Friday, March 30, 2007

How To Improve Picture Quality of LCD Monitors

This week, I bought a new monitor as a replacement for my old Hitachi 17” CM640ET CRT monitor. The picture quality is still very good when it warms up but it is the size of a small bus!

I looked round for a low cost LCD monitor. After reading a few reviews I decided upon the Hanns-G HU196D. The best price was under £100, which I thought was competitive for a 19” Monitor. So it arrived within 24 hours of ordering. It had DVI and VGA inputs but no digital cable came with it? So I connected up with the supplied VGA D-Sub cable.

At first I thought what a beautiful bright picture, then I noticed how the text looked blurry with ghosting. I fiddled with the contrast and brightness but I was still disappointed with the picture text clarity.

So I made some enquiries which led to me buying a digital DVI-D cable. When I installed the cable what a difference to the quality! I am very pleased with the monitor now, except for the small speakers which are a waste of time for music!

Most newer PC's have Video Cards with:

- Standard 15-pin D-Sub VGA connector which outputs an analogue signal
- DVI-D connector which outputs a digital signal.

So, If you do have a DVI graphics card, using a DVI-D cable you'll get a superior picture without any configuration changes compared to Analogue VGA.

The moral is then if you are having problems with your equipment, CHECK your connecting cables and cheapest isn’t always the best option. That goes as well for SCART leads, Home Cinema or Hi-Fi.

If you want to collect my old monitor, it’s for sale in LOOT for £17 ono. I live in Macclesfield Cheshire email rmswing@yahoo.com

Saturday, March 24, 2007

Thailand Tips (2)

Hotels & Eating
Like everywhere in the world you pay more for the best locations. If you look a little bit inland there are fantastic deals to be had. So if you are coming as an independent traveller book a hotel for three days and find somewhere cheaper and better. Target guide price about £10 - $20 a night for hotel room. Out in the sticks if you like adventuring, you can get a bamboo hut for £3 a night! If you like seafood Thailand is great. Completely international food available at resorts. You can get a lobster meal in Patong, ‘Savoey Seafood’ for under £6 or you can pay £15 at some posher places.







Cars & Bikes
Use the booking service for taxis at the airport. You will get a metered cab and the driver will probably know the way. Try and get the address of your hotel/destination in both English & Thai. Most Thais speak some English but can’t read it. Your motivation to travel far will soon be sapped by the heat and probably you won’t go anywhere unless you hire a car or a bike. You will soon get fed up with buses or being ripped off by Tuk Tuk drivers.

If you MUST get a bike there is NO INSURANCE. If there is an accident as a foreigner ‘Farang’ its your fault, no question about it. A Thai on a bike or in a car is not the polite person you meet on the street. They are maniacs! When driving, expect random unexpected behaviour, like cats that run across the road without looking and hope for the best! Hire an automatic start/gears bike or scooter unless you are an experienced rider.

The Motor Cycle taxis run 24 hours for short journeys just 40 baht. Only use official ones that wear blue tops in Phuket and I think its red/orange ones in Bangkok. This is not the safest option but these guys have had some kind of ‘official testing’ – you hope!

Cars can be hired from International firms like BUDGET, not the cheapest option but at least you can get COMPREHENSIVE insurance and even damage waive cover.






Thai Girls
You are a single guy and a pretty girl starts chatting to you, yes she may even like & even fancy you – but probably she likes your wallet even more! If you have seen the Film ET - ‘Phone Home’, The Thailand version is ‘Send Money Home’. You are considered a farang ATM machine and they will not sleep with you for free. So be sure of her and your intentions before proceeding.

If you don’t pay they may regard you as a ‘boyfriend’ and the GFE (Girl friend experience) can get VERY expensive! If after a couple of days, she takes you to the gold jewellery shop you are in trouble! If you do go out with them shopping you will get ‘local’ cheaper prices for most things – leaving more money for you to spend on them! (I got an hour on a Jet Ski with local girl instead of usual 20 minutes)

There should be an academy award for some of these girls because they are superb actresses! "My mothers cow is sick it might die, she can’t afford the vets bills" Etc Etc. You don’t want to end up being one of her ten blokes sending money every month! Many a romance has developed from the GFE and sometimes it develops into the WE (wife experience). This may be followed by the DE (divorce experience) and the going home with no money experience.

Remember the song "Will you still love me tomorrow." As long as you realise it’s a very different culture from home, don’t try and fight against it, go with it, enjoy it and you will have a great time. Finally take usual precautions, if you get my drift!

Airport Departure Tax
Remember you need to pay 700 Baht in cash before they will let you leave Thailand! Currency left over? If you come back via Emirates Dubai or Abu Dhabi they will take any currency you have in payment. All the cashiers have calculators and know the current exchange rates. I paid for a sandwich and a drink half in Thai money and half in sterling!

Friday, March 23, 2007

THAILAND TIPS (1)

I recently visited Thailand and here are my Top Tips!

It’s hot and rarely gets cool. I should have remembered, it’s near the equator stupid! Bangkok has the highest AVERAGE temperatures of any city in the world. So pack clothes with short sleeves & shorts. I normally wouldn’t be seen dead in a peaked cap but a cap really helps keep the sun off. Clothes from market are cheap, so travel light. Obviously use sun tan lotion – if you want a tan use factor 15 if you just want protection use 25.

In some locations it is wise to cover your legs and arms in the evenings when the mosquitoes come out. I personally recommend using these products ‘Lifesystems Expedition Plus’ Insect Repellent and ‘Autan Aftersun Aloe Vera Insect Repellent’ Lotion. Use ‘Tiger Balm’ if you get bitten. Don’t leave cuts and wounds untreated as they go septic very quickly in the tropics. Tiger balm seems to be used for every medical condition over there!

Thai Medical Treatment is very good in modern facilities. If you are staying for a while, drugs such as for blood pressure can be expensive as the big brands are controlled by a small number of International wholesalers.

For good or bad there are well known international stores all over the country such as Carrefour, Tesco (Lotus) & Boots so you don’t need to bring the kitchen sink with you! I bought some Carex antiseptic hand wash, which was confiscated at Manchester Airport check In because it was over 150 mls size.

UK Airport Security Rules

Money Matters
Thailand is a cash economy, so don’t expect to pay by Credit Card for your hotel unless it is a well-known international chain. You can use the Internet to book hotels and internal flights to get round this. There are loads of Internet Cafes & Wireless Hot Spots for your laptop. Even travel agents only except cash if you are booking tours or flights. You can only get "cash back" at the big hypermarkets like Tesco & Carrefour but don’t rely on it, always ask before committing to a purchase. You get a poor exchange rate in UK so exchange your most of your cash when you get there! Malaysia/Thailand are the credit card fraud capitals of the world so:



Think like the old days: Take multiple money streams like cash Sterling/Dollars, cards & travellers checks. Have a plan B & C!

Tell your bank if you plan to use your plastic abroad. It probably will still stop working after a couple of days but least you tried!

Find an ATM machine soon after you land at the airport; they nearly all take VISA or MasterCard (Cirrus & Maestro). Check your card works OK. Also There are money changers at the airport – they are regulated to give the correct rate.

Don’t try and make more than one withdrawal a day. Or if you enter your PIN incorrectly, DON’T try again until the next day. It’s an automatic BAD flag!

If your Credit Card stops working, you can usually still withdraw money if you go to a bank with your card and passport. This was a lifesaver for me as ALL my cards stopped working, so I could not draw money from ATM’s.

Always ask how much things cost before you buy and BARGAIN. There are two rates one for locals and one for foreigners (known as ‘Farangs’). All Farangs are regarded as millionaires and walking ATM cash machines. Always be polite and just walk away if it seems too much! Especially Tuk Tuks & Taxis!

Make sure you change big notes 1000 baht break into 500 200 and 100 notes. "I don’t have change sir" is the usual scam. Bear in mind one thousand baht is a large amount of money to an ordinary Thai person, so it is rude to ‘flash your cash’! If you go round the markets you WILL get mythered to buy stuff; again if not interested just politely decline.



Mobile Telephones
If you make a lot of phone calls get a Thai network SIM phone card. Put it in your phone if it is not locked to a network. A phone shop will set it up for you – well worth any extra payment as mine and a friends phone card would not work properly for 24 hours when I set it up myself. You can get top up cards from convenience stores like 7/11. Best coverage one2Call other networks DTAC & True (Orange), you can get mobile internet on your laptop. Internet cafes are everywhere. Mobile Phones are expensive in Thailand but calls are cheap.