Looks like Australia will profit. We have a lot of lithium, and some of the others, china’s been undercutting the price for a while.
To the hoardening!
I guess so, but to what end?
Are they expecting a global inflation given tariffs?
The usa pissed off China so much they basically said “fuck all yall” 😭
That‘s their default, though. It’s not the first time they‘re acting up as an unreliable business partner. I mean they bought all those rare earth mines across the globe for a reason and it‘s not to just stick it to the USA. They‘re both bullies.
yup. it’s natural to see your foe’s foe as an ally. always be wary.
that isn’t even a comparison. the fact china stopped sale of minerals doesn’t put it in equal footing with the terror the us does.
Western industries like to cry foul. But if they did not do anything since these bans started about 20 years ago it means that they are happy with it.
China is encouraging other countries to find new sources which exist on every continent.
They are not nearly as rare as the name implies.
Finding the labor to mine and process it cheaply enough to maintain profit margins, while simultaneously deporting everyone, is what makes things rare.
Check my understanding here: It’s not that they’re scarce, but there’s no geological process that concentrates them like copper or gold. There aren’t any neodymium seams the way there are gold seams, there’s a very little amount everywhere. So you might as well sift the entire Mojave.
The rarity is the ability to do it without caring about the massive environmental damage often caused while procuring the minerals.
Most retailers have announced price hikes across the globe. I had hoped EU would actually get cheaper electronics and whatnot because of dumping. Oh well. Guess this 7 year old pc is going to have to sing it out for a few years longer at this rate.
I’m just glad that as I get older I’m more content with simple things. I’d be ok giving up most tech things and I say that while working in IT myself.
no one hates new tech like IT guys
Amen. I also work in IT and I find the longer I do, the more I loathe new tech stacks and developments. I used to be passionate about new tech and its applications. Now I just want to be left alone where possible.
It’s not necessarily you getting older; there is a fundamental difference in goals, aims and quality of software now. 99% of major software is either funded by VC or incumbent monopolists who are interested in extractions primarily and establishing moats, barriers to free and fair use, and any way possible to monetize an interaction. This is why those of us who lived through the actual innovation stages aren’t excited anymore as it’s clear this is not “progress” and the warning flags are there from the first marketing pitch.
This entire timeline though was part of the plan, it was never going to be free/cheap, functional and easily accessible forever. We are in the frog boiling phase now that doesn’t end until we take back some of what has been lost.
When the end times are here and you find yourself bored you can come by my cave and check my collection of cool rocks and sticks.
I’m just trying to see my kid through college and then I’m ready for something simpler. Goatops.com (well a copy/paste from before the site existed) made me chuckle and planted the seed, now I’m in the actual consideration stage of it.
I’m running the same desktop for nearky 14 years and I have two laptops that are over 8. Still daily use.
Makes sense.
Geopoliticts shifts, good idea to just stop, wait and see who’s ready to be on friendly terms.
Particularly in Europe, the result is like a few election cycles out. Could go in like 5 different directions and is impossible to predict.
