patrick.net

Patrick says

That's quite an expensive shitter at over $1000:

https://bidetking.com/products/toto-s500e-washlet-sw3044-sw3046-classic-contemporary

Why is it so great?

Some people are just really picky about this type of thing. I once knew someone that was really picky about the brand of toilet paper that they used.

Hircus says

There's a serious global chip shortage which is making computers tough to get.

At work, we need to constantly fight our supplier to sell us new rack servers instead of giving them to other companies. The shortage is severe.

And if you think there's a computer shortage...hoo boy, try buying a graphics card lol. Cards that are normally $350 sell for $1000-1200, and $1000 cards go for $3600, if you can find them. But, those are hard to get due to the surge in crypto prices, probably not the chip shortage. Prices fluctuate daily, rising and falling with crypto prices.

We have a terrible ammo shortage too. Walmart shelves are 100% empty. They say shipments come in but its all gone within hours. Online retailers have some limited selection of ammo, but prices are nuts, like 10x normal. $4 a round for .357 stings... I blame our self-defense hating demshit president for this.

The computer components price squeeze / shortage has been created by an increase in demand (people home due to Covid working, crypto mining, and gaming) and largely by Scalpers finding profit potential of 100% or more on retail prices. All they have to do is scoop up what used to be an reasonable supply before the general public can get it and re-price at 2 to 3 times retail to rake in profits. If everyone could practice some discipline and stop buying components from these assholes for a period of time, we might be able to break them.

zzyzzx says

I once knew someone that was really picky about the brand of toilet paper that they used.

Looking into bidets after these comments. But this is a huge beef for me. Shitty toilet paper is unacceptable. My wife tried to go cheap back in the day and I threw it out and told her never again... lol. Something like 20 rolls. Pun intended, but she grew up using shitty toilet paper. Has been on my side of the TP discussion since then.

Depending on length of stay, I'll sometimes bring a roll or two with to vacation rental homes/condos. Managers and owners are usually cheap with that. Like $200 extra a year is a big fucking deal at 50-60% annual occupancy? You have renters paying off your mortgage. Likely in a desirable area. Pony up some $$$ for that ass.

Hotels are hit or miss. The worst is when you get McDonalds type, single ply TP. My younger years of staying Motel 8 or Red Roof Inn or something that class are ova. Most I go to usually have cheap two-ply or nicer.

Lesson for the day or for your kids. Don't TP someones house with those commercial sized rolls. We did a friends house in high school and another of my friends damn near got knocked out. Took him to the ground. I'm not sure how the parents didn't hear those things slamming into the ground and wake them up.

WookieMan says

But this is a huge beef for me. Shitty toilet paper is unacceptable.

I don't get it. You are just going to shit on it anyway.

zzyzzx says

WookieMan says

But this is a huge beef for me. Shitty toilet paper is unacceptable.

I don't get it. You are just going to shit on it anyway.

Texture. Ultimately I'll shower, but single ply smooth TP is just smearing shit around and pretending like it's working. I just feel way cleaner with nicer TP. Not sure how else to describe it. Or I use the shitty stuff and with a family of four we'd be burning through a roll a day.

That's the other part on the rentals and hotels. You'll churn through substantially more of the cheaper rolls. You'd likely end up with similar expenses. Might as well treat your guests well.

I took a dump at a friends house that we've known for about 4 years now. They had the cheapest of cheap TP. I called them out on it. They switched to nice 2-ply and have said they love it.

Give it a shot. You only live once. Might as well have a cleaner ass between showers. That smooth single ply ain't cleaning that area. Quilted Northern is my brand of choice. Wife will sometimes get Charmin though.

Also, double sized rolls can go fuck off. We have a house built in '63 with the wall inset type TP holder. Those don't fit until you're 1/5th the way through the roll. It's bull shit.

WookieMan says

Ultimately I'll shower

If things get messy, a shower with one of those handles on a hose works well because you can point it directly at the right place, and the water is warm.

Not sure if this was mentioned, but the shortages are due to commodities being worth more than the paper used to purchase them. As inflation continues, this will only get worse. It requires real work to get materials out of the ground, refine them, manufacture, ship, and sell. Printing paper takes none of that, and the disparity between the two will only increase.

zzyzzx says

WookieMan says

But this is a huge beef for me. Shitty toilet paper is unacceptable.

I don't get it. You are just going to shit on it anyway.

Me either. I get my ass clean with just about any TP but I guess I've never encountered 'smooth' TP. Sounds like one of my ex-gfs but she bitched that what I'd buy scratched her ass up.

I'm thinking about buying that LG OLED CX TV at costco this weekend. The 77 incher. No, I don't have room for it but I suspect prices are going to go way up.

Hircus says

Walmart shelves are 100% empty.

Walmart doesn't sell guns and ammo anymore. I made the mistake of going to Walmart 3 weeks ago. Only thing I'd go there for. So I went to Turners Sporting Goods and yep, they were clean out of everything but 90 grain 9mm. Screw that.

Unless that's just Walmart in CA. Fuckers. I'm never going back.

just_passing_through says

I get my ass clean with just about any TP but I guess I've never encountered 'smooth' TP. Sounds like one of my ex-gfs but she bitched that what I'd buy scratched her ass up.

Try using 220 grit instead of 40 grit.

just_passing_through says

clean out of everything but 90 grain 9mm. Screw that

What's wrong with 90 grain 9mm? Doesn't work with your gun?

Economic systems are faith based systems for the most part. Once people lose faith in the system, it collapses. Right now the Federal Government is forecasted to run a deficit of about $3.1 trillion, and that is before Biden's $1.9 trillion stimulus measures. The non-financial corporate sector of the economy is forecasted to go into an additional $1.2 trillion in debt. Our total economy is about $20 trillion per year. Add in some for the increase in household debt and state and municipal debt and a little more than a third of our economy is based simply on our ability to borrow additional money.

On top of this, as a country we've been running at an annual rate of over $1 trillion worth of capital gains income per year. That's money that asset holders get for selling an asset for a price higher than they paid without any work being done on their part, It is like welfare for the rich. It really doesn't matter the asset, just that it happens to a huge degree would befuddle people who work for their money.

At any given moment, the populous in general that holds financial assets could look at this and decide hard goods is a better choice than funny money. Instant shortages of everything.

nice I want a Librem!

I might order a Pine Phone because I met a friend of my wife who has one and likes it.

I ordered a Pinebook laptop four days ago because it was cheap and I need a new laptop:

https://pine64.com/product/14%e2%80%b3-pinebook-pro-linux-laptop-ansi-us-keyboard

We shall see if it arrives and is usable.

Patrick says

I might order a Pine Phone because I met a friend of my wife who has one and likes it.

I ordered a Pinebook laptop four days ago because it was cheap and I need a new laptop:

https://pine64.com/product/14%e2%80%b3-pinebook-pro-linux-laptop-ansi-us-keyboard

We shall see if it arrives and is usable.

Did it let you order to your home address? - it always says no shipping configurations available.

Yes, it just asked if I wanted to ship to the same as the credit card address.

Patrick says

Yes, it just asked if I wanted to ship to the same as the credit card address.

Figured it out. I had to add to cart then skip the address there and go to checkout and then enter shipping/billing address (buy now didn't work). My old system76 keyboard has been defect so I can only use it with an external keyboard, time to move everything to the pinebook! Price looks very reasonable (slashed down for community edition).

Yes, good price, looks nice. My worries are:

1. It might not arrive for much longer than they estimate (late April).
2. It may be hard to run much software on it because it has an ARM CPU. I may be limited to things they installed, or things I can compile myself.

Automakers starting to make vehicles with less semiconductors in them. This is a win!
Specifically, no computerized fuel pump. At least that is the only thing I have heard of so far. This should make vehicles more reliable.

Booger says

Not sure where those prices come from. Not seeing prices remotely close to that here in IL. We're closer to the March 2020 price. Prices are up for sure for one off sheets, but that's not real I don't think. Just double checked my local HD.

That was some sort of expensive plywood to begin with.

Booger says

Automakers starting to make vehicles with less semiconductors in them. This is a win!
Specifically, no computerized fuel pump. At least that is the only thing I have heard of so far. This should make vehicles more reliable.

Electric car does not need a fuel pump.

https://gmauthority.com/blog/2021/03/chevy-silverado-gmc-sierra-drop-fuel-management-due-to-chip-shortage/

General Motors is now building 2021 Chevy Silverado 1500 and 2021 GMC Sierra 1500 pickup trucks without Active Fuel Management (AFM) and Dynamic Fuel Management (DFM) technologies due to the ongoing global microchip shortage.

In a recent report from Reuters, GM acknowledged that certain 2021 light-duty pickups were being produced without AFM and DFM, affecting fuel economy ratings. Affected models include those equipped with the naturally aspirated 5.3L V8 L82, which previously featured Active Fuel Management, and models equipped with the naturally aspirated 5.3L V8 L84, which previously featured Dynamic Fuel Management.

Active Fuel Management improves fuel economy by deactivating half of an engine’s cylinders under light driving conditions. Dynamic Fuel Management works in a similar manner, but improves on the AFM system with up to 17 different cylinder activation patterns, providing optimized efficiency and power delivery.

In a statement to Reuters, GM spokeswoman Michelle Malcho said that the omission of AFM and DFM on new Chevy Silverado and GMC pickups is expected to lower fuel economy by 1 mpg.

“We routinely monitor our fleet for compliance in the U.S. and Canada, and we balance our portfolio in a way that enables us to manage unforeseeable circumstances like this without compromising our overall (greenhouse gas) and fuel economy compliance,” Malcho said.

Malcho also said that GM will continue to build Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra vehicles, although the volume of vehicles affected by the omission of AFM/DFM was not specified.

“By taking this measure, we are able to meet the strong customer and dealer demand for our full-size trucks as the industry continues to rebound and strengthen,” Malcho wrote in an email to Reuters.

The change is expected to continue through the 2021 model year.

The global microchip shortage has had an affect on the entirety of the auto industry, with nearly 60,000 GM vehicles expected to be cut from the automaker’s North American production schedule as a result, as well as reduced availability for various vehicle options.



General Motors Vehicle Inventory Shrunk By 50 Percent In The Last YearApril 9, 2021

just_passing_through says

Walmart doesn't sell guns and ammo anymore. I made the mistake of going to Walmart 3 weeks ago. Only thing I'd go there for. So I went to Turners Sporting Goods and yep, they were clean out of everything but 90 grain 9mm. Screw that.

Well, here in California the Walmarts stopped selling guns and ammo years ago, I think.
I picked up some 9mm JHP a few years ago before Sunnyvale (and then all of California) required the tracking of ammo sales. Yeah, it was pretty funny for a while.... Sunnyvale had onerous documentation requirements for ammunition sales so you just had to drive 2 miles down the street to Mountain View or mail-order to be delivered to your workplace (not in Sunnyvale). Well, then all of California followed suit and so I hope people stocked up early!

Hircus says

There's a serious global chip shortage which is making computers tough to get.

I went to Costco yesterday. Prices for meat were definitely up up and away!

Prices for big-screen TVs keep coming down, although now there are no large TVs that aren't also "smart" (i.e.: loaded spyware)

No problem getting toilet paper.

But, there was almost a chip shortage. I really only wanted to go for the chips, which are on sale and absolutely amazingly delicious. New item at Costco, I think. All the other chips were fully-stocked, but the Kirkland chips were almost gone.

Patrick says

What's wrong with 90 grain 9mm? Doesn't work with your gun?

I guess it's okay if the other guy as a BB gun. Also, not my issue but for new gun owners: It's frowned upon to break your gun in with something like that.

Fuck this inept administration. Have you noticed shortages?! Fuck yes! Try getting a handyman, mover or a house cleaner - most don't even reply with request for quotes, sound annoyed when you call. "I'm very busy, you need house cleaning this month?" Fuck yes it's the beginning of April I would like a clean house by May or I'll do it myself. Waiting on a stereo which is backlogged by 6 weeks. Meanwhile covidiots are sitting on their arses claiming it's either too dangerous to work or "not worth" it since the corpse and the cunt are sending them regular stimmy checks. Fuck this shit, open the floodgates for all illegal immigrants, I'm taking the first one who knows how to use a hammer and table saw. You wouldn't think this country has any unemployment at all judging from the wait times on everything. Suspend all welfare and UE checks, you won't get jack shit unless you completely clean one or two houses or neighborhoods per month, pick up a fucking broom, fuck your netfucks and chill! This country is going down the drain fast, hyperinflation is not even around the corner anymore, it's already here. What does it take to get people interested in actually working again, have some sense of self-respect and decency?! You drive around and every other car has a fucking disabled placard. Is anybody in the US still able bodied or are you all rotting away on your couch?! WW2 soldiers must be barfing in their graves witnessing the sjw sloths of today.

Epic rant @mell
We’ve kept our house cleaner for five years, and increased her pay several times. We give her a bonus at Christmas and did a few weeks of “paid holiday” when Covid fear was at its height a year ago. It’s been worth it for the consistent and dependable service.

As far as construction workers go, several things to consider:
1)everyone has been refinancing
2)most have been stuck at home, looking around at their shacks and wishing they were nicer
3)when you refinance they ask if you want to pull money out for home repairs
4)lots of money has been pulled out for remodels and such.
5)construction workers are booked!
6)most California kids aren’t going into construction these days.

Shaman says

Epic rant @mell
We’ve kept our house cleaner for five years, and increased her pay several times. We give her a bonus at Christmas and did a few weeks of “paid holiday” when Covid fear was at its height a year ago. It’s been worth it for the consistent and dependable service.

As far as construction workers go, several things to consider:
1)everyone has been refinancing
2)most have been stuck at home, looking around at their shacks and wishing they were nicer
3)when you refinance they ask if you want to pull money out for home repairs
4)lots of money has been pulled out for remodels and such.
5)construction workers are booked!
6)most California kids aren’t going into construction these days.

The air quality in SF is currently somewhat worse than normal because of all the construction going on! You see movers and construction workers everywhere, and yeah most workers are foreign because we promote gender studies bullshit degrees. At least the roads are getting paved and infrastructure getting repaired. And yet most cars never leave their parking spots, everyone sitting at home getting stimmy checks or - if rich - living off their stocks. There is a real shortage of workers for almost every trade right now. My car was 2 weeks at the mechanic because 2 techs got sick for a week after getting covid shots. It's just insane, they really need to cut all welfare and UE now. If one wouldn't know better all this shit the past year was a planned effort to take out all the workforce and kill a bunch old and sickly folks, just a great rotation on the government dole and more leftoid voters.

Oh and the estimated house value is already over well above our purchase price at closing and I see close to zero new homes hitting the market. This is fucking nuts, prepare for shortages everywhere. This looks like severe stagflation at the minimum, beginning of hyperinflation at the worst. Everybody get back to work, covid's over!

I can't get my favorite spice mix za'atar since dec :(( so good w ground lamb.

SunnyvaleCA says

Hircus says

There's a serious global chip shortage which is making computers tough to get.

I went to Costco yesterday. Prices for meat were definitely up up and away!

Prices for big-screen TVs keep coming down, although now there are no large TVs that aren't also "smart" (i.e.: loaded spyware)

No problem getting toilet paper.

But, there was almost a chip shortage. I really only wanted to go for the chips, which are on sale and absolutely amazingly delicious. New item at Costco, I think. All the other chips were fully-stocked, but the Kirkland chips were almost gone.

Fuck Costco, and their chips.

Now for some good potato chips:

https://youtu.be/Xr-yUHxl8Cg
Cement Siding

Cars

https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/21/business/car-prices-record-high-short-supply/index.html

PeopleUnited says

Cars

https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/21/business/car-prices-record-high-short-supply/index.html

Already well known... Presumably more people are fixing their cars instead of replacing them as well.

This one is interesting;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2mR8oR7atc

Lumber distributors buying back wood from lumber yards...
I'm going to guess that it's consumers avoiding buying wood for now and contractors still needing it badly.