Across the country, shops are finding it increasingly difficult to keep their shelves stocked.

“Because of a shortage of French milk, our suppliers cannot fulfil our butter orders,” read a sign last week in an Intermarche supermarket in the northern city of Rouen, situated in the Normandy dairy heartland.

At a Super U supermarket in central Paris, one of the most popular brands of butter — a salty variety from the western Brittany region — had vanished.

“Customers have been stocking up, particularly local restaurant owners. For the moment we’re able to manage but we’ve been warned to expect more shortages,” said Adrien, the store manager, who declined to give his surname.

The turbulence in the butter market began when the European Union abolished its system of milk quotas in 2015.

The move initially triggered a flood of milk supplies, causing a collapse in global prices that prompted dairy farmers to subsequently slash their output.

Chinese croissant craze

The decline in production came as butter began enjoying a comeback in the West, following research suggesting that saturated fats — long linked to heart disease — were not as harmful as thought.

“The rehabilitation of animal fats has caused demand for butter to explode around the world,” said Gerard Calbrix, head of economic affairs at the Association of French Dairy Producers.

The growth in demand is particularly pronounced in emerging economies such as China and the Middle East, where croissants and other buttery treats are increasingly in vogue.

The surge in demand has caused prices to rocket, with industrial butter rising from 2,500 euros a tonne in April 2016 to 7,000 euros a tonne this summer.

“If this continues we’ll have to increase our prices because we have wages to pay,” said Jose Pires, manager of a busy bakery in the Montorgueil district of central Paris, which uses only the finest whipped butter in its creations.

Like other bakers interviewed by AFP, he ruled out substituting butter with cheaper margarine in his croissants, pains au chocolat and sandwiches.

“We cannot change the recipe. That would be unprofessional,” he said.

Thierry Lucas, owner of a bakery in the Finistere region of Normandy, said he had increased the prices of his croissants by 5 euro centimes (5.9 dollar cents) to cover his costs.

To save money he had also begun buying his butter at a supermarket that had yet to pass on the price increases, saving over 1,000 euros a tonne in the process.

Not everyone has been able to find a workaround, however.

In the central Cher region, Claude Francois, owner of a small pastry producer, said she had cut her workers’ hours by 70 percent because she could not source enough butter to maintain output.

“We’ve been on rationed supplies since mid-August. We are only receiving a tonne a week when we need three tonnes… We cannot go on like this for much longer,” she said.

“Reading is the best foundation for quality learning and development. Books help us experience other points of view and find solutions to problems in life,” said Culture Minister Veera Rojpojanarat.

“This project urges parents and teachers to encourage reading from the earliest age to help their young charges develop. More than 100 children’s books for all ages are available at the Books For Children Foundation’s booth as well as from several publishers participating this event. We are grateful to Chulalongkorn University Book Centre, Asia Books, and SE-ED Books Centre for their support,” he added.

“The project aims to promote the reading culture from this year through to 2021 in line with the commission’s policy to support reform in sports, arts, culture, religion, morals and ethics and ensure children, youth and the public in rural areas have better opportunities,” said Pradit Posew, deputy director-general of the department.

The 100 great books for children and youth are divided into different age ranges: there are four books for children younger than 12 months, 15 books for 13 years old, 30 books for 46 years old, 24 books for 7-11 years old and 27 books for 12-18 years old.

Culture Minister Veera presented certificates to 25 printers, among them Praew Puen Dek, Hello Kids, Happy Kids, Aksara For Kids, Prapakarn Publishing, Press @ Kids, Sataporn Books, Nanmee Books, Reading Party, Combang Publishing, Mingmit Publishing, Praew Juvenile, Sarakadee Press, Adult, Matichon, Free Form, Wattana Panich, Bhannakij, Salmon Books, and Amarin Comics.

“The selection of books is very important in encouraging children to read and learn and their parents to support them. Books, featuring illustrations and big-size letters, are easy to understand and that makes both reader and listener happy,” said Suthathip Tatchayapong, the project’s chief.

“Children like to learn but they only pay attention if we don’t pressure them. That makes the selection of children’s books a hard task. But we are confident that kids from all regions of the country will enjoy the content,” said Pojjaman Pongpaiboon, director of Education Innovation Development, Office of the Basic Education Commission.

Check out the children’s books at booth Y09 or find out more at http://www.culture.go.th or Facebook.com/DCP.culture/.

AMONG THE many books chronicling the time His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej spent in Switzerland, a new sketchbook illustrating those years stands out thanks to the endearing talents of celebrated artist Krirkbura Yomnage.

In “Kao Nuer Klao: Jak Lausanne Thueng Lan Phra Merumas – Notre Roi”, Krirkbura brings to bear in 80 watercolours the delicate brushstrokes for which he’s famous. The text, in Thai, is by Supoj Lokunsombat.

The paintings and sketches follow what Thai tourists visiting Lausanne know as “the royal trail”, the places associated with the late King and his siblings. The end of the trail is not in Switzerland, however, but at the royal crematorium in Sanam Luang, a moving choice for the story to come to rest.

This depiction of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej as a student in Switzerland is among Krirkbura Yomnage’s watercolours in “Kao Nuer Klao: Jak Lausanne Thueng Lan Phra Merumas”.

Krirkbura and Supoj spent a week in Switzerland in June, seeking out the places that played a formative role in the young Prince Bhumibol’s life. On their return, they spent two months writing and illustrating the 88-page hardcover book, whose title translates as “Our King: From Lausanne to the Royal Crematorium”.

Krirkbura, 58, says he set out to record the late King’s younger years in Switzerland, both before he ascended the throne and on his return there as King to further his studies.

“He had spent nearly 18 years in Lausanne, one of the most picturesque Swiss settings, and I wanted to share some angles of the location that people might not know about.”

Supoj, who earns his living as a travel writer, knew the country well. He studied hospitality at the Centre Internal de Glion in Switzerland, on a scholarship from Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana, King Bhumibol’s late sister, who also grew up in Lausanne.

Le Grand-Pont is a Lausanne landmark.

“Hof Art Gallery initiated the book project to pay tribute to our beloved monarch,” Supoj explains. “There was a time limit, but luckily I’d already taken the royal trail several times.

“Ajarn Krirkbura’s paintings serve as the doors on every chapter in the late King’s life in Lausanne, proceeding chronologically. My writing only plays a supporting role, summarising the historical record in an easy-to-read way.”

Supoj relied mainly on Princess Galyani’s memoirs, “Chaonai Lek Lek – Yuwakasat” (“Little Royals – Young Kings”) and “Mae Lao Hai Fang” (“As Mum Told”).

For his part, Krirkbura sized up each locale in Lausanne with his artist’s eye, chose an angle, set the composition, and took a photo as a guide for his painting and drawing. The photographic imagery is dazzlingly reproduced in meticulous detail.

The painting that took the most time to execute occupies the opening double fold, depicting Le Grand-Pont, the 173-year-old bridge that connects east and west Lausanne. In the background is a tall hill crowded with fine old buildings and capped by the cathedral.

Lausanne railway station 

The first chapter visits the railway station at which Mom Sangwan Mahidol arrived from Paris in 1926 with her two children. Princess Galyani was two years old and Prince Ananda Mahidol just seven months. The future King Bhumibol was yet to be born.

The children’s father, Prince Mahidol of Songkla, had gone home to Thailand to attend the cremation of King Rama VI. The family, who’d been living in Paris, moved to Lausanne so the children could begin nursery school at Champ Soleil, which was owned by a physician and reputed to excel in the care of small children. It too is pictured in the book.

Bhumibol was born in 1927, in Boston in the United States, where his father was studying medicine. The following year the family moved back to Lausanne so that Prince Mahidol could recuperate from illness. Bhumibol soon joined his siblings at Champ Soleil.

Not long after they’d returned to Thailand, Prince Mahidol died with kidney failure. The widow and children lived in Srapathum Palace in Bangkok, but, in the year after the coup that ended absolute monarchy, moved once more to Switzerland.

The apartment building on Avenue Tissot where the two future Kings lived

Lausanne has of course undergone many changes in the decades since the royal family was there, but Krirkbura and Supoj were delighted to find several of the buildings familiar from the story still intact and looking much the same as always. One was the apartment building at 16 Avenue Tissot where the royal family lived from 1933 to 1935.

In the middle of that period, King Prajadhipok (Rama VII) abdicated, and then-nine-year-old Prince Ananda was chosen as his successor. With arrangements made for the children to continue their education in Lausanne, the family moved to the grander Villa Vadhana in nearby Pully. The brothers were enrolled in a private school, Ecole Nouvelle de la Suisse Romande.

“The Villa Vadhana has been demolished, but we got to meet Madame Rose-Marie Berger, who’s now 95, who was a neighbour of the Mahidol family,” says Supoj. “Her late husband taught the Princess Mother to speak French.”

Ecole Nouvelle was where the future monarchs began cultivating their multiple talents.

Two of Ecole Nouvelle’s original wings are still standing. This is where the future Kings began developing their multiple talents, including fluency in several languages, woodworking, agriculture and sports. One of the school buildings has a cabinet in which photos and other mementoes of the royal alumni are displayed. A plaque honouring the brothers adorns the facade of the school’s new wing.

The Palais de Rumine was part of the University of Lausanne when the royal siblings were studying there.

Krirkbura painted a panoramic view of the Florentine Renaissance-style Palais de Rumine, once the central edifice of the University of Lausanne, where the royal siblings went on to study.

Close by is the bistro A la Pomme de Pin, where Prince Bhimibol loitered in his student days. The Princess Mother bought her fresh produce at the century-old St Francois Market out front.

Supoj says there was another lucky chance meeting, this time with the Swiss journalist-writer Oliver Grivat, who took them to Villa Flonzaley in Puidoux, another small town outside Lausanne.

On their grand tour of Europe in 1960, King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit embarked to destinations from Puidoux railway station. 

This was where King Bumibol loved to rest during his six-month state tour of 13 European countries in 1960. “He could have stayed in a five-star hotel, but he preferred this small town with a population of only 1,500,” Supoj adds.

Another stop was the Puidoux railway station, from which Their Majesties the Queen and late King embarked for their destinations around Europe.

“Daniel Chaubert, the former stationmaster, came to meet us wearing the same hat and nametag he wore the day Their Majesties first arrived at Puidox from their Bonn, in Germany,” says Krirkbura. “He shared his favourite memory with us: ‘The King was so smart and the Queen was very beautiful. Even though it was midnight and they were so tired, they kept smiling’.”

The royal crematorium

The book’s poignant ending is no doubt inevitable. There is a sketch of the telescoped view of the cortege carrying the body of His Majesty home from the hospital last October 13, thousands of stricken mourners lining the route. And then a marvellous painting of the royal crematorium.

But on the last two pages, Krirkbura has depicted daffodils (dararat), King Bhumibol’s favourite flower, which he often plucked for Queen Sirikit when they stayed in Switzerland.

And Supoj has added a verse from the French song “Tristesse”, a favourite of the Queen’s.

Translated, it says, “The shadow flees, goodbye the beautiful dream.”

SEE THE ORIGINALS

Twenty of the original 20 watercolours and sketches from the book are on display in CentralWorld’s Eden Zone until October 31.

Two editions of the book are on sale. The first, limited to 999 copies, is boxed with a print signed by Krirkbura and costs Bt1,999. The second, also hardcover, costs Bt999.

Part of the proceeds go to the Ananda Mahidol Foundation and Swiss Student Alumni Association of Thailand.

Order copies at (089) 926 2196.

The Xperia XZ1, Sony’s newest flagship phone, has good performance, a fast Internet connection and good-quality cameras. If that all sounds pretty routine, how about this: you can use it to create 3D models.

Other Sony products – the Cybershot cameras, Bravia TV sets, Handycams and Walkmans – have all played a role in the development of the XZ1. In fact the firm boasts that it represents “the very best of Sony technologies in a single device”.

You have their core expertise in camera technology and image sensing in the combination of four new camera-focused features – the 3D Creator, Autofocus Burst, Super Slow Motion Video, and Smile Predictive Capture.

The XZ1 has a unibody design (Loop Surface), a 5.2-inch Full HD HDR display, High-Resolution Audio, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 octacore processor running at 2.46GHz, four gigabytes of working memory and 64GB of UFS internal storage.

I checked the phone’s performance with the AnTuTu Benchmark and got 157,670 marks, a very high score.

Then I tested the Internet connection on TrueMove H’s LTE network and was hooked into the Web impressively fast. Applications were downloaded quickly and my snapshots were backed up to my Google Photos cloud storage in no time.

The Ookla Speedtest app measured downloads at 121.03Mbps and uploads at 32.85Mbps, both impressive results.

The fast CPU, generous storage and hefty amount of RAM allows the XZ1 to create 3D models in real time. The 3D Creator app uses Sony’s Motion Eye camera technology, with its memory-stacked sensor, image processing engine (Bionz for mobile) and redesigned Sony G Lens. You do the calibration, then superfast scanning and finally texturing.

High-quality 3D scans of objects can be rendered in just a minute using any of the head scan, face scan, food scan or freeform scan modes. Each mode has its own custom guides for ease of use.

Scanned objects can then be shared on messenger apps using 3D stickers or uploaded to 3D communities such as Sketchfab. Users can also bring scans to life by using them as avatars on the camera’s AR effects options, third-party apps or as live wallpaper.

Scans can even be printed on a 3D printer and converted into memorable keepsakes. The 3D Creator app also sports a Find More option that provides access to a growing 3D ecosystem via Google Play.

Of course, the scanning will have to be made in a proper environment. For example, you need good light – not too strong – and the object must be solid (free of holes) and in sharp contrast with the background.

The very good-quality main camera also has Motion Eye, along with a 19-megapixel 1/2.3-inch Exmor RS-formobile memory-stacked sensor that has pixel pitch of 1.22 microns, and Sony’s award-winning G Lens with an f/2.0 aperture. You get good lowlight performance of ISO 12800.

There’s also Predictive Capture, which automatically starts buffering images seconds before you press the shutter button so you never miss the shot you want.

The camera is great for fast action thanks to Autofocus burst technology, which tracks and captures moving objects in sequences and in sharp focus. Superslow motion is possible because Motion Eye can record 950 frames per second – four times more than most phones. The more frames, the slower the replay.

I got beautiful shots with crisp detail and good exposure in Auto mode. Manual mode allows you to control shutter speed, focus, exposure and white balance.

The front camera uses a 13MP 1/3.06-inch Exmor RX sensor with a 22mm wideangle f/2.0 lens. It’s made for selfies – in any light since it has lowlight sensitivity of ISO 6400.

Sony deploys its long Walkman expertise to make the XZ1 a powerful music player, good even for High-Resolution Audio.

The stereo speakers have 50 per cent more sound pressure than previous models, and SForce Front Surround simulates immersive speaker sound.

With HiRes Audio playback capability in several formats, including FLAC 24bit/192kHz and DSD formats, and coupled with Hi-Res Audio headphones, you can enjoy music the way the artists intended it.

I put on Sony’s MDR1ABT and I heard terrific sound with great detail and powerful bass.

The XZ1 will also HD Bluetooth-stream Sony’s own LDAC protocol and can handle the new Qualcomm aptX HD.

A DSEE X digital sound-enhancement engine upscales non-Hi-Res songs for better quality. There are several sound-enhancement settings, such as ClearAudio+ for enriching audio and ClearBASS to boost the lows without distortion.

If you have headphones with Digital Noise Cancelling, plug them into the XZ1 to remove up to 98 per cent of exterior noise.

Sony’s Music app supports Google Chromecast, allowing you to cast your music to a wireless speaker with Chromecast builtin, such as Sony HTMT500 sound bar.

The XZ1 supports several other wireless technologies, including Miracast and DLNA, allowing its Music app to find and play files stored on network drives, such as the Synology DiskStation DS418j. I had no problem using XZ1 to browse and play music files stored on the DS418j.

The 5.2-inch HDR (High Dynamic Rage) display is great for watching HDR video clips, as found on YouTube. The display uses Sony’s Bravia TV technology to play HDR shows.

Triluminos display-formobile produces about 138 per cent more of the colour spectrum that standard displays show. Mapping colours from a wider palette, it brings subtle shades to life for a more natural look.

X-Reality-formobile adds missing pixels, reduces noise and enhances texture to make everything look crisp and clear, even low-resolution content.

I enjoyed watching HD content and sports programmes via the TrueVisions Anywhere app. The pictures were sharp and smooth.

The display is also durable behind Corning Gorilla Glass 5 and the phone is water-resistant, conforming to the IP65/68 rating.

The XZ1 has a fingerprint sensor embedded in its power button, allowing you to unlock the phone fast.

The battery life is good, with 2,700mAh capacity and Smart Stamnia 3.0 technology. The phone estimates how long the battery will last based on normal use. If power is likely to run out later in the day, it prompts you to activate Stamina mode.

The Sony Xperia XZ1 has a suggested retail price of Bt22,990.

KEY SPECS

– Operating system: Google Android 8.0

– Networks: GSM GPRS/EDGE (2G), UMTS HSPA+ (3G), LTE (4G) Cat16 with Gigabit-class speeds

– CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 Mobile Platform

– Memory: 4GB RAM

– Storage: 64GB UFS, upgradable with microSDXC by up to 256GB

– Display: 5.2-inch FHD HDR Triluminos for mobile

– Main camera: 19MP Motion Eye with 25mm f/20 Sony G Lens

– Front camera: 13MP 22mm wide-angle f/2.0 lens

– Connectivity: AGNSS (GPS + GLONASS), Wi-Fi Miracast, Bluetooth 5.0, DLNA, Google Cas, NFC, USB 3.1 Gen 15 / USB TypeC

– Battery: 2,700mAh, supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0

– Dimensions: 148x73x7.4mm

– Weight: 156g

If your idea of a good night out is a night in with a movie, soap or football match, spice up your watching pleasure with the new LG Dolby Atmos Soundbar SJ9.

With a footprint of 120x158x145mm, the SJ9 matches a TV with a display size of 55 inches or larger and simulates surround sound based on the latest Dolby Atmos technology, which has been available in some popular Netflix movies for a while.

The SJ9 adds a pair of upfiring speakers to an array of front speakers to deliver a sense of realism and height.

The soundbar is made of seven speakers – two front channels, one centre, two surround channels and two top channels – each of which has 43 watts of power output giving the entire unit a hefty 500 watts of output, which is more than enough to fill even the largest living room.

And the wireless woofer delivers another 200 watts of power output, ensuring your floor will shake with the explosions in the movies and likely make you very unpopular with the neighbours.

You can also add wireless rear speakers from LG to enhance the home theatre sounds.

If you have 4K TV, you will be pleased to learn that the movie quality won’t be downgraded when you connect the HDMI cable from the 4K movie source to the soundbar. This is because the SJ9 has the ability to pass through a 4K video signal to the TV as it decodes the movie audio. The soundbar has an HDMI-in port and an HDMI-out port that also supports ARC (audio return channel) for receiving the audio signal from your TV and playing it through the soundbar system.

Apart from functioning as a very good home theatre sound system, the SJ9 can also function as a Bluetooth or WiFi speakers to let you enjoy music.

It supports High-Resolution Audio formats, has Chromecast builtin and supports multiroom function.

The SJ9 can play Hi-Res FLAC Audio files in 24bit/192 format, allowing you to enjoy the music the way the artists intended you to.

Since the SJ9 has no USB port, you need to stream the HD music to it, using builtin Wi-Fi and Chromecast functions. You will need music apps that support Chromecast to cast the HD music to the SJ9 although another option is to use LG’s Music Flow Player app to stream the Hi-Res Audio files to the soundbar. Moreover, when you stream non-HD music files to the SJI, it upconverts the music files to a resolution that’s close to that of Hi-Res Audio.

The Music Flow Player allows you to set the SJ9 into part of or your entire multiroom audio system, which is useful if you have several LG’s Wi-Fi speakers that support multiroom function.

You can assign the same playlist to all Wi-Fi speakers in your room or you can assign different playlists to different speakers. As part of the multiroom function, you can set SJ9 to have your music start the moment you enter the room. The function allows the SJ9 to automatically take over the playback of the audio from a connected device the moment it sense the device is nearby.

When you stream music to the SJ9 using Music Flow Player, you can stream music files from your shared computer network and from a networked drive, such as Synology DiskStaton DS418j.

And the Music Flow Player is now integrated with TuneIn Internet radio app that allows you to stream music from your favourite Internet Radio station. With Chromecast builtin, you can stream music from Spotify, Deezer and more to the soundbar.

The SJ9 has five sound modes – ASC (Adaptive Sound Control), Standard, Bass Blast, Cinema and Music as well as the LG Auto Sound Engine that optimises your sound at any volume level and maintains precise frequencies at all times. This provides the appropriate sound balance regardless of the volume.

The SJ9 also has an optical audio-in, a portablein or 3.5mm stereo jack port and Bluetooth function for connecting to various sound sources.

The test found that the SJ9 reproduced very good quality sound. Movies sounded so much better thanks to the good surround sound effects and Hi-Res Audio music was impressive with great details. The bass very powerful especially when used in Bass Blast mode. I connected the soundbar’s HDMI-in to HDMI-out of TrueVisions satellite receiver and I enjoyed watching action movies with good surround sounds.

LG Dolby Atmos Soundbar SJ9 has a suggested retail price of Bt39,990.

KEY SPECS

– Speaker output: 5.1.2-channel 500 watts

– Subwoofer output: 200 watts

– Connectivity: Portable-in (3.5mm), optical-in, HDMI 2.0 (in/out), Bluetooth, LG TV Sound Sync, Google Chromecast, Wi-Fi (Multiroom network)

– Sound modes: ASC, Standard, Bass Blast, Cinema, Music

– Audio formats supported: LPCM, Dolby Digital, DTS Digital Surround, MP3, WMA, FLAC (up to 192kHz), OGG, ALAC, MPEG4, WAV, AAC+, AIFF, Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD Dolby Digital Plus

– Dimensions: 1200x58x145mm

– Weight: 5.6kgs

A MARRIED couple working together, say the experts, is usually not a recipe for a successful marriage or, for that matter, a successful business partnership. But then Thai economist Pasuk Phonpai- chit and her husband, British historian Chris Baker, are hardly the norm, having collaborated in love and life for more than 30 years and achieved so much that they have won accolades both at home and internationally.

The co-authors of such seminal works as “Thailand: Economy and Politics”, “Thailand’s Boom and Bust”, “A History of Thailand”, and “Thaksin”, Pasuk and Baker earlier this year became the first married couple to win the Grand Prize from Japan’s Fukuoka city and the Fukuoka City International Foundation. The award has been granted annually since 1990 to those who have made outstanding contributions to the preservation of Asian culture.

The two met as students at Cambridge University and married there in 1979. They returned to Thailand soon afterwards and almost immediately became keen observers of a Thai society that was going through profound change, both politically and economically.

“We both like to understand what’s going on around us,” says Baker.

Pasuk nods her agreement then adds: “But because of our fields of expertise, we often look at things slightly differently. Discussing, even arguing, brings as closer together and we help each other extend each other’s horizons.”

Baker says the idea for the first book arose from a wish to “put the facts straight”, explaining that when Thailand faced a political crisis in the 1990s, most international journalists were writing about the country as if it were still the ’60s and the Vietnam War was in full swing.

“I saw how the country was changing in the ’80s when the economic boom started. A new society was emerging and we felt we were in a position to try to start explaining how this country had evolved.”

The result was “Thailand’s Boom!”, which was published in 1996 and revised two years later under the new title “Thailand’s Boom and Bust!”

Their works offered an entirely new perspective of the country. Not only was the content very different from the views expressed by international journalists but their narration explained the society and the people in it rather than focusing on the political elite including the Monarchy and prime ministers.

This unprecedented style of writing history, Pasuk says, was something she had always wanted to do.

“When I was younger, I wanted to write novels or fiction about ordinary people. But since I chose to become an economist, I had to stick to papers that had to do with economics,” she explains.

The pair is quick to admit that despite sharing a passion for history and current affairs, they don’t agree all the time and can find collaboration an uphill battle. “But we don’t like arguing,” says Pasuk firmly only to be immediately contradicted by her husband.

“We wrote much of our first book at a beach home in Cha-Am. And because we were both working full time, we did much of it over the weekend,” Baker explains.

“And we spent half of the time walking up and down the beach shouting at one another because we always had something to argue about,” says Baker, laughing at the recollection.

“Anyone watching us probably thought we were on the point of breaking up.”

In fact, as soon as they reached the house, the argument would stop and turn to more mundane issues like “who’s cooking dinner?”

“And we came back and did exactly the same the following weekend and sometimes even the next day. But we never let it intrude on our personal life.”

Pasuk, who has been listening and looking at Baker the whole time with a smile on her face, nods and says “Yes, yes, yes”.

She adds that the reason they have been able to work together so successfully for so long is because they actually enjoy the mental stimulation and love to learn from each other.

“Honestly, back in Thailand, I was always a good student. But Chris, who was educated in Britain, is so much more knowledgeable and well-rounded,” she says. “So, for me, Chris is teacher, friend, and partner. I always listen to him.”

Baker adds that it’s been the same for him “As a resident in a foreign country, Pasuk has always been, and still is, my guide to the culture. I learn a lot from her,” he says.

And both love nothing more than a lively debate.

“I guess we both like to argue,” Pasuk says. “We are hard to convince. We try to argue against what the other is saying. But it’s not about us; it’s an academic discussion that helps us understand the world around us.”

In addition to the Fukuoka Prize, Pasuk and Baker have won several awards for their exceptional academic works. These include Best Book of the Year from the National Research Council of Thailand, Outstanding Book of the Year from American Library Association, and the AL Becker Southeast Asian Literature in Translation Prize from the Association for Asian Studies. Their extraordinary work is listed as the must-read for anyone interested in Thai history and politics.

Baker says the accolades would never have come their way if they weren’t so good at losing.

“We both are quite good at losing arguments,” he said. “I think that’s very, very important. You got to be able to lose.”

Pasuk agrees. “The reason we work together very well is because we respect each other very much,” she said. “It’s give and take and we both know the importance of losing with grace.”

READ A LITTLE

– The couple’s latest book, “A History of Ayutthaya: Siam in the Early Modern World,” was published in July by Cambridge University Press. It’s on sale at leading book stores for Bt1,150.

“The ‘Talent Thai’ & ‘Designers’ Room are two projects initiated by Office of Design and Innovation for Trading Promotion, to incubate knowledge and experience and strengthen Thai designers so they can better compete in the international market. Over the past 15 years, the two projects have welcomed more than 600 brand participants, many of which successfully expanded their products and brands to the global market. Every brand participating in the projects have an opportunity to showcase their products in the world’s leading fashion and lifestyle product exhibitions,” says Chantira Jimreivat Vivatrat, directorgeneral of the DITP.

The portfolios of Talent Thai & Designers’ Room 2017 participants will be introduced to Thai and foreign visitors, including retailers, concept store, property project developer, overseas buying agents, designers, interior designers, design institutes, as well as department stores in various countries.

This year, 66 Thai brands were selected to participate in Talent Thai & Designers’ Room, 43 of which are Talent Thai lifestyle designer brands and the other 23 Designers’ Room fashion design brands.

Style 2017 is being held at BITEC Bang Na and wraps tomorrow night.

This category of software, it adds, is the vehicle that can translate the increasing array of facility data into actionable information.

The actionable data is growing rapidly due to the arrival of the IoT – the Internet of Things or, as some call it, the Internet of Everything. This means that machines are talking to each other. Consider this: if everyone on Earth were connected, the Internet population would total about 7.3 billion.

The number of installed devices in the IoT is already twice that figure and is projected to top 75 billion – 10 times the Earth’s inhabitants – within 10 years. Some of those devices will be sensors that provide information on temperature, CO2 levels, or other bits of data that can be used for building management through the right combination of analytics and control.

That information makes it possible to realise significant energy efficiency improvements. For instance, Schneider Electric’s headquarters in Paris has seen a fourfold reduction in energy consumption, thanks to a combination of a Bems with monitoring and control algorithms. These improvements depend on the input from over 3000 sensors that drive efficiency improvements from the device level to the service level.

The IoT includes environmental and occupancy sensors as well as other sensors that monitor power consumption. Data captured from these forms the basis for energy savings. For instance, efficiency can be improved by reducing the number of air exchanges per hour when a room is unoccupied, as verified via CO2, temperature, humidity and other sensors. Consequently, air exchanges can be adjusted even if the occupant load varies greatly.

The trend toward more data was on the rise before the IoT began to show up a few years back. However, now the advent of so many connected devices has really accelerated the acquisition of more and more data. With the Internet of Things tripling over the next five years, look for the data to grow at about the same rate.

BEMS technology must be prepared for this. For an example of how this can be done, check out http://www.Schneider-Electric.com/en/product-range/62191-ecostruxure-building-expert

The “Book of Dust” series will take readers back to the parallel world that has captivated readers young and old, selling more than 17.5 million copies in over 40 languages.

“La Belle Sauvage” is set 10 years before “Northern Lights” — the first volume in “His Dark Materials”, released in 1995 — and revolves around Lyra Belacqua, the headstrong heroine of the original trilogy.

Fans will once again be immersed in the world of alethiometers — compass-like devices used to find truthful answers to questions — and daemons — creatures that express a person’s inner-self in physical form.

“At the centre of The Book of Dust is the struggle between a despotic and totalitarian organisation, which wants to stifle speculation and enquiry, and those who believe thought and speech should be free,” the 70-year-old author said.

“This volume and the next will cover two parts of Lyra’s life: starting at the beginning of her story and returning to her 20 years later,” he said.

“There are some characters who are new to us, including an ordinary boy who, with Lyra, is caught up in a terrifying adventure that takes him into a new world,” he added.

Early extracts from the book revealed her companion to be 11-year-old Malcolm Polstead — who had a walk-on part in the previous trilogy — and his daemon, Asta, along with his boat La Belle Sauvage.

It also emerged that Lyra was being sheltered from her own father by nuns at Godstow Priory near Oxford in the new tale.

Pullman said he chose Lyra to be a central character because “she’s not a special child” but is “brave, inquisitive, curious, disobedient: all those interesting things for storytellers.

“She doesn’t know the things that are threatening her and she’s in the same position as the reader, because the reader shares her sense of danger and excitement and curiosity about what’s going to happen next.”

Award-winning Welsh actor and self-avowed fan Michael Sheen will narrate the English version of the audiobook.

“It was genuinely one of the most thrilling and enjoyable experiences I’ve had as a performer, to sit in that darkened recording studio for three magical days and live inside the story of Malcolm and Lyra and their extraordinary journey,” the “Frost/Nixon” actor said.

“The Amber Spyglass,” the final volume in the “His Dark Materials” trilogy, was released in 2000.

The event will start with a krathong-making competition in which guests will be invited to be judges and cast their votes for their favourite krathong, the floating vessel, made and decorated by the hotel’s employees from various departments.

In the evening, an international buffet dinner with accents and elements of Thai culture will be presented on the hotel’s green lawn and at River Cafe & Terrace restaurant. Diners will enjoy exploring a wide selection of international cuisine including Japanese sushi and sashimi, Thai specialities and freshly grilled seafood and meat while being entertained by a contemporary Thai dance performance and the Miss Noppamas beauty contest.

A miniature traditional market will be held on The Peninsula Lawn, allowing guests to stroll around while observing live demonstrations of krathong-making, banana leaf folding and traditional Thai dessert-making.

After dinner, diners are encouraged to float their krathong on the Chao Phraya River. A fireworks display above Chao Phraya River will mark the end of the event.

The buffet dinner at River Cafe & Terrace and on The Peninsula Lawn is priced at Bt3,590-plus per person including a krathong. The full Festival line-up and ticketing details will be announced in end October 2017.

For reservations and more information, call (02) 020 2888 or email diningpbk@peninsula.com.