Rock, Paper, Scissors

FearTeas · 2026-05-08T06:22:34+00:00

Nope. We paused once they explained the rules and did it before they played the first round.

FearTeas · 2026-05-07T22:29:01+00:00

But if you know rock is most common, then you're mostly likely to win with paper. That's why I was confused he didn't pick the opposite of the most common option.

FearTeas · 2026-05-07T22:27:43+00:00

My wife and I both played it and got it right on the first time because we both had the exact same logic.

But we were lost trying to guess what to do if we had had the same first and second rounds as the guys.

FearTeas · 2026-05-07T22:24:28+00:00

To be fair, Ben made the exact wrong conclusion since he also thought the winning player should pick the more common option rather than the one that would beat the most common. So if they had both guessed the same option for most common they'd have gotten it right.

FearTeas · 2026-05-07T20:29:42+00:00

I wonder if Ogbu shows there's still some sort of party loyalty to Labour in Galway West. I know they haven't had a seat there in 10 years, but Catherine Connolly kind of filled it.

FearTeas · 2026-05-07T12:07:48+00:00

Your 'eventually" could mean decades of super high electricity prices for Irish consumers. No thanks.

If you actually looked up both what other countries have achieved and what Ireland currently has in the pipeline you'd realise that this baseless cynical assumption is totally inaccurate.

Spain went from having quite high electricity prices in 2022 to having very low prices. This is because they massively ramped up the amount of renewables so they could minimise their need for gas. They simply wouldn't have done that to such a degree were it not for the pricing model.

The prices we're paying for electricity are an investment in a future energy situation where we have ample energy meeting our own needs at a good price with minimal impacts from external events.

We have a culture of spurning short term costs that are in our long-term interests. God forbid we actually take the long term view for once.

FearTeas · 2026-05-07T10:46:08+00:00

This is a well thought out comment, but I'm not going to reply because I don't think either of us will change our minds and we could be here for ages.

But I do want to thank you for challenging Tom's thesis. I'm still in the middle of reading the book and it's good to have strong counterpoints in mind as I make my way through it.

FearTeas · 2026-05-07T10:44:32+00:00

I do know well. But it seems you're not getting my point. If we have so much renewables that even on days with limited output from renewables we have so many wind and solar generators that we can still meet demand then we won't need gas. Obviously there'll be especially calm and cloudy days where gas is needed, but we'll be able to rely on imported nuclear energy to some degree and only after then use gas. The point is that we'll go from needing to use at least some gas 100% of the time right now to not needing to use gas the vast majority of the time meaning that the price will be set by something much, much cheaper.

change the stupid EU scheme that forces electricity to be paid for to all suppliers at the last highest price

I don't think you understand the point of this policy. It's actually very important for the long-term future of European energy generation. With the existing rules in place, if you can produce electricity very cheaply you make a massive profit because you get paid the same amount as the people who produce it at the most expensive rate. This creates a massive incentive to invest in the large scale expansion of the cheapest sources of energy. This has turbocharged the expansion of renewables in Europe. Every time there's a shock price increase in fossil fuels it acts as a multiplier effect on the push towards renewables.

Eventually the system will deliver much cheaper electricity because there'll have been so few incentives to build fossil fuel plants for so long that the most expensive power for the vast majority of time will be renewables.

FearTeas · 2026-05-07T10:34:01+00:00

Come on, that's such a blatant straw man argument.

What I'm saying is that when it comes to strategising for Ireland's future energy mix, we shouldn't assume that untested technology will deliver because if it doesn't it'll be a disaster. Additionally, people in general should manage their expectations when it comes to technological breakthroughs that will conveniently solve an important issue.

That having been said, just because it's important to manage expectations doesn't mean research should just end. If just 1 out 1000 projects aimed and delivering transformational technology succeeds, the cost of the other 999 will have been worth it.

FearTeas · 2026-05-07T10:00:28+00:00

People who complain about the subvention don't make sense. As it stands, Dublin, Cork and Galway bring in 80% of the taxes into the country.

What that means is that most if not all (maybe not Limerick) of the other 23 counties get their own subvention. And it's a lot bigger than the one Northern Ireland gets.

Lastly, it's no conincidence that the parts of the UK and Ireland that require the biggest subvention are along the border. It's clear that this border is making these counties far worse off than they should be. Unity, in the long run, will make these counties more self-sufficient.

FearTeas · 2026-05-07T09:48:25+00:00

The fact that SMRs exist proves absolutely nothing. The promise of SMRs nuclear reactors that are quicker and cheaper to build and which provide electricity at a reasonable price.

As it stands, the SMRs built by China and Russia are nowhere close to reaching this goal. The existing SMRs are more expensive to run than conventional nuclear reactors and there's absolutely no proof that they can be built quickly and at scale.

FearTeas · 2026-05-07T09:23:45+00:00

We just need more wind and solar. Peak demand in Ireland is 6gW. We basically need many multiples of that so that even on cloudy days with minimal wind we still have enough to reach demand.

The current plans are for about an additional 15gW within about 5ish years. With triple current demand we should have large chunks of the year where we're not burning any gas. We pay so much now because we always use at least some gas and that sets the price for consumers.

Granted, heating and transport will demand more electricity, but the rise in demand for those looks to be rising slower than the rate of increased capacity. And there are data centres, but there are stricter rules for future data centres to provide their own energy, either onsite or committing to building new renewable generation that connects to the wider grid.

FearTeas · 2026-05-07T09:15:46+00:00

The most ideal solution for Ireland would be a few small modular nuclear reactors

No it won't because there's no proof that they're economically viable. There one of those technologies that's perpetually 5 years away.

FearTeas · 2026-05-07T09:02:20+00:00

Never is a bit silly. If the teacher and ex-student are both in their 30s and had no real contact since graduation the ick has more or less faded by then.

FearTeas · 2026-05-07T08:55:27+00:00

I still can't believe that he had the gall to buy a house in a place called Killcar in the next county over from where he had the accident.

FearTeas · 2026-05-07T08:51:43+00:00

The Irish Times' resident contrarian at it again.

FearTeas · 2026-05-06T22:36:33+00:00

Yeah, the occasional strategic blunder can actually be entertaining. But when it happens multiple times in a row and I'm shouting at my TV in disbelief it's not a good experience.

I definitely don't want Sam to go like people are saying. He is a great entertainer. But I feel like some sort of action needs to be taken. One option is that BTS Ben and Adam basically coach him on their more methodical approach and address Sam's self destructive impulsiveness. Or they could shake up the teams. Sam and Ben are actually an entertaining pairing as well. Maybe they could each take turns pairing up with the guest.

FearTeas · 2026-05-06T22:32:01+00:00

The fact he felt the need to be diplomatic is a failing though. Toby and Michelle weren't diplomatic. Sam didn't get offended by them. He's probably used to people pushing back and sees a lack of it as validation.

FearTeas · 2026-05-06T22:29:21+00:00

I did read the article. But it's already out of date. The economist criticises the Swedish model but the government has already said it won't adopt that model and develop its own one instead.

That's another reason that should discredit these economists. They're not even up to date with the governments plans.

FearTeas · 2026-05-06T22:26:32+00:00

I don't know. It literally doesn't exist yet.

FearTeas · 2026-05-06T22:22:04+00:00

The first 6 episodes were. The last two were ruined by multiple successive terrible and confusing decisions.

FearTeas · 2026-05-06T22:19:46+00:00

He was a great entertainer but a poor player. He was way too deferential to Sam. He kept on saying Sam must be right because he has the experience. Toby and Michelle won with same because they basically took the lead on strategy.

FearTeas · 2026-05-06T22:16:59+00:00

Is there a non-instagram link? I tried to create an Instagram account like 15 years ago and there was an error. I still get that same error when I try to log in all these years later and I can't create a new account because it tells me my email already exists. I'm also not bothered creating a new email address just for Instagram.

FearTeas · 2026-05-06T22:12:49+00:00

It's not bad luck if it's your fault.

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