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Freedom on the Net
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2012 Scores
Freedom on the Net Status
Freedom on the Net Total(0 = best, 100 = worst)
(0 = Best, 100 = Worst)
Obstacles to Access(0 = best, 25 = worst)
(0 = Best, 25 = Worst)
Limits on Content(0 = best, 35 = worst)
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Violations of User Rights(0 = best, 40 = worst)
(0 = Best, 40 = Worst)
Although Thai citizens have been posting online commentary for well over a decade,[1] internet communications have taken on a particularly significant role since a military coup took place in September 2006. Topics of discussion restricted or censored in traditional print and broadcast media have been openly addressed via the internet, especially issues related to the monarchy. Moreover, both the red-shirted United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) and the yellow-shirted supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) have utilized digital media and online resources to mobilize constituents for popular protests.[2]
This has provoked greater efforts by the government to control the free flow of information over the internet and via social media tools, particularly of expression related to the monarchy, a sensitive topic in a society where the king is revered, but debates about the role and future of the institution have fueled political polarization. Since 2009, tens of thousands of webpages have been blocked and several people sentenced to long prison terms for disseminating information or views online or via mobile phone text messages. Those expecting that a new opposition-led government elected in July 2011 would loosen internet restrictions were disappointed. Instead, censorship has continued apace under the administration of Yingluck Shinawatra and in some respects, become more institutionalized. In a highly polarized political environment, the fact that any citizen can lodge a lèse-majesté complaint against any other has opened the door for the charges to become a tool used by various actors against political opponents or to curb civic advocacy. Disturbingly, vague wording and lax adherence to due process have led to several disproportionately harsh punishments given to ordinary users based on questionable evidence.
Ironically, these measures have further deepened the politicization of the monarchy in the eyes of many Thais, while the increased content restrictions and legal harassment have contributed to greater self-censorship in online discussions. Simultaneously, these developments have helped inspire a burgeoning movement of politically conscious internet users, who favor greater protections for freedom of expression and amendment of laws used to suppress internet freedom.
The first internet connection in Thailand was made in 1987 between the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), the University of Melbourne, and the University of Tokyo. The following year, the Australian International Development Plan (IDP) assisted Prince of Songkhla University (PSU) to set up a dial-up email connection. By 1991, five universities had established internet connectivity, and by 1995, the technology was commercialized and made available to the general public.[3]
According to the National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (NECTEC), the number of internet users in Thailand increased from 3.5 million in 2001 to 18.3 million in 2009, or 27 percent of the country's roughly 66 million people.[4] The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) estimated a similar penetration rate of about 24 percent in 2011.[5] Mobile telephony is more widespread, with over 75 million mobile phone subscribers in 2011, and a penetration rate of about 112 percent.[6]
A growing proportion of Thais has access to a desktop or tablet computer, with an estimated 25 percent of households reportedly owning a computer in 2011. Meanwhile, smartphone use has notably increased in recent years. By late 2011, smartphone sales surpassed feature phones for the first time and an estimated four million people subscribed to third-generation (3G) services.[7] Declining prices for the devices were a key factor, falling to 3,000 baht (US$94) by early 2012.[8]
For these and other reasons, broadband usage has expanded since 2010, particularly in the greater Bangkok area. Most internet users have access to high-speed connections, with download speeds averaging 6 to 7 Mbps,[9] though users often complain that connections are slower than advertised.[10] The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), Thailand's main regulatory body, reported that Thailand had over 3.6 million broadband subscribers as of October 2011, representing a 21 percent increase over the previous year.[11] These gains have been driven by dynamics that entice Thais to spend more time online, such as declining prices, increased demand for alternative sources of information, and growing usage of social-networking tools. When connecting at home, an ADSL broadband subscription costs US$20 per month,[12] which can be costly for rural residents or those working at the minimum daily wage of about US$7, but is relatively affordable for the urban, educated middle class.[13] High-speed internet is available and affordable in cybercafes, which are used mostly by young people to play online games.
The main factor contributing to low penetration rates is a long-standing lack of government effort to improve the fixed-line infrastructure and boost the development of information and communication technologies (ICTs). Although lessening the digital divide was a notable part of the Pheu Thai party's platform ahead of the July 2011 elections, since taking office, the government has had limited success implementing this upgrade. This was due in part to the extensive flooding that struck Thailand in October 2011, the worst in decades.
In recent years, the Thai telecommunications market has liberalized and diversified. Prior to 2006, the country only had one international internet gateway controlled by the government-run Communication Authority of Thailand (CAT).[14] Today, out of nine National Internet Exchanges (NIXs), CAT Telecom operates only two, including the country's largest.[15] As of mid-2012, there were over 100 ISPs with active licenses, though ten provided most of the connection services for individual consumers and households.[16] Among them, True Internet had the largest market share for high-speed internet services, with 36 percent in mid-2011,[17] surpassing the state-owned Telephone Organization of Thailand (TOT) (34.4 percent)[18] and the private 3BB (26.5 percent).[19] The three main mobile phone service providers are the Singaporean-owned Advanced Info Service (AIS), the Norwegian-controlled DTAC, and True Corporation's True Move. The first two operate under concessions from TOT and CAT, an allocation system that does not entirely enable free-market competition. Opening a cybercafe involves a relatively simple registration process and is regulated by the Film and Video Act.
Political and legal disputes have repeatedly delayed the licensing process for 3G mobile phone service and wireless broadband. By May 2012, however, the auction of the 3G spectrum appeared imminent. In April, the National Broadcast and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), a new regulatory body, proposed a plan for auctioning the spectrum, which the industry greeted with approval.[20] While awaiting the completion of the licensing process, TOT and CAT reached partnership agreements to lease part of their spectrum to private providers so they could begin offering 3G services to customers, though the National Anti-Corruption Commission questioned the legality of the arrangement.[21] Observers predicted that with the auction expected to conclude by the end of 2012, the prevalence of mobile web use would increase dramatically in the coming years.[22]
Legislation creating a single regulatory body for both the broadcast and telecommunications sectors passed parliament in late 2010. After a long and dispute-filled selection process, the Senate appointed the members of the new NBTC in September 2011. From among the 11 commissioners, five are from the military, reflecting the army's deep interests in the communications sector. The remaining members are three former bureaucrats, two civil society representatives, and one police officer.[23] Some observers have complained that the NBTC lacks commissioners with industry experience, that the regulatory structure is incapable of dealing with converging communications platforms, and that coordination across different parts of the commission is weak.[24] Despite these shortcomings, the NBTC's decisions and proposed plans regarding the telecommunications sector have largely been viewed as fair thus far and an improvement over its predecessor.[25]
Although the Thai government has been blocking some internet content since 2003, restrictions have expanded in recent years in both scale and scope. This trend continued, and to an extent accelerated, under the new government elected in July 2011. In December, the ICT Minister attributed the intensified censorship to the growing popularity of social media tools, which allow users to share information more widely and rapidly than before.[26]
Most of the websites blocked by the Thai authorities prior to 2007 involved pornography, online gambling, or circumvention tools, although some politically oriented websites were also found to be inaccessible.[27] Since then, the number of blocked websites has grown exponentially, particularly those with content perceived as critical of the monarchy.[28] A 2010 academic study reported that between 2007 and 2010 there were 117 court orders issued to block access to nearly 75,000 URLs.[29] On average, 690 URLs were blocked daily. The research also showed that the vast majority of the websites (57,330 URLs) were blocked due to lèse-majesté content, while a much smaller number were blocked for containing material involving pornography (16,740 URLs), abortion (357 URLs), gambling (246 URLs), or other matters.[30]
Online censorship intensified after April 7, 2010, when the government declared a state of emergency and created a mechanism allowing the authorities to suddenly block—without a court order—any website considered to be publishing politically sensitive or controversial information. A large number of websites focused on the opposition red-shirt movement were blocked. These included individual YouTube videos, Facebook groups, and Google groups. Also filtered were less clearly partisan online news outlets or human rights groups, such as Freedom Against Censorship Thailand (FACT), the online newspaper Prachatai, the Political Prisoners in Thailand blog, and Asia Sentinel.[31] International news websites and human rights groups remained accessible.
In December 2010, the state of emergency was repealed and in July 2011, a new, opposition-led and democratically elected government took office. However, hopes that the new government would loosen internet censorship were quickly dashed.[32] In August 2011, the deputy prime minister explicitly vowed to curb the activities of websites with lèse-majesté content.[33] This approach was strengthened after massive flooding struck the country in October 2011. The government was criticized for its inept handling of the situation, while the military's role was perceived as positive in the public eye. Observers believed this left the government in a weaker political position to challenge the military and its royalist supporters on an issue as sensitive as lèse-majesté content.[34]
As of May 2012, some of the websites blocked in 2010 were accessible, including FACT and the Political Prisoners in Thailand. Also unblocked were websites related to the red-shirt movement, a key constituency of the new ruling Pheu Thai party. However, many other websites—including Prachatai and Asia Sentinel—remained partially or fully blocked.[35] Moreover, according to media reports citing government officials, thousands of webpages have been added to the blacklist under the new administration. In March 2012, a police spokeswoman announced that 5,000 webpages had been blocked between December and March for containing content critical of the royal family.[36] In December 2011, the ICT Minister told reporters that during the previous three-month period, the ministry had overseen the blocking of over 60,000 pages, stating that this demonstrated the government's loyalty to the king. It remained difficult to confirm these statistics due to a lack of publicly available information on the precise list of blocked sites. In addition, according to one source in the MICT, the minister may have inflated the scale of censorship for political gains by misrepresenting the method of counting.[37]
In addition to blocking, the Thai government engages in administrative and political pressure to limit the spread of certain information online, particularly via social media applications. This includes reaching out to international providers and requesting that they delete content. Google reported that between January and December 2011, the Thai government (under two prime ministers) sent six requests without a court order to remove a total of 374 clips from the YouTube video-sharing platform for allegedly insulting the monarchy. Google largely complied, restricting Thai users from accessing 80 percent of them.[38] In a similar vein, the MICT claimed in November that Facebook had responded to its complaints by eliminating over 10,000 URLs and 50 user accounts, though the social-networking site did not confirm this assertion.[39] In January 2012, when the microblogging service Twitter announced a new feature enabling country-specific censorship of tweets,[40] MICT officials welcomed the announcement, the first government to do so.[41] In an incident unrelated to lèse-majesté rules, the citizen journalist website Thaiflood—which hundreds of thousands of Thais were following for updates on high-water warnings and relief efforts—complained in October 2011 that the official relief agency it had been working alongside had tried to censor its updates by seeking the right to screen them before publication.[42]
Internet censorship in Thailand is carried out through judicial orders, extrajudicial blocking decisions by the executive branch, and preemptive action by ISPs and content hosts. Judicial orders are typically issued under the 2007 Computer Crime Act (CCA). The law was passed by a military-appointed legislature less than a year after the 2006 coup. It groups broad content-regulation issues with more straightforward criminal activities like hacking, email phishing, uploading personal content without consent, and posting obscene material. A range of civil society groups and scholars opposed the law on the grounds that it infringes on the right to privacy, the right to access information, and freedom of expression.[43] For example, provisions in Articles 14 and 15 allow the prosecution of any content providers or intermediaries—such as webmasters, administrators, and managers—accused of posting or allowing the dissemination of content considered harmful to national security or public order.[44] The executive authorities are left to decide what amounts to a violation under these vaguely defined terms, and criminal courts make the final judgments. In practice, several individuals have indeed been charged under section 15 of the CCA for content posted by other users on websites or bulletin boards they hosted.[45]
Under the emergency declaration in effect from April to December 2010, top security officials held the power to shut down any website unilaterally. Thousands of websites were reportedly blocked under this extrajudicial mechanism.[46] Although this procedure was abolished with the end of the state of emergency, the censorship system in Thailand continues to lack transparency and accountability.[47] Reports emerged in 2011 of two other government bodies tasked with monitoring and curbing the circulation of lèse-majesté content. The first entity belongs to the Technology Crime Suppression Division that operates under the Royal Thai Police.[48] Media reports describe an entity with several dozen computer technicians scouring thousands of websites, manually and with automated crawlers, for potential insults of the royal family.[49] The second is the Cyber-Security Operation Center (CSOC) inaugurated by the MICT in December 2011.[50] The CSOC is an upgrade of a previously existing entity called the Internet Security Operation Center (ISOC) that was created in 2010. Its precise mandate and activities remain unclear.[51] Once an offending site or post is identified, a court order for blocking is requested and almost always granted. Such court decisions are usually made quickly and with minimal deliberation. In addition, the judicial reasoning is typically vague, with little indication of what the problematic content was or why it was deemed to violate the law.
Because those providing hosting services are held responsible for comments posted by third parties, they have an interest in censoring their own sites. Self-censorship is encouraged through the work of volunteers who monitor suspicious websites and report their findings to the MICT. In October 2009, the ministry opened a call center to receive reports of offensive websites. These reporting hotlines remained in effect as of May 2012 and were joined by a Facebook group called the "Reporting Association of Thailand."[52] In 2010, the MICT and Ministry of Justice introduced a controversial "cyber scout" project that aims to train students as volunteer web monitors.[53] By mid-2011, several dozen such "cyber scouts" had been recruited and were patrolling online forums and social networks without clearly identifying themselves as working with the government.[54] According to one such scout, their task was to alert users who may have posted lèse-majesté content, urge them to change their views, and if they refused, report them to the authorities.[55]
The creation of programs employing citizens informants, along with prosecutions initiated against internet users in recent years, has generated a chilling effect among some members of the online community. In November 2011, the ICT Minister warned users that "liking" lèse-majesté content on Facebook could be a violation of the CCA and suggested they delete their reactions to avoid prosecution for "indirectly distributing inappropriate content."[56] Many internet users thus engage in self-censorship when communicating online, even when the exchange is among friends within a closed network.
Despite this constraining environment, outside of comments perceived as critical of the monarchy, most other areas of discussion on political, social, and human rights issues are freely and passionately debated in Thailand. Thus, in the run-up to the July 2011 elections, there was a rather free atmosphere for public debate and for political parties to mobilize supporters, contributing to the opposition's victory in an election deemed free and fair. Even with regards to lèse-majesté, observers noted more open public discussion on the possibility of amending the relevant provisions since July 2011.
Political propagandizing and proactive state manipulation of online discussions happen occasionally but have not had a significant impact on online discourse. The military has special units tasked with creating media content to counter criticism of the monarchy, such as the navy's Network for Promoting and Protecting the Monarchy over the Internet.[57]
In terms of the financial sustainability of online news outlets, there appeared to be a fairer distribution of advertisements across the political spectrum under the new government. In addition, red-shirt supporters have created their own advertising market to sustain news websites that share their political perspective, even if other businesses shy away.
As internet usage expands, online communication tools and resources are growing in importance for Thai citizens, particularly youth. While many blogs and discussion sites are blocked, users can access them with readily available circumvention software, and content producers often republish information on alternate sites. These techniques have undermined the MICT's censorship efforts.
Meanwhile, social media applications have grown in popularity. Advanced web applications such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and international blog-hosting services like Blogger are freely available in Thailand, though individual pages or videos may be blocked. According to one study, at the end of 2011, 85 percent of Thai internet users visited a social media website at least once a week.[58] Such sites have become important spaces for political expression, including messages that implicitly challenge the existing sociopolitical power structures and prevalence of elite politics. They have also become a key channel for citizen journalists to disseminate updates on breaking news. Social media played a particularly important role during the flooding crisis in late 2011.[59] For example, Twitter usage jumped by 20 percent to 600,000 accounts within the first two months of the flooding.[60] The microblogging application was widely used to share photos, provide updates on conditions in specific locations, and inform donors of what relief materials were needed where. Alongside YouTube and Facebook, it was among the top 20 most visited websites in Thailand as of mid-2012.[61] The number of Facebook users has also increased exponentially, growing from approximately 250,000 in January 2009 to over 14 million—approximately one in five Thais—by May 2012.[62]
Although the scale of mobilization was not as intense as in previous years, when the red-shirt and yellow-shirt movements used social media to organize offline actions like flash mobs and protests, these tools remained important to Thai politics. In advance of the July 2011 elections, the main candidates and political parties used Twitter and Facebook to communicate with supporters. Nonetheless, with under one-third of Thais having internet access, traditional media—especially television—remained the most important source of information for many voters, particularly in rural areas.[63]
As internet freedom has come under growing pressure, online activists have organized to push back. The Political Prisoners in Thailand blog provides information on lèse-majesté prosecutions.[64] The Thai Netizen Network (TNN) was founded in early 2009 to uphold users' right to access, free expression, and privacy via public statements and other advocacy initiatives.[65] In January 2012, a coalition of academics and civil society groups calling itself the Campaign Committee for the Amendment of Article 112 launched an initiative to collect signatures urging the government to change the lèse-majesté provision of the criminal code.[66] Under the constitution, lawmakers must consider citizen-initiated legislative changes if they receive at least 10,000 signatures. The campaign sparked public discussions both online and offline about the role of the monarchy. At end of April 2012, the campaign was still gathering signatures, but planned to soon submit the petition to parliament. The proposed legislative revisions were prepared by legal scholars and included changes such as reducing punishments for violations and enabling only the king's private secretary to initiate charges.[67] Despite such efforts, most observers were skeptical about the chances of the changes being adopted given the political environment and government fears that supporting such an amendment might spark another military coup.
Since January 2011, legal harassment to lèse-majesté provisions and the CCA have continued, and in some respects worsened. Notably, these provisions have not only been used by political opponents against each other, but have also led to the imprisonment of citizens with little or no political connections, often following questionable legal proceedings.
The 2007 constitution, which replaced an interim charter imposed by the military government after the 2006 coup, guarantees freedom of expression. However, other laws have been used to curtail free expression. These include the Internal Security Act of 2007 and the CCA. Legal experts have criticized the CCA for its vague language, reliance on the "intent" of the accused, and lack of specificity regarding how an intermediary should receive a take down notice or know within what time frame to implement it.[68] In addition, harsh defamation and lèse-majesté provisions in the penal code, particularly Article 112, assign penalties of up to 15 years in prison for criticism of the king, the royal family, or Buddhism.[69] These provisions have generally been applied to online expression in much the same way as for traditional media.
Since 2007, hundreds of people have been charged under Article 112 or the CCA for communications sent via ICTs, reflecting a dramatic increase compared to previous years. Statistics from the Office of the Judiciary indicate 478 lèse-majesté cases were filed in 2010 under Article 112.[70] Between July 2007 and July 2010, a reported 185 legal cases were initiated against internet users under the CCA. Of these, 31 involved lèse-majesté charges, 54 involved defamation, and six involved actions considered by the authorities to threaten national security. The remainder related to fraud, pornography, and other commonly recognized computer crimes.[71] As of May 2012, the government had published neither official figures on new prosecutions for 2011 or early 2012, nor updates on the number of convictions from earlier cases.
From incomplete records compiled by lawyers and free expression groups, it appears that most of the defendants in CCA and Article 112 cases have been ordinary Thais, rather than well-known activists or government opponents. For example, in February 2012, Abhinya Sawatvarakorn (nicknamed Kantoop), a 19-year-old university student, became the youngest person to appear before a judge on lèse-majesté charges for a comment she had posted to Facebook in 2009.[72] As of May 2012, her case was still pending.[73]
Throughout 2011 and early 2012, guilty verdicts were returned in several lèse-majesté cases. They drew international condemnation because of the disproportionately harsh punishments imposed and the judges' reliance on questionable evidence. In November 2011, 61-year-old Ampol Tangnopakul was sentenced to twenty years in prison for violating Article 14 of the CCA and Article 112 of the penal code when he allegedly sent a high-ranking government official four mobile phone text messages deemed to have insulted the monarchy.[74] Human rights groups criticized that the burden was placed on the defendant to prove he had not sent the messages, although the prosecutor failed to definitively prove that he had and Ampol claimed he did not even know how to send a text message. Exacerbating his situation, Ampol was suffering from cancer and not receiving adequate medical attention in custody. Relative to other lèse-majesté prosecutions, the case received attention from traditional media, who referred to Ampol as "Uncle SMS." [75]
Shortcomings in judicial knowledge and the extensive use of pretrial detention have also been pronounced in the prosecution of internet-related cases. Specifically, judges hearing the cases often display a limited understanding of the technical dimensions of digital communications, causing them to convict users even when the evidence of their supposed guilt is inconclusive. For example, in March 2011, website designer Thanthawut Thaweewarodomkul was sentenced to 13 years in prison despite discrepancies in the electronic evidence tying him to the offending content.[76] In February 2012, Human Rights Watch also voiced concerns over the repeated denial of bail to lèse-majesté defendants, particularly those affiliated with the red-shirt movement, and referred to the phenomenon as politically motivated.[77] A typical example was the case of Joe Gordon (also known as Lerpong Wichaikhammat), a dual Thai-U.S. citizen.[78] Gordon was sentenced in December 2011 to two and a half years in prison for posting on his blog excerpts from the banned book The King Never Smiles while living in the United States.[79] He was denied bail eight times and kept in pretrial detention for 84 days until he pleaded guilty in an apparent effort to reduce his sentence and expedite his release.[80]
Some prosecutions have not only targeted those who posted critical comments, but also sought punishment for content hosts who failed to remove comments posted by other users quickly enough. In one high-profile case, police raided Prachatai's offices and arrested Chiranuch Premchaiporn, the outlet's director and discussion-board moderator, in March 2009. She was accused of supporting a comment critical of the royal family by allowing it to remain posted for 20 days. Chiranuch was released, then arrested again in September 2010 on a second charge of "defaming the royal family," and of violating Articles 14 and 15 of the CCA, and Article 112 of the penal code. She was released after posting a 200,000 baht (US$6,500) bail.[81] Multiple hearings were subsequently held, but as of May 1, 2012, no verdict had been reached. Given the potential liability a guilty verdict would impose on intermediaries—including social media applications and other content providers—the case has far-reaching implications for internet freedom and the IT sector in Thailand.[82]
Besides the state's use of the CCA and penal code provisions to suppress dissent, a June 2011 report by Thai civil society groups and legal experts pointed to a "growing trend of companies, interest groups, and individuals using these laws to stop legal reform campaigns, social movements, and trade unions."[83] For example, in April 2011, activist Preeyanan Lorsermvattana of the Medical Error Network, was accused by a doctor of "forging computer data" under the CCA after she posted online figures of patient fatalities as part of a campaign to support victims of medical malpractice.[84] In May 2011, prosecutors launched a case against Songkram Chimcherd, a labor union activist at Thai Industrial Gases, on charges of defamation and importing "false computer data." The charges were based on a series of emails Songkram had sent to various organizations regarding a dispute with the company over unpaid worker compensation.[85]
New prosecutions were also documented after the Yingluck Shinawattra administration took office. For example, in September 2011, a computer programmer, Surapak Phuchaisaeng, was arrested in Bangkok for allegedly creating a Facebook page with messages deemed insulting to the monarchy; he was indicted in November 2011 and his requests for bail were rejected.[86] In December 2011, two people—a 45-year-old store owner and a 30-year-old graduate student and blogger—were detained, interrogated, and had their computer equipment confiscated by police after someone reported they might be collecting or disseminating information detrimental to the monarchy.[87]
The scale of ICT surveillance in Thailand is unclear, but recent directives and public announcements indicate the government is trying to increase its capacity to intercept private communications. The CCA requires ISPs and webmasters to retain data logs for up to 90 days and turn data over to investigators upon request. In December 2011, the cabinet approved a directive placing ten types of cases, including violations of the CCA, under the jurisdiction of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI).[88] Under the rules regulating DSI operations, this means that intercepting internet communications and collecting personal data in CCA cases will no longer require a court order. The regulations came into effect in May 2012 upon publication in the Royal Gazette.[89] There have also been initial reports of the government delegating substantial resources to create a system that allows law enforcement agencies to directly access user data held by ISPs rather than having to request it from telecom employees. In December 2011, the government announced the proposed procurement of 400 million Baht (US$13 million) for a "lawful interception" system, but provided few additional details.[90] In most instances, obtaining user information would still require a court order, though as with censorship decisions, Thai judges typically approve such requests without serious deliberation. In addition, the above-mentioned changes regarding the role of the DSI mean that no court order would be needed in some cases. In practice, police reportedly need up to three days to trace the source of offensive online comments.[91]
Concerns about surveillance have led some political activists to use caution when communicating online and to employ additional security and privacy tools. Customers at cybercafes must present identification cards, though smaller businesses do not always comply with this rule. Mobile phone users are required to register their real names and national ID with their carrier upon purchasing a SIM card, whether prepaid or for a long-term subscription. Although the rule is less strictly enforced for prepaid SIM cards, those who do not register are unable to receive certain services, including roaming or mobile phone reception in the southern provinces of Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat.[92]
Besides legal repercussions, internet users who post controversial content can face societal harassment and at times, physical attacks. Abhinya Sawatvarakorn, the 19-year-old mentioned above, was refused a place at Silpakorn University because of the lèse-majesté charges against her for Facebook postings.[93] In February 2012, professor Worachet Pakeerut, one of several academics leading the petition campaign to amend lèse-majesté provisions, was assaulted by two unidentified men who then fled on motorbikes. The Asian Human Rights Commission advocacy group said the attack represented an "ominous escalation of the dangers" faced by those promoting critical discussion of Article 112.[94] In December 2011, police raided the office of an editor of Thai E-News, the second most popular alternative source of online news after Prachatai; the catalyst for the search was unclear and no one was detained as the editor was not present at the time.[95]
A network of users calling themselves the "Social Sanction" group has launched online campaigns to vilify individuals who express views deemed disrespectful of the monarchy, sometimes sparking official investigations of the targeted user.[96] Other internet users have launched their own countermeasures again groups like "Social Sanction," posting online the personal information of individuals they believe belong to such communities.[97]
There have been sporadic reports of hacking attacks on online news outlets. Prachatai repeatedly faced denial-of-service (DoS) attacks during periods of political turmoil in 2009 and 2010 before being blocked by the authorities. The attacks forced the outlet to change servers and set aside large sums to pay for extra bandwidth. A web administrator for the news outlet reported in February 2012 that the site continued to face attacks, but was able to stay online thanks to the bandwidth upgrade.
[1] Phansasiri Kularb, "Communicating to the Mass on Cyberspace: Freedom of Expression and Content Regulation on the Internet," in State and Media in Thailand During Political Transition, ed. Chavarong Limpattanapanee and Arnaud Leveau (Bangkok: Institute de Recherche sur l'Asie du Sud-Est Contemporaine, 2007).
[2] The PAD is comprised of a grouping of royalists, business elites, and military leaders with support in the urban middle class, while the UDD generally draws its support from the north, northeast, and rural areas, among whose residents former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra remains popular.
[3] Sirin Palasri, Steven Huter and Zita Wenzel, The History of the Internet in Thailand (Eugene: University of Oregon, 1999), http://www.nsrc.org/case-studies/thailand/english/index.html.
[4] National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (NECTEC), "Internet User in Thailand," accessed July 3, 2010, http://internet.nectec.or.th/webstats/internetuser.iir?Sec=internetuser.
[5] International Telecommunication Union (ITU), "Percentage of individuals using the Internet, fixed (wired) Internet subscriptions, fixed (wired)-broadband subscriptions," 2011, accessed July 13, 2012, http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ICTEYE/Indicators/Indicators.aspx#.
[6] National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), "Thailand ICT Info," October 19, 2011, http://www2.nbtc.go.th/TTID/ [in Thai]; See also International Telecommunication Union (ITU), "Mobile-cellular telephone subscriptions," 2011, accessed July 13, 2012, http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ICTEYE/Indicators/Indicators.aspx#.
[7] Business Monitor International, "Thailand Telecommunications Report Q3 2012," June 12, 2012, http://www.marketresearch.com/Business-Monitor-International-v304/Thailand-Telecommunications-Q3-7027556/.
[8] Suchit Leesa-nguansuk, "Smartphones to rule the roost," Bangkok Post, May 15, 2012, http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/telecom/293824/smartphones-to-rule-roost.
[9] "Download Index," Net Index, accessed June 21, 2012 http://www.netindex.com/download/2,23/Thailand/.
[10] "Civic Sector Submitted a Complaint to TCI to Solve Problem on Telecommunications Services," Telecommunications Consumer Protection Institute (TCI), December 14, 2010, http://www.tci.or.th/newshot_detail.php?id=23#newshot [in Thai].
[11] NBTC, "Thailand ICT Info."
[12] "ADSL Internet Prices in Thailand-November 2010," Select IT, accessed February 16, 2011, http://www.select.co.th/2010/11/adsl-internet-prices-in-thailand/ (site discontinued).
[13] Petchanet, "Thailand Raises Minimum Wage," Thailand Business News, December 10, 2010, http://thailand-business-news.com/economics/27852-thailand-raises-minimum-wage.
[14] World Bank, "Telecommunications Sector," Thailand Infrastructure Annual Report 2008, World Bank, accessed May 1, 2012, http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTTHAILAND/Resources/333200-1177475763598/3714275-1234408023295/5826366-1234408105311/chapter4-telecommunication-sector.pdf.
[15] Internet Information Research Network Technology Lab, "Thailand Internet Map," NECTEC, accessed July 4, 2012, http://internet.nectec.or.th/webstats/internetmap.current.iir?Sec=internetmap_current [in Thai].
[16] NBTC, "List of Licensed Telecommunications Businesses," accessed July 4, 2012, http://apps.nbtc.go.th/license/ [in Thai].
[17] True Internet is a subsidiary of the communications conglomerate True Corporation, which also controls Thailand's largest cable TV provider True Visions and its third-largest mobile phone operator True Move.
[18] Both CAT Telecom and TOT are supervised by the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT).
[19] NBTC, "Telecommunication Market Report Q2 2011," accessed July 4, 2012, http://nbtc.go.th/wps/portal/NTC/TDC/telecommunications_market [in Thai].
[20] Komsan Tortermvasana, "3G auction plan lauded," Bangkok Post, April 26, 2012, http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/telecom/290487/3g-auction-plan-lauded.
[21] Business Monitor International, "Thailand Telecommunications Report Q2 2012," March 20, 2012, http://www.marketresearch.com/Business-Monitor-International-v304/Thailand-Telecommunications-Q2-6869918/; Komsan Tortermvasana, "NACC: True-CAT deal breaches law," Bangkok Post, April 24, 2012, http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/telecom/290130/nacc-true-cat-deal-breaches-law.
[22] Leesa-nguansuk, "Smartphones to rule the roost."
[23] Usanee Mongkolporn, "Strong military role in NBTC," The Nation, September 6, 2011, http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/Strong-military-role-in-NBTC-30164583.html.
[24] Don Sambandaraksa, "Thai regulator lacks unity," Telecomasia.net (blog), October 7, 2011, http://www.telecomasia.net/blog/content/thai-regulator-lacks-unity.
[25] Komsan Tortermvasana, "NBTC approves spectrum, broadcasting master plans," Bangkok Post, March 22, 2012, http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/telecom/285448/nbtc-approves-spectrum-broadcasting-master-plan; Tortermvasana, "3G auction plan lauded."
[26] "MICT: More cyber offenders to be arrested soon," Prachatai, December 3, 2011, http://www.prachatai.com/english/node/2930.
[27] They included an anti-coup site (www.19sept.com) and sites related to the Patani region in the south, including the Patani Malay Human Rights Organization (www.pmhro.org). Several individual URLs selling texts critical of the monarchy were found to be blocked on the online bookseller Amazon.com. See, OpenNet Initiative, "Country Profile: Thailand," May 9, 2007, http://opennet.net/research/profiles/thailand.
[28] Freedom Against Censorship Thailand (FACT), "Thai Website Censorship Jumps by More Than 500% Since Coup!" news release, January 1, 2007, http://facthai.wordpress.com/2007/01/15/thai-website-censorship-jumps-by-more-than-500-since-coup/.
[29] Sawatree Suksri, Siriphon Kusonsinwut, and Orapin Yingyongpathana, Situational Report on Control and Censorship of Online Media, Through the Use of Laws and the Imposition of Thai State Policies (Bangkok: iLaw Project, 2010), http://www.boell-southeastasia.org/downloads/ilaw_report_EN.pdf [henceforth iLaw Project Report].
[30] Ibid.
[31] Pavin Chachavalpongpun, "Thailand's Massive Internet Censorship," Asia Sentinel, July 22, 2010, http://asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2601&Itemid=164.
[32]Joshua Kurlantzick, "Is Thailand Regressing on Lese-Majeste?" Asia Unbound (blog), Council on Foreign Relations, September 12, 2011, http://blogs.cfr.org/asia/2011/09/12/is-thailand-regressing-on-lese-majeste/.
[33] "Chalerm warns lese majeste websites," Bangkok Post, August 26, 2011, http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/politics/253608/chalerm-to-curb-lese-majeste-websites.
[34] Joshua Kurlantzick, "U.S. Citizen Sent to Jail in Thailand for Insulting the King," Asia Unbound (blog), Council on Foreign Relations, December 12, 2011, http://blogs.cfr.org/asia/2011/12/12/6649/.
[35] Freedom House tests conducted in mid-2012 on access to Prachatai and Asia Sentinel indicated that the sites loaded more slowly than others and that some pages were inaccessible, with the user redirected to a message stating that it had been blocked by the MICT, though other pages were available.
[36] AFP, "Thailand blocks 5,000 'royal insult' web pages.
[37] For example, according to one source inside the MICT, the 60,000 figure actually included the number of "shares" that a post received as counted within the total number of pages blocked in addition to the original post or page. For example, if a hyperlink was "shared" ten times, this would count as eleven "blocks." Interview with mid-ranking MICT employee who requested to remain anonymous, December 2011.
[38] The above statistics take into account Google's two separate reports for January to June 2011, and July to December 2011. Interestingly, the two segments correspond closely to the timing of the change in government, reflecting the continuation of lèse-majesté censorship policies under the Shinawatra administration. "Government requests," Google Transparency Report – Thailand, accessed September 19, 2012, https://www.google.com/transparencyreport/governmentrequests/TH/?p=2011-06; Google Transparency Report – Thailand; "Removals," Google Transparency Report – Thailand, accessed September 19, 2012, https://www.google.com/transparencyreport/removals/government/TH/?p=2011-12.
[39] Bangkok Pundit, "Thailand: Is a lese majeste crackdown around the corner? UPDATE: ICT asks FB to block thousands of sites," Asian Correspondent, November 25, 2011, http://asiancorrespondent.com/70492/is-a-lese-majeste-crackdown-around-the-corner/; "MICT has requested Facebook to delete over 10,000 pages offensive to the monarchy," Prachatai, November 24, 2011, http://www.prachatai.com/english/node/2913.
[40] "Tweets still must flow," Twitter (blog), January 26, 2012, http://blog.twitter.com/2012/01/tweets-still-must-flow.html.
[41] Jon Russel, "Thailand is the world's first government to endorse Twitter's censorship feature," The Next Web, January 30, 2012, http://thenextweb.com/asia/2012/01/30/thailand-is-the-worlds-first-government-to-endorse-twitters-censorship-feature/.
[42] "Thailand tries to censor site devoted to flood news," Committee to Protect Journalists, October 25, 2011, http://cpj.org/2011/10/thailand-tries-to-censor-site-devoted-to-flood-new.php.
[43] Sarinee Achavanuntakul, "Danger! Computer Crimes Act," Fringer Blog, July 18, 2007, http://www.fringer.org/?p=259 [in Thai].
[44] Sections 14(1), 14(3), and 14(5) and Article 15 of the 2007 Computer Crimes Act pertain to crimes that "involve import to a computer system of forged computer data, either in whole or in part, or false computer data, in a manner that is likely to cause damage to a third party or the public; that involve import to a computer system of any computer data related to an offense against the kingdom's security under the criminal code; that involve the dissemination or forwarding of computer data already known to be computer data [which are illegal]." The act states that "any service provider intentionally supporting or consenting to an offense…within a computer system under their control shall be subject to the same penalty as that imposed upon a person committing an offense." For an unofficial translation of the Act in English, see http://www.prachatai.com/english/node/117.
[45] iLaw Project Report pg. 13.
[46] CJ Hinke, "Thailand Now Blocking 277,610 Websites," Global Voices Advocacy, November 8, 2010, http://advocacy.globalvoicesonline.org/2010/11/08/thailand-now-blocking-256110-websites/; iLaw Project Report pg. 17.
[47] For example, in seeking to collect details of blocked websites, iLaw researchers found government agency response inconsistent with several entities being unable or unwilling to provide the requested data on the number and content of censored sites.
[48] Also called Office of Prevention and Suppression of Information Technology Crimes and referred to as a 'war room' for stopping lèse-majesté content. See, Thomas Fuller, "A High-Tech War Against Slights to a Centuries-Old Monarchy," New York Times, October 2, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/03/world/asia/03iht-thailand03.html?pagewanted=all.
[49] Martin Petty and Natnicha Chuwiruch, "Thais test taboos as war on royal slurs heats up," Reuters, December 6, 2011, http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/07/us-thailand-monarchy-idUSTRE7B605920111207.
[50] "MICT: More cyber offenders to be arrested soon," Prachatai, December 3, 2011, http://www.prachatai.com/english/node/2930.
[51] "Centre starts monitoring lese majeste," Bangkok Post, December 24, 2011, http://www.bangkokpost.com/lite/topstories/272260/centre-starts-monitoring-lese-majeste.
[52] Reporting Association of Thailand's Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/reportthailand. As of August 2012, the page had over 22,000 "likes."
[53] "Prime Minister Inaugurates 'Cyber Scout' Project; Support the MICT in building the Cyber Scout Program to Protect the Online World," Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT), accessed December 13, 2010, http://www.mict.go.th/ewt_news.php?nid=3430&filename=index [in Thai]; Mong Palatino, "Cyber Scout: Thailand's Internet Police?" Global Voices, December 24, 2010, http://globalvoicesonline.org/2010/12/24/cyber-scout-thailand%E2%80%99s-internet-police/.
[54] Cyber Scout webpage: http://www.justice-cyberscout.org/General/home.aspx.
[55] Daniel Rook, "Thai 'cyber scouts' patrol web for royal insults," AFP, May 10, 2011, http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iMwhnHSt36x-Hm-Wm_Y3thBV_t9w?docId=CNG.66922326b86c84d2b0f3ebc395ad2035.1c1.
[56] Hana Stewart-Smith, "Thai Facebook users warned over anti-monarchy 'Likes'," ZDNet, November 26, 2011, http://www.zdnet.com/blog/asia/thai-facebook-users-warned-over-anti-monarchy-likes/286.
[57] Website: http://www.navyfamilylovetheking.com/.
[58] Simon Kemp, "Social Digital and Mobile in Thailand," we are social (blog), January 3, 2012, http://wearesocial.net/blog/2012/01/social-digital-mobile-thailand/.
[59] Thai Netizen Network, Thailand Internet Freedom and Online Culture Report 2011 (Bangkok: Thai Netizen Network, 2011): 112-129, https://thainetizen.org/docs/netizen-report-2011/.
[60] http://www.nationmultimedia.com/technology/SOCIAL-NETWORKING-A-GROWING-PHENOMENON-30172722.html
[61] "Top Sites in Thailand," Alexa, accessed May 1, 2012, http://www.alexa.com/topsites/countries/TH.
[62] "Thailand Facebook Statistics," Social Bakers, accessed September 18, 2012, http://www.socialbakers.com/facebook-statistics/thailand#chart-intervals.
[63] Jon Russell, "How influential is social media in Thailand's election?" Asian Correspondent, June 10, 2011, http://asiancorrespondent.com/56997/how-influential-is-social-media-in-thailands-election/.
[64] The blog is located at http://thaipoliticalprisoners.wordpress.com.
[65] The Thai Netizen Network website is located at https://thainetizen.org.
[66] Campaign Committee for the Amendment of Article 112's website: http://www.ccaa112.org/.
[67] "Article 112 amendment bill to House," Bangkok Post, May 29, 2012, http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/295588/article-112-amendment-draft-to-house.
[68] "Freedom of Expression (Still) Under Attack," Political Prisoners of Thailand (blog), June 12, 2012, https://politicalprisonersofthailand.wordpress.com/2012/06/12/freedom-of-expression-still-under-attack/.
[69] Karin Deutsch Karlekar, ed., "Thailand," in Freedom of the Press 2010 (New York: Freedom House, 2010), //www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=251&year=2010.
[70] "Freedom of Expression (Still) Under Attack," Political Prisoners of Thailand (blog).
[71] iLaw Project Report.
[72] Nirmil Ghosh, "Thai Divide Growing Over Lese Majeste Law," Jakarta Globe, January 25, 2012, http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/international/thai-divide-growing-over-lese-majeste-law/493508;
Pavin Chachavalpongpun, "Kantoop and lese-majeste," New Mandala (blog), February 3, 2012, http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/2012/02/03/kantoop-and-lese-majeste/.
[73] "Case #236: Kanthoop," iLaw Freedom, accessed September 18, 2012, http://freedom.ilaw.or.th/case/236.
[74] "THAILAND: Twenty years in prison for four SMS messages," Asian Human Rights Commission, November 24, 2011, http://www.humanrights.asia/news/ahrc-news/AHRC-STM-180-2011.
[75] Ampol later died in prison from his illness on May 8, 2012. See, "An inconvenient death," The Economist, May 12, 2012, http://www.economist.com/node/21554585; "Case #21: Uncle SMS," iLaw Freedom, accessed September 18, 2012, http://freedom.ilaw.or.th/case/21.
[76] "Nor Por Chor USA web designer sentenced to 13 years in jail," Prachatai, March 16, 2011, http://www.prachatai.com/english/node/2366.
[77] "Thailand: Courts Denying Bail in Lese Majeste Cases," Human Rights Watch, February 23, 2012, http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/02/24/thailand-courts-denying-bail-lese-majeste-cases.
[78] Ibid.
[79] "U.S. citizen jailed for insulting Thai monarchy," Reuters, December 8, 2011, http://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFTRE7B709A20111208.
[80] Gordon subsequently applied for a royal pardon, which was granted, leading to his release in July 2012. See, Kocha Olarm and Jethro Mullen, "Thai-American jailed for insulting monarchy receives royal pardon," CNN, July 11, 2012, http://edition.cnn.com/2012/07/11/world/asia/thailand-american-pardon/index.html.
[81] "Prachatai Editor Released on Bail," Reporters Without Borders, September 24, 2010, http://en.rsf.org/thailand-news-website-editor-arrested-on-24-09-2010,38440.html.
[82] At the end of May 2012, a Thai court found Chiranuch guilty and handed down an eight-month suspended sentence and 20,000 Baht (US$630) fine. See, James Hookway, "Conviction in Thailand Worries Web Users," Wall Street Journal, May 30, 2012, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303674004577435373324265632.html.
[83] "Thailand: Cybercrime Acts vs. the Right to Freedom of Expression," Thai Netizen Network, June 2, 2011, https://thainetizen.org/docs/thailand-cybercrime-acts-vs-the-right-to-freedom-of-expression/.
[84] Ibid.
[85] Ibid.
[86] "Surapak Puchaisaeng," Political Prisoners in Thailand (blog), accessed September 18, 2012, http://thaipoliticalprisoners.wordpress.com/pendingcases/surapak-puchaisaeng/.
[87] "Recent crackdown on cyber dissidents," Prachatai, March 10, 2012, http://www.prachatai.com/english/node/3096.
[88] "Cabinet approves draft directive for setting guidelines of DSI cases," The Nation, December 19, 2011, http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Cabinet-approves-draft-directive-for-setting-guide-30172173.html.
[89] "DSI added special case for 9 offenses" [in Thai], VoiceTV, May 25, 2011, http://news.voicetv.co.th/thailand/40014.html.
[90] "Web censor system hits protest firewall," Bangkok Post, December 15, 2011, http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/270812/web-censor-system-hits-protest-firewall.
[91] Personal conversation with a senior police officer specializing in ICT crimes, March 27, 2009.
[92] "Register SIM Card," Happy, accessed September 18, 2012, http://www.happy.co.th/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=159&Itemid=169&lang=en.
[93] Nirmal Ghosh, "Thai Divide Growing Over Lese Majeste Law," Jakarta Globe, January 25, 2012, http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/international/thai-divide-growing-over-lese-majeste-law/493508.
[94] "Thailand's struggle to face its future," Asia Sentinel, April 27, 2012, http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4459&Itemid=189.
[95] Interview with online journalist who requested to remain anonymous, December 2011.
[96] iLaw Project Report pg 14.
[97] Thai Netizen network, Thailand Internet Freedom and Online Culture Report 2011 (Bangkok: Thai Netizen Network 2012): 54-76.


text:
My post earlier this week coincided with a furore in Slovakia over approval of the European Financial Stability Facility. The EFSF is yet another mechanism for ill-transparently transferring taxpayer funds via governments and central banks to bankers, bondholders and bank shareholders.
An obscure leader, Richard Sulik, of an obscure minority party, SaS, objected to impoverishing his already poor countrymen to enrich foreign bankers. Under the terms of EFSF financing, taxpayers in Slovakia - the second poorest nation in the EU - would bear a disproportionate share of the EFSF burden relative to the size of the economy.
When the prime minister made support for the EFSF a vote of confidence, Sulik and his party brought down the government. The EFSF is likely to pass following a reorganisation of the coalition government, but in the meanwhile we have a teaching moment of real value.
I respect any politician who acts out of principle rather than self interest. Since the occurence is relatively rare, I was prompted to take a closer look at Mr Richard Sulik and his views on the EFSF. Fortunately he has documented his objections fully in a paper available online:
European Financial Stability Facility: A Road to Socialism
Just like it is impossible to extinguish fire with a fan, it is equally impossible to solve the debt crisis with new debts. The only thing that will help is to face the truth. Greece must declare bankruptcy, Italy must start saving and the rules set up by the eurozone upon its establishment must finally start being observed. It will hurt, but it is the only solution. . .
I would like to point out that this is not the same eurozone we entered in 2009. There are rules that should have been observed but all of them have been violated. Temporary EFSF and permanent EFSF will cost us 1 to 1.5 the amount of our annual state budget! Moreover, there is no guarantee that the attempts for the EFSF increase are over. . . .
EFSF ratification by the National Council will be a decision that will harm the citizens of Slovakia in the long run and to a great extent.
SaS will simply not sign up for something like this.
Whether you are for or against the EU, for or against the Eurozone, for or against bailouts, this is an important document to read. It catalogues the lawlessness and lack of accountability that made a bad financial crisis into a bad banking crisis then worse sovereign debt crisis and an even worse currency crisis.
I wish Mr Sulik had a career ahead of him in central banking or EU public policy. I fear after this week, he may once again be relegated to obscurity. His fellow Slovakians should be grateful for his principled stance and his foresight, and perhaps return him and his party to government when the costs of the betrayal of other parties become all too clear.
UPDATE: This just in! Berlusconi must face a vote of confidence tomorrow in the Italian parliament after defeat in a routine vote on government budget and accounts yesterday. Perhaps the Slovakian teaching moment will last longer than one day?
UPDATE (2): The three outgoing coalition parties have agreed with the opposition SMER party to pass the EFSF in a further vote to be scheduled before the end of the week. An election will be held on 10 March 2012. I hope the Slovakian voters remember then that the party that did not betray them to Brussels and the banksters was SaS.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
As per 1 October 2007 Niels Møller Jensen (45 years old) has been appointed Managing Director in Grundfos A/S that is the Danish production company of the Grundfos Group.
Niels Møller Jensen will succeed Lars Aagaard who was appointed member of Group Management on 1 August 2007.
Niels Møller Jensen has been employed with Grundfos since 1999, and before that he was development manager in ABB Motors, Denmark. During his first year of employment Niels was responsible for the establishment of the production in Tatabanya, and during 2000 - 2005 he was General Managers for Grundfos Manufacturing Hungary. When Niels Møller Jensen returned to Denmark after 6 years in Hungary, we had 2 factories and 800 employees; and he has a very large share of the success of this establishment.
During the last year Niels Møller Jensen has been Vice President for Group Quality, as well as responsible for Group environment and Corporate Social Responsibility, and simultaneously he has passed an Executive MBA.


text:
Posted on Friday, January 10, 2014
Posted in Uncategorised, We RecommendTags: dublin, free dublin walking tour, guinness store house, ha' penny bridge, moore street market, O'Connell street, St. Stephens, temple bar, Tour
Arriving in a big city can be daunting. Especially when you have limited time. What do you see? What can you go without seeing? What to do in Dublin in one day?


text:
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text:
OpenVPN Bridge
OpenVPN is a full-featured SSL VPN solution which can accomodate a wide range of configurations and is particularly usefull for "road warriors" :).
This wiki page will discuss how to configure OpenVPN (1.6) in Bridge mode with a linux server and either a linux or a windows client. http://openvpn.sourceforge.net/howto.html discusses how to setup OpenVPN routing and explains the pros and cons of each. Also, I'm not going into depth on iptables or how to make a hole in your firewall to allow traffic to reach your OpenVPN machine. That's for another wiki, or someone who's willing to add to this one.
This page describes the "quick n dirty" setup using a secret ssh key for authentification, see the openvpn website for more information about SSL setups.
Server Config
First thing you want to do is install OpenVPN
pacman -Sy openvpn bridge-utils
Next install this script as /etc/rc.d/openvpn
TODO: this script doesn't always correctly report "FAILED" or "DONE" so output can't be relyed upon and maybe confusing. Check /var/log/daemons if things don't seem to work.
#!/bin/bash # /etc/rc.d/openvpn # # An init script to start and stop OpenVPN daemons . /etc/rc.conf . /etc/rc.d/functions openvpn''config''dir=/etc/openvpn make_bridge () { #echo "# mkbr $1" # for example $1 = "br0" and # $br0 = ("br0 192.168.2.1 netmask 255.255.255.0 broadcast 192.168.2.255" eth1) eval brvar="(\"\${${1}[[@]]}\")" brdev=$1 brctl addbr $brdev add''to''bridge ${brvar[[1]]} $brdev ifconfig ${brvar[[0]]} return $? } add''to''bridge () { #echo "# addbr $1 $2" # for example $1tap0 and $2br0 ifconfig $1 down >/dev/null 2>&1 brctl addif $2 $1 ifconfig $1 0.0.0.0 promisc up } destroy_bridge () { eval brvar="(\"\${${1}[[@]]}\")" brdev=$1 ifconfig $brdev down brctl delbr $brdev } make_vpn () { #echo "# mkvpn $1" # for example $1 = vpn0 and # $vpn0 = ("default.conf" tap0 br0) eval vpnvar="(\"\${${1}[[@]]}\")" openvpn --mktun --dev ${vpnvar[[1]]} > /dev/null if [[ "${vpnvar[2]]}" != "" ]; then add''to''bridge ${vpnvar[[1]]} ${vpnvar[[2]]} fi openvpn --cd $openvpn''config''dir --daemon --config ${vpnvar[[0]]} return $? } destroy_vpn () { eval vpnvar="(\"\${${1}[[@]]}\")" openvpn --rmtun --dev ${vpnvar[[1]]} > /dev/null return $? } case "$1" in start) stat_busy "Starting OpenVPN daemons" # enable IP forwarding echo 1 > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_forward # create bridge(s) error=0 for brconf in ${BRIDGES[[@]]}; do if echo $brconf || grep '^[[^\!]]' >/dev/null 2>&1; then make_bridge $brconf ||| error=1 fi done # create vpn(s) for vpnconf in ${VPNS[[@]]}; do if echo $vpnconf || grep '^[[^\!]]' >/dev/null 2>&1; then make_vpn $vpnconf ||| error=1 fi done if [[ $error -eq 0 ]]; then stat_fail else stat_done fi ;; stop) stat_busy "Stopping OpenVPN daemons" killall `which openvpn` 2> /dev/null # destroy bridge(s) error=0 for brconf in ${BRIDGES[[@]]}; do if echo $brconf || grep '^[[^\!]]' >/dev/null 2>&1; then destroy_bridge $brconf ||| error=1 fi done # destroy vpn(s) for vpnconf in ${VPNS[[@]]}; do if echo $vpnconf || grep '^[[^\!]]' >/dev/null 2>&1; then destroy_vpn $vpnconf ||| error=1 fi done if [[ $error -eq 0 ]]; then stat_fail else stat_done fi ;; restart) $0 stop sleep 1 $0 start ;; *) echo $"Usage: $0 {start||stop||restart}" RETVAL=1 esac
and make the script executable
chmod 755 /etc/rc.d/openvpn
In /etc/rc.conf add the following modules to the MODULES array
tun bridge
add the following configuration
# Bridges and VPN setup br0=("br0 192.168.0.1 netmask 255.255.255.0 broadcast 192.168.0.255" eth0) BRIDGES=(br0) vpn0=("vpn0.conf" tap0 br0) VPNS=(vpn0)
and add the following daemons to the DAEMONS array
bridge_devices openvpn
So what does all of that mean up there? First we create a bridge called br0 which attaches itself to eth0 and has certain ip address etc. Then we create a vpn daemon with config file "vpn0.conf" (see below) which uses device tap0 and attaches to the bridge br0. The "BRIDGES" and "VPNS" arrays should allow you to define more then one of each (but I didn't test this).
Now onto creating the config files
Firstly create the secret key
openvpn --genkey --secret /etc/openvpn/vpn0.key
and then make the vpn0.conf and save it in /etc/openvpn/
#/etc/openvpn/vpn0.conf # # Sample OpenVPN server configuration file # using a pre-shared static key. # # See man openvpn for more configuration options. # (the config file options are the same as the commandline switches) # # '#' or ';' may be used to delimit comments. # Define the virtual ethernet device. dev tap0 # Our pre-shared static key secret /etc/openvpn/sample.key # OpenVPN uses UDP port 1194 by default. # Each OpenVPN tunnel must use # a different port number. # lport or rport can be used # to denote different ports # for local and remote. port 1194 # Protocol to use; udp is the default for good reason. # Alternative is 'tcp-server' (with 'tcp-client' on the other side of the line) # which can be usefull in certain situations or behind certain firewalls. ; proto udp # Downgrade UID and GID to # "nobody" after initialization # for extra security. user nobody group nobody # If you built OpenVPN with # LZO compression, uncomment # out the following line. comp-lzo # Send a UDP ping to remote once # every 15 seconds to keep # stateful firewall connection # alive. Uncomment this # out if you are using a stateful # firewall. ; ping 15 # Uncomment this section for a more reliable detection when a system # loses its connection. For example, dial-ups or laptops that # travel to other locations. ping 15 ping-restart 45 ping-timer-rem persist-tun persist-key # Verbosity level. # 0 -- quiet except for fatal errors. # 1 -- mostly quiet, but display non-fatal network errors. # 3 -- medium output, good for normal operation. # 9 -- verbose, good for troubleshooting verb 3
If you have more then one vpn daemon you should not reuse devices or port numbers across .conf files.
Now we can start up our daemons scripts.
sudo modprobe tun sudo modprobe bridge sudo /etc/rc.d/openvpn start
Linux client config
Install openvpn on the client machine the same way as on the server. Copy /etc/rc.d/openvpn, /etc/openvpn/vpn0.key and /etc/openvpn/vpn0.conf to the client (preferably using sftp or scp).
Add the following lines to /etc/openvpn/vpn0.conf with the "real" address of the server and the virtual address of the client.
remote real''server''address ifconfig vpn''client''ip vpn_netmask
(And set proto to 'tcp-client' if you used 'tcp-server' on the server)
Now edit /etc/rc.conf to include
# Bridges and VPN setup BRIDGES=() vpn0=("vpn0.conf" tap0) VPNS=(vpn0)
Now start it up
modprobe tun /etc/rc.d/openvpn start
You should now be able to ping across the tunnel to any of the hosts on the other end.
Windows client config
Install OpenVPN from openvpn-1.6.0-install.exe now copy the vpn0.key from the VPN server (preferably using sftp or scp) and the vpn0.conf below to "C:\Program Files\OpenVPN\config\". And delete the sample file in that folder (or at least move it to another folder).
# replace with the public ip address of the vpn server remote remote.public.ip.address port 5000 dev tap ifconfig 192.168.0.200 255.255.255.0 ifconfig-nowarn secret "C:\\Program Files\\OpenVPN\\config\\vpn0.key" ping 10 comp-lzo verb 5
Now open a command prompt and enter
net start openvpnservice
You should now be able to ping across the tunnel to any of the hosts on the other end.
Any additions, clarifications, reorganizations, feedback etc. etc. are more than appreciated.


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IEEE Bombay (Mumbai) Section History
|IEEE Bombay (Mumbai) Section History
|Established date
|IEEE Region
|IEEE Council
|Geographic region
|Region area
|Principal cities
|Home page
|List of Subsections in this Section
IEEE India section started in early seventies though preparations started much earlier, and Mr. F. C. Kohli was its first Chairman.
In 1976, three sections were formed of which Bombay was one, other two, were Bangalore and Delhi sections and India section was renamed to India-Council. Mr T V Balan of ACC was its first Chairman. Mr. D. N. Purandare was first Vice Chairman, Prof. A. A. Kulkarni, Secretary, Mr. Hiloowala Treasurer, Mr. H.S. Sonawala, Mr. K. J. Sheth, Mr. P. R. Bapat, Mr. Mukesh Gidwani, Dr. K. Shankar, Prof. D. M. Shah, Prof. M. V. Pitke and a few others were members of Executive Committee. They met mostly at Mr. T. V. Balan's office. Mr. Balan was succeeded by Mr D. N. Purandare (1979-81 - three-years). Mr. H. S. Sonawala, Mr. P.R. Bapat, Mr. K. J. Sheth, Mr. C. G. Ravi, Mr. K. S. Sonawala, Prof. S. C. Sahasrabudhe looked after Bombay Section successively. Presently, Mr Q. Bakir is the Chairman.
In 1976/77 Bombay Section conducted largest number of technical programs among all sections of IEEE. Further, every year, they were holding some technical conference running for two days or more. That is continuing even to this day. Further IEEE always co-sponsored several technical programmes with other professional bodies, whenever, they were held in and around Bombay.
Students activities were foremost with section Executive Committee member. IEEE students branch started first at IIT Bombay and has expanded to several colleges. To augment, their regular laboratory work, they have started Hobby Club at Father Agnel's College recently, where any student of any college can work to build/test any electronic circuits, simulate them on PC etc. A reasonable laboratory has been provided that they are keen on expansion of these activities. Every year, they conduct students paper contests and whenever possible student model contests as well. A few of them are sent even for Regional student paper contest. Some of our students have even won several prizes at the Regional level as well (one of them has won first prize among all sections for region 10). Few of our counsellors have also won best councellor award. Some students branches have also won the prestigious Vincent Benedict award. Among important activities of the section, Bombay section conducted first ever workshop on Microprocessor and its application wayback in 1977 when anyone in our country had hardly heard of the word Microprocessor. Prof. Insyng Lee of Digital, USA conducted the workshop and its impact is felt all over even now. Subsequently in a systematic way Dr. William Eclears conducted Eight bit Microprocessor and other Microprocessor workshops as well. Several workshops were conducted during all these years on many current topics with an average of more than one per year since 1976.
Until recently, every alternate year, Bombay section would host Annual Convention and Exhibition of IEEE, India Council, bringing our best products in the country and also best quality papers presented at the convention. It was received remarkably by the public.
Bombay Section also started Regional Section Chairman Conference in 1977. Further Systems Man and Cybermatics conference of IEEE was held primarily at Bombay 1984. This was the first conference of IEEE held in India. Later in 1989 we hosted Tencon 89 regional conference of Region 10. This included very large exhibition. This attracted largest number of delegates. Such activities are increasing year by year.
Last year a major International Conference on Personal Wireless Communication was held in Bombay from December 17-19, 1997. About 150 experts from all over the world attended this conference and presented their papers. IEEE Bombay Section has their Bye-laws approved by the general body in 1993 within the framework of IEEE constitution.
Prof K Shankar


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Lord of Minecraft
Markus 'Notch' Persson on resisting VC, the lure of DLC and why he's open about revenue
Markus Persson, perhaps better known as 'Notch', is a Swedish developer with an eclectic CV: Wurm Online, Luxor, Funny Farm... Oh, and Minecraft, the construction/survival indie game that became a phenomenon this Summer.
With the game at one point selling over 25,000 copies and earning $350,000 a day, Persson found himself able to found his own studio. Days after settling into his new office, GamesIndustry.biz chatted to the softly-spoken Swede about the young company's plans, how he felt about having made his earnings so public and why publishers' abandonment of the PC has been a godsend for indie developers.
Q: You moved into your new office this week, didn't you? How's working as a team rather than on your own working out so far?
Markus Persson: I'm not quite used to it yet. We're trying to get to do scrum and more like proper development, I hope. It's a fairly new experience. I did this for years in a team though, so I'm pretty used to working with people, but I've worked at home for so long that it's so easy to get distracted by the internet, or do whatever I want and figure and I can do work in the evening and stuff.
Q: Plus you've got them all looking to you as the boss this time around, presumably, which must seem odd?
Markus Persson: Yeah, definitely. We're getting a CEO, he's starting in January - so hopefully he's going to do the actual day to day bossy stuff. But I'm definitely going to be more like the creative aspect of, like game design and stuff like that.
Q: Is that because you're not really taken with the idea of being a director, or a more of a purely practical issue?
Markus Persson: Yeah, what I find is find most fun is developing games, thinking about game design, programming and all that. I'm not really interested even in doing business deals - I have no idea what to do there.
Q: What kind of effect has the sudden onset of money had on your game design thinking? How do you resist the urge to just drive off in a sports car for a few days?
Markus Persson: I think the way I did it was to read a book on the scrum, the agile development - it's very like feature driven. If you have a feature you want to add, you just focus on creating that without worrying about the infrastructure and the code or any of that surrounding stuff. Then when you end up in a situation where you need that infrastructure, that's when you add it. If you're going to stick to the scrum, it's pretty much the same except it scales up to a larger team.
Q: How are you finding, not just the game being a success but also being a cult figure online yourself?
Markus Persson: Yeah - with the Notch Twitter account and the blog and stuff, that was pretty fun I thought. At first I thought it was manageable, but then people started recognising me in Stockholm and coming up to say hi. It felt like there was a big clash between the internet world and the real world, which was kind of... I wouldn't say unhelpful, because it was very flattering if people recognise you. But it still made me realise that it can be pain sometimes.
Q: It must be odd to be addressed as 'Notch' rather than your real name too?
Markus Persson: I think it's about 50/50 though. I usually only use it online, rarely hear people actually say it. Basically when I started using computers everyone had nicknames everywhere so I just picked one and now I'm 'Notch.'
Q: What's behind the resurgence in indie success at the moment, do you think? Is it a change in perception or in the market?
Markus Persson: I think it's a little bit of both. The games industry started moving away from PC and into console a lot. While there are a few hardcore PC studios around, most of it seems to be focused on the console versions. They only really port of the PC versions. The indie market really could blossom because people started realising that we're actually doing interesting ideas in the indie games. Something like in the early 90s, games that were made by id Software or Epic - small developer teams who actually took chances because they didn't have huge projects. So the indie scene could blossom; there are a lot of indie games on console too and they're selling really well as well. But I think it's one result of the sort of abandonment of PC gaming.
Q: I was looking at a survey from Nielsen today, which claimed kids over 13 were more interested in owning a PC than they were a console, which seemed to suggest there's still a lot of money to be made on that platform.
Markus Persson: Yes, I think the big rush with getting better graphics cards and getting more and more memory was basically what drove it before - the bigger and bigger gaming rigs. And that kind of got out of control - once you got consoles, it was much easier to make that kind of game for everyone. Everyone knew they had the hardware for the game.
Q: Now, though, a fairly cheap PC will play almost anything... It's good not having to worry about buying £400 graphics cards anymore.
Markus Persson: Yeah. I think that era is gone. [Laughs].
Q: Do you think the consoles could, or even would, emulate something like Minecraft? Not so much from a technical point of view, but conceptually?
Markus Persson: I think there are a bunch of fairly successful smaller studio games. I don't know the numbers, but I think Castle Crushers is doing really good and Super Meatboy seems to get a lot of press. Definitely there's room for small development teams to actually do something good. I haven't seen much advertising for Castle Crushers at all, but it seems always in the top spot on Xbox Live Arcade.
Q: What about in terms of Minecraft's scale and openness - is that something a big console studio would ever experiment with?
Markus Persson: It's hard to see it working on consoles, partly because of the size of the map - it's a really huge map, and there's so much memory requirement. Also for multiplayer, who would host the server? It's very CPU-intensive. It seems like... it probably could work, I don't know how much memory the 360 has, 256MB or something?
Q: 512MB, I think.
Markus Persson: Okay, yeah. You should be able to do something like this then, yeah.
Q: Would publishers be likely to feed off Minecraft, having seen its success, and try and make something like it for a more mass market?
Markus Persson: I hope so. That means more games get made, more types of games get made. I don't know if they think Minecraft is a fluke or if they think it's something interesting.. Because I'm so very open with my numbers, I know there are other indie games which are making fair amounts of money, but they're kind of secretive about how much they're making. So perhaps [publishers] don't know that there's that much money in it.
Q: How do you feel about sharing that financial information now? Are you still comfortable with everyone knowing your business, or do you wish you'd not set up that subscriber stats page?
Markus Persson: Personally I like sharing that information, because I'm generally an open guy. But it feels a bit sometimes like it's a bragging page or something. That wasn't the intention, because originally it was for the people who had brought the game could see like a number increase on a webpage or something. I'm not going to remove it now because it's so mega-big... I think it's a good sign, if you're actually open with your development and you're also open about the sales, it feels like you're genuine in some sense.
Q: Do you have a sense of where, if there was a proper universal downloads chart, those sales might put you?
Markus Persson: I've checked around a bit, but it's a bit hard to find the right numbers. I think when we were doing really well we would have been in the top 10 list; right now it's probably somewhere lower down. But still, it's doing very, very well for us.
Q: What are your projections on sales over time - spikes when there are updates and when you go to full release, or diminishing returns now the big explosion has happened?
Markus Persson: It's very hard to tell. Traditionally it's been very much tied up to how much I update and blog, the more I talk actively about what I'm doing on the game. But may be earlier on people were buying it much more based on the promise of what it might be perhaps. Now I'm really focused on setting up the company over the last month, now I'm fixing bugs for multiplayer... So it's going to be really fun to see what happens when we go into beta and start polishing and focusing on new content. That's when we can really start to make some predictions, I think.
Q: I know you're working on new projects as well, but how much do you plan on the company to be primarily the Minecraft company?
Markus Persson: Yes, we do have more games coming out after Minecraft. We're going to try and stay as a small studio, so I don't think we can realistically expect the next game to do what Minecraft did, because I think that's part skill and luck. But I think we should definitely be able to pull off some games that do some of what it did. We're in a really fortunate position, the community is really great - and really involved, so if I talk about making a game on a website, they know about it even though I don't advertise it. It's really nice. [laughs]
Q: Would you plan to use the same kind of business model - a discount for early access, ramping up the price when the game's more complete?
Markus Persson: I'm not sure. We haven't really decided on the payment model there. I think one kind of small problem with Minecraft is it's kind of cheap, and people who want to pay more can't pay more. I'm a bit opposed to pointless DLC, but I think trying to think about the model a bit more makes some sense. Especially now that we're running a proper company... I'm not sure what to think about it really. I know I enjoyed some DLC before, when it feels like it's an expansion to the game which wasn't just there.. Like when I was playing Mega Man 9, and I have bought content that I have already downloaded, that felt a bit weird. But the Fallout 3 expansions, I enjoyed those. If you do it right, you can do it in a good way, I think.
Q: So you're hoping to find some way to increase revenues from Minecraft, given that the bulk of its potential player base has already paid the low alpha rate?
Markus Persson: Yeah, if I had more business sense I probably would have raised the price a while ago. [Laughs]. But I try to , if I promise something, stick to that... And Minecraft is making silly amounts of money so it doesn't need to do that. If we weren't self-funded, the board would probably insist on it.
Q: What kind of audience do you think the game has now, after that explosion? I know it kicked off on Something Awful and a number of gaming sites, but has it extended beyond that now?
Markus Persson: Yeah, the people you mentioned are probably the largest group, but there are a lot of children who are playing it with their parents. I know a few of them in real life who do it, and I get emails from parents. That seems to be a fairly large group, actually.
Q: Will you try and target that a bit more as you get closer to going gold?
Markus Persson: Possibly not, because I'll be trying to target the game as much as I can towards myself - I buy a lot of games, so if we can make games I like then there's probably other people on the internet who like the same games. But if I get feedback that the game's too scary or something, I might add like a scary-free mode or something like that.
Q: There was reportedly some interest from Valve and Blizzard, but are you still being courted by big companies now you've become a studio?
Markus Persson: We're getting other types of interest now, people who want to throw money at us. I don't really understand that world that much, so I don't really know what it means. I'm getting the business people to talk to them. I'm just focused on the development so I'm not really in the loop there.
Q: In theory, would you be interested in that kind of investment?
Markus Persson: I'd rather have it just be self-funded, because we can run the company we want. If we fail with a game it's because we failed it, not because we had to rush it to meet a deadline.
Q: You've also said that you'll release the source code for Minecraft once you've completed it - are you still planning on that?
Markus Persson: Yes. I haven't really talked to other people in the company, but personally I still want that. I don't think they're going to object that much. It's basically because the game has so much potential for features that can be added, so it would seem a bit unfair if I just stopped working on it. It's a fairly interesting base for a game as well. My to do list is longer than ever, it keeps growing. Every time I do something I have to add two new things, basically.
Q: Would you take people on to help design the game, or do you want to keep it your baby entirely?
Markus Persson: We're going to get some more programmers as well. One is starting on December 1st and is going to get involved in the Minecraft source code almost immediately. In case I get hit by a truck and go to hospital for three months, he can work on it - and also to help me to move the development speed and polish it. But I don't think it's a good idea to have like 10 developers on it, because then you just get different opinions. But if you have two or three people working on the source code, I think that could work really well.
Q: How open are you to those guys' suggestions? Is there a fixed, mapped out plan of what you want the game to be, or are you still making it up as you go along?
Markus Persson: I stick fairly close to the original idea, but I feel like I'm just adding things kind of randomly. But it seems to always turn out that I meant it, and I blogged it five months ago or something. I try to stay open to new ideas, definitely. There's some kind of vague game feeling about what works - like I won't have guns, because it doesn't feel like it fits, but I can't really explain why it won't fit.
Q: Of the stuff that the players have made, like a to-scale Starship Enterprise and a working in-game CPU, how much does it feed your own plans?
Markus Persson: Yeah, it does. When people started programming in it, that's when I added Redstone, so people could actually make their own computers. That what made sure that the game was Turing complete. I told my fiancée "someone's going to make a computer now" and then they did.
Markus Persson is the founder of Mojang Specifications. Interview by Alec Meer.


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But the game that impressed my socks off was the Mastermind Towers game- designed for little kids (ages 6+). I am always leery of age requirements because some of my kids lag behind on age appropriate skills. But this game can be geared up or down for age/developmental appropriateness and special needs. The premise of the game is to use reasoning skills to guess what order your opponent has put their animal cards in. The instructions for the game say to use 5 cards. But we very easily adapted the game for our younger kids by only using 3 cards. I LOVE games that you can do this to. (Keeps me from playing a certain color orientated "land of sweets" game a million times a day, too!)
Both of the games are of very sturdy construction. Cards are sturdy, heavy cardboard and are really durable. They could stand up to classroom use- if I were a teacher I would totally have these in my classroom! Super fun and super educational.
We had a great time playing them with our kids! Family time without being plugged into something is absolutely priceless. Here are my boys doing a totally cheesy promotional photo (yes, my husband will be mortified- but he's cute, isn't he?):
I will be giving away one of each of the games. If you want to enter to win-
1. Leave a comment on this post with the phrase "family fun" in it for one chance to win.
2. Leave a comment and become a follower of this blog for two chances to win. Tell me in your comment if you are follower.
3. Leave a comment, be a follower and blog, tweet, or facebook about this giveaway for 3 chances to win. Again- tell me in your comment if you did this.
I will be drawing a winner on Wednesday, Sept. 22 at 7pm EST and will announce the winner shorty after. I'll use random.org to generate the winner. Good luck and thanks for playing!
Disclaimer: This giveaway is sponsored by Pressman Toy. I was given these games by Pressman Toy for free to review and I get to keep the game at the end of my review period, however the opinions of these games are my own honest thoughts.
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Monaxxx video. All videos (4)Monaxxx webcam
Monaxxx webcam
Hey you! I'm a very playful babe. I can always put a smile on your face with my energetic spirit and friendly mood. But once you press "the button", you will definitely have the chance to know/see more of me! ;) I like to spend time wi


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The Qiantang River in coastal Zhejiang Province is an area where more than one third of China's dyeing and printing takes place in an attempt to quench the insatiable global thirst for fast-fashion. Toxic water pollution is not a new story in China, but the sheer scale of the pollution in this area is shocking.
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GGC Consulting had een nieuw logo ontwerp nodig en lanceerde daarom een wedstrijd op 99designs.
Een winnaar werd gekozen uit34 ontwerpen ingezonden door17 freelance designers.
Please read campaign summary for a detailed description of what we're looking for.
CORDIABURN - Cha de Bugre
Feel the Burn
Desired Color Scheme:
Fire colors - Orange, Yellow, Red, Black
Desired Style:
Please read summary
Accepted File Formats:
AI, PNG, GIF, and JPEG.
Cordiaburn Logo Design Contest:
Design our LOGO for our new weight loss product CORDIABURN! A previous logo for Cordiaburn can be found here: http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/…nLogo2.gif Weve decided not to use this logo so were looking for all of YOU to help us.
Cordiaburn contains a brand new ingredient called Cha de Bugre which is going to take the nutrition industry by storm. Current trends point to this ingredient being the next ephedra without the side effects. The logo should be attractive, credible, and sexy. This is a weight loss product so the demographics leans towards mostly women (around 70%)
Were going for the whole Feel the Burn theme. So the theme should relate to fire, burning, etc.
Our other products are Avela (www.myavela.com ), Cholestapro (http://www.cholestapro.com) and HOODIASTAR (http://www.hoodiastar.com) Please take a look at our other products for an example of the quality of our current campaigns.
The logo should have the words Cha de Bugre underneath. That is the main ingredient. There should be a hyphen on the a in Cha
The logo should also include the tagline: Feel the Burn somewhere near the logo.
Feel free to wrap your logo around a bottle. It will be a white or black bottle with a black cap. This will give us a better idea of how it looks.
The theme should be related to fire and burning. This is a weight loss product ie burning calories and energy! Use your imagination. We look forward to seeing your designs. Feel free to use a background photo or purely graphics. All creativity is welcome!
IMPORTANT: This logo will be used as a vector graphic on our website so please keep this in mind.
Themes: Trendy, Cool, Hip, Credible, Health Related, Attractive, Powerful.
Colors Preferred: Orange, Yellow, red, Black, fire colors. Use your imagination. Pure graphics or photo background is fine.
Feel the Burn or
The New Ephedra or
Revolutionary New Weight Loss Ingredient From Brazil Cha de Bugre
Maximum Energizing Formula
We want to do a website and a free trial landing page similar to our competitors above. Once the label is completed a contest for the free trial website will follow. Feel free to send your suggestions if you feel so inclined to do a free trial site or a demo of the website. Out other sites are noted above. Thank you again for all your hard work!
Bekijk hoe een ontwerpwedstrijd werkt of leer meer over logo ontwerpdiensten.


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The Tri-5's hold a special place in our Super Chevy hearts. If you are a fan of the small grill of the '55 or the full face of the '56 or the fins on the '57 then you are going to love this. Real Deal Steel is now manufacturing complete bodies that can be purchased through a shop near you.
Right now the only bodies available are the '57 hardtop and convertible, in either a complete body or a skeleton. The skeleton is basically the inner structure of the car because it is sold minus the outer quarters, outer rockers, doors and deck lid. The complete body is just that a completely assembled body with fitted doors and deck lid.
The bodies are assembled in the Real Deal Steel factory and feature 25 percent more spot-welds than the factory used. The bodies are then coated in a weld through primer and shipped out.
Bodies can be ordered now through a few different dealers, but Woody's Hot Rodz offers full roller packages that include either an Art Morrison Chassis or the all new Woody's Hot Rodz "Full Wood" Gasser straight axle chassis.


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Two dogs survived a high-speed collision after a fleeing robbery suspect in a Toyota Corolla plowed into traffic in an Orlando intersection. The ensuing multi-car pileup put five people in the hospital. The dogs, who bolted from their crumpled Jeep at the first opportunity, have been found.
The Orlando Sentinel reports that police spotted two suspects of a burglary near the University of Central Florida, but once the police hit their lights and sirens, the suspects put the pedal to the carpet in their Corolla.
The police were not actually in pursuit of the suspects' car, as deputies do not pursue suspects in burglary cases, but the car plowed on, presumably goaded by the news helicopter following them from above. The car flew through midday traffic, at times over 80 miles an hour, only to come to an explosive halt into the side of a black Jeep.
Of the five people taken to the hospital, the suspects received the worst injuries, with the Corolla driver breaking his legs. That's why the dogs (later recovered) hopped away while the suspected crooks merely crawled.
(Hat tip to: Jeff!)


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I had been avoiding Google Web Toolkit , a unique Open Source offering. Then I needed to write a fancy web app quickly. GWT Rules!
GWT compiles Java source to class files and then analyses the class files to produce a web application coded in Javascript. Java is not used as the pages are served - they are static content. Straight HTML can be added to the pages from which the javascripts are servered.
GWT provides the UI classes and the hooks like HTTP calls and JSON translation necessary for the web-based client-server app-on-a-page which are standard now.
The GWT project often re-iterates the intent to stay simple and core. GWT is stimulating an outpouring of creative support and extension libraries for server support, for visual presentation, and for integration with other development tools and IDEs.
I'm using GWT to write PigView, an open-source z/VM operations navigator based on PigIron . I'll report back as the application progresses.


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If you like Zelda, you will love this lesson that is going to teach an ultra super way to "draw Deku Link", step by step. This version of Link can be found with Zelda: Majora's Mask. He is also a playable character while he is in this form as well. Anyway, have fun, and be sure to rate and comment!
DragoArt members upload artwork and drawing tutorials! They are also allowed to leave comments on tutorials, profiles, etc. Many more features, as well; it's way better than just being a boring guest! Register Now!


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A near disaster a couple of days ago made me think of one more New Year's Genealogy Resolution: Back-up your data often!
On Sunday, I got home from work and logged onto my computer and got on the 'Net. An Internet Explorer page (I use Firefox) kept popping up, something called Internet Speed Monitor with different adds on each page. So, I Googled Internet Speed Monitor and discovered it was a Trojan Horse! After my initial heart attack, stroke and near-death experience, I went to my computer's Control Panel, Add-Remove Programs (as directed to do to get rid of the offender), found the Internet Speed Monitor there and deleted it. Mind you, I didn't download that program! I then updated my Ad-Aware program, since what I read about Internet Speed Monitor suggested it had something to do with add-ware, and ran the Ad-Aware program. It found 10 new critters, so I followed the program's directions to delete the critters…The dreaded Blue Screen-Fatal-Program-Error appeared! 2nd heart attack: the last time I saw that screen, the hard drive of the computer it appeared on crashed and burned and I almost lost everything on it. That particular computer was an older model and didn't have a cd burner on it. Thanks to a lot of work by my daughter's wonderful computer geek friend Jessica, she was able to save most of my data and get the computer running again.
So, I was terrified that this hard drive might be history, too. I sat there and stared at the screen for a couple of minutes, then finally hit the Power button and shut the computer off. After about a minute, I hit the Power button again, and it booted up normally! Breathing again now…
I then ran a virus check and found not one but 2 trojan horses! The program was able to isolate and delete the trojan horses. Next I ran the Ad-Aware program again and deleted all the critters it found. I then logged onto the Internet and no Internet Speed Monitor pages appeared. I browsed around my computer for awhile and found no damages.
The moral of this story is: back-up your data often. If you don't, you might wish you had! My New Year's Resolution is to back-up my data to my flash drives weekly! I have 3 flash drives just for this purpose, but the last time I backed everything up was August, I think. So I am setting aside Mondays as Back-up Day!
A near disaster a couple of days ago made me think of one more New Year's Genealogy Resolution: Back-up your data often!


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Blow Some Bubbles!
March 3, 2011 | durbinm
What comes in all kinds of colors and is really sweet and chewy? Bubble gum, of course. The 2nd week of March is Bubble Gum Week and it's not just for chewing. There's bubble gum ice cream, bubble gum slushies, bubble gum lip gloss… The possibilities are all over the place, and it's a favorite flavor for many kids. There's also the important job of blowing bubbles and competing with bubbles. There are even World Bubble Records out there. So if you have a lot of hot air, blow it into a bubble today, and watch it grow (or pop!).
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