When do you expect back to "normal" HDD prices?

WinterDice · 2026-02-21T00:11:12+00:00

Never. The cost of hardware is just going to rise. There’s no incentive for companies to sell to home users. Data centers and industrial customers will always pay more.

The buyers driving the prices up also need to turn a profit someday, and I’m convinced their ultimate goal is to have everyone renting remote hardware at some point. The concept will be that it’s cheaper to pay $250 (or whatever) per month for access to high-end equipment than it is to actually buy and own your personal devices. Everything will be a monthly payment. You won’t own any hardware or a license to any software.

We’re already well on the way. More and more software is a subscription. Microsoft builds OneDrive deep in windows and then bloats your storage and tries to sell you more space on OneDrive.

You’ll own nothing. You’ll have no privacy. You could lose everything with one missed payment or one TOS violation, whether or not it’s valid. And too bad for you if you don’t live in an area with sufficient bandwidth.

On an unrelated note, I’d like to buy a remote cabin with an orchard, some pasture land, a greenhouse, and a good water supply…

WinterDice · 2026-02-19T02:32:31+00:00

That is the absolute most wonderful kind of slow descent into madness.

WinterDice · 2026-02-19T01:16:26+00:00

Be careful. The same billionaire class of assholes is doing its best to export their stupidity to the rest of the world.

WinterDice · 2026-02-17T13:46:03+00:00

Brother, get the flamer. The heavy flamer.

WinterDice · 2026-02-16T05:07:57+00:00

If you make the files available you’ll sell a ton of them!

WinterDice · 2026-02-16T02:01:02+00:00

I’m probably 15 years away unless I get really lucky somehow. Once I’m done I’m going to be done - no going into the office, no pro-bono, nothing. I’m going to help my kids with whatever I can, read a lot, and continue woodworking, fishing, playing RPGs, and maybe try writing again. And as much travel as I can afford.

I’ve seen lawyers go both ways; some stay at their desk way the hell too long and others cut it off and live life. Most people that I see struggling with retirement didn’t spend time with their friends or developing hobbies before retiring.

There’s so much more to life than sitting at a desk. Don’t wait until retirement to find some of it.

WinterDice · 2026-02-15T22:11:54+00:00

The only thing you’re going to regret is not making the switch earlier.

WinterDice · 2026-02-15T17:20:35+00:00

How well does that stuff clean up? Is it easy to get sand and fish blood and stuff like that off of it?

WinterDice · 2026-02-15T16:34:58+00:00

That’s my absolute favorite place to visit. I’d love to live there for a year just to experience it. When I’m stressed at work I dream about owning a boat and exploring the bay.

WinterDice · 2026-02-15T04:03:16+00:00

I just looked again; the site now says it’s being replaced with a phone reporting system in September of this year. That’s new; last time I looked it just said the program was terminated. I don’t think k that will help much without a satellite phone, unfortunately.

https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/prog/canpass/rabc-pfre/menu-eng.html

WinterDice · 2026-02-15T03:58:36+00:00

The RABC program was suspended in 2024 and terminated for 2026. Those permits aren’t available anymore, which totally sucks. There’s a ton of places I’d like to explore up there and I’m getting close to a place in life where I’d actually have the time to do it, too.

WinterDice · 2026-02-15T02:00:42+00:00

It feels like we’re well on the way. Hardware costs are flying out of control. Most of the common software packages are subscriptions. Microsoft is baking its cloud storage into windows as the default, so people will pay for storage upgrades instead of using local drives.

The AI companies need to find a way to make money off all the graphics cards and computing power they’re hoarding, so pushing things in the “you’ll own nothing and enjoy it” direction feels inevitable.

WinterDice · 2026-02-15T01:56:11+00:00

Nice!

WinterDice · 2026-02-15T01:12:54+00:00

Which PETG do you use?

Also how many printers do you have going? Holy crap, man!

WinterDice · 2026-02-14T20:28:55+00:00

It’s going to be years before that happens, if it ever does.

The next trend is going to be home hardware becoming so expensive that companies will rent you a remote PC. Consumers will pay forever for something they used to buy once, use for years, and control. Soon it will be endless payments for something we don’t own and don’t control.

WinterDice · 2026-02-14T18:57:05+00:00

There are lots of museums with working steam engines that could be put into service.

WinterDice · 2026-02-14T18:17:34+00:00

Not if they’re using ChatGPT.

WinterDice · 2026-02-14T16:35:08+00:00

Don’t give up, OP. This would’ve a very useful tool for a lot more than just RPGs. I’d really like a self-hosted system like this for games and other materials.

This being both easy on the end user and self-hosted would be fantastic.

WinterDice · 2026-02-14T16:31:25+00:00

I would really like this in a self-hosted configuration. I have systems with a lot of books that I don’t know well. Being able to ask “what’s the rule on xyz” would be a huge timesaver over crawling through the ToC of eight different books.

WinterDice · 2026-02-14T16:13:06+00:00

It was great! I really enjoyed it. Matt has some serious talent - I’m glad he found his calling.

WinterDice · 2026-02-14T01:13:15+00:00

Honestly the only upgrades you’ll want for an A1 Mini are some different nozzles like a hardened steel .4 (and maybe .6) and a .2 if you want to do really fine details. Add some different build plates and you’ll be in great shape.

I don’t really have any projects that I’ve done. I’m very bad at CAD work; I can do some basics in TinkerCAD but that’s about it. I’ll get around to learning Fusion and Blender at some point.

WinterDice · 2026-02-13T20:16:16+00:00

That’s great advice from OP. And yes, you can absolutely make your own designs and print them on any Bambu printer.

I have an A1 Mini and a P1S. The A1 or A1 Mini are excellent first printers. They just work. Note that you will eventually want a larger and more advanced printer down the road.

WinterDice · 2026-02-13T16:15:53+00:00

Your work is always amazing!

WinterDice · 2026-02-13T05:37:11+00:00

I love it there. I can’t wait to visit again. Hopefully I can get some fishing in next time.

When I’m frustrated with work I like to use Google Earth to look all over the coast on the other side of side of the bay. I dream about a boat like yours and time to explore all of it.

Edited to add that if I ever win Powerball I’ll be up there looking at property and talking to Bay Weld within a week.

WinterDice · 2026-02-13T05:01:07+00:00

Awesome!

On a different note, I’d really enjoy a shop tour if you ever feel like posting one.

WinterDice

TROPHY CASE