• Re: Note : Pi 2 Zero W Now RIP-OFF Price on Amazon

    From s|b@3:633/10 to All on Tue Aug 4 15:04:17 2026
    [added comp.sys.raspberry-pi]

    On Tue, 4 Aug 2026 00:53:21 -0400, c186282 wrote:

    Just checked. $79 USD on Amazon. Just the
    bare board, no accessories.

    Weren't these things supposed to be under $10 ???

    Wow !

    Memory chip production redirection surely
    plays its part - but beyond even that ...

    A 2-Zero is SUPPOSED to be the next thing
    to electronic NOTHING. What the fuck has
    happened ???

    Still 16,93 euro at this Dutch shop <https://www.kiwi-electronics.com/nl/raspberry-pi-zero-2-w-10770?search=pi%20zero%202w>

    But...

    1. not available atm; when available? 14-10-2026 (expected)

    2. Every customer/address can only buy 2 maximum.

    They've been implementing a restriction like this for some time now, but
    atm none of the Zeros seem to be available: <https://www.kiwi-electronics.com/nl/raspberry-pi-boards-behuizingen-uitbreidingen-en-accessoires-59/raspberry-pi-boards-363?ff1=7>

    --
    s|b

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From c186282@3:633/10 to All on Wed Aug 5 17:00:01 2026
    On 8/4/26 09:04, s|b wrote:
    [added comp.sys.raspberry-pi]

    On Tue, 4 Aug 2026 00:53:21 -0400, c186282 wrote:

    Just checked. $79 USD on Amazon. Just the
    bare board, no accessories.

    Weren't these things supposed to be under $10 ???

    Wow !

    Memory chip production redirection surely
    plays its part - but beyond even that ...

    A 2-Zero is SUPPOSED to be the next thing
    to electronic NOTHING. What the fuck has
    happened ???

    Still 16,93 euro at this Dutch shop <https://www.kiwi-electronics.com/nl/raspberry-pi-zero-2-w-10770?search=pi%20zero%202w>

    Only interested in US prices.


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From The Natural Philosopher@3:633/10 to All on Wed Aug 5 19:49:58 2026
    On 05/08/2026 19:14, s|b wrote:
    On Wed, 5 Aug 2026 18:57:11 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

    On 05/08/2026 18:47, s|b wrote:

    ? 13,99 ex VAT

    That's what the site says, but the price you pay would be VAT included.
    AFAIK only business owners can buy ex VAT (in a Dutch shop).

    And out of stock

    That's what I said. They expect to have new ones by Oct 2026, but who
    knows? (There's a button to get a notification when they're available
    again.)

    The point is almost NO one has Pi zeros AT ALL right now. The price is
    irrelevant

    The OP is about the price, so I tend to disagree. I did however forgot 2 things: tariffs and the power supply. That would have to be bought in
    the US. I have no clue what effect tariffs would have since Drumpf
    changes his mind like every 5 minutes on this.

    PSUs are generic
    But Pi zeros are unobtanium right now, except at silly money

    I can wait. I think I have a spare one somewhere

    --
    Civilization exists by geological consent, subject to change without notice.
    ? Will Durant


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From The Natural Philosopher@3:633/10 to All on Wed Aug 5 18:51:50 2026
    On 05/08/2026 18:47, s|b wrote:
    On Wed, 5 Aug 2026 01:53:35 -0400, c186282 wrote:

    On 8/4/26 09:04, s|b wrote:

    Still 16,93 euro at this Dutch shop
    <https://www.kiwi-electronics.com/nl/raspberry-pi-zero-2-w-10770?search=pi%20zero%202w>

    Only interested in US prices.

    They do international shipping and you can change the language on the
    website to English. But hey, if you want to stick with Amazon and make
    Bezos even richer than he already is...


    Yeah. I once imported the last two mid range units from a particular
    (Spanish) manufacturer that I could find to repair my 45 year old loudspeakers. From Australia!

    And then they didn't fit. I had to 3D print adapter rings.
    I repaired the bass and treble units with parts from China, of course

    The import from Oz was not too painful.

    I did import a Fender part for a loudspeaker from USA. Bloody expensive
    but it got here OK


    --
    In todays liberal progressive conflict-free education system, everyone
    gets full Marx.


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From s|b@3:633/10 to All on Wed Aug 5 19:47:20 2026
    On Wed, 5 Aug 2026 01:53:35 -0400, c186282 wrote:

    On 8/4/26 09:04, s|b wrote:

    Still 16,93 euro at this Dutch shop <https://www.kiwi-electronics.com/nl/raspberry-pi-zero-2-w-10770?search=pi%20zero%202w>

    Only interested in US prices.

    They do international shipping and you can change the language on the
    website to English. But hey, if you want to stick with Amazon and make
    Bezos even richer than he already is...

    --
    s|b

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From s|b@3:633/10 to All on Wed Aug 5 20:14:34 2026
    On Wed, 5 Aug 2026 18:57:11 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

    On 05/08/2026 18:47, s|b wrote:

    ? 13,99 ex VAT

    That's what the site says, but the price you pay would be VAT included.
    AFAIK only business owners can buy ex VAT (in a Dutch shop).

    And out of stock

    That's what I said. They expect to have new ones by Oct 2026, but who
    knows? (There's a button to get a notification when they're available
    again.)

    The point is almost NO one has Pi zeros AT ALL right now. The price is irrelevant

    The OP is about the price, so I tend to disagree. I did however forgot 2 things: tariffs and the power supply. That would have to be bought in
    the US. I have no clue what effect tariffs would have since Drumpf
    changes his mind like every 5 minutes on this.

    --
    s|b

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From The Natural Philosopher@3:633/10 to All on Wed Aug 5 18:57:11 2026
    On 05/08/2026 18:47, s|b wrote:
    On Wed, 5 Aug 2026 01:53:35 -0400, c186282 wrote:

    On 8/4/26 09:04, s|b wrote:

    Still 16,93 euro at this Dutch shop
    <https://www.kiwi-electronics.com/nl/raspberry-pi-zero-2-w-10770?search=pi%20zero%202w>


    ? 13,99 ex VAT

    Only interested in US prices.

    And out of stock

    They do international shipping and you can change the language on the
    website to English. But hey, if you want to stick with Amazon and make
    Bezos even richer than he already is...

    The point is almost NO one has Pi zeros AT ALL right now. The price is irrelevant



    --
    "What do you think about Gay Marriage?"
    "I don't."
    "Don't what?"
    "Think about Gay Marriage."



    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From c186282@3:633/10 to All on Thu Aug 6 19:30:02 2026
    On 8/5/26 14:14, s|b wrote:
    On Wed, 5 Aug 2026 18:57:11 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

    On 05/08/2026 18:47, s|b wrote:

    ? 13,99 ex VAT

    That's what the site says, but the price you pay would be VAT included.
    AFAIK only business owners can buy ex VAT (in a Dutch shop).

    And out of stock

    That's what I said. They expect to have new ones by Oct 2026, but who
    knows? (There's a button to get a notification when they're available
    again.)

    The point is almost NO one has Pi zeros AT ALL right now. The price is
    irrelevant

    The OP is about the price, so I tend to disagree. I did however forgot 2 things: tariffs and the power supply. That would have to be bought in
    the US. I have no clue what effect tariffs would have since Drumpf
    changes his mind like every 5 minutes on this.

    Hey, was JUST SAYIN' ... the ridiculous price
    was what I saw on US Amazon the other day.

    Pi0s were supposed to be DIRT CHEAP - now
    they're "exotic", EXPENSIVE, tech. This is
    not all 'tariffs' either. Pi stuff was always
    way over-priced if you bought it in the USA.


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From s|b@3:633/10 to All on Thu Aug 6 11:12:31 2026
    On Thu, 6 Aug 2026 02:22:11 -0400, c186282 wrote:

    Hey, was JUST SAYIN' ... the ridiculous price
    was what I saw on US Amazon the other day.

    Pi0s were supposed to be DIRT CHEAP - now
    they're "exotic", EXPENSIVE, tech. This is
    not all 'tariffs' either. Pi stuff was always
    way over-priced if you bought it in the USA.

    Point taken.

    --
    s|b

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From s|b@3:633/10 to All on Thu Aug 6 11:03:57 2026
    On 5 Aug 2026 22:03:21 GMT, rbowman wrote:

    On Wed, 05 Aug 2026 20:14:34 +0200, s|b wrote:

    That's what I said. They expect to have new ones by Oct 2026, but who knows? (There's a button to get a notification when they're available again.)

    DigiKey isn't that optimistic. They're saying sometime next year.

    Yesterday, I did a quick search for Raspberry Pi Zero and found 2 Dutch
    and 2 Belgian stores who still had them in stock and sold them under 20
    euro. Just saying...

    --
    s|b

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From s|b@3:633/10 to All on Thu Aug 6 11:12:09 2026
    On Wed, 5 Aug 2026 19:49:58 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

    PSUs are generic
    But Pi zeros are unobtanium right now, except at silly money

    I can wait. I think I have a spare one somewhere

    'unobtanium', I love it when I learn a new word/expression. If I could
    only remember it, so I can use it myself some day. (-:

    I did a quick search yesterday and found 2 Dutch and 2 Belgian stores
    that still had them in stock for under 20 euro. But those were Zero W,
    not Zero 2 W. I didn't check if they shipped internationally, probably
    not, so they're of no use to many people here.

    --
    s|b

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From The Natural Philosopher@3:633/10 to All on Thu Aug 6 12:15:29 2026
    On 06/08/2026 10:12, s|b wrote:
    On Wed, 5 Aug 2026 19:49:58 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

    PSUs are generic
    But Pi zeros are unobtanium right now, except at silly money

    I can wait. I think I have a spare one somewhere

    'unobtanium', I love it when I learn a new word/expression. If I could
    only remember it, so I can use it myself some day. (-:

    It's been around since the 1950s.

    It's widely touted as the solution to renewable energy batteries.


    I did a quick search yesterday and found 2 Dutch and 2 Belgian stores
    that still had them in stock for under 20 euro. But those were Zero W,
    not Zero 2 W. I didn't check if they shipped internationally, probably
    not, so they're of no use to many people here.

    All mine are v1.3s not 2.0. Although the Zero W was never given a
    version number til V2
    More than adequate for what I wanted,.

    --
    There is nothing a fleet of dispatchable nuclear power plants cannot do
    that cannot be done worse and more expensively and with higher carbon emissions and more adverse environmental impact by adding intermittent renewable energy.


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From The Natural Philosopher@3:633/10 to All on Thu Aug 6 12:09:34 2026
    On 06/08/2026 10:12, s|b wrote:
    On Thu, 6 Aug 2026 02:22:11 -0400, c186282 wrote:

    Hey, was JUST SAYIN' ... the ridiculous price
    was what I saw on US Amazon the other day.

    Pi0s were supposed to be DIRT CHEAP - now
    they're "exotic", EXPENSIVE, tech. This is
    not all 'tariffs' either. Pi stuff was always
    way over-priced if you bought it in the USA.

    Point taken.

    It's not overpriced now,. It's simply unobtainable

    --
    There is nothing a fleet of dispatchable nuclear power plants cannot do
    that cannot be done worse and more expensively and with higher carbon emissions and more adverse environmental impact by adding intermittent renewable energy.


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From The Natural Philosopher@3:633/10 to All on Thu Aug 6 14:18:25 2026
    On 06/08/2026 14:14, Theo wrote:
    To be fair, 'merkins do have tariffs and import fees and whatnot to worry about these days. It's not as simple for them as it is for us.

    I wonder what would happen if (once available again) you bought 1000 Pi
    zeros in the UK, put them in a suitcase and flew home with them, and
    then sold them on Ebay...

    --
    "An intellectual is a person knowledgeable in one field who speaks out
    only in others...?

    Tom Wolfe


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Theo@3:633/10 to All on Thu Aug 6 14:14:43 2026
    In comp.sys.raspberry-pi The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:
    On 06/08/2026 07:22, c186282 wrote:

      Hey, was JUST SAYIN' ... the ridiculous price
      was what I saw on US Amazon the other day.

      Pi0s were supposed to be DIRT CHEAP - now
      they're "exotic", EXPENSIVE, tech.

    No. They are just in very short supply

    Plus buying from a non-official reseller means there's a scalper in the loop. (Hint: Amazon is not always the best place to buy things)

    This is
      not all 'tariffs' either. Pi stuff was always
      way over-priced if you bought it in the USA.

    Then buy it direct from the UK!

    To be fair, 'merkins do have tariffs and import fees and whatnot to worry
    about these days. It's not as simple for them as it is for us.

    Theo

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From wmartin@3:633/10 to All on Fri Aug 7 06:30:02 2026
    On 8/6/26 06:18, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
    On 06/08/2026 14:14, Theo wrote:
    To be fair, 'merkins do have tariffs and import fees and whatnot to worry
    about these days.  It's not as simple for them as it is for us.

    I wonder what would happen if (once available again) you bought 1000 Pi zeros in the UK, put them in a suitcase and flew home with them, and
    then sold them on Ebay...

    US Customs would be very interested in your suitcase!


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From The Natural Philosopher@3:633/10 to All on Thu Aug 6 12:57:46 2026
    On 06/08/2026 07:22, c186282 wrote:
    On 8/5/26 14:14, s|b wrote:
    On Wed, 5 Aug 2026 18:57:11 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

    On 05/08/2026 18:47, s|b wrote:

    ? 13,99 ex VAT

    That's what the site says, but the price you pay would be VAT included.
    AFAIK only business owners can buy ex VAT (in a Dutch shop).
    And out of stock

    That's what I said. They expect to have new ones by Oct 2026, but who
    knows? (There's a button to get a notification when they're available
    again.)
    The point is almost NO one has Pi zeros AT ALL right now. The price is
    irrelevant

    The OP is about the price, so I tend to disagree. I did however forgot 2
    things: tariffs and the power supply. That would have to be bought in
    the US. I have no clue what effect tariffs would have since Drumpf
    changes his mind like every 5 minutes on this.

      Hey, was JUST SAYIN' ... the ridiculous price
      was what I saw on US Amazon the other day.

      Pi0s were supposed to be DIRT CHEAP - now
      they're "exotic", EXPENSIVE, tech.

    No. They are just in very short supply

    This is
      not all 'tariffs' either. Pi stuff was always
      way over-priced if you bought it in the USA.

    Then buy it direct from the UK!

    I was in Boston on business a short time after my house got burgled and
    my CD collection stolen. I filled my suitcase with replacement CDs at
    2/3rd the price of the UK...


    --
    The lifetime of any political organisation is about three years before
    its been subverted by the people it tried to warn you about.

    Anon.


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From The Natural Philosopher@3:633/10 to All on Thu Aug 6 21:39:43 2026
    On 06/08/2026 19:22, rbowman wrote:

    'Unobtanium' is a device that exists but you can't buy at the present
    time. The Zero is a current example. In the early '80s vendors were
    quoting similar lead times of over a year on commodity chips. That, in
    part, impacted IBM's PC design.

    No. Unobtanium is a substance that does NOT exist. But would solve
    massive problems if it did.

    right now pi zeros do not actually exist in vendor stock.




    --
    Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance and the
    gospel of envy.

    Its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.

    Winston Churchill



    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Robert Riches@3:633/10 to All on Thu Aug 6 21:30:17 2026
    On 2026-08-06, rbowman <bowman@montana.com> wrote:
    On Thu, 6 Aug 2026 12:57:46 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

    I was in Boston on business a short time after my house got burgled and
    my CD collection stolen. I filled my suitcase with replacement CDs at
    2/3rd the price of the UK...

    The tax man must have missed your collection. I returned from a Canadian site where I'd been setting up a system and had my toolbox, including a
    few octal relays in case I had to replace any. The relays were Japanese
    and I did not have proof that they had been purchased in the US so they charged me the import duty.

    The customs officers were being pricks. US and Canadian relations have
    been mixed far before Trump. When the countries are in a pissing contest citizens crossing the borer bear the brunt. I was next to a guy clearing
    the Canadian side. He was a shoe salesman with his sample case. They
    nailed him for the duty even though he pointed out they were all left foot shoes.

    If the "all left foot shoes" trick had worked, duty dodgers could
    arrange for one person to take through a bunch of left foot shoes
    and someone else to take through a bunch of right foot shoes.
    The people meet up and make pairs again. 1/2 :-)

    --
    Robert Riches
    spamtrap42@jacob21819.net
    (Yes, that is one of my email addresses.)

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From The Natural Philosopher@3:633/10 to All on Thu Aug 6 21:43:07 2026
    On 06/08/2026 19:42, rbowman wrote:
    On Thu, 6 Aug 2026 12:57:46 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

    I was in Boston on business a short time after my house got burgled and
    my CD collection stolen. I filled my suitcase with replacement CDs at
    2/3rd the price of the UK...

    The tax man must have missed your collection. I returned from a Canadian
    site where I'd been setting up a system and had my toolbox, including a
    few octal relays in case I had to replace any. The relays were Japanese
    and I did not have proof that they had been purchased in the US so they charged me the import duty.

    But you live in the land of 'Big Bootiful Tariffs'
    The nation that thinks the rest of the world does not exist, or is a
    third world shit hole

    The customs officers were being pricks. US and Canadian relations have
    been mixed far before Trump. When the countries are in a pissing contest citizens crossing the borer bear the brunt. I was next to a guy clearing
    the Canadian side. He was a shoe salesman with his sample case. They
    nailed him for the duty even though he pointed out they were all left foot shoes.

    I remember flying in from Toronto to New York very early in the morning
    and the customs officer being very suspicious of my tooth powder...

    --
    No Apple devices were knowingly used in the preparation of this post.


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From c186282@3:633/10 to All on Fri Aug 7 23:00:02 2026
    On 8/6/26 05:12, s|b wrote:
    On Wed, 5 Aug 2026 19:49:58 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

    PSUs are generic
    But Pi zeros are unobtanium right now, except at silly money

    I can wait. I think I have a spare one somewhere

    'unobtanium', I love it when I learn a new word/expression. If I could
    only remember it, so I can use it myself some day. (-:

    I did a quick search yesterday and found 2 Dutch and 2 Belgian stores
    that still had them in stock for under 20 euro. But those were Zero W,
    not Zero 2 W. I didn't check if they shipped internationally, probably
    not, so they're of no use to many people here.

    I managed to score two of them, 2Ws, but the price
    went up $25 USD between buying the first and second -
    just a few weeks diff.

    Don't even see the one with the pre-soldered pins
    anymore. The more expensive one CAME with pins, but
    you have to solder them on yourself.

    Today - "CanaKit" Pi5 at $259. Was less than half
    that 18 months ago. "Kit" (box + a few options)
    from various makers running $354 to $209. The
    higher RAM versions seem especially affected
    since basically all memory-makers shifted
    production to "AI"-friendly stuff.

    How are we supposed to use "AI" when we can't
    even afford, FIND, laptops and such because
    there's no damned MEMORY ???

    The tariff shit is PARTIALLY responsible, but
    frankly the "AI" angle seems even WORSE.

    Two years ago I was able to buy complete mini-box
    PCs (BeeLink, BMax) for $250 and they had good
    specs. Have several in various roles. But NOW ...

    Note PI4 kits ... which in some respects I like
    better (max speed and gizmos ain't everything) ...
    are about $100 less. So, if you want PI, consider
    the 4s right now. They're good enough to stream
    2k, sometimes 4k, video.

    "Bare" - Amazon has a an 2gb Pi4 for $86. Alas
    the 4gb are hardly seen and 8gb ones not at all.

    Folks, this is A PROBLEM.


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From The Natural Philosopher@3:633/10 to All on Fri Aug 7 11:38:21 2026
    On 07/08/2026 03:27, rbowman wrote:
    On Thu, 6 Aug 2026 21:39:43 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

    On 06/08/2026 19:22, rbowman wrote:

    'Unobtanium' is a device that exists but you can't buy at the present
    time. The Zero is a current example. In the early '80s vendors were
    quoting similar lead times of over a year on commodity chips. That, in
    part, impacted IBM's PC design.

    No. Unobtanium is a substance that does NOT exist. But would solve
    massive problems if it did.

    Once again, I speak American.
    Once again, I speak universal usage.
    Look it up

    "Unobtainium is a humorous engineering and fictional term for a
    hypothetical material that has the ideal, perfect properties for a
    specific application, but is impossible to get or does not actually
    exist. It combines the word "unattainable" with the chemical suffix "-ium

    Engineering Jargon:
    Aerospace engineers used the term starting in the late 1940s and 1950s
    to joke about missing materials that could withstand extreme conditions
    like high heat or intense stress.

    Real-World Scarcity: It is *sometimes* applied to real materials that
    are severely restricted, incredibly expensive, or hard to source.

    Fictional Tropes: In storytelling, it describes a rare substance that
    powers key technologies or drives the main plot. "

    --
    Ideas are more powerful than guns. We would not let our enemies have
    guns, why should we let them have ideas?

    Josef Stalin


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Daniel James@3:633/10 to All on Fri Aug 7 13:35:27 2026
    On 07/08/2026 11:38, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
    "Unobtainium is a humorous engineering and fictional term for a
    hypothetical material that has the ideal, perfect properties for a
    specific application, but is impossible to get or does not actually
    exist. It combines the word "unattainable" with the chemical suffix "-ium

    Stating the obvious, here, but that should say "unobtainable" not "unattainable" ... I've never heard of "Unattainium", but it sounds like
    it should be a hypothetical element that exists but can't be extracted
    ... a bit like potassium was before Humphrey Davy and electrolysis.

    I might also mention "Handwavium", which means, you know ...

    ... and "Chinesium" which so many cheap imported goods are made from.

    --
    Cheers,
    Daniel.

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From The Natural Philosopher@3:633/10 to All on Fri Aug 7 14:10:26 2026
    On 07/08/2026 13:35, Daniel James wrote:
    On 07/08/2026 11:38, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
    "Unobtainium is a humorous engineering and fictional term for a
    hypothetical material that has the ideal, perfect properties for a
    specific application, but is impossible to get or does not actually
    exist. It combines the word "unattainable" with the chemical suffix "-ium

    Stating the obvious, here, but that should say "unobtainable" not "unattainable" ... I've never heard of "Unattainium", but it sounds like
    it should be a hypothetical element that exists but can't be extracted
    ... a bit like potassium was before Humphrey Davy and electrolysis.

    I might also mention "Handwavium", which means, you know ...


    that is new to me.,..

    ... and "Chinesium" which so many cheap imported goods are made from.

    ...That isn't!

    A late friend had a similar word for pot metal. [Zinc alloy casting].
    Can't remember what it was.

    --
    ?it should be clear by now to everyone that activist environmentalism
    (or environmental activism) is becoming a general ideology about humans,
    about their freedom, about the relationship between the individual and
    the state, and about the manipulation of people under the guise of a
    'noble' idea. It is not an honest pursuit of 'sustainable development,'
    a matter of elementary environmental protection, or a search for
    rational mechanisms designed to achieve a healthy environment. Yet
    things do occur that make you shake your head and remind yourself that
    you live neither in Joseph Stalin?s Communist era, nor in the Orwellian
    utopia of 1984.?

    Vaclav Klaus


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From The Natural Philosopher@3:633/10 to All on Fri Aug 7 16:32:46 2026
    On 07/08/2026 15:02, Chris Green wrote:
    The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:
    On 07/08/2026 13:35, Daniel James wrote:
    On 07/08/2026 11:38, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
    "Unobtainium is a humorous engineering and fictional term for a
    hypothetical material that has the ideal, perfect properties for a
    specific application, but is impossible to get or does not actually
    exist. It combines the word "unattainable" with the chemical suffix "-ium >>>
    Stating the obvious, here, but that should say "unobtainable" not
    "unattainable" ... I've never heard of "Unattainium", but it sounds like >>> it should be a hypothetical element that exists but can't be extracted
    ... a bit like potassium was before Humphrey Davy and electrolysis.

    I might also mention "Handwavium", which means, you know ...


    that is new to me.,..

    ... and "Chinesium" which so many cheap imported goods are made from.

    ...That isn't!

    A late friend had a similar word for pot metal. [Zinc alloy casting].
    Can't remember what it was.

    I had a friend who used to call that "Muckite".

    That's the Bunny!


    --
    Truth welcomes investigation because truth knows investigation will lead
    to converts. It is deception that uses all the other techniques.


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Chris Green@3:633/10 to All on Fri Aug 7 15:02:35 2026
    The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:
    On 07/08/2026 13:35, Daniel James wrote:
    On 07/08/2026 11:38, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
    "Unobtainium is a humorous engineering and fictional term for a
    hypothetical material that has the ideal, perfect properties for a
    specific application, but is impossible to get or does not actually
    exist. It combines the word "unattainable" with the chemical suffix "-ium

    Stating the obvious, here, but that should say "unobtainable" not "unattainable" ... I've never heard of "Unattainium", but it sounds like it should be a hypothetical element that exists but can't be extracted
    ... a bit like potassium was before Humphrey Davy and electrolysis.

    I might also mention "Handwavium", which means, you know ...


    that is new to me.,..

    ... and "Chinesium" which so many cheap imported goods are made from.

    ...That isn't!

    A late friend had a similar word for pot metal. [Zinc alloy casting].
    Can't remember what it was.

    I had a friend who used to call that "Muckite".

    --
    Chris Green
    ·

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Robert Riches@3:633/10 to All on Fri Aug 7 19:27:52 2026
    On 2026-08-07, Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> wrote:
    On 2026-08-07, wmartin <wwm@wwmartin.net> wrote:

    On 8/7/26 06:10, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

    A late friend had a similar word for pot metal. [Zinc alloy casting].
    Can't remember what it was.

    Don't know about that one. I want to know where to buy "scratch", there
    are so many things that can be made...

    I've heard of a place called "Theory". I want to move there,
    because so many things work in Theory.

    Sometimes our winter-time weather forecasts says the roads are
    icy in the town of Spots. I'm glad I don't live there. :-)

    My grandfather used to feed "scratch" to his chickens. I'm not
    sure what could be made with it. :-)

    --
    Robert Riches
    spamtrap42@jacob21819.net
    (Yes, that is one of my email addresses.)

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From wmartin@3:633/10 to All on Sat Aug 8 11:00:01 2026
    On 8/7/26 06:10, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
    On 07/08/2026 13:35, Daniel James wrote:
    On 07/08/2026 11:38, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
    "Unobtainium is a humorous engineering and fictional term for a
    hypothetical material that has the ideal, perfect properties for a
    specific application, but is impossible to get or does not actually
    exist. It combines the word "unattainable" with the chemical suffix
    "-ium

    Stating the obvious, here, but that should say "unobtainable" not
    "unattainable" ... I've never heard of "Unattainium", but it sounds
    like it should be a hypothetical element that exists but can't be
    extracted ... a bit like potassium was before Humphrey Davy and
    electrolysis.

    I might also mention "Handwavium", which means, you know ...


    that is new to me.,..

    ... and "Chinesium" which so many cheap imported goods are made from.

    ...That isn't!

    A late friend had a similar word for pot metal. [Zinc alloy casting].
    Can't remember what it was.

    Don't know about that one. I want to know where to buy "scratch", there
    are so many things that can be made...


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From The Natural Philosopher@3:633/10 to All on Fri Aug 7 21:37:34 2026
    On 07/08/2026 20:16, Charlie Gibbs wrote:
    On 2026-08-07, wmartin <wwm@wwmartin.net> wrote:

    On 8/7/26 06:10, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

    A late friend had a similar word for pot metal. [Zinc alloy casting].
    Can't remember what it was.

    Don't know about that one. I want to know where to buy "scratch", there
    are so many things that can be made...

    I've heard of a place called "Theory". I want to move there,
    because so many things work in Theory.

    +1. That was a chuckle.

    --
    Canada is all right really, though not for the whole weekend.

    "Saki"


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Charlie Gibbs@3:633/10 to All on Fri Aug 7 19:16:26 2026
    On 2026-08-07, wmartin <wwm@wwmartin.net> wrote:

    On 8/7/26 06:10, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

    A late friend had a similar word for pot metal. [Zinc alloy casting].
    Can't remember what it was.

    Don't know about that one. I want to know where to buy "scratch", there
    are so many things that can be made...

    I've heard of a place called "Theory". I want to move there,
    because so many things work in Theory.

    --
    /~\ Charlie Gibbs | In this world there are
    \ / <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> | two kinds of people:
    X I'm really at ac.dekanfrus | 1. Those who can extrapolate
    / \ if you read it the right way. | from incomplete data.

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From c186282@3:633/10 to All on Sat Aug 8 17:15:26 2026
    e
    On 8/7/26 14:01, wmartin wrote:
    On 8/7/26 06:10, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
    On 07/08/2026 13:35, Daniel James wrote:
    On 07/08/2026 11:38, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
    "Unobtainium is a humorous engineering and fictional term for a
    hypothetical material that has the ideal, perfect properties for a
    specific application, but is impossible to get or does not actually
    exist. It combines the word "unattainable" with the chemical suffix
    "-ium

    Stating the obvious, here, but that should say "unobtainable" not
    "unattainable" ... I've never heard of "Unattainium", but it sounds
    like it should be a hypothetical element that exists but can't be
    extracted ... a bit like potassium was before Humphrey Davy and
    electrolysis.

    I might also mention "Handwavium", which means, you know ...


    that is new to me.,..

    ... and "Chinesium" which so many cheap imported goods are made from.

    ...That isn't!

    A late friend had a similar word for pot metal. [Zinc alloy casting].
    Can't remember what it was.

    Don't know about that one. I want to know where to buy "scratch", there
    are so many things that can be made...

    In USA, the term "pot metal" has been around for
    a very long time. Mostly zinc but with who-knows-
    what also mixed in there. It's not a consistent
    recipe.

    IS good enough for low-stress housings and such
    however and easy to cast/machine. Better than
    plastic but not as good as decent aluminum or
    steel alloy. HAS it's place IMHO.

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)