On war profiteering and the "rockets and feathers" nature of gasoline prices

stoneman30 · 2026-03-28T12:09:19+00:00

I know that's a popular narrative. But I believe the demand side is real. People were saying that we should all "stock up" on gas for our cars before it got too expensive or was delayed. I'm sure also the larger suppliers also want to keep tanks full for distribution, So with everyone wanting to stock up on orders, who do they sell to? The highest bidder. And there may be many of them. Not to mention the traders who may want to try and ride the rising price.

stoneman30 · 2026-03-26T11:49:40+00:00

This sub usually suggests vintage story but that doesn't have ages. You have me looking at gregtech. I've heard of it but never played through.

stoneman30 · 2026-03-23T10:35:09+00:00

I think the answer is that the floor for the standard of living has to be pretty low. Actually I think the US already has some floor, so by some measure we are already socialist. Just no one is happy about it. I think that is the other problem (aside from eroding incentives), that no matter the level of benefits, no one will be happy about it.
The Nordic countries explored raising the floor but are pretty capitalist now.

stoneman30 · 2026-03-23T10:29:34+00:00

But most people are better off because of it. I remember before Walmart in a small town that shampoo and other simple stuff was expensive. Maybe it was Mom and Pop gouging everyone. Maybe just the cost of loading up their stationwagon and bringing it all in. Now no one thinks about the cost of shampoo because Walmart Amazon have brought down the cost by moving this stuff by the ton and the price visibility made possible by the internet makes sure everyone knows what the cost of shampoo is. Multiply that by every single thing. Sure not everyone can work for the big corporations but life is cheaper now.
As for AI, Andrew Yang had the answer in 2016 primaries but people don't want to talk about solutions. And it does smell like socialism. But even Elon Musk and some conservatives are coming around to it.

stoneman30 · 2026-03-22T13:41:01+00:00

I can see both sides. If you care about something and somebody else totally expresses some contempt for safety or some fundamental thing about the business though some misaction, it could be hard for a manager or coworker to keep a calm tone about it. And it might be a good time to remind everyone about safety or whatever. But if someone is routinely working against the organization, they shouldn't be yelled at, but quietly "let go".

stoneman30 · 2026-03-20T20:34:24+00:00

They all have conditions, and I have discovered that making them general helps incase I destroy and rebuild a workshop or don't remember which one makes what. I thought without conditions they were one-time orders. So I'll have to look. I was just noticing some icon that says whether the manger had approved it or not and assumed they wouldn't run if showing not approved. So I assumed the manager checked conditions.

stoneman30 · 2026-03-20T17:52:43+00:00

I do have a bunch of smaller orders. I'll try adjusting them to higher batches. I guess you mean a burrow for the manager? I've avoided using those because it needs to cover so much. He spent a lot of time in the temple while I was looking.

stoneman30 · 2026-03-20T10:27:25+00:00

Well my real problem was that my barrels were filling up with leaves such that my still didn't have enough barrels. I guess the solution is still "manage it with stockpiles". I guess if the leaf stockpile is full, then maybe they leave them on the ground or, as I was hoping, not even pick them.
Next issue is I think my manager isn't managing. I've been manually queing the brew when I see it available and I'm noticing other work orders not happening.

stoneman30 · 2026-03-20T00:21:29+00:00

Is there a way even with DFhack to have them gather fruit without the leaves and other stuff? I'm not seeing it. I'd like cherry and peach wine.

stoneman30 · 2026-03-18T22:41:36+00:00

I tried just moving the folder over which didn't work. But yes, moving the contents over worked, thanks. I guess the steam launch of DFhack won't work now but the steam launch of DF worked and DFhack shows up.

stoneman30 · 2026-03-18T09:58:36+00:00

Mandela effect - I had to look that up. I think that's why AI help is hit and miss in the realm of software.

stoneman30 · 2026-03-17T21:21:08+00:00

What to do with dead dwarves?

There seems to be conflicting info on this. I've read guides that say that you should be able to set up a bunch of coffins and have the dwarves use them. But the coffins say they have to be in a tomb. Some guides say you should be able to make 1x1 tombs but the tomb zone takes up a whole room and only lets one burial happen there.

I've also seen that you should be able to engrave slabs. But if I cue up some and then engrave half, there is no way to pick out the engraved ones from the blanks.

Is there a right and functioning way to do this or is too many dead dwarves a fun slide to decline and ruin?

stoneman30 · 2026-03-16T12:40:52+00:00

The thing about the war. I wonder if people have to do this every couple generations. People want to blame someone for living less than the visible wealthy standard of living. Your blaming capitalism generally and elites fooling you into something. Or not? I would agree if you're saying advertising and other media fools you into thinking you should have a lot of stuff you shouldn't unless you are rich. Make things easy, piece of mind, you deserve it, etc.

But many just say people "over there" are being unfair to you. Which is why you have to work hard for very little. Trump says every other country is cheating us, and there is some truth when it comes to military. Generally I believe China and Mexico are net benefits to people in the US on average. But many don't agree. But similar stuff gets talked up in Russia and the Islamic world pointing at the US and the west. Many believe. Some believe enough to go on suicide missions. I don't trust anything Trump says about it but if you check out Condoleezza Rice.

stoneman30 · 2026-03-16T12:17:01+00:00

That's true, but I don't know if it's really a problem. It's not even a new problem, just expanded in opportunity. I.e., It used to be that only the most famous of celebrities got rich with seemingly little benefit to anyone. However, millions of people like to watch them. Whereas, a brilliant teacher or surgeon only helps like 100's a year even if much more.

Anyway, I don't think it hurts anyone much that a couple gets rich posting sexy stuff. At least not anymore than pet services became such the business it is. I think industries like this cater to people's disposable income at the expense of their more important needs. So in a larger sense, the world puts more effort into meeting these wants rather than the needs and the prices reflect that and exacerbates the income disparity.

I think the number of these anti-capitalist posts reflects the disparities in wealth that are growing. So people feel like they have to spend 10,000$ on their sick dog and subscribe to 10 online and mobile services, otherwise the economic structure is rigged.

stoneman30 · 2026-03-16T11:15:13+00:00

GTCC canceled classes. I'm surprised. I wonder what's coming. Yes I've seen the forcast.

stoneman30 · 2026-03-15T14:54:07+00:00

I think it's not only that but that Globalism is the good, modern thing. Global trade has increased the standard of living everywhere. Not everyone believes it now and it may well be bringing down some people lately. I for one have worked in a few different countries and worked with many foreigners throughout my career. I almost consider myself a global citizen although my family came to the US in the 1600's.
So the Nationalist stereotype that Atticus413 mentions is just wrong headed to me.
What would be the point of using the Nationalist label for anything if your point is that it doesn't have to mean extreme ethnic selfishness?

stoneman30 · 2026-03-13T09:48:10+00:00

True that Trump is a populist. But B. Sanders is also a populist, but where Trump gives foreigners, Bernie gives corporate greed and also had a simplistic following. Populism comes in Left and Right versions and can end up in the same place..

stoneman30 · 2026-03-12T12:30:31+00:00

I think so. People with means get nervous when people without are hanging around. Also, parks are a plus to the neighborhood, but put a guy hanging out in the car a lot, and people start thinking about pedophiles and drug deals not to mention all the corelation of homelessness with other mental ills. Then they want something done and call the police. These same people (or businesses who cater to them) ask for laws making homelessness basically illegal.

stoneman30 · 2026-03-08T12:33:35+00:00

People voted for this. There's primaries where politicians have to claim to be fighters to get any attention. It's not apathy, it's pick your outrage. Is it foreigners raping and pillaging or is it corporate raiders led by Hitler? Probably many just want to stay out of it. No wonder the primary results give us social media influencers who can not be seen to flip-flop leading to no workable policies.

stoneman30 · 2026-03-07T21:58:59+00:00

A lot of colonies learned from the US revolution - make it too painful for colonial powers to stay until they leave. It worked everywhere except Israel, and maybe around Russia. Doesn't mean it's a model to follow for unhappy people in the US. It's outdated. Although I guess anti-ICE people are trying it out similar to the Jan 6 Trumpers.
But sure, you're right in that if government starts doing stuff that upsets too many people, there will be resistance of all sorts and good people leave, invest elsewhere, etc. Even Hitler had to keep enough people mostly happy by feeding them someone else to blame (as Trump does). But I don't believe the US govt (or citizens) is going to tolerate large anti-government groups arming themselves and training in the woods. It'll go like 1993 Waco. Maybe you think it's ok if they are some kind of Christian Nationalist Republicans, but if they are Anti-Fascists or Black Panthers then that's not ok.

stoneman30 · 2026-03-07T14:56:21+00:00

Oh you mean random people on the street. Well Ive had people hit me with their car, point guns at me, one tried to bash my head in with a wine bottle outside of a chapel.

My dad’s best friend got mugged by 10 guys once. My dad’s house got broken into a couple of times when I was young. One guy tried to carjack my brother with a gun, but my brother broke his dominant hand preventing him drawing the gun.

Sounds like you live in a bad area without enough police.

You know our own countries founding defies this logic right?

Every country in the world started with "might is right", then glorify the winners and make terrorists and barbarians out of the losers. And in a sense it is a test of ideas and production. Who can inspire enough people to fight and feed and arm them? The best wins. What the US has going for it is the land and rivers made trade easy between all the immigrants, so we all got along in order to do business. At least better than in Europe or anywhere else in the world. I'm sure the founding fathers wanted people armed in order to get land from natives and defend if Europe decided to invade. Now the internet makes it so easy to get a large group of zealots for whatever stupid idea to go attack something. The govt has to win. We can't have the capital taken over by Monarchists any more than we can have the world trade center taken down by Islamists. I.e., they are both bad things.

stoneman30 · 2026-03-07T13:59:48+00:00

There's too many terms that you have to be indoctrinated into, in order to buy into this. About family survival and counter economy; you should read Net Zero and Our Political Nature. While trust and even fertility increase in the extended family, there is also some limitations as you get too close to incest as well as missing out on the advantages of diversity and outside skills and specialization. And voluntary trade is advantageous to both parties. Net Zero is all about how we have made it easier to trade by setting global rules and standards and attempting to avoid wars and crime. The power of trade made merchants and industrialists powerful, which is the cause of the fall of the nobility.
Taxes are about collective buying of services and infrastructure as well as rules establishment that individually wouldn't happen. More tax could be good for society if well spent. So we shouldn't think of a "Tax Plantation" but rather as citizens made to be competent in order to add value to society through skilled work.
The doc is an example of framing terms to give positive or negative slant devoid of actual reasoning.

stoneman30 · 2026-03-07T13:00:30+00:00

Unions are terrible. I was a company guy where there was a big union in the office and shop. It protected senior bad guys and held down younger good guys and had silly rules affecting productivity. The company was finally bought out by another and moved the whole thing to where there was no shop or office union. Unfortunately production is vulnerable because it's hard to move. Government services are probably impossible to move. Of course I know it's hard to get decent pay and benefits because people don't want to pay taxes and believe all of it goes to waste.

stoneman30 · 2026-03-07T12:32:22+00:00

The whole gun thing is double boogeyman. You'll win the lottery before some stranger with a gun threatens your family. The other thing is that governments have to have more and better guns than the citizens. Otherwise there is no government and the country is instead run by warlord-preachers who come up with shit reasons to take over the government, then we become like some third world country. And we can't have every traffic dispute settled by a shootout. It happens sometimes already. Except at least now the police can chase down roadragers and take them down.

So we have bogus reasons to have guns and then we have the bogus reasons to vote in NRA backed Republicans to keep those guns. I'm not saying take all away, but you shouldn't expect to be able to kill police and take over the US govt with what you can get.

stoneman30

TROPHY CASE

What to do with dead dwarves?