WOW! Is it just me or have prices sky rocketed on gear?

[∞Fractals]

Jeepers, all the luddite hate arrived for the huge manatee



I guess I’m in the Optimist’s camp

 

[la szum]

I got nothing but respect for this.

Two decade engineer here (mainly in Web Dev) as well. I literally just quit working for Big Bad Company™ (rhymes with PlaceLook/Schmeta) and took an almost 50% pay cut because I couldn't stomach working there. It was by far the most money I've ever made in my life, and the team was great. It's just... it ate at my soul.

I'm moving away from social media now because fuck working for companies who make money by manipulating their users (which is what every single advertising funded company ends up doing). I still like writing code, but I'm gonna make sure it's for products I actually believe in and can get behind.

There absolutely is such a thing as selling your soul, and it's never worth it.

Bravo!

Not sure who says it, but the last track on Architects "All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us" has this sound clip that has stuck with me for years now:



We neurotically avoid contraction. The economy must grow at all costs. The population must grow at all costs. Unless we get a handle on it as a species, it will eventually destroy us. We must somehow comes to terms with death as a part of life, not just physical death, but the idea of death. All things die. People, animals, plants, sure... but also ideas, organizations, companies, economies, and even countries and governments and nations. The harder we fight against it, the harder nature will retaliate, and nature always wins.

(Talk about gettin' all dark)

Fucking, eh.... a James Hillman quote on a gear forum??!! I love this place!!

I can't let an opportunity to let go by to mention one of his most accessible books.

 

[yyz67]

"Fucking, eh, ... James Hillman."

There are a few straight shooters who are too penetrating to be heard. Jiddu Krishnamurti was another of those. The "system" (e.g. humans being separate from / better than nature) is almost all-encompassing of our lives and thinking.

 

[la szum]

I've been working my way through the James Hillman biography. 700 pages. Not for the faint of heart.

 

[rossipedia]

My bad, it's in the second to last track. It's not actually Hillman, it's somebody quoting him. Still spot on tho

 

[Sixstring]

Seems that boom to bust to boom to bust to boom to bust is kind of the way of the world with humans at the reins.

It seems to be the way of the universe! maybe we are just imitating it? Much like a wave that starts to build, crests then breaks! or the seasons go from summer to fall to winter to spring or a sound wave, Everything is cyclical!

 

[OrganicZed]

I just paid $4.20 per gallon of fuel. It was 3.78 a gallon yesterday when I passed the same station on the way home. Fuel prices eventually trickle up into everything. It is going to be a wild ride.

 

[la szum]

$4.20, eh? Very fitting.

 

[Zedhed]

Here in NZ, we're paying over $12 a gallon...so stop you're f#%&ing complaining

The crazy thing is, we have 17 basins of which we use 1 to produce 44,000 barrels a day of 'sweet' oil (which has less Sulphur so is cheaper to refine) and export it all to Australia. Then we have to import refined gas back into the country mostly from the middle east.
It's a Similar story with coal.

This way, our politicians can claim how Green we are....lol. Oh the lunacy!

I believe what we are witnessing is the green movement in the process of destroying the oil economy to 'save us all' from extinction. They don't seem to care about sending the peasants back to existing in caves.
Of course they don't mind because they will still live comfortably in their gated communities.

Hold on folks, it's going to be a rollercoaster ride from here on in.

 

[Toopy14]

I just paid $4.20 per gallon of fuel. It was 3.78 a gallon yesterday when I passed the same station on the way home. Fuel prices eventually trickle up into everything. It is going to be a wild ride.

Converted to CDN dollars per gallon, prices in southern Ontario are $6.63 per gallon. Prices in B.C. are $7.58 per gallon.

 

[Jeronimo]

I just paid $4.20 per gallon of fuel. It was 3.78 a gallon yesterday when I passed the same station on the way home. Fuel prices eventually trickle up into everything. It is going to be a wild ride.

$4.20 per gallon…if that would be the price of fuel at a gas station in the Netherlands there would be massive traffic jam caused by hundreds of people trying to buy cheap fuel.
We are at €2.30 per liter, so approximately $9.15 per gallon

 

[Her Mann]

Easily. Anyone buying groceries can tell you that. The typical $50/week stop at the store is about $80 now. Same stuff. I've been working on my house a lot, and building materials, electrical, pipe, everything is crazy; if you can get it.

Gear prices are nuts. It wasn't that long ago I could buy a nice 80s Charvel for $400. Pretty much all of them are over $1000 now.

Inflation is far worse than official numbers. The CPI basket of goods is supposedly "adjusted" to reflect consumer impact but it's really adjusted to make the numbers look better than they really are. If we were still measuring inflation the same as we measured it 40 years ago the numbers would probably be well into double digits

The same here in Europe (Germany). The "Basket" make it look good. It began with the Euro, we call it "Teuro" (teuer=more expensive), Prices nearly doubled then and since 1,5 years or so prices go to the sky. 1 Liter of Diesel today 2 Euros. And now they have the pandemic and the war to excuse. Buy your gear now.

 

[OrganicZed]

Keep in mind that fuel in the US just a bit over a year ago was under $2 per gallon.

The way that cities are structured in the US many drive as many as 50 miles each way to work and there are relatively few mass transit options.

$12 per gallon is crazy though.

 

[Holbert71]

I myself try not to think about the negative so I take advantage of the situation. I sold my house 2 months ago and sold it for more than twice what I bought it for and I about had the house paid off on top of it so what I did I took the money that was left over after paying the fees to the realtor and bought a vacation/Retirment home close to the ocean and where its warmer and its paid off in full. yes I bought another house close to work and yes I have a Morgage but I bought the house less than what it appraised for but I now have my retirement house bought and paid for in full. I could had took the left over money and bought a dodge demon and have it paid off but I look at the future. So my answer is take advantage of the situation. look at the positives as much as you look at the negatives. There is more than one way to skin a cat. yes it was stressful dealing with 3 houses at the same time but it all pays off in the end. If I can do it anyone can do it. trust me.

 

[Fjelltronen]

 

[Toopy14]

Oil is $116/BBL.

JP Morgan setting a target at $185 a barrel

Energy goes into every single product and service

Wages unchanged

Ah, remember the gold ‘ole days (two years ago) when a barrel of oil was in negative dollar territory (-$37.63) and the oil companies would pay you to take a barrel. I knew I should have dug a big hole in the backyard and filled it with oil. Buy low, sell high!

 

[Sixstring]

Oil is $116/BBL.

JP Morgan setting a target at $185 a barrel

Energy goes into every single product and service

Wages unchanged

Quite the racket he has going on I'm always amazed how the few can screw the rest in the name of something so controversial! Ha may be they should give a new name of "Billy Ray Valentine" seeing how he gets to set the price!

 

[Budda]

Tried a used guitar that was listed above its new price yesterday (2020 lp standard). I really liked it so im gonna see if they’ll be reasonable tomorrow.

 

[Orvillain]

I mean... whilst all this is true.... its not true for everything. Can't sell my Kemper for toffee!! No one wants it!!!

 

[Bruce Sokolovic]

Keep in mind that fuel in the US just a bit over a year ago was under $2 per gallon.

The way that cities are structured in the US many drive as many as 50 miles each way to work and there are relatively few mass transit options.

$12 per gallon is crazy though.

can't compare todays gas prices to covid gas prices.

Gasoline's all time high was back in 2008 and adjusting for inflation, we still aren't there yet.

Its an interesting discussion. So many people are financial disasters while carrying burdensome credit card debt (on average, 5500 per card at around 100 a month in interest), eating out 5 or more times a week, pay bills late or not at all incurring heavy fees etc, yet when a commodity goes up, THATS the backbreaker! Personally, if I were paying 100 a month in interest on anything I'd be losing sleep and would tighten the belt until that debt was vaporized.

I have close to a 70 mile round trip commute. Every dollar of gasoline prices costs me around 60 bucks a month. Thats 1 night a month cooking at home instead of going out, or 1 frivolous amazon order I don't need etc etc etc. It really isn't the big deal its being made out to be.