Showing 51 - 60 of 384
Who’s afraid of peer-to-peer lending?
News, Sutapa Amornvivat, Published on 29/11/2018
» The recent announcement by the Bank of Thailand on peer-to-peer (P2P) lending rules represents a significant paradigm shift. If all goes to plan, by early next year Thailand will be among the few Asian countries, most notably China and Indonesia, to legalise this match-making platform between lenders and borrowers.
Important lessons from a chatbot developer
News, Sutapa Amornvivat, Published on 31/10/2018
» The smoother and deeper our conversation with Siri, (or with Alexa, Bixby or Cortana for that matter) the more realistic Dan Brown's Winston in Origin becomes. Many experts are predicting that demand for new mobile apps is slowing down with the next trend for user interface being chatbots. Of course, much more work in conversational AI will be necessary before we reach Winston's level of chatbot advancement. At least now, users are becoming more familiar and as a result, these interactions provide a constant source of data for machines to "learn".
Thai-Style Two-Sentence Horror Stories
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 26/10/2018
» To help you get into a spooky mindframe for Halloween, I would like to share a few Thai-style horror stories. But since people have a shorter attention span these days (who doesn't?), I have summed up the shortest stories that have been circulated online. If you get all of them, you are pretty well-versed in Thai culture. Kudos!
Think tanks key to green growth
News, Published on 24/10/2018
» Among the key lessons learned from international development experience to date, one in particular stands out -- that public policies work best when they are designed and implemented by actors on the ground.
The martyrdom of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi
News, Published on 17/10/2018
» The London-based daily Al-Araby Al-Jadeed recently published a cartoon, by the Jordanian artist Emad Hajjaj, depicting a faceless man wearing a red and white keffiyeh and sweeping his brown thawb in such a way that it looks almost like he is performing a magic trick. Whipped up by his movement, papers float around him. At the bottom of the frame, the hand of another man, wearing what appears to be a white button-down shirt, reaches up, apparently having let go of his pen in order to try to grab onto something, to save himself. The caption reads, "The disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi."
Remembering Chai-anan Samudavanija
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 21/09/2018
» In death, as in life, Chai-anan Samudavanija always outshines. More than two decades after he left an academic career for policy work and a public intellectual role, Chai-anan's scholarly output is still cited more than any other social scientist. His passing, at 74, reflects Thailand's circuitous political trajectory and the shortcomings of the country's higher education. Until Thai academic standards are better incentivised and upgraded, few scholars are likely to scale international heights of scholarship and thought leadership anywhere near Chai-anan's achievements.
Moving towards digital government
News, Sutapa Amornvivat, Published on 19/09/2018
» I recently joined a panel discussion at the Ministry of Commerce's forum on technology development and connectivity in the CLMVT (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand) region. Talking about this topic often brings us to physical connectivity like road and rail; while we overlook another important aspect of connectivity especially in this era -- the flow of information or data across countries. This type of connectivity forms a crucial part in supporting sustainable development and shared prosperity.
The good old days
News, Alan Dawson, Published on 09/09/2018
» If you've ever said in support of the coup regime that, yes, it's great that junta and government are dedicated to returning Thailand to those good old days, then you'll be forever grateful to the national police chief and the whole bunch of the unreformed Royal Thai Police.
Herbicide not so harmless
Postbag, Published on 09/09/2018
» In the first lawsuit judgement against the maker of the herbicide glyphosate, a jury awarded the plaintiff US$289 million(9.4 billion baht). Evidence presented during trial showed that the agrochemical company Monsanto fabricated studies showing glyphosate was harmless and colluded with the US Environmental Protection Agency to hide the true facts from the public.
Battle for 5G is failing
News, Editorial, Published on 27/08/2018
» Almost from the moment they seized power, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and allies in the National Council for Peace and Order have spent time and treasure promoting their vision of the future. The two top meme titles are "Thailand 4.0" and "Digital Thailand". As defined, both are excellent and worthy goals. Lack of planning, absent government supervision and poor performance make both elusive.