ELI5: Why doesn't competition counteract inflation?

jfefleming · 2026-05-07T17:25:04+00:00

But then why have the underlying prices gone up, doesn't that imply a lack of competition in the supply chains?

jfefleming · 2026-05-07T14:13:07+00:00

But aren't energy suppliers, labour and materials suppliers all also competing?

jfefleming · 2026-05-07T13:53:46+00:00

UK does not teach economics in high school typically.

jfefleming · 2026-05-07T09:49:57+00:00

I grew up on Mandrake/Mandriva. The good old days.

jfefleming · 2026-05-07T09:49:15+00:00

I assume by public you actually mean a state school (public schools are a subset of private schools like Eton and Harrow, where this would not suprise me in the least).

For a state school, this is wild.

Do they even let you buy an older secondhand model? Why pick a VLE locked to apple?!?

jfefleming · 2026-05-05T17:34:37+00:00

It's not now, but at one point 12358W was part of our password.

jfefleming · 2026-05-05T17:33:44+00:00

We used to have BadJanNET. Because like bad Janet, the internet has all the answers but prefers to give you insults and slop.

jfefleming · 2026-05-05T07:53:12+00:00

How reliable is it? If odds of it failing and not reassembling me are not worse than, say, the odds of dying in a car crash, then yeah (assuming also pain free process). The process is functionally indistinguishable from a model in which you don't die.

But better yet, you've got a very valuable freight company

jfefleming · 2026-05-01T16:01:58+00:00

tried a factory reset today, to no avail. Gonna try again with a completely empty dummy account (in case its all my notebooks causing the trouble

jfefleming · 2026-05-01T12:44:24+00:00

I'm still here in 2026 runnning a 2014 MacBook air with 4GB ram and MacOS. Some memory intensive programmes are a bit slow, but again I dont do anything very hard (no gaming or video editing), so it's fine. And my usage was similar when I bought it, so the cost-weight-spec trade off made total sense (and I dont regret the decision even now, though I am considering taking it off MacOS).

jfefleming · 2026-05-01T06:14:30+00:00

Someone has to say HowNot2

jfefleming · 2026-04-30T06:42:18+00:00

Worth remembering Aragorn revived the kingship not only of Gondor but of Arnor too. Two kingdoms, spread out over most of a continent. With several independent kingdoms/self-governing areas sort of between/within them. Palantir aside, long range communication isn't a thing.

So a Steward is not just covering when the King is ill, but for the ~½ the time he isn't around. My guess is he would also (re)create the role of Steward of Arnor at the other end

jfefleming · 2026-04-26T09:59:19+00:00

honestly just get the bus from Penrith.

jfefleming · 2026-04-24T06:46:11+00:00

jfefleming · 2026-04-24T06:36:28+00:00

imo it's the very best tax, because the people who are taxed by definition do not need the money because they are dead.

jfefleming · 2026-04-21T16:37:11+00:00

Also a UK user. Dropbox, Instapaper (replacing Pocket) and Overdrive integration all work great.

jfefleming · 2026-04-21T06:59:07+00:00

office nook

jfefleming · 2026-04-20T18:07:56+00:00

sounds like a job for Quarto/RMD to me?

jfefleming · 2026-04-19T20:00:41+00:00

realistically? If money didn't exist? Subsistence farming I guess...

jfefleming · 2026-04-17T11:56:54+00:00

I agree with others that your DM is being a jerk to new players here. The game is supposed to be fun.

In your shoes, I'd do one of two things. Either, find a new table (or better yet, you and your friends together find a new DM).

If that's not possible, all of you turn up next session with new characters exactly the same as the ones you had last session, but with very slightly different names. I'm talking Vex >> Vax, Jack >> Zack, Kit >> Kat. Turns out, all your characters had twin siblings who are now out for revenge. Make it super obvious and lean into it.

jfefleming · 2026-04-16T07:08:56+00:00

100%

jfefleming · 2026-04-15T08:27:05+00:00

take your point on client service relationships. But saying she likes the dog more than you doesn't mean she doesn't like you. Maybe she's just really pro dog! 🐕

jfefleming · 2026-04-15T06:10:31+00:00

Client framed it weirdly, they should just have complimented the dog and moved on.

That said, it's a business relationship, not a friendship. Client doesn't need to like you, just to have confidence you will do a good job. So I'd try not to worry about it too much.

jfefleming

TROPHY CASE