Northtek

lol is that a polite way of saying what happens if I get hit by a bus? simple answer is this, All crucial data will be provided automatically from reputable sources and compiled into a database, extracted by api's that will be made available to this site and the beta. Everything will be automated, So if I do get hit by a bus, lol, it will keep working.

fare enough enough. as to be honest I am having trouble following the thread myself and I have deviated greatly away from the original topic. Will create a new thread for collaboration with those interested, as currency exchange has a bigger impact than i expected and would like input as to how it should be displayed.

Again, not expecting, just asking if available. There is a difference. Also you might want to read what I wrote a little closer, as I never implied people should stay at home to find things out, I am saying that it would be preferable if they were better educated before they go out and explore.

I believe I was mistaken on the part of this being based on Democracy as it seems its actually based on political and economic divisions. Sources are as follows: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_World#:~:text=The United States%2C Canada%2C Japan,represented the "Second World".&text=Some countries in the Communist,regarded as "Third World". https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2015/01/04/372684438/if-you-shouldnt-call-it-the-third-world-what-should-you-call-it My wife and I discuss this often as she keeps saying Mexico is a third world country because its poor. So I am interested in you qualifying your statement from above, what part is nonsense?

Not sure about this, as anytime we take the approach that its on everyone to figure things out on their own, is in my opinion, short sighted. For one, my wife is Mexican and has lived in this area all her life, so she does a great job of helping me learn Spanish and local customs. I also enjoy talking to friends and neighbors and get their recommendations. But they and my wife are not experts on everything and are often surprised at the things I find when I go out and try and discover things. As at heart, I am an explorer type, but I also recognize that this leaves me open to taking risks that others might not feel comfortable with. As much as I love living here, I do realize that some areas are not a safe as others. These situations do change on a regular basis. What's safe today may not be safe tomorrow. So to say we should not share relevant information with each other, leaves people in the position to have to learn the hard way, or find themselves in a bad situation that could have been easily avoided. The fact is, if I could get all the information I needed here, that would be great, but I don't. If all I needed was conflicting opinions about everything, then message boards are great. As far as expecting English services, well I am not, but it would be nice to know if they are being offered in an easy to find way, because if I am not mistake, this site caters to the English speaking community here. So if we take your approach than this site should be in Spanish, si? "United we stand, divided we fall"

Ok so here is the compromise, as there has been great feedback and constructive criticism given. I think the best approach is this. We will develop a plugin that is compatible with this site and provide it for free to this site if they would like to use it. It will contain simplified information on the following: Covid Information or status, currently we are in the red zone Weather warnings and current weather Currency exchange rates Border Status Travel warnings Power outage warnings This will be a simplified plugin that will only provide crucial information. If there are other suggestions, please feel free to make them.

I think so but each area will be different, just as New York City has more cases than Winslow Arizona. Bigger cities have more problems. That doesn’t mean that just because Big cities are bad the whole country is bad. Remember, the media loves bad news as it sells better. But our area seems good so we should be thankful that it is.

Well if you go by each region with the numbers report through the WHO and other sites then adjust for under reporting claims. Then compare to other countries with reputable reporting. It comes close. but if you just go by national reporting it’s scary. But just look at your regional report

Exactly, hobbyist things today become the tech of tomorrow. Ask Bill Gates, he started making PC’s as a hobby.

Great. That’s good to know. Thanks

Yes that’s what I said. Mexico ranks third in the death rates. But the death rates alone don’t paint the complete picture. As the majority is in Mexico City which is not a place to be. But the rest of Mexico is relatively safe.

Ok that opens up a lot of possibilities, as the raspberry Pi is a great little system and can offer a very reliable NAS for a very low price, thanks for the tip, Also found this video that is interesting

Yes that would be nice. but I will have to look into it as I have heard promising things about the system but have not had a chance to take a serious look.

but I just should point out if we actually did the math based on population density properly, the the estimated cases would be closer to the max that the report suggest. But because travel in Mexico is not as common as it is in the US or Canada, it maybe why cases are higher in Mexico city than in Guadalajara. So that lack of a traveling population maybe what's responsible for a lower spread. But seeing as the actual calculation is rather complex i will let someone else tackle that. it can be found here https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025556413001235

That's a great article, Thanks. It does fit into what I was assuming as it says 'The minimum estimate assumes a fatality rate of 1% and that the official Covid-19 death toll – 178,108 as of Thursday – includes all fatalities from the infectious disease." Which does prove the numbers are being under reported, because they are taking the position that fatality rates are the constant and can reverse the findings to calculate a real projection of covid cases. So with their low estimate 17.81 million cases, and Mexico has a population of 127 million and compare it with the US that has 27.5 million reported cases and a population 331 Million. Then the US has 2.5 times the population but less than double the cases, so it would seem Mexico has a higher rate of cases. But lets break this down a bit more as one of the driving factors is population density, as the higher the density the higher the transmission rate will be .The Us has a population density of 36 per KM2 and Mexico has a population density of 64.91. So it would make sense Mexico would have higher covid numbers. So with the population density being roughly double, and the estimated case rate is roughly double. Then it still safe to say Mexico is about average. So this is a great thought experiment. but even with this breakdown, its really hard to say. but in the end, I think its best to just keep yourself safe and follow the recommendations of health officials.

Ok now we are on the same page, I thought you were talking about something completely different, when you said media server, I didn't think you meant for in your home. As I have media servers but only for work. But I get you now. Also sorry to hear about Adrian, that's got to be hard. But to clarify on Raid configuration and why its important even if in a home environment. One of the biggest bottlenecks is the data transfer from hard drives. Even though SSD drives have come a long way, the speeds are higher, but don't address multiple user as most media servers are intended to do. So its still important if you want to get the best performance. Generally people set up a NAS for this (Which is generally a RAID system) But as far as setting up a media server at home that's great, but here in lies the problem. Yes the plex server will run better in a Linux environment, it requires a higher level of computer knowledge and will require maintenance outside of the average users knowledge. Very few are familiar with these OS's. In other words, once you setup a system like this, you will become a life long customer of the tech company. So if you are absolutely tied to the idea of running Plex under a Linux system, I would say its best to stick with someone that can maintain a relationship for the long term. If not, send me a list of what hardware you are using and I will recommend a system that is a little more user friendly and can be serviced by anyone.

Stats come from the WHO, CNN, Google, and others. It is very convoluted as you have to factor in, access to health care, population density, economics, politics, and other issues. But in the end, I think Mexico is doing about average, so I am actually glad I am here instead of back home in Canada, as covid variants seem to be the biggest issue. So far Canada has over 5 times the number of case of the B117 variant. Mexico only has 5 reported cases so far. With Mexico having almost 100 million more people with 1/5 the land size. I would say if the stats are true, then its pretty safe here. Which begs the question. Why has the Canadian government only banned travel to Mexico and the Caribbean where reported cases of the variant are low but haven't banned countries where the variants originated or the most prevalent?

Ok which part is nonsense? as I have to admit it maybe the Mandela effect, but its just what I remember?

Constructive criticism is always welcome and I have no problem with admitting that I may be wrong, so how about this, why don't we do both. I will offer any help as needed to improve this site. But in order to do so we need to be honest with the short falls and be open to criticism.

Again thanks to Virgo lady as that is a great answer but also gives a good example of criticism, because if you are going to criticize, try and make it factual, if not then at least make it funny.

Ok that is fair and reasonable criticism and does raise a very interesting point. So Thanks Virgo lady, that's exactly the type of feed back I was hoping for. Plus I have to admit the cartoon was funny.

Oh and back to the covid thing as that is the topic of discussion. As I think there is a logical explanation to be had. Now this is just my opinion and interpretation of what I have read. As facts can be misleading. Death rate is calculated based on reported cases vs covid deaths recorded. I find it hard to believe that covid is targeting one group more than others and that it is a simple issue of math. Because if you actually look at the stats it shows a trend, in that, mortality rates, regardless of country, they are all the same. Which makes sense as a virus is not concerned of which country you come from or what your beliefs are. You are a host and nothing more. But what it does show is cultural differences, as in, some cultures are less likely to report an illness than others, for example, in the US and Canada, people are generally more likely to report the systems they have as medical care is considered a right. Whereas in Mexico, health care is not as accessible. So fewer people will probably report their symptoms or go for testing. So my though is this, Mexico is seeing a higher mortality rate per cases reported, and if the people are not reporting or taking the test, then that will skew the results, but if you make the reasonable assumption that death rates are a constant, then it would show that cases are not being reported as they should be. Because as of last reading, Mexico is at 94 place for reported covid cases per 100k, but is third for deaths, so something seems not right in the numbers.

Thanks Bob I appreciate it, as all I ask is input on what you think can help. what I am seeing is this. As even though I think its great for sites like this to exists, it does present some problems when actually looking for some information. Must of us will all encounter differences in the way things work here and I find it difficult not only find answers to basic questions, as you have to drill down through endless comments, but you also have to try and figure out what is factual and what is someone's opinion. Which is good for some things, but not so good for other. What I am hoping for is this. I understand the majority of expats that are here are retired professionals from both Canada and the US that have a wealth of expertise and understanding of common issues. It would be nice if we can use that wealth of information to separate fact and opinion into easy to navigate articles that directly speaks to everyday issues. As there are some very stark differences here that I have found that it would be great to get meaningful answers to. They can be simple questions like why is chicken here yellow? and how do I buy a good steak here? to more complex questions like, what is the best way to transfer money or why most people I talk to says banking here is unsafe? or to having a searchable list of service providers that do provide services in English, because to be honest, its hard enough to find someone that repairs computers to speak plain English in Canada, so I can imagine it must be extremely harder here. Because lets face it, computers are hard enough to understand without adding another language barrier into the mix. Also it would be nice if the service list was extended to Guadalajara, as it is the second largest city and is a close drive where a lot of valuable services can be found. Finally, it would also be great if we recognize there is benefits in numbers and leverage it to benefit everyone. For example, it is currently estimated that there is appoxamitly 50,000 expats living in the area. That's a huge deal for most companies, as they represent educated consumers with discretionary income. Most companies would offer better services if not heavily discounted. Seriously, who couldn't benefit from saving money. So that is what I am thinking and I know that there are people on here that think this is some kind of advertising thing or what ever, as I know there will always be someone all to happy with pointing out the negative. But the truth is this, if this site can figure out how to do all these things, then all the power to them, I would be happy to see it and support it. If not, then I have the time, money, resources, and the resolve to do it, and I have never been one to let naysayers stop me from doing anything.

Ok that makes sense. But does that mean Central America is a Geopolitical term? as there is no continent call Central America. Also on that note, I was also taught a different meaning for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd world meanings than I hear today. Because I was taught that 1st world was Democracy such as the US, 2nd world was Communism such as the former USSR, And 3rd world was anything other than the first 2. But now I am told that first world are rich countries and 3rd world are poor countries, so if this is the case then what is the new definition of 2nd world?

Will this affect the use of cards when just doing purchases? As I don't use ATM machines, just instore purchases. For cash I Transfer money via Western Union to a Mexican bank account and withdraw from there. Because, Western Union doesn't charge me any fees and the exchange rates are pretty much the same as the bank.