Precision design and high-quality materials, including a leather charging case and aluminium-encircled touch interface, combine for luxuriousness and durability.

The Beoplay E8 is tuned by Bang & Olufsen sound engineers for a rich, full-bodied sound.

Each earpiece has a 5.7mm dynamic speaker, a small electromagnetic transducer, NFMI (Near Field Magnetic Induction) technology and a Bluetooth 4.2 chip with Digital Sound Processing.

The E8 also comes with best-in-class sound with Hi-Res Audio.

“The Beoplay E8 is the perfect wireless earphone integrated with design and sound quality,” said RTB Technology managing director Banphot Vatanasombut.

“It’s made from premium-grade materials, enhancing its luxurious image with a well-designed platform to sit beautifully in your ear as a discreet and stylish technology statement.

“We believe the Beoplay E8 will receive a warm welcome from our high-end customers who are fascinated with outstanding music sound and design.”

Take a moment to bask in the memory of meeting Trico for the first time and relive this experience in VR in a short demo.

See and feel Trico’s immense presence as you encounter him right before your eyes.

The game can be downloaded for free from the PlayStation Store.

*PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Camera required to use PlayStation VR.

The relaxing 90-minute treatment includes an invigorating 30-minute Body Scrub followed by Indigenous Realignment Massage. The 60-minute massage uses slow, intense pressure to release tension in tight, stressed and aching muscles.

The “Festive Rejuvenation Package” starts from Bt4,500-plus for one or Bt8,800-plus per couple including a complimentary festive gift from THANN to enjoy at home.

Renowned as one of the finest day spas in Bangkok, The Grande provides professional therapists, gracious Thai hospitality, and a calming environment to ensure an unforgettable spa experience. The Grande Spa is open daily from 9am to 11pm with the last treatment at 10pm.  SPG members enjoy the 20 per cent off a la carte treatments from Monday to Friday between 9am to 3pm (excluding express treatments).

Book a treatment or find out more by calling (02) 649 8121 or email spa.grande@luxurycollection.com.

The light show, which has “Inspirational Illumination” as its theme, is open from Monday to Thursday between 6 and 10pm and from Friday to Sunday until 11pm.

“The concept of the ‘Thailand Illumination Festival 2017’ was inspired by the Luminous Garden Lighting Festival in Japan, which each city holds during every winter, with their own distinct displays and styles. Consequently, this attracts a lot of tourism to places like amusement parks and shopping malls, but also to the city streets themselves where the beautiful lighting is on full display. It has become one of Japan’s winter traditions,” said Yuiji Matsuyama, president of Apollo (Thailand).

“Therefore, we planned to organise this festival in Bangkok, creating a tourist attraction in the heart of the city to help promote the tourism industry in Thailand. This is the key to stimulating the Thai economy. It is also intended as a social activity that fosters a sense of sharing among our staff and the public, as well as giving everyone an opportunity to make merit through donating to charity. In addition to proceeds going from the revenue from sales of food, there are also fun games, which will bring income and donations to a number of important and beneficial foundations. We were only able to make this event possible due to the efforts and willingness on the part of Apollo Oil (Thailand) to express in a practical way our concern for the community and to benefit society.”

The festival is not only a showcase of dazzling illuminations and sculptures illuminated with more than a million of LED lights on a 39-rai plot of land but also commemorates His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej and honours His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun.

The event features the exhibition, “The King of Our Heart”, a fabulous light and sound display presenting the royal compositions of His Majesty the late King. Visitors can also play charitable games and taste street food from over 30 leading restaurants. A part of proceeds will go to Chaipattana Foundation and Siriraj Foundation.

Find out more at Facebook.com/ThailandIlluminationFestival2017

WITH NEW YEAR’S Eve rapidly approaching, those who are planning to throw a party for family and friends are scratching their heads as they try to find a way of decorating their homes for the big event without going bankrupt.

Ikea, the furniture and home decor retailer from Sweden, has the solution with its “Vinter 2017” collection and also five useful tips for holding a special party at home at affordable prices.

Decorate a room with just the right lighting

Enhance the brightness and cosiness of room with glowing decorative light bulbs in a variety of shapes from table lamps, floor lamps, curtain lamps, and pendant lamps. A warm, glowing light helps to create a relaxing and easy-going ambience. Selecting the right light can also save on energy costs.

Baking pastries gives off a distinct aroma

Nothing beats the scent of freshly baked bread, pastries and coffee during the holidays. Get started by placing bits of a chocolate bar or marshmallows on bread or cookies as garnishes to make some interesting and imaginative snacks and desserts. For those who need a double dose of happiness, ask your friends to bake pastries or home-made cookies together. This is easily done with baking utensils and cookie moulds from Ikea that come in several shapes including the Bakglad series, starting at Bt79. Otherwise, choose from a variety of ready-to-eat snacks at Ikea.

Add a gimmick for a fun way to offer gifts

The typical gift offering routine is far too ordinary. Make it more fun and surprising by hiding unexpected gifts or put your friend’s name on gift boxes and place them at different points around the room. The goal is to make a gift finding game more exciting while also decorating your room.

Throw a grand party complete with a chandelier

Decorate your room with shimmery, glossy materials to provide more dimension and charm to the room, or enhance the party atmosphere with a pretty chandelier. Then just call your friends over and have an impressive party whenever you want.

DIY soft and comfy stool

If you exceed the number of party guests and are in need of additional places to sit, you have your solution with Ikea’s easy D.I.Y. stool which requires only three easy steps. Select one plain stool, find a comfortable seat cushion, a cloth with matching colours, and a ribbon.

Place the cushion and cloth over the stool. Lastly, choose your favourite long ribbon and tie the cushion and cloth securely to the stool. You now have your very own one-of-a-kind stool!

Lean more about the Vinter 2017 collection at |Ikea Bangna, or visit http://www.Ikea.co.th.

EIGHTEEN MONTHS after wrapping up its first interactive permanent exhibition “An Essay of Thailand”, which traced the origin of Thais from pre-historic times to the modern day, the newly revamped Museum Siam is once again open and has a new permanent exhibition that explores diverse aspects of Thainess.

While “An Essay of Thailand” aimed to rediscover the country’s history and cultural roots, the new show “Decoding Thainess” employs metaphors as well as thought-provoking and critical approaches in looking at who we were in the past and are today through 14 rooms spread across two floors.

The “Birth of Thainess” room illustrates the evolution of Thainess through historical situations with hydraulic modules, audio descriptions and graphic presentations.

In bringing itself into line with modern times, the museum has taken into account feedback from visitors over the last decade and dug deep into its own research, ridding itself of written presentations and exhibition boards and replacing them with visual presentations, games, augmented reality, 3D laser cuts and hydraulic modules.

“The exhibition explores the meaning of Thainess through advanced and more interesting story-telling techniques and covers everything from history, architecture and traditions to food and clothing. It thus encourages visitors to look to the future by presenting stories of the past. Innovative interactive exhibits invite visitors to immerse themselves in the rooms and better understand the contents. We provide them with an unconventional museum experience that offers both knowledge and enjoyment,” says the museum’s director Rames Promyen, who demonstrated his own “Thainess” during the recent opening by riding around on a motorcycle laden with foods in plastic bags.

Thais call this shop-on-wheels rod phumphung, in essence a Thai-style roving vendor. A hawker on a motorbike carries bags of food between sois and villages, conveniently offering residents the option of buying food, fruits, vegetables and condiments on their doorstep.

The shop on wheels, rod phumpung, represents a Thai-style roving vendor.

And in another new approach, there is no fixed route to follow like the previous permanent show even though each of the 14 exhibiting rooms has its own theme.

“We learned from the past show that there should not be a fixed sequence because we are presenting a social context not a scientific approach. Visitors are free to explore. Each room’s gimmick and subject is complete in itself. The topics across the rooms on the second floor are easy to access while the metaphoric subjects are largely presented in the third-floor rooms,” says the museum’s curator Pachat Tiptus.

The mannequin of Lady Gaga wearing traditional Thai headdress questions what Thainess means in this changing world.

A mannequin of Lady Gaga in a skimpy costume wearing the traditional Thai headdress known as a chada has pride of place in the “Is this Thai?” room in reference to the controversial act that generated an online firestorm following her 2012 Bangkok concert.

The singer, it will remembered, chose to wear a provocative costume with a borrowed chada and sat on a motorbike with the Thai flag sticking out the back while performing her song “Hair”. Her detractors were shocked, saying her antics was inappropriate and disrespectful of high culture and Thai traditions. Younger Thais disagreed, commenting that such statements were misguided and oversensitive.

More controversial issues are projected on the screens around the room together with examples of comments from the social networks. Among them is a tourism ad produced by the Tourism Authority of Thailand featuring a music video titled “Thais tour in Thailand: Let’s have fun!” released last year. In the MV, actors and actresses dressed in khon costumes from Ramayana epic travel to different popular tourist attractions and take part in various activities including riding horses, driving go-karts and cooking the much-loved Thai dessert khanom krok.

Shocked viewers urged the Culture Ministry to ban the MV for damaging Thai culture, saying khon performers must strictly follow so-called traditional practice and not perform such inappropriate activities. More than 60,000 Thais diagreed and signed a petition opposing the Culture Ministry’s attempt to withdraw the ad.

Other bones of contention highlighted by the exhibition include the tuk-tuk dress, worn by Miss Thailand Aniporn “Nat” Chalermburanawong, that won the Best National Costume award at the 2015 Miss Universe pageant, and the foreign-looking actors/actresses who star in Thai period dramas.

“We are not questioning whether or not these items are inappropriate or otherwise but their representation of Thainess. Do we have to look only to high arts and untouchable traditions when mentioning Thainess? Don’t everyday items like the tuk-tuk, pad thai, and huay (Thai lottery) also portray Thainess?” adds the curator.

The “Magnificently Thai” room is a replica of a throne hall.

The “Magnificently Thai” room is a replica of a throne hall and conveys the aesthetics and beauty of Thai architecture and fine arts built on the traditional concept of trai bhum or Buddhist cosmology. The royal throne, the royal crematorium as well as the massive prang (Khmer-style tower) of Wat Arun are also modelled after the universe concept based on Brahma and Buddhism principles. The structure comprises of the centre of the universe, Mount Sumeru, surrounded by Sattaboripan mountain ranges where deities live, the ocean and the four continents where people reside.

“It is believed that the King has divine status and the architecture related to the monarchy is traditionally fashioned around this belief. To Thais, the King is the heart and soul of the nation,” says Pachat.

“Thailand’s Three Pillars” room

The core concepts of Thailand’s three deeply rooted institutions, nation, religion and monarchy, which collectively reflect the expression of Thainess, are featured in the “Thailand’s Three Pillars” room. Using AR that’s designed like a jigsaw, visitors are invited to assemble parts on the table in the centre of the room and view pictures related to the three institutions on the screen.

The “Degrees of Thainess” room presents so-called Thainess through a variety of costumes. 

Dummies dressed in a variety of clothes stand on a spiral platform in the “Degree of Thainess” room. In pride of place is the khon costume of Phra Ram in the epic Ramayana, while the lower steps feature the Thai student uniform, academic gown, traditional separates like the jong kraben and sabai, as well as muay thai boxing shorts.

“Phra Ram, who in the Ramayana epic is the incarnation of Phra Narai, is a metaphor of kingship because Thais believe the King is Phra Narai who comes to earth for the sake of world peace. The lower seven steps represent Mount Sattaboripan – a mountain in Buddhist mythology situated in the middle of Himavanta, a mythological forest. The mountain comprises seven ranges encircling Mount Sumeru – the centre of the universe. The McDonald’s clown performing a wai is also presented here thanks to his respect for Thai culture,” adds the curator.

 The “Birth of Thainess” room

In the “Birth of Thainess” room, hydraulic module technology is integrated with audio descriptions and graphic presentations to illustrate the cultural evolution through the timeline of historical situations.

Various items and models kept in glass cabinets rise up from a long wooden table to represent each historical period from the reign of King Rama IV who embraced Western innovations and initiated the modernisation of his country, to the modern days of Siam in the reign of his son, King Rama V.

The cultural mandates issued between 1939 and 1942 by the government of Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram during his first term as prime minister are also presented, as is the 1997 “tom yum kung crisis” – the financial meltdown that began in Thailand and swept across Asia. Hitting rock bottom led many Thais to recognise the wisdom of the “sufficiency economy” espoused by His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, and the last glass cabinet to pop up from the table is a miniature of the Royal Urn in remembrance of the late monarch.

Three iconic figures represent “very Thai” popular culture.

Greeting visitors in front of the room “Only in Thailand” is a beautifully carved wooden Thai lady in traditional garb performing a wai. Standing next to her is the police dummy dubbed Ja Choey (Sgt Still) that is normally found at traffic intersections – an effort by the Thai police to deter motorists from breaking traffic laws and reduce road accidents.

Inside the room is a four-metre-high statue of fat Nang Kwak – the lady said to bring good business – and a collection of familiar daily houseware items and tools that instantly suggest Thainess. They include the Thai seasoning set, a plastic bag tied with a rubber band containing a drink, and the cylindrical bus ticket holder with its long rolls of paper tickets and coins.

The jangle of coins in a bus ticket dispenser is a unique everyday feature.

“These demonstrate the creative personality of Thais who are very good at adapting and improving things for everyday use, convenience and suitability to situations,” says Rames.

Visitors can learn more about the origin of famous Thai recipes like tom yum kung, som tum and pad thai in the “Taste of Thai” room where a variety of dishes with a QR code are available for visitors to pick up and place on the table. The QR technology comes with vibrantly colourful motion graphics in providing both the recipe and its origins.

QR technology is used in combination with vibrantly colourful motion graphics to tell the origin of wellknown Thai dishes. 

SINCE THE DAYS OF SIAM

Museum Siam on Bangkok’s Sanam Chai Road near Tha Tien is open daily except Monday from 10 to 6.

Find out more at (02) 225 2777 or http://www.MuseumSiam.org.

Then check out the new Spartan Workout class being offered by Fitness First. Designed for small to medium groups, it imitates the obstacles from the recent Spartan Race and features such outdoor activities as throwing, jumping, carrying, gripping and climbing to prepare participants for the real competition. This class is in fact good for everyone as the exercises improve agility in everyday life.

Four to eight bases (depending on the club’s area) replicate the obstacles and movements needed in the Spartan Race. The level of difficulty can be adjusted to fit the individuals under the instructor’s advice. Progressive training is suitable for those who are aiming to attend the race, but for those just wanting to exercise, the regressive training, which focuses on improving strength, is better.

For those who will take part in the Spartan Race, three months of training is recommended with the first dedicated to build up strength, the second month to practising specific skills that will be needed in the competition and the last month to advanced training.

The Spartan Workout Class is a group exercise that helps create motivation and teamwork, which is the initial purpose of Spartan Race. The movements improve agility as the joints can be moved in many directions, more than in cardio or weight training, and the difficulty level can be adjusted at the instructor’s discretion.

Try a Spartan Workout Class at every branch of Fitness First or check the class schedule at http://www.FitnessFirst.co.th.

Unlike other photo-editing functions that add effects to original photos, Andy breaks up and reconstructs photos, then turns them into paintings within 5 seconds. Its segmentation technique recognises humans in photos and is able take them out from the backgrounds behind them, and turn into a new painting.

As Andy continues to learn, more painting styles created through AI will be developed, said Meitu, whose apps generate 6 billion photos from month globally.

Andy may not be comparable to any of the great painters like Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, and other masters, but it will certainly lead a different art trend for the future, Meitu said.

The word is defined as “a significant cultural, political, or social change arising from the actions or influence of young people”.

It first rose during Britain’s June general election, which saw an upsurge in youth turnout, then had an even bigger spike in September around New Zealand’s general election.

However, the word was first coined in 1965 by the then Vogue magazine editor Diana Vreeland to describe how youth culture was changing fashion and music.

It beat eight other words on the shortlist.

These included “milkshake duck”, a “person or thing that initially inspires delight on social media but is soon revealed to have a distasteful or repugnant past” and “white fragility”, defined as “discomfort and defensiveness on the part of a white person when confronted by information about racial inequality and injustice”.

Also shortlisted was “broflake”, a man who is readily upset or offended by progressive attitudes that conflict with his more conventional or conservative views, and “newsjacking”, defined as taking advantage of current events to promote a brand.

Casper Grathwohl, president of Oxford Dictionaries, said Youthquake was a word everyone could rally behind.

“Youthquake may not seem like the most obvious choice for Word of the Year, and it’s true that it’s yet to land firmly on American soil, but strong evidence in the UK calls it out as a word on the move,” he said.

“We chose youthquake based on its evidence and linguistic interest. But most importantly for me, at a time when our language is reflecting our deepening unrest and exhausted nerves, it is a rare political word that sounds a hopeful note.”

“We turn to language to help us mark where we have been, how far we have come, and where we are heading,” Oxford Dictionaries said.

Youthquake best reflected not only the ethos, mood and preoccupations of the past year, but had “lasting potential as a word of cultural significance”.

The other shortlisted words are antifa, gorpcore, kompromat and unicorn, something dyed with rainbow colours or decorated with glitter.

Previous words of the year include “post-truth” (2016), the “face with tears of joy” emoji (2015), “vape” (2014), “selfie” (2013), “omnishambles” in Britain and “GIF” in the United States (2012) and “squeezed middle” (2011).

From smartphone messaging tailored for tykes to computers for classrooms, technology titans are weaving their way into childhoods to form lifelong bonds, raising hackles of advocacy groups.

The debut this month in the US of a version of Messenger mobile application for children younger than 12 marked the first time leading online social network Facebook has stepped into the sensitive market.

California-based Facebook says Messenger Kids complies with regulations protecting children online, and offers more safeguards for youngsters.

Facebook said the new app, with no ads or in-app purchases, is aimed at six to 12-year-olds and does not allow children to connect with anyone their parent does not approve.

Messenger Kids is being rolled out for Apple iOS mobile devices in the United States on a test basis as a standalone video chat and messaging app.

Product manager Loren Cheng says the social network leader is offering Messenger Kids because “there’s a need for a messaging app that lets kids connect with people they love but also has the level of control parents want.”

Groups which monitor social media gave mixed reviews to the Facebook effort.

“Ideally, young children should not really be subjected to this kind of environment,” says executive director Jeff Chester of the Centre for Digital Democracy, a consumer protection group.

“(Messenger Kids) is the best we can do at the moment. The pressure on parents to let their children be on these services is so strong.”

Facebook, meanwhile, is motivated to increase the ranks of people using its offerings and get a new generation in the habit of using the social network.

John Simpson of the activist group Consumer Watchdog argued a need for academic studies into how the use of technology affects children.

“Tech companies are not doing this out of generosity and kindness of the heart, they’re doing it so they will build potentially loyal customers in the future,” Simpson says.

Two US senators wrote to Facebook last week with concerns about how children’s personal data might be collected or used in Messenger Kids.

With Messenger Kids, Facebook gets children to spend time on the internet and social networks, says David Monahan of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood.

He’s seen similar approaches from other tech giants, such as Google, which has spent years getting US schools to use its Chromebook devices for connecting to cloud-based content and services.

A Google for Education website aimed Chromebooks directly at classrooms, touting the devices as low-priced and easy to use.

Chromebooks have become the most prevalent computing hardware in US schools, despite Apple starting years earlier in aiming its Macintosh machines at education.

Selling computers to schools at attractive prices, aimed at high-volume deals and becoming part of people’ lives at early ages, is not new.

Apple, Microsoft, and HP have a history of it. But, Google has triumphed on this ground to the extent that the New York Times referred to the accomplishment in coverage as the “Googlification of Classrooms”.

Since Chromebooks act as portals to computing power and applications hosted online, Google gets the benefit of having students use its software for classwork, messaging and other services powered by the internet cloud.

Google charges a one-time $30 licensing fee per Chromebook, and claims that more than 20 million students use its devices in schools around the world.

This has the potential of getting children, from a very young age, of “thinking about Google as a partner of the school” and, since it has the stamp of approval from educators believing it “must be a good product,” Monahan said.

Advocacy groups are also keen for assurance that companies behind technology, even if only internet-linked toys, will vigilantly guard children and their information.

Mattel recently backed off marketing a connected speaker for children due to worries about invading privacy and exposing youngsters to hackers and advertisers.

Earlier this year, a coalition of activist and consumer groups warned that smartwatches designed to help parents keep tabs on children could create privacy and security risks.