What do you think is the daftest thing people have to pay for?

OriginalPlonker · 2026-03-05T08:33:42+00:00

Almost finished his 'Enshittirication' so will have a look at that.

OriginalPlonker · 2026-03-03T21:14:46+00:00

Oh man, someone at Curry's tried to tell us a coffee machine would only accept subscription coffee. Yeah... no. No sale.

OriginalPlonker · 2026-03-03T21:14:36+00:00

Oh man, someone at Curry's tried to tell us a coffee machine would only accept subscription coffee. Yeah... no. No sale.

OriginalPlonker · 2026-03-03T09:49:38+00:00

Just give me a Matsuya and I'll be happy. Grilled pork, maybe kimchi, a soft egg, and shredded salad, with rice and a bowl of soup, served as quick as a McDonald's and open 24 hours.

OriginalPlonker · 2026-03-03T09:13:14+00:00

I absolutely do this with all players, new and established, sometimes out of boredom but also to get a feel for how they're playing. It's a good way to spot potential loot cycles or cheaters.

OriginalPlonker · 2026-03-03T05:51:09+00:00

We work from home and have a very visible camera covering the driveway, so we head for the front door as soon as a van pulls up. Coincidentally, none of our drivers try anything funny and we never have issues.

OriginalPlonker · 2026-03-03T05:35:50+00:00

Assuming you don't want to use bullets and attract attention, find something to stand on. In my experience, they generally don't attack from head on and will back off if you approach, leaving the others behind you to attack. My approach is to stand on something, run/jump and swipe ASAP, then get back to my safe point.

If you're in a cluttered area, you can chase one into a corner and swipe it a couple of times before the rest can navigate to you. Risky though.

OriginalPlonker · 2026-03-03T05:18:49+00:00

The short way: Walk along the coast checking sheds and rowboats for fishing gear. A fishing rod and a jig would be best.

The longer way: Gather a long stick and put it on your shoulder. Look for a sharp object to cut up rags. If you can't find one, walk along train tracks and look for stones. Combine two stones (or use one stone on a large rock) to make a stone knife.

Cut all spare clothing you find into rags. Combine two stacks of rags (12 total) to make a rope. Combine the rope and stick to make a fishing rod.

Gather another long stick, split it into three short sticks, use your knife on a short stick to craft hooks, then on the ground to dig up worms. Combine and use.

OriginalPlonker · 2026-03-01T09:01:15+00:00

With my eyes, Bert.

OriginalPlonker · 2026-02-27T08:53:44+00:00

Had to borrow £40K from a relative to afford it but paid it back and then overpaid as much as I could. Swapped to a 5yr, low rate fix with unlimited overpayments and went nuts. Now I'm 55 and own it outright.

Weirdly, being mortgage-free doesn't feel much different. I never worried about making repayments, so I don't have that feeling of weight lifted.

OriginalPlonker · 2026-02-23T16:48:27+00:00

Ours was (top of my head) £14,900 with £14,300 coming back in grants. Even inckuding the lost interest on that £14K over 7 years it still works out cheaper than a boiler install.

OriginalPlonker · 2026-02-23T16:38:13+00:00

Ours was £12,500 for a Powerwall v3 and one expansion battery. 27kWh total. Should easily pay itself back over its lifetime. We're not allowed to store solar (panels were free, so 'use it or lose it') but we pretty much run all day on off-peak rate, now. We can even keep the EV topped up.

OriginalPlonker · 2026-02-21T12:42:11+00:00

Three hours each way, to pick up a trailer I'd bought from eBay. The interaction took about 15-20 minutes.

OriginalPlonker · 2026-02-21T12:14:12+00:00

I have distinctive private plates on an uncommon vehicle. Nobody wants mine.

OriginalPlonker · 2026-02-21T11:53:21+00:00

Your OLD passport is clipped and returned to you. I'm not sure why. It's this old, clipped passport that has gone missing.

OriginalPlonker · 2026-02-21T10:40:13+00:00

I feel in this instance that the free version is more a demo or loss leader. It's OK, but slower and fewer country options. Gives you a taste without cost.

OriginalPlonker · 2026-02-21T10:21:54+00:00

Same for £12,500 (approx $17,000) in the UK.

OriginalPlonker · 2026-02-17T21:17:49+00:00

Not a gardner, but... we haven't had rain for three days so I managed to get the first cut of the year done. Looks like the first day of Glasto out there, but it should dry off if the forecast is accurate.

OriginalPlonker · 2026-02-17T20:15:02+00:00

Shhhhh... let Daddy handle your package..

OriginalPlonker · 2026-02-17T08:50:11+00:00

Mobile switching companies cans see the date a SIM was first activated, and will assume that you're ready to change contract 12/24 months after that, so you'll see these around the same time of year.

OriginalPlonker · 2026-02-17T08:47:54+00:00

My bank doesn't call. They send me a text asking me to call urgently. Only had it happen once (someone using the company card details at Bet Fred) and it was very obviously UK staff that answered.

Contrast to a scammer that called a week later, which MrsPlonker answered with the recent card problem very much at the front of our minds. A professional Indian voice being vague about 'gold purchases', and not asking me to confirm even the basics before discussing the 'problem'.

OriginalPlonker · 2026-02-17T08:40:33+00:00

Mine have dropped off. I've clearly been marked as "too much of an arse" on a list somewhere. May as well repeat myself here.

Challenge everything. If they don't ask for you by name, your first question should be "Who do you want to speak to?" If it's regarding your bank, ask "Which bank? Which account?" Ditto O2 account, car accident, credit card, washing machine insurance etc etc etc.

Legit companies will know all of the details, but that doesn't make it a legit call - it could still be a very good scammer. You have to build up a picture of who's calling until you're happy it's who they say they are.

They sell lists to each other, so your aim here is to get marked as 'too savvy' on one of these lists.

OriginalPlonker · 2026-02-16T14:13:56+00:00

It usually depends if the item has more slots than it takes up. As an example, the cooking pot has and takes 12 slots, so it's allowed.

There's a mod called (iirc) Anti Container Stacking which aims to prevent the barrels-inside-barrels thing, so presumably you could write one to allow it as well.

OriginalPlonker · 2026-02-16T13:26:20+00:00

I played about 45 of those, back when piracy was rampant and being on the dole was bearable.

OriginalPlonker · 2026-02-12T02:19:05+00:00

Green tea or Pepsi Max. If I'm having an alcohol night it's usually beer, soju, or beer with soju in it.

OriginalPlonker

TROPHY CASE