vessel still contained some brew), took to the ex-pat and did enough damage to require hospitalisation and stitches.

The local constabulary were called to the scene of the fracas and hauled off the beer glass wielding assailant for a stretch in the monkey house.

The contracts have since been declared null and void and the bar has returned to its former somnolent status.

For the Hungry: Carmen’s Classic Chickens, which used to operate across the road from Foodland, moved a couple of months ago to a new location on Soi 17, about 100 metres down the road from the Sikh Temple. A take-away operation, Carmen reduced the prices of his succulent chickens from 130 to 100 Baht, great value when you consider the herbs used and the marination time involved. Carmen’s operates from 10:30am to 7:30pm Sunday through to Friday and there really isn’t any better value in town.

In the Hot Spots: Pommy Dave, the popular publican at the Horn Bar, situated right next door to Happy (Walking Street), is heading back home for three months or so. He says he spends about nine months of the year here in paradise then likes to get away for, as he calls it, a “reality check”.

Things To Do: From 7:00pm (19:00) Friday June 30 until Sunday July 2, the Steak Lao nosh house (on Beach Road, next to Soi 10) has decided to go a little upmarket and will be presenting an Art Exhibition of works by former leading Thai fashion model Phenpron Phaitoon. If you happen to be around that way over the weekend drop in for a peek.

My e-mail address is: [email protected]

Copyright 2000  Pattaya Mail Publishing Co.Ltd.
370/7-8 Pattaya Second Road, Pattaya City, Chonburi 20260, Thailand 
Tel.66-38 411 240-1, 413 240-1, Fax:66-38 427 596; e-mail: [email protected]
Updated by Chinnaporn Sangwanlek, assisted by Boonsiri Suansuk.