THEY BANDY about terms like “co-working” but instead of coding and developing algorithms in open space offices they work out in the open trying to tease tomatoes from the soil.

Welcome to the Hundredth Monkey Farm where aspiring farmers can benefit from the same type of coaching and shared resources that many hi-tech start-ups get from business incubators or co-working.

The name pays homage to the hundredth monkey effect, the concept that an idea or behaviour will spread rapidly once it is adopted by a critical mass.

Novice farmers harvest vegetables at “The Hundredth Monkey” or “Le 100e singe” collaborative farm in Belberaud near the southern French city of Toulouse. /AFP

This farm in Belberaud outside the southern French city of Toulouse is seeking to promote a “more sober, more durable” alternative to industrial farming, one that is adapted to small holdings.

And its “monkeys” aren’t necessarily born into farming.

Sacha Danjou, 25, is a former aeronautical engineer learning to manage a farm.

“Being a farmer is a different world, one that touches on a lot of different areas – biology, management, accounting.” he says, as he stands amongst rows of tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and other vegetables.

“When you are not part of it, it’s difficult to get started”, he adds.

Here, for roughly 300 euros (Bt11,300) per month, Danjou gets to test his hands with a parcel of 5,000 square metres that has access to water and electricity. Moreover, he has access to farm machinery that all the aspiring farmers share.

The tractors and tillers alone cost around 40,000 euros. Adding that to the cost of land shows how setting up a farm is a costly endeavour.

“The risk is there when you start,” Danjou notes.

“You buy, you have huge costs, you need to generate a certain amount of sales from the first year, you can’t make any mistakes. Without experience, it’s scary.”

Amandine Largeaud, one of the founders of the Hundredth Monkey Farm, calls their model “agricultural co-working”.

Co-working emerged a decade ago as an option for freelance employees and internet start-ups, where renters share not only office space but form a community where they can share experience and expertise.

Largeaud acknowledges some might find it surprising applying the concept to the fields, but “it’s like office co-working, actually. We simply share the spaces and tools”.

In 2016, after several years in the solidarity economy, she joined up with 11 other people to launch the Hundredth Monkey Farm on a 19th-century holding of five hectares.

Largeaud notes that as the French agricultural system is based on handing down land and skills through families, it is difficult for outsiders to break into the sector.

A woman sits at her computer in a converted barn as another checks her mobile phone at “The Hundredth Monkey”.

“When you want to get started you don’t realise how much paperwork there is and the different agencies that you need to deal with,” says Danjou. “You don’t learn that overnight.”

That is why the Hundredth Monkey Farm is also a business incubator, offering aspiring farmers training and coaching as well as some administrative and legal assistance.

The aspiring farmers all sign a special type of pact that guides associations in France which help entrepreneurs that define what help they receive and as all have been recognised by the authorities as switching professions, they continue to receive unemployment benefits or payments for low-income workers.

So far the Hundredth Monkey Farm has accepted six projects, including raising vegetables, snails, and aquaponics where plants and aquatic animals are raised together.

After the initial one-year period, the projects can be renewed for up to two years.

Largeaud said that before starting the farm she was struck by how many unhappy employees wanted to retrain to work in the farm sector.

That was the case for Danjou.

“I wanted a job that satisfies me, with the power to make decisions, far away from a gargantuan hierarchy,” he says. “I want to see the fruit of my labour.”

They may not have reached their hundredth monkey, but the idea of a farmer incubator appears to be catching on.

The farm has more than a dozen candidates, and Largeaud says she has been helping people seeking to create similar incubators elsewhere in France.

WITH ITS central location and convenient public transport links, the Ratchaprasong area has long been the lifestyle and business district of the bustling capital. Today, it’s home to some 500 companies and organisations that are glued together by an interconnected skywalk, and this has given birth to many co-working spaces and cafes all eager to offer their services to urbanites. Here’s a list of nine places well worth a visit.

Gaysorn Urban Resort

Combining work with relaxation under the “work-live-play-grow” concept, Gaysorn Urban Resort at Gaysorn Tower offers various zones for diverse activities and flexible lifestyles. The Working Space Sharing services are designed for businesspeople and professionals and the Event Space is ideal for organising business meetings, seminars, press conferences, as well as banquets. Crystal Box is the highlight of the facility, as it provides a 270-degree view of the Ratchaprasong district through its glass wall while the Sky Terrace on the 19th floor is a relaxing area with a large garden. The meeting room package starts from Bt1,000-plus per hour.

Call (02) 253 3999, or visit http://www.GaysornUrbanResort.com.

Research & Innovation for Sustainability Centre (RISC)

RISC on the fourth floor of Magnolias Ratchadamri Boulevard is the first Asean research and testing centre on sustainable property development for environment and human wellbeing. Equipped with labs and modern testing instruments, this place efficiently facilitates research and innovations on a comprehensive scale. RISC aims to develop green property projects for a better quality of life on a sustainable basis. The first place in Thailand to deploy sound-masking technology for a tranquil mood, RISC has also explored various solutions and innovative technology in pursuits of its goals. At present, its cafe zone is decorated with vegetable garden cabinets, an upside-down ‘ceiling garden’ and air-quality sensors. Seven other zones are Welcome Hall, Inspiration Hall, Eco-Material Library, Demonstrate Hall, Collaborative Zone, Lab Zone and Office Zone/Working Zone. Visitors can drop in to work on their projects or look for inspiration. Free use of co-working space.

Call (083) 095 5268.

Werk

Located at BTS Ratchadamri station, Werk is a multipurpose working area catering to urbanites people, be they students or professionals. Werk Brand Space is designed for start-ups or the self-employed to rent, to present their works or host an event. Freelancers and students can use the Werk Co Space, which has two rooms each with 24 seats. The Meet Space is fitted with multimedia devices, stationery, printers and scanners, plus tea and coffee. Prices start at Bt300 a day for Co Space and Bt400 a day for Meet Space.

Call (083) 545 4311.

The Great Room

This co-working space from Singapore has recently opened a new branch in Bangkok and occupies 2,800 square metres across two floors of Gaysorn Tower. Combining elements of best offices, luxury hotels and leading business clubs, this is a space for private focused work and corporate entertaining and boasts a variety of meeting rooms and communal nooks for what it calls “casual collisions for grown-ups”.

The Drawing Room, which can accommodate up to 120 persons, is the perfect backdrop for evening cocktails. There’s also the State Room, an elegant boardroom for 14, the Studio, which can take up to 50 people, and the Study for groups of four. Hot desks and hot offices are available for members who like to work alone or with perhaps with one or two others. Hot chocolate and cookies are served in the afternoon. The meeting room package starts from Bt720 per hour.

Call (02) 703 0222.

Wecosystem

Aimed to empower and educate Thai SMEs, Wecosystem on the ninth floor of Gaysorn Tower offers entrepreneurs a wide range of business courses in everything from entrepreneurial skills, branding to financial management, along with design and technology training/workshops. Learners can expect to understand about changing environmental and economic circumstances and the inevitable shift into the digital age. Three zones, namely Cafe & Studio, Private Meeting and Wecosystem Outpost are also provided for entrepreneurs to focus on their tasks or exchange ideas with others. The membership package starts from Bt6,000-plus for three months.

Call (092) 274 7434 or visit http://www.WeCoSystem.co.

Starbucks Reserve

Spanning 760 square metres with 230 seats, Starbucks Reserve at CentralWorld is the biggest outlet in Thailand. It also includes co-working spaces for people to sit at their computers alone or in groups over cups of coffee. Two meeting rooms equipped with an LCD screen for multimedia presentations are also provided. The Starbucks Reserve Experience Bar offers premium coffees from Coffee Reserve beans and the Starbucks Draft, the first nitrogen-driven machine in Southeast Asia, is available here, presenting four taps for cold brew, nitro cold brew, tea and milk. As the drink comes directly out of the tap, customers can enjoy a delicate and foamy taste and bubbles.

Call (084) 438 7336.

Wawee Coffee

This Thai coffee house brand originated in Chiang Mai and has now opened a branch at Big C Supercentre on Ratchadamri. It serves coffee from both coffee-making machines and drip equipment, depending on customers’ preferences. Also available are tea, fruits, snacks, coconut-flavoured ice cream and juices. Most of coffee beans at this outlet come from the brand’s own plantations in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. Prices are from Bt75 to Bt100. It can accommodate about 50 persons with free Wi-Fi service. A meeting room for a group of 10-15 persons is available for advance booking.

Call (02) 250 4946.

Casa Lapin

Casa Lapin at CentralWorld can seat 70 persons and is a nice place for those in mobile-working mode. This outlet offers a variety of food and beverages and is equipped with a state-of-the-art Steampunk machine to handle everything starting with the selection of the coffee beans. There are two main types of coffee beans to choose from – local beans and those from Ethiopia, Kenya, Costa Rica and Colombia. The favourite order is Flat White and Salmon Cream Cheese. Prices range from Bt90 to Bt200.

Call (02) 116 3308.

Snap Cafe

Boasting minimal decor and plenty of white, Snap Cafe on the first floor of Gaysorn Village serves a variety of drinks and foods. Highlights are Thai sweetened crispy rice, salted caramel topped with Werther’s candy powder and sandwiches with fried egg and tuna. This cafe also has a nitrogen-driven tap to serve nitro cold brew, making sure customers can enjoy beer-like bubbles and a mellow taste. Many corners here are perfect for reading or working. It can seat about 20 people. Prices range from Bt80 to Bt200.

Call (089) 244 5191.

THE BRAND new smartphone from the Samsung stable, the Note9, will go a long way to restoring confidence in the South Korean tech giant thanks to a greatly improved S Pen stylus, a faster processor and faster performance as well as a larger battery.

It retains the shape and footprint of its predecessor, measuring 161.9 x 76.4 x 8.8mm and weighing 201 grammes, but has a slightly larger display of 6.4 inches compared to Note8’s 6.3, though both offer 1440×2960 pixel resolutions.

Note9 is powered by Samsung Exynos 9 octa 9810 processor with four cores running at 2.7 GHz and the other four at 1.7 GHz.

Note9 has six gigabytes of working memory, the same amount as the Note8 but the latest model has 128 GB internal storage compared to 64GB.

Note9 has good performance. I benchmarked it with AnTuTu Benchmark v7.1.0 and the smartphone got a high score of 247,453 points.

During the test, I found Note9 was very responsive in terms of the touch screen, menus and running the apps as well as in the use of the stylus.

Game players should be happy too because Note9 uses a water-carbon cooling system that helps prevent overheating, and an AI-based performance adjuster that ensures the game stays smooth and doesn’t become not sluggish

Note9 also has fast internet connection. I tested it on TrueMove H’s LTE network. The applications downloaded fast and my snapshots were backed up to my cloud storage in no time.

I used the Ookla Speedtest app to measure the Internet connection speed and found that it achieved a fast download speed of 79.4 Mbps and the upload speed of 41.5 Mbps.

Note9’s display is called Infinity Display and is akin to the Full View display of other brands. It has narrow bezels at the top and bottom and is near bezel-less at the left and right edges. Moreover, the iris scanner and sensors are hidden away at the top to cut down on visual disruption and to give you more space.

The high resolution of 2960×1440 pixels or Quad HD+ is impressive for viewing photos and watching video clips. During the test, I enjoyed using TrueID TV app to watch Premiere League Football matches and new Full-HD movies on the go.

Galaxy Note9’s Infinity Display is complemented by stereo speakers, which are tuned by AKG, and deliver Dolby Atmos immersive audio for a life like experience. This allows Note9 to provide good sound experience when watching movies.

YouTube was impressed too, naming Galaxy Note9 as a Signature Device able to deliver a best-in-class YouTube experience.

Moreover, the Note9’s display has vivid colours, high brightness and contrast. It intelligently adjusts the contrast bases on the light, so you can enjoy clear and visible details whether indoors or in direct sunlight.

Note9 can also play High-Resolution Audio. I tested it with Sony MDR-1ABT Hi-Res Audio headphones and I found that the sound quality was impressive with good music details and powerful bass.

And the 6.4-inch display is a vast canvas for using the S Pen stylus to draw or jot down your notes.

Samsung has said that it’s particularly proud of the new S Pen, referring to its development as “evolving from a tool for writing and drawing to putting more power and control in users’ hands”.

Now with Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE) support, the new S Pen delivers an entirely new way to use the Note. With just a click on the S Pen’s button, it’s now possible to take selfies and group pictures, present slides, pause and play video, and more.

And Samsung is confident that developers can integrate the S Pen’s new, advanced BLE functionalities into their apps later this year.

This function is very useful indeed and it works depending on the current use of the phone. For example, when you play music, you can press the S Pen button once to play or pause the music or double-press it to skip the track.

When you are viewing photos in Gallery app, you can press the S Pen button to move to the next photo and double-press to go back to the previous photo. This could be handy when you link the display from Note9 to a big screen TV to present a slide show from the Gallery.

When you are using the camera app, you can press once to take picture just as you would if using a shutter button or you can double-press it to switch between the rear and front camera.

The Note9 features dual camera technology for the rear camera and uses intelligent technology to make your pictures perfect.

The main camera comes with advanced noise reduction technology, and a Dual Aperture lens, which adjusts to light just like the human eye so the camera can capture good quality shots no matter the lighting conditions.

The dual cameras come with dual OIS (optical image stabilisation) for making blur-free shots. The rear dual-camera system is made of wide-angle fast-focus Dual Pixel 12 MP camera that comes with f/1.5/f2.4 aperture lens and a 2x telephoto 12MP with f/2.4 aperture lens. When you use the camera in Auto mode, you’ll see a button on the view finder to switch between the wide-angle and telephoto cameras.

The auto mode uses Samsung’s Scene Optimiser technology to get best the results. Samsung says Note9’s camera is its smartest as the Scene Optimiser uses artificial intelligence to identify elements of a photo, such as the scene and subject. The AI then automatically identifies the current scene to one of 20 categories and instantly optimises the result based on the category to ensure the most lifelike image with best colours and definition.

Note9’s cameras also have Flaw Detection option that can be selected in the setting. When selected, Note9 will let you know if there is something wrong in the first shot so you can take another shot right away and will not miss the moment. For example, an immediate notification will appear if the image is blurry, the subject blinked, there is a smudge on the lens, or there’s backlight impacting the quality of the image.

Apart from the Auto mode, the rear camera has Food, Panorama, Pro, Live focus, Super slo-mo, AR Emoji, Hyperlapse and Slow motion modes.

The Live focus mode is for making most of the dual camera system to achieve DSLR-like blurred background to make the subject outstanding. In this mode, there will be a slide bar for you to adjust the depth of field to blur the background. Moreover, you can add beauty effect to your subject in this mode to make him or her look more outstanding with bright and smooth skin.

The AR Emoji is fun for creating an emoji of your subject or adding animations, frames, and stickers using augmented reality. The AR Emoji is also available for the front camera for making your own emoji.

The front camera has 8-megapixel resolution with a bright f/1.7 aperture lens. It also has Wide Selfie mode for taking group selfie photos.

During the test, I found that Note9 took beautiful photos with sharp and clean results in most lighting environments. The Live focus mode allowed me to capture beautiful subjects with a professionally blurred background.

The AR Emoji is fun to make. It created 30 emoji in animated GIF files that I could then share via Facebook Messenger and LINE chat apps to impress friends.

Galaxy Note9 features Samsung’s trusted, defence-grade Knox security platform and biometric security options including fingerprint scanning, iris scanning and facial recognition capabilities to keep important information safe. During the test, I used iris scanning technology to easily unlock the phone. The set up of iris scanning was a breeze.

You can also use Note9 with peace of mind without fearing it would accidentally fall into the water or without having to fear heavy downpours while you’re out. The smartphone conforms to IP68 water and dust resistance, meaning it can be under 1.5-metre of freshwater for up to 30 minutes.

Note9 comes with a larger battery of 4,000 mAh capacity compared to 3,300 mAh of its predecessor. With this large battery, you can easily survive all-day use. The battery supports both wired and wireless fast charging – QC2.0 and AFC for wired and WPC and PMA for wireless fast charging.

Note9 comes with Bixby, a personalised, intelligent assistant that allows you to give voice commands to the phone.

And with the launch of Galaxy Note9, Samsung is making it easier to enjoy music with a new long-term partner, Spotify. The partnership makes Spotify easily accessible to seamlessly sync and transfer music, playlists and podcasts across Galaxy Note9.

A nice and useful function is Note9’s capacity to delivers a PC-like experience with optional Samsung DeX. This allows you to work on presentations, edit photos, and watch favourite shows on a large monitor connected to Note9 via Samsung DeX, using HDMI adapter.

When connected to a monitor, Galaxy Note9 can power a virtualised desktop and even serve as a fully functional second screen. Take notes with the S Pen while watching a video, or use Galaxy Note9 as a trackpad, to right-click, drag and drop, and use multiple windows on a monitor. It’s never been easier to be more productive.

Samsung Galaxy Note9 has a suggested retail price of Bt33,900.

>> Network: LTE Cat 18

>> OS: Android 8.1 (Oreo)

>> CPU: Samsung Exynos 9 octa 9810 (2.7 GHz four cores + 1.7 GHz four cores)

>> Memory: 6GB LPDDR4 RAM

>> Storage: 128GB upgradable with microSD by up to 512GB

>> Display: 6.4-inch Quad HD+ Super AMOLED, 2960×1440 (516ppi)

>> Camera: Rear: Dual Camera with Dual OIS made of Wide-angle: Super Speed Dual Pixel 12MP AF, F1.5/F2.4, OIS and Telephoto: 12MP AF, F2.4, OIS 2X optical zoom; Front: 8MP AF, F1.7

>> Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz), VHT80 MU-MIMO, 1024QAM,?Bluetooth v 5.0 (LE up to 2Mbps), ANT+, USB Type-C, NFC

>> Location: GPS, Galileo, Glonass, BeiDou

>. Sensors: Accelerometer, Barometer, Fingerprint Sensor, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Hall Sensor, Heart Rate Sensor, Proximity Sensor, RGB Light Sensor, Iris Sensor, Pressure Sensor

>> Battery: 4,000 mAh; wired charging compatible with QC2.0 and AFC; wireless charging compatible with WPC and PMA

>> Dimensions: 161.9 x 76.4 x 8.8mm; S Pen: 5.7 x 4.35 x 106.37mm

>> Weight: 201g; S Pen: 3.1g

“There is no safe level of alcohol,” said Max Griswold, a researcher at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation in Seattle, Washington and lead author for a consortium of more than 500 experts.

Despite recent research showing that light-to-moderate drinking reduces heart disease, the new study found that alcohol use is more likely than not to do harm.

“The protective effect of alcohol was offset by the risks,” Griswold told AFP in summarising the results, published in medical journal The Lancet on Friday.

“Overall, the health risks associated with alcohol rose in line with the amount consumed each day.”

Compared to abstinence, imbibing one “standard drink” — 10 grammes of alcohol, equivalent to a small beer, glass of wine or shot of spirits — per day, for example, ups the odds of developing at least one of two dozen health problems by about half-a-percent, the researchers reported.

Looked at one way, that seems like a small increment: 914 out of 100,000 teetotallers will encounter those problems, compared to 918 people who imbibe seven times per week.

“But at the global level, that additional risk of 0.5 percent among (once-a-day) drinkers corresponds to about 100,000 additional deaths each year,” said senior author Emmanuela Gakidou, a professor at the University of Washington and a director at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

‘Less is better, none is best’

“Those are excess deaths, in other words, that could be avoided,” she told AFP.

The risk climbs in a steep “J-curve”, the study found.

An average of two drinks per day, for example, translated into a 7.0 percent hike in disease and injury compared to those who opt for abstinence.

With five “units” of alcohol per day, the likelihood of serious consequences jumps by 37 percent.

The “less is better, none is best” finding jibes with the World Health Organization’s long-standing position, but is at odds with many national guidelines, especially in the developed world.

Britain’s health authority, for example, suggests not exceeding 14 drinks per week “to keep health risks from alcohol to a low level”.

“There is always a lag between the publication of new evidence and the modification and adoption of revised guidelines,” said Gakidou, who admitted to being an “occasional drinker” herself.

“The evidence shows what the evidence shows, and I — like 2.4 billion other people on the planet that also consume alcohol — need to take it seriously.”

Overall, drinking was the seventh leading risk factor for premature death and disease in 2016, accounting for just over two percent of deaths in women and nearly seven percent in men.

The top six killers are high blood pressure, smoking, low-birth weight and premature delivery, high blood sugar (diabetes), obesity and pollution.

But in the 15-49 age bracket, alcohol emerged as the most lethal factor, responsible for more than 12 percent of deaths among men, the study found.

The 95 percent club

The main causes of alcohol-related deaths in this age group were tuberculosis, road injuries and “self-harm”, mainly suicide.

King’s College London professor Robyn Burton, who did not take part in the study, described it as “the most comprehensive estimate of the global burden of alcohol use to date.”

The examination of impacts drew from more than 600 earlier studies, while a country-by-country tally of prevalence — the percentage of men and women who drink, and how much they consume — drew from another 700.

Both were grounded in new methods that compensated for the shortcomings of earlier efforts.

Among men, drinking alcohol in 2016 was most widespread in Denmark (97 percent), along with Norway, Argentina, Germany, and Poland (94 percent).

In Asia, South Korean men took the lead, with 91 percent hitting the bottle at least once in a while.

Among women, Danes also ranked first (95 percent), followed by Norway (91 percent), Germany and Argentina (90 percent), and New Zealand (89 percent).

The biggest drinkers, however, were found elsewhere.

Men in Romania who partake knocked back a top-scoring eight drinks a day on average, with Portugal, Luxembourg, Lithuania and Ukraine just behind at seven “units” per day.

Ukranian women who drink were in a league of their own, putting away more than four glasses or shots every 24 hours, followed by Andorra, Luxembourg, Belarus, Sweden, Denmark, Ireland and Britain, all averaging about three per day.

The most abstemious nations were those with Muslim-majority populations.

James will share his experiences travelling in the Tohoku region, which covers six prefectures – Aomori, Akita, Miyagi, Iwate, Yamagata and Fukushima – each of which has its own fascinating places to visit and things to try. Fukushima, interestingly enough, has always been famous for its peaches.

You could be Snow White

Having scored successes with its previous British-style pantomimes “Cinderella” and “Aladdin”, the Bangkok Community Theatre will head into the woods in November with “Snow White”. Auditions are being held at Bistro 33 on Sukhumvit Soi 33 on Saturday afternoon and Monday evening.

If you can sing, dance, act the fool or do a trick, the auditions welcome English-speakers age 16 and up. Find out more at http://www.BangkokCommunityTheatre.com or bctsnowhite@gmail.com.

Hoteliers putt for charity

The Bangkok Hospitality Challenge takes place at the Vintage Club in Khlong Dan on November 15, with hotel industry decision-makers will gather to network, share ideas and play a little golf.

SiteMinder, the industry’s top cloud platform, is aiming to raise Bt100,000 for the Yim Kids Foundation, an Accor initiative, and the Beaumont Partnership Foundation, which seeks to extend quality education across Thailand. Learn more at http://www.SiteMinder.com.

XXO Party times two

The XXO Party Bangkok, part of the gay dance circuit, rolls into the Novotel on Sukhumvit Soi 20 with “Candyland” on October 5 and “Black Sensation” on October 6. Top circuit DJs GSP, Enrico Meloni, Elad Navon, Aaron Marc, SpectrumK and dancers from around the world will be in the thick of great production and sound systems.

Bt50 off every ticket sold will be donated to the Sarnelli House orphanage and to kids in Nong Khai dealing with HIV and Aids. Tickets are limited so rush to XXOParty.com/ticket.

The National Archives turns 66 this year and to celebrate the occasion is welcoming visitors to its newly opened permanent exhibition “Establishing the National Archives”, which, as the name implies, looks back over its long history as a repository of important documents.

Located on Samsen Road in the Thai capital’s Dusit district, it is home to historical documents that allow citizens to exercise their rights and responsibilities in holding the government, the courts, and other federal employees accountable for their actions.

Although only officially established in 1952, the year of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun’s birth, its history dates back more than a century to the reign of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) when the sons of King Chomklao (Rama IV), namely His Royal Highness Prince Bhanurangsi Savangwongse Krom Luang Bhanubhandu Vongvoradej, Krom Hmun Piphitpreechakorn, and Krom Hmun Devavongvaropakan, asked for royal permission to establish the national library to honour their royal father.

In 1881, in one of the Royal Court of Siam’s meeting documents about the establishment of the first national library, the position of recorder of the national archives made its first appearance and was designated as one of the main tasks of the library. In 1926, King Prachatipok (Rama VII) announced the royal appointment of the Office of the Royal Society and transferred the National Library to this new office.

The transformational events of the first half of the 1900s were duly recorded as part of the library, among them the modernisation of Siam, the political movement that brought an end to the absolute monarchy and the subsequent sharing of power by the bureaucracy and the military. Worried about the loss of the nation’s historical records as World War II spread to Thailand, HRH Prince Damrong Rajanubhab, founder of the modern Thai educational system as well as the modern provincial administration, set in motion a more permanent repository and on August 18, 1952, a Royal Decree formally appointed the National Archives of Thailand as a division of the Fine Arts Department, Ministry of Culture, with the responsibility for collecting historical records of government agencies and public materials.

The archives were expanded regionally between 1983 and 1999, with two National Archives built in Phayao and Ubon Ratchathani provinces to mark the 45th birthday of the then Crown Prince HRH Maha Vajiralongkorn.

The archives can be loosely divided into two types: written materials, audio-visual records such as glass plate film, slides, negative films, videos, maps and plans, and electronic documents.

The exhibition explains how the development of the National Archives of Thailand has been carefully undertaken in accordance with international standards. In 2009, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) certified the inscription of the archival documents of King Chulalongkorn’s transformation of Siam (1868-1910) in the Memory of the World International Register.

Last year, the Royal photographic glass plate negatives and original prints collection covering a continuous period from 1855 to 1935, and which consists of 35,427 glass plate negatives and 50,000 prints, was added to the Unesco register.

Today the National Archives employs about 130 staff charged with the challenging tasks of preserving official documents, digitising millions of written materials onto microfilm while also sorting through and recording the flood of information both online and offline that is considered history, such as the international collaboration that led to the cave rescue of the Moo Pa Academy boys two months ago.

Nanthaka Pollachai, the director of the National Archive of Thailand, recently took time out from her busy schedule to talk to The Nation.

Why are the National Archives so important in the modern world?

Every modern society in the world has had its own national archives since the Ancient Egyptian and Roman times. The modern style of national archives emerged after the French Revolution and was designed to serve public inquiry.

I’ve worked here for more than 30 years, which makes me very proud, as I graduated in Historical Studies. All the records of the National Archives are extremely valuable because the documents are the originals. It is the most reliable source of history and has the most accountability in court enquiries. Our main tasks are to consider and collect documents from various government agencies as well as from private individuals and public organisations. We are proud of our efforts at conservation, especially the two historical collections that have been registered by Unesco.

Our archivists systematically organise documents to ease the burden on researchers. They also provide services such as answering questions on particular subject matters. We are delighted to help researchers, both local and foreign, though since our records are in the Thai language, they will have to learn Thai in order to understand them.

With such a large amount of information under your care, what do you see as the main challenges of the National Archives?

Our conservation methods of written and audio-visual materials have been systematically set up in accordance with international standards from the very beginning. Even this building, which was constructed in 1976, is designed to serve the purposes of a National Archive. That means there are no windows and the interior is temperature controlled around the clock so that the records can be kept in their original state for as long as possible.

As we enter the digital world and become part of the new government 4.0 policy, we have microfilmed all the records, a process that can last more than 100 years. Our staff scan the records one by one into two sets, original and duplicate versions, and then store them separately in different places in case of something untoward happening.

Our oldest records are written documents on paper dating back to the reign of King Rama V. The original records on palm leaf are kept at the National Library.

Our work might seem plodding and ponderous but when people need important references, they immediately think of the archives. For example, we provided historical records of the traditional royal funeral ceremony. And now we have prepared the reference documents about traditional ceremonial royal coronations. We have complete historical records going back to the coronation of King Rama V.

What types of modern documents are recorded in the National Archives?

We collect about seven percent of all government documents and as a general rule, these agencies have a duty to prepare original documents for us. A committee then considers the importance of such documents as historical evidence that should be recorded in the archives for future generations. It is also important to collect documents that are as complete as possible. Advanced technology comes into play in preserving the historical documents and this helps researchers to study the documents online at their convenience.

There are also public sections that are relevant to our country’s history such as political movements and the recent cave rescue of the 12 Moo Pa Academy boys and their coach in Chiang Rai.

We also have been involved on occasion with the International Museum Archives in Southeast Asia.

When people come to us looking for a certain reference and find what they need, we feel proud and happy. Many of the researchers have become part of our family as they come here year after year.

– The National Archives of Thailand is open Monday to Saturday from 8.30am to 4pm for examination of written records, and from Monday to Friday between 8.30am and noon and from 1 to 4pm for other types of records.

– For online reference, visit http://www.nat.go.th.

Ornamental ware featuring pearls, diamonds and other gemstones will be delighting eyes at the Gochiso Space on the sixth floor of Isetan Bangkok at CentralWorld from September 1 to 3.

Then, in Challenger Halls 1-3 at Impact Arena from September 7 to 11, there’ll be a Yamanashi Pavilion at the Bangkok Gems and Jewellery Fair.

Oyster fresher than ever

Rolex has unveiled the Oyster Perpetual Datejust 31 with redesigned case-sides and lugs. In 18-carat white, yellow or Everose gold, the new versions are equipped with Calibre 2236. Among the many combinations available, one in 18-carat white gold is fitted with a white mother-of-pearl dial and diamond-set bezel.

Like all Rolex watches, the new-generation Datejust 31 carries the Superlative Chronometer certification, which ensures excellent performance. The refined middle case is crafted from a solid block of gold. The winding crown fitted with the Twinlock double waterproofing system screws down securely. The crystal, with a Cyclops lens at 3 o’clock for easy reading of the date, is virtually scratchproof sapphire.

Integral for your skin

French skincare maker Sisley is touring Sisleya L’Integral Anti-Age: Firming concentrated Serum, which awakens elastin production and enhances skin tension. It helps improve production of the enzyme LOXL-1 to ensure the elastin is functioning properly. The skin becomes firmer, denser and more toned.

Phyto-Complexe Pro-Firm 7 is an all-new complex of seven powerful botanical extracts that work on all the structural levels of the dermis, restoring the firmness and shape of younger skin.

Warn tones, cool lights

Carisa Janes, founder and chief executive of Hourglass, was in Bangkok recently to introduce the American cosmetics brand renowned for its vegan makeup and ingredients free of parabens and sulphates. Hourglass products contain no contaminants and won’t trigger allergic reactions. They’re never tested on animals.

Ambient Lighting Powder gives every skin tone a gorgeous luminescence, creating soft-focus and blur filters with groundbreaking photoluminescent technology. “Create Your Perfect Light,” Hourglass says.

On the theme “Let’s Tie Together”, the three-day fair is divided into seven zones – Smart City, Green Tech, Health Care, Culture, Talents & Tourism, Agricultural Tech and Good Living – all of which offer visitors the opportunity to discover a wide range of smart products with state-of-the-art technology and innovations from 210 exhibitors. Visitors also get a chance to win souvenirs and two round-trip tickets from Bangkok to Taiwan.

“We aim to strengthen relations between Taiwan and the Asean countries. In particular, Thailand has a good relationship with Taiwan and it sees a huge potential for business and consumer exposure to new technology and innovations. We hope the expo will make people’s everyday life more convenient and pleasant,” said Felix HL Chiu, executive director of industry marketing department, Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA).

First launched in 2017, the Taiwan Expo has already expanded to Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and India and also provides parallel business meetings and industry forums in order to encourage B2B interaction and cultural exchange as well as welfare activities.

“Taiwan Expo 2018 will be a bridge between Thai and Taiwanese investors to exchange views on business and trade opportunities through business matchmaking and industry forums, such as the Taiwan Excellence Smart Transportation Forum, the Taiwan Smart Machinery Forum and the Taiwan Digital Commerce & Startups Forum,” said Shu-Tien Liu, president of Thai-Taiwan Business Association.

Find out more at https://Thai.TaiwanExpoAsean.com or http://www.Facebook.com/twexpointhai.

Have we lost a whole generation to the digital world? It’s a question that worried parents often ask themselves as they try to communicate with teenagers whose faces are usually hidden by a screen.

Dr Jiraporn Arunakul, a specialist in adolescent medicine at Ramathibodi Hospital, notices it whenever she leaves her office. “You don’t see teenagers nowadays walking around housing complex parks or any outdoors public area for that matter,” she says. “They live largely indoors at home or in public areas and are usually behind a smartphone, tablet or computer.”

And that pretty much sums up the lifestyles of Generation Z children – defined as those born between 1995 and 2010 – who have grown up in the era of the Internet, smartphones and social media. It’s a lifestyle that concerns not just parents but researchers too as they try to find ways of getting round the misuse of technology gadgets. The issue has become so hot that it dominated discussions at the launch of the Thailand Smart Camp project, which is attempting to pull kids away from the screen while simultaneously building a new mindset through creative activities.

Pairoj Saonuam, director of the Thai Health Promotion Foundation’s (ThaiHealth) health promotion office says that recent research based on social data monitoring by analytics firm Toth Zocial indicates that Thai kids spend some five hours a day surfing the internet – three hours more than the global average. The survey also showed that the youngsters are shifting from using Facebook to Twitter to avoid parents who monitor their life via Facebook.

According to a study by the Internet Foundation for the Development of Thailand, a non-profit organisation, 95 per cent of Thai youths are well aware of the dangers that come with the internet. Seventy per cent realise that what their online friends say is not always true and 46 per cent have experienced some kind of cyber bullying.

But getting them offline can only be handled at home, with parents making it clear that use of the gadgets they have bought for their offspring must be sparing and taking firm action when the kids don’t follow the agreement.

“The part of the brain – the limbic system – that deals with emotions is at its highest during the teenage years. Youngsters want to do things that they enjoy rather than something they don’t like such as housework. During adolescence, the prefrontal cortex, which helps rational thought, planning and impulse control is not yet fully developed. So it’s parents’ duty to be the prefrontal cortex brain for them,” says Dr Jiraporn.

Dr Jiraporn Arunakul

She stresses that the best time for setting the rules is before buying any gadget for children. “And if they break the rule, you should deal with them firmly.”

“From my experience, parents deal with children by speaking not acting and kids quickly realise that they don’t have to obey because their parents will do nothing,” she says.

Dr Jiraporn adds that adolescence clinics are full of young patients dragged along by their parents because of game addiction problems. Some are so obsessed with gaming that they isolate themselves from the family, stop going to school and become aggressive.

But just as much of a problem as game addiction is the overuse of social media, and this is showing an alarming increase. Besides the false information they consume, the positive responses they receive such as Like and Share will inevitably shape them and they will feel unaccepted when facing different reactions from the real world, leading in many cases to depression.

“The online world is an illusion. People tend to post their perfect lifestyles and we have a plethora of applications and tools that users can use to virtually transform themselves. In the meantime they obsess and feel unsatisfied with their lives when seeing their role models, usually celebrities and superstars who are always posting their luxurious and perfect lives online. Kids don’t realise that people don’t really show their unhappiness on the social networks,” says Dr Jiraporn.

“Parents have to be open-minded. Yes, it is inevitable that the kids are technologically savvy. What we can do is help them use that savvy skilfully. It’s useless to make technology the enemy. Instead we have to learn to understand it thoroughly so that kids are open when speaking to us.”

She is well aware that many parents offer gadgets to their kids without setting any rules. They hope that their children are grown up enough to know the difference between right and wrong.

Ariyapas Maneeratanasophit, 14, doesn’t have such problems even though he plays online game when he’s at home.

“I spend time online for an hour or so at home. At school, I like to play basketball during my lunch break but I know that my friends prefer to hang out in the classroom and play games on their smartphone,” he says.

And while Ariyapas has no interest in social networking, his sister Suparat loves it. But both do help their parents with the housework and are responsible studies.

“If I stay up into the night, my mother tells me that it’s my own responsibility to deal with the consequences at school if I get up late. If I break the rules on which we have jointly agreed by playing games, she will take my smartphone away as a punishment,” he says.

Suparat is just 12 but says she has experienced cyberbullying already. When she told her mother about the hateful messages she receives, the mother told her not to worry, that the person was perhaps referring to someone else and to ignore it.

The siblings both enjoy taekwondo and the classes mean that they socialise with real people and undertake activities that constructively shape their personalities.

Learning how to make soap, shampoo and dishwashing liquid is also part of the camp activities.

Isawat Pinthong, aka Kru Mind, who is moderating the Thailand Super Camp, persuaded the pair to learn meditation through dance.

“Adults think it’s great seeing kids close their eyes and meditate, but in fact not every youngster enjoys the conventional practice. So we have designed a range of activities that allow them to practice meditation through games, dance and mind-control equipment,” says Isawat.

Initiated by Danai Chanchaochai, the Thailand Super Camp project has earned support from the Thai Health. It’s taking place from October 8 to 13 for kids studying in Prathom 4-6 (Grade 4-6) and October 15-21 for kids from Mattayom 1-3 (Grade 7-9).

“It’s a good way of taking kids away from the internet and the activities will help them to develop their minds properly. It’s the good model that I hope to see it happening more in the future,” says Pairoj of ThaiHealth.

 Participation for each of the Thailand Smart Camp’s session is limited to 50 young people.

 Submissions are being accepted through September 15.

 For more information, please visit Facebook.com/thailandsupercamp2018 or call |(02) 6102375.

Another benefit of the programme for young people is that it allows parents and their kids to get fit at the same place and be inspired by one another.

To celebrate Mother’s Day last Sunday, Virgin Active Crew, invited mum and children to join a yoga class where they were encouraged to embrace movements like animals or trees as well as experience different types of innovative health and fitness programmes.

Active Crew was launched in 1999 in the UK. It is a world-class programme that uses the latest training techniques and innovative equipment to help children improve their basic skills and develop fitness habits that last a lifetime.

Virgin Active EastVille, Bangkok, which opened two years ago, is the first club in Southeast Asia to offer this programme, which can be tailored and customised to the age and capability of the child. Younger kids start with classes that improve basic skills such as running, throwing and catching, while older kids get to try out exciting equipment including ViPR and TRX.

There are four interactive zones. The Digital Zone helps children improve their coordination skills and reaction timings. This integrated technology allows kids to enjoy it so much that they do not realise they are exercising. It’s home to the EyePlay station is an interactive game projected onto a floor, creating a fun and exciting experience for everyone while engaging them to jump and run about for an elevated heart rate, and the Three Kick game, which allows children to have fun kicking and punching in a safe environment. The foam pads on the machine have indicative lights that go off once it has been hit, and help train one’s reaction timing and speed as well as promoting hand eye co-ordination. It can be played individually or in competition with others.

The Vertical Zone emphasises activities that will help a child build strength and coordination and includes a trampoline, monkey bars and a climbing wall. Coaching gives kids an insight into the importance of keeping fit on a regular basis. For example, the coach will help instruct correct posture while jumping on a trampoline, an activity that should ideally be done 20 minutes a day to help boost strength. The climbing wall is concentrated on the horizontal directions because the children are still young. This session helps build patience, decision-making skills and focus.

The Grid 360 Zone is a multipurpose area for various classes, led by professionally qualified instructors. These classes include “Born to Move”, a patented programme by Les Mills, an exercise programme with fun music. The movements are a combination of zumba and body combat, designed exclusively for kids. “SAQ” (Speed, Agility and Quickness) is a programme used to train world-class athletes such as Andy Murray and the Manchester United football team. This special programme brings a mixture of fun movements. Specialist coaches support and teach them how to run, catch, throw and jump, helping them to develop coordination, balance and confidence in movement.

The Learn Zone a relaxing area where kids can read, play board games, or do their homework while waiting for their parents.

Virgin Active members can register their children for Active Crew at Virgin Active EastVille, weekends from 3pm to 8pm and 9am to 6pm on weekends and public holidays. For more information, please visit http://www.VirginActive.co.th or call (02) 017 9755.