#Cost Control Strategies

[asestimationsconsultants]

Design Delays, Real Costs | How AS Estimation & Consultants Uses a Cost Estimating Service to Safeguard Project Viability

Delays in the design phase can quietly erode a project’s budget before a single brick is laid. At AS Estimation & Consultants, we understand that time lost in planning can translate to real financial consequences. Through our advanced cost estimating service, we help clients quantify and manage the hidden costs that design delays often impose—such as inflationary price hikes, extended equipment rentals, or overlapping contractor schedules.

Our team doesn’t just measure materials and labor; we analyze how timing shifts impact your entire financial model. Whether it’s a small residential build or a multi-phase commercial project, we bring clarity to what delays truly cost—empowering decision-makers to act swiftly and strategically.

Using data-driven forecasting and real-time market insights, AS Estimation & Consultants identifies risk zones early, giving clients the upper hand in negotiations, timeline adjustments, and cost control. When design stalls, we ensure your budget doesn’t suffer silently.

In a world where time is money, the right estimate at the right moment can save more than just dollars—it can rescue your project’s potential. That’s the value we deliver at AS Estimation & Consultants: clarity, control, and confidence, every step of the way.

AS Estimation and Consultants

6/32 LAW VIC 3020, AUS

(61) 488874145

https://asestimation.com/

[certivo]

Rare Earth Export Controls 2025: Supply Chain Compliance Strategies

In this short video, discover how China’s rare earth export controls in 2025 are shaking up global manufacturing. Kunal Chopra breaks down the real-world impact on procurement cycles, rising costs, documentation hurdles, and supplier uncertainty. For manufacturers, this isn't just geopolitics—it's a supply chain wake-up call. Learn how companies can respond with smarter compliance and sourcing strategies powered by AI.

🎥 Watch the full podcast: https://youtu.be/teq9bXymluc

🔗 Learn more: https://www.certivo.com/solutions

[ronaldtateblog]

Master Budgeting with These Easy Tips

Managing my money effectively has been a journey, and one that I’m still on. As I reflect on my financial path, I realize that creating a budget wasn’t about restricting myself, but about understanding where my money was going. It’s about making conscious decisions that align with my financial goals. For me, budgeting has been a liberating experience. It’s allowed me to track my income and…

[mehmetyildizmelbourne-blog]

If You Are After Sustainable Weigh Loss, This New Study Can Inspire You

Natural Weight Loss In a new clinical study, 50 patients — 100% — lost weight, with an average weight loss of 15.5% body weight/43 pounds over one year without drugs. They together saved $83K. GLP1-RAs Are Good, But Cheaper & More Natural Solutions for Fat Loss Exist Dear Subscribers, I wrote this is an inspiring and educational short story for anyone struggling with weight loss, as it gives…

[yeah-yeah-beebiss-1]

in case you were wondering how things went down at the pokemon world championships this weekend:

-during the top 8 of the TCG masters division, chilean player fernando cifuentes was running a gimmick deck that consisted exclusively of four iron thorns ex and a whole ton of control-focused trainer cards in a strategy that either completely shuts down opponents or shits the bed entirely

-through skillful play and some good luck, fernando made it through 2 days in a tournament with over 1100 players to get to the quarterfinals

-fernando lost 2-0 to ian robb, who was running regidrago vstar (widely considered one of the best decks in the current format)

-in an overexuberant victory celebration, ian did what can only be described as a jacking-off gesture, on a stream with tens of thousands of viewers run by a company with very firm player conduct expectations

-the judges determined that this warranted a penalty of game loss, but for some reason, rather than applying it to ian’s next game in the semifinals, they applied it to the one he had just won in the top 8

-(it should be noted that the prize money for making top 8 is $15k while top 4 is $20k, so this jerking gesture cost ian robb $5,000)

-nearly an hour after fernando came to terms with his loss and the end of an impressive run, he was told that he was to get back on stream because he’s now playing in the semifinals due to winning by default

-the player he was up against in the semifinals was playing a deck (miraidon) that happens to get shut down hard by iron thorns’s gimmick, so fernando wins the semifinals

-said player, jesse parker, had notably had an undefeated run throughout the whole tournament up to this point, and likely would have continued that streak had his intended semifinal opponent not gotten a game loss penalty for miming a lewd act on stream

-meanwhile, the other semifinal winner is japan’s seinosuke shiokawa, running a deck (roaring moon) that players had largely written off as underwhelming months ago

-the grand finals are on the following day, so saturday evening was abuzz with a lot of people baffled by the absurdity of the situation

-come sunday afternoon, the grand finals are set to begin, with fernando cifuentes running iron thorns and seinosuke shiokawa running roaring moon

-it should be noted here that the roaring moon deck doesn’t rely very much on abilities, so iron thorns’s gimmick has very little effect - this is basically an even matchup

-fernando wins the first game of the set, and seinosuke wins the second

-the third and final game of the set is a bonafide cheek-clencher, with both players reaching a state where a single KO will win the game, but fernando manages to clinch it at the last minute

-and that’s the story of how a guy pretending to jork it led to the first instance of a pokemon world champion who also lost the quarterfinals

[artisticdivasworld]

Rolling with the Changes To Stay Ahead Financially

Trucking has always been a tough business, but lately, it feels like it’s getting even harder. Fuel prices keep jumping around, insurance costs are climbing, and new regulations are always right around the corner. On top of all that, profit margins are tightening, making it even more important for truckers and fleet owners to keep a close eye on their finances. But here’s the good news—there are…

[ai-factory]

AI Factory: Pioneering Innovation with Advanced AI Solutions

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, businesses face unprecedented challenges and opportunities. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative force, enabling organizations to optimize operations, enhance decision-making, and deliver exceptional customer experiences. Enter the AI Factory—a revolutionary platform designed to empower businesses with scalable AI solutions tailored to their unique needs.

What is AI Factory?

The AI Factory is a cutting-edge platform that brings together advanced AI capabilities to streamline the development, deployment, and management of AI solutions. It serves as a comprehensive hub for:

AI Use Case Development

Proof of Concept (POC) Implementation

AI Solution Deployment

Lifecycle Management of AI Models

Explore more about the transformative potential of AI Factory on UnifyCloud’s AI Factory platform.

Why Businesses Need an AI Factory

The AI Factory addresses several critical pain points for organizations:

Scalability: Develop and deploy AI solutions that grow with your business.

Customization: Tailor AI models to address industry-specific challenges.

Efficiency: Automate workflows and reduce operational inefficiencies.

Cost Optimization: Manage resources effectively with tools like CloudAtlas AI Cost Optimize.

Industry-Specific Applications

Healthcare

The healthcare sector is witnessing a paradigm shift with AI-driven innovations:

Medical Imaging: Deploy AI POCs to analyze radiology images and identify anomalies with precision.

Patient Care: Leverage AI for personalized treatment plans and efficient hospital management systems.

Predictive Analytics: Harness AI to predict disease outbreaks and optimize resource allocation.

Learn more about how AI is revolutionizing healthcare on UnifyCloud’s AI solutions page.

Retail

Retail businesses can enhance customer experiences and streamline operations through AI:

Personalized Shopping: Use AI to analyze customer behavior and provide tailored recommendations.

Demand Forecasting: Implement AI POCs to predict market trends and adjust inventory levels accordingly.

Sentiment Analysis: Employ AI-driven tools to gauge customer feedback and improve service quality.

Explore how AI empowers retail on CloudAtlas AI Factory.

Finance

AI is transforming the financial services industry with:

Fraud Detection: Develop AI POCs to identify and prevent fraudulent activities in real-time.

Credit Risk Management: Utilize AI to assess creditworthiness and minimize risks.

Banking Automation: Enhance operational efficiency with generative AI for routine tasks.

Discover UnifyCloud’s innovative AI Guardian tool for compliance and security at CloudAtlas AI Guardian.

Manufacturing

The manufacturing industry benefits from AI in numerous ways:

Predictive Maintenance: Avoid equipment downtime with AI-driven insights.

Supply Chain Optimization: Streamline logistics and reduce costs with AI-powered analytics.

Product Design: Utilize generative AI to create innovative product designs.

For more insights, visit UnifyCloud’s CloudAtlas AI platform.

Construction

AI is making significant inroads in the construction industry:

Project Management: Implement AI POCs to manage timelines and resources effectively.

Safety Monitoring: Use AI to ensure worker safety and compliance with regulations.

Smart Infrastructure: Plan and execute intelligent infrastructure projects with AI insights.

Energy

The energy sector can achieve sustainability goals with AI:

Renewable Energy Forecasting: Predict energy generation patterns to optimize usage.

Smart Grid Management: Enhance energy distribution with AI-driven analytics.

Sustainable Planning: Leverage generative AI for eco-friendly energy solutions.

Visit UnifyCloud’s CloudAtlas AI Factory to explore sustainable AI innovations.

Solution-Specific Capabilities

AI Development and Deployment

Model Training: Build and train robust AI models tailored to specific business needs.

Lifecycle Management: Manage AI models from development to deployment.

Generative AI Solutions: Create innovative content and workflows with advanced generative AI tools.

Learn how CloudAtlas AI simplifies AI development and deployment.

Data Analytics

Big Data Insights: Analyze vast datasets for actionable insights.

Predictive Analytics: Forecast trends and make data-driven decisions.

Visualization: Use generative AI for intuitive and impactful data visualizations.

Automation

Business Process Automation: Streamline operations with AI-powered automation tools.

Robotic Process Automation (RPA): Implement AI POCs for efficient task automation.

Workflow Optimization: Enhance productivity with intelligent automation solutions.

Sustainability and Customer Experience

Environmental Impact Assessments: Use AI to evaluate and minimize ecological footprints.

Personalized User Experiences: Leverage generative AI for tailored customer interactions.

Sentiment Analysis: Gauge customer feedback to refine services.

Why Choose UnifyCloud’s AI Factory

UnifyCloud’s AI Factory offers:

Comprehensive Solutions: From AI development to deployment, all under one roof.

Proven Expertise: Decades of experience in delivering AI-driven business innovations.

Customizable Tools: Tailored solutions to meet unique industry demands.

Cost Efficiency: Optimize your investments with AI Cost Optimize tools.

Discover the future of AI with UnifyCloud’s CloudAtlas AI Factory.

Conclusion

The AI Factory is more than a platform; it’s a gateway to innovation and growth. By integrating AI into your business, you can unlock new opportunities, drive efficiency, and stay ahead in a competitive market. With UnifyCloud’s comprehensive suite of AI solutions, the journey from concept to execution becomes seamless. Explore the limitless possibilities of AI with UnifyCloud’s AI Factory today.

Learn More About AI Factory from Azure Marketplace – AI Factory | AI Cost Optimize | AI Guardian

[farmerstrend]

Addressing Kenya’s Acute Maize Seed Shortage: Strategic Interventions for Sustainable Seed Production and Food Security

“Explore strategic solutions to Kenya’s acute maize seed shortage. Learn how climate-smart agriculture, local seed production, and irrigation technologies can ensure sustainable food security.” “Kenya’s maize seed crisis impacts farmers and food security. Discover key interventions to boost seed production, lower costs, and reduce dependence on imports.” “Addressing Kenya’s maize seed shortage:…

[sol-flo]

victreebel/arbok deck called "we're done when i say we're done"

[digitalrhetoricpune]

Troubleshooting Amazon Campaign Budget Issues: Over- and Under-Spending Fixes

Managing your Amazon PPC campaigns can be challenging, especially when it comes to balancing your budget. Overspending can cut into your profits, while underspending can lead to missed sales opportunities. This blog will guide you through troubleshooting Amazon campaign budget issues, providing actionable insights on how to fix both over- and under-spending problems.

Understanding Amazon PPC Budgeting

Before diving into the fixes, it’s essential to understand the factors affecting your Amazon PPC budget. Amazon PPC campaigns include Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, and Sponsored Display Ads. Each of these campaigns requires careful management to avoid overspending or underspending.

Amazon PPC allows advertisers to set a daily budget or total budget, and without proper optimization, costs can spiral out of control, or your campaigns might not get enough traction.

Common Amazon Campaign Budget Issues

There are two main budget issues most Amazon sellers face:

Overspending: Your campaigns are spending more than expected, leading to lower profitability.

Underspending: Your campaigns are not spending the allocated budget, which means missed opportunities for visibility and sales.

Let’s explore the causes and solutions for each of these issues.

Fixing Amazon Ads Over-Spending

If your Amazon campaign is overspending, it could be due to several reasons:

1. Incorrect Bid Settings

One of the most common reasons for overspending is setting your bids too high. High bids will make you win more ad placements, but at a much higher cost.

Solution: Lower your bids incrementally to find the optimal price for your keywords. Monitoring and adjusting bids regularly is key to Fix Amazon Ads Over-Spending.

2. Broad Match Keywords

Broad match keywords may attract a wide range of irrelevant traffic, which increases your ad spend without converting into sales.

Solution: Use phrase and exact match keywords instead. These will limit your ads to searches closely related to your product, leading to more qualified traffic and controlled costs. This helps with overall Amazon Advertising Budget Management.

3. Unoptimized Campaign Structure

Having a poorly structured campaign can lead to inefficiencies in budget allocation. For example, lumping all keywords into a single ad group can waste your budget on non-performing keywords.

Solution: Segment your campaigns by product categories and performance levels. Create separate ad groups for high-performing and low-performing keywords, allowing for more targeted bid adjustments. This is a crucial part of Amazon PPC Cost Control Strategies.

4. Lack of Negative Keywords

Not using negative keywords can lead to your ads showing up for irrelevant searches, which wastes your budget.

Solution: Regularly add negative keywords to prevent your ads from being triggered by non-relevant search queries. This step is fundamental for Amazon PPC Budget Optimization.

Fixing Amazon Campaign Under-Spending

Underspending, on the other hand, means that your campaigns are not utilizing the full budget you’ve set. This often results in missed visibility and sales opportunities.

1. Low Daily Budget

If your daily budget is too low, your campaign will not run throughout the day, causing it to miss out on potential impressions and clicks.

Solution: Increase your daily budget based on your campaign goals and historical performance. Monitoring this regularly helps maintain control over your Amazon Advertising Budget Management while ensuring you’re not missing out on valuable traffic.

2. Limited Keyword Selection

Having too few keywords or only targeting exact match keywords can severely limit your ad’s reach.

Solution: Expand your keyword selection by incorporating more long-tail keywords, as well as using phrase match in addition to exact match. This can help overcome Amazon Campaign Under-Spending Solutions.

3. Campaign Pauses or Budget Caps

In some cases, campaigns may get paused automatically if they exceed their daily budget early in the day, leaving the rest of the day without ad coverage.

Solution: Increase your daily budget or distribute your budget across more campaigns to ensure you get impressions throughout the day. Proper Amazon PPC Budget Optimization will prevent premature pausing of campaigns.

4. Low Bids

Setting bids too low can prevent your ads from competing effectively, leading to under-spending and fewer impressions.

Solution: Gradually increase your bids to become more competitive. Ensure you are bidding enough to appear for the keywords relevant to your product, but avoid overspending by monitoring keyword performance regularly.

Best Practices for Amazon PPC Budget Management

Here are some additional tips for optimizing your Amazon PPC campaign budgets:

1. Leverage Automated Bidding

Amazon’s automated bidding options, such as Dynamic Bids (up and down), can help you make smarter bidding decisions in real time. This can prevent both overspending and underspending by adjusting your bids based on the likelihood of a conversion.

2. Monitor Campaign Performance Regularly

It’s essential to monitor your campaigns daily or weekly to ensure they are running efficiently. Keep an eye on metrics such as ACoS (Advertising Cost of Sale), CTR (Click-Through Rate), and CPC (Cost Per Click).

3. Set Up Budget Alerts

Amazon allows you to set budget alerts to notify you when you’re close to hitting your daily or total budget limits. This can help you avoid overspending and ensure that you can allocate your funds more effectively.

4. Optimize for ACoS

One of the most critical metrics for Amazon PPC campaigns is ACoS. The lower your ACoS, the more profitable your ads will be. Regularly adjusting bids and keywords to optimize ACoS can prevent budget overruns.

Conclusion

Managing your Amazon PPC budget can be tricky, but with the right strategies in place, you can avoid both over- and under-spending. By optimizing your bids, choosing the right keywords, and regularly monitoring your campaign performance, you can ensure that your ads are working efficiently without exceeding your budget.

At Digital Rhetoric, an expert Amazon Advertising Agency in Pune, we specialize in helping sellers with Amazon PPC Budget Optimization and campaign management. Whether you’re struggling with overspending or underspending, our team can help you implement Amazon Campaign Under-Spending Solutions and Amazon PPC Cost Control Strategies to boost your profitability.

[mitsde123]

Warehouse Efficiency and Beyond: Exploring Online PGDM in Material Management

In today’s fast-paced business world, efficient material management has become more crucial. As companies strive to streamline their operations and maximize productivity, the demand for skilled professionals in this field continues to grow. Enter the Online PGDM in Material Management – a game-changing program that’s revolutionizing how we approach warehouse efficiency and supply chain management.

Are you a student looking to kickstart your career in this exciting field? Or you’re a professional eager to upgrade your skills and advance your career. Either way, an Online PGDM in Material Management could be the key to unlocking your full potential.

[asestimationsconsultants]

How a Cost Estimating Service Prevents Budget Overruns in Government Projects

Government projects, from infrastructure development to public sector building projects, are often large in scale, highly complex, and come with strict budgetary constraints. In such projects, ensuring that financial resources are properly allocated and spent is critical. One of the most effective tools in preventing budget overruns in these projects is a cost estimating service.

A cost estimating service helps government agencies and contractors accurately predict the financial needs of a project, helping to prevent overspending, misallocation of resources, and financial surprises that can derail projects. In this article, we will explore how a cost estimating service plays a crucial role in preventing budget overruns in government projects.

The Importance of Accurate Cost Estimation

In government projects, budgets are often fixed, and any deviation from the allocated funds can cause significant delays, loss of public trust, or, in some cases, legal consequences. This makes accurate cost estimation a key element in project planning and execution. Poorly estimated budgets are one of the leading causes of budget overruns. A cost estimating service provides the necessary expertise to predict costs accurately and manage risks effectively throughout the project.

How Cost Estimating Services Help Prevent Budget Overruns

Accurate Initial Cost Forecasting

One of the primary roles of a cost estimating service is to create a detailed, accurate initial cost forecast. This involves gathering data from multiple sources, including historical project costs, labor rates, material prices, and other essential elements that contribute to the total project cost. The cost estimator uses this data to generate a comprehensive budget for the project that reflects both direct and indirect costs.

By developing a clear and detailed initial cost estimate, a cost estimating service helps government agencies understand the financial scope of the project and ensures that they allocate resources appropriately. Without this accurate forecasting, the project could face unexpected financial challenges down the line, leading to costly overruns.

Identifying Potential Risks Early

A key benefit of using a cost estimating service is the ability to identify potential risks and financial challenges early in the project. Estimators are trained to consider various scenarios that may lead to budget issues, such as increases in material costs, supply chain disruptions, and delays caused by weather or regulatory issues.

By identifying these risks early, cost estimators can factor them into the project budget and propose contingency plans. For example, if the cost of a key material is projected to rise, the estimator can adjust the budget to accommodate this increase. This proactive approach helps to prevent surprises that could lead to cost overruns during the project's execution.

Real-Time Budget Monitoring and Adjustments

Once the project is underway, the cost estimating service continues to play a key role in monitoring the budget in real-time. By tracking actual expenditures and comparing them to the original estimates, cost estimators can identify discrepancies and take corrective actions quickly.

If costs are higher than anticipated, the estimator can work with the project manager to adjust the budget, reallocate resources, or find cost-saving opportunities to keep the project within financial constraints. Real-time monitoring allows for adjustments to be made in a timely manner, preventing small issues from snowballing into major budget overruns.

Detailed Breakdown of Costs

A cost estimating service provides a detailed breakdown of costs, which is especially important for government projects that require transparency. Each aspect of the project—whether it’s materials, labor, equipment, or overhead—can be tracked and monitored separately.

This level of detail allows stakeholders to see exactly where money is being spent and identify areas where costs might be higher than expected. For example, if labor costs are consistently exceeding estimates, the project manager can investigate the cause and implement measures to reduce these expenses.

By breaking down costs into clear categories, a cost estimating service helps ensure that resources are used efficiently and that there are no hidden or unnecessary expenses. This transparency helps prevent budget overruns and ensures that the project remains on track financially.

Integration with Project Management Tools

Many modern cost estimating services integrate with project management software to provide seamless tracking of both costs and progress. These tools allow real-time updates and visibility across different project phases, ensuring that all stakeholders, including government officials, contractors, and project managers, have access to the latest financial information.

This integration allows the project team to monitor expenditures against the budget as the project progresses. It also facilitates communication between different teams, which helps in addressing financial issues as soon as they arise. By using integrated tools, government projects can stay on track and within budget.

Providing Accurate Change Orders

Changes in scope are common in large government projects, whether due to regulatory adjustments, design revisions, or unforeseen issues. Each change can have a significant impact on the project budget. A cost estimating service helps manage these changes by providing accurate cost estimates for change orders.

When a change is requested, the estimating service can quickly assess how it will affect the overall project budget. This allows stakeholders to make informed decisions about whether the change is feasible within the existing budget or if adjustments need to be made. By evaluating the financial impact of changes before they are implemented, the cost estimating service helps prevent the project from exceeding its budget due to uncontrolled changes.

Ensuring Compliance with Regulations and Guidelines

Government projects often have strict regulations and guidelines regarding budget management and expenditure. A cost estimating service ensures that the project remains in compliance with these rules by adhering to established budgeting standards and reporting requirements. This is crucial for preventing budget overruns that may arise from non-compliance or mismanagement of funds.

By ensuring that all estimates are accurate and that costs are tracked according to regulatory standards, the estimating service helps government projects avoid penalties or delays caused by budget mismanagement.

Creating Contingency Budgets

One of the most important tools in preventing budget overruns is the use of contingency budgets. A cost estimating service helps create a realistic contingency budget that accounts for unforeseen costs or changes that might arise during the project.

Contingency budgets act as a financial cushion, providing the project with the flexibility to handle unexpected costs without exceeding the overall budget. By allocating a percentage of the total budget for contingencies, a cost estimating service ensures that the project is prepared for any surprises that may occur during construction or development.

Conclusion

Budget overruns are a significant challenge in government projects, where financial resources are often limited and must be used efficiently. A cost estimating service helps prevent these overruns by providing accurate cost forecasts, identifying potential risks, and offering detailed breakdowns of expenses. With real-time monitoring, accurate change order assessments, and the creation of contingency budgets, a cost estimating service ensures that government projects remain financially on track from start to finish. By using a professional cost estimating service, government agencies can reduce the risk of budget overruns and ensure that taxpayer funds are used effectively to complete projects on time and within budget.

[techdriveplay]

How to Monitor and Control Your Energy Usage with Tech

In an era where sustainability and cost-efficiency are at the forefront of global conversations, learning how to monitor and control your energy usage with tech is not just beneficial—it’s essential. With energy costs rising and climate concerns escalating, leveraging technology to reduce consumption and optimise efficiency has become increasingly accessible. Whether you’re looking to save money,…

[applepixls]

Anyone else thinking about how odd the hermitcraft economy is?

in season 9 they had a minor economic recession after the diamond ore war because there were far too many diamonds in circulation making them (hypothetically) worth less than normal and ren stepped in as the king and did what has been done in the midst of a lot of irl economic depressions; he created a government so they could employ the policy of Keynesian economics (basically more gov't intervention to stabilize the economy, it mostly worked in 1930's japan!), he took control of diamonds and even introduced a new currency, royal emeralds (much like Germany after WW1! they had some hyperinflation because of the war reparations they had to pay and the gov't not understanding that printing more money makes the money worth less resulting in the mark [currency] being so worthless they started burning it because they couldn't afford wood for fires. a new gov't came into power and they replaced the mark with rentenmarks which did a lot of fixificating for the economy). Ren's gov't also introduced a lot of gov't funded projects like the quests (the irl equivalent for this would be Roosevelt's New Deal which introduced policies/projects called the Alphabet Agencies (among other things) such as the AAA, CCC, TVA (do you see why they're called the alphabet agencies?) that would adjust the value of grain so farmers could start earning money for produce again and create work that would support a growing economy, projects like building roads and bridges)

so basically, all the policies ren's government introduced were very logically sound and worked in real life to fix the economy (except that irl the Great Depression only fully ended because WW2 started-), the issue is that hermitcraft is not real life and hermits do not behave like real people, they behave like hermits.

lets start with the hermitcraft economy. unlike the real economy, hermits rarely adjust prices according to how many diamonds are "in circulation". i say this despite the fact grian in a recent-ish episode says that "everything costs more this season because diamonds are more common". that can't be true because the caves and cliffs update literally made diamonds more difficult to acquire. I will circle back to this point made by grian later

hermits not adjusting prices by server-wide abundance of diamonds (because they cant really know how much anyone has, much less the total amount of diamonds in circulation, they just know who has a lot and who is broke) means that more diamonds doesn't make them worth less like it did with German marks, it just means hermits have more expendable currency and can spend more money and less time gathering materials for projects. It is also notable that diamonds are constantly being added and taken out of circulation because they're an actual useful currency rather than real life currencies which are symbolic slips of paper. diamonds can be used for armour and tools and it can be acquired by mining. so because of how hermits spend money, taking diamonds out of the economy in s9 did nothing but make them poor and angry at the government. the hermitcraft economy is actually stronger with more diamonds in circulation and is worsened by gov't intervention.

so already the use of real life strategies is utterly useless in hermitcraft economy but there are a few other reasons as well

the hermits tendency to resist government as well as the flawed and greedy government itself are a couple but also the fact that all the hermits are self employed (in real life but also in universe). they own and stock their own shops meaning all profits are more or less direct; its not passed through hands of big corporations so the person producing the product gets mere cents. the hermits are essentially small business owners (which becomes a bit of a problem come season 10 but we're still talking about season 9). The important part is the self employment. the season 9 gov't introduces the quests which mimic and echo real life government funded projects but because they're all employed and the quests gave small amounts of diamonds back, they did very little for the hermits

I'm sure theres more to say but i think its time to move on to the very interesting season 10 economy

if you've missed it you must be living under a rock but hermits are all using permits this season meaning only one shop in the shopping district is selling any given item/material and as a result of this prices have gone sky high. at one point a single stack of mangrove logs cost 7 diamonds when in previous seasons you could get at least 1 stack of wood for 1 diamond if not more

So what is causing this economic depression and hyperinflation?

well, circling back to the point grian made about resources costing more because of abundance of diamonds, I would think it actually costs more because of the permits.

grian thinks the diamond prices are fair because he has middle of the road permits (and is one of the hermits who designed their shopping district, permit and economic system this season so he's biased), there is enough demand to keep him afloat when he's stocked but its nothing people are clamouring for and buying him out. on the other hand, joel made a lot of shops that no one shops at because his objectively weighted permits have not been selling as well as they anticipated when making the permits (also some people like etho and pearl have additional income from their not as fabulous permits because they've made a pay to play game to go with it) and finally there are hermits like mumbo whose gold, iron and item frame shops were constantly getting bought out so he was frustrated with trying to restock despite getting lots of profit

(another interesting dynamic to think about is permits like cleo's book permit which lost value as the season went on because everyone needed books early on but now that they're all playing late game Minecraft, everyone is pretty stocked up and buying from cleo less often)

Basically, grian is satisfied with the pricing because he's middle class and couldn't afford it if they were more expensive but appreciates not being constantly out of stock, joel is unsatisfied because he is lower class and never has enough expendable currency to fund his projects because materials are too expensive and his permits aren't worth enough to sell them for more, and mumbo is unsatisfied because he is higher class and is constantly out of stock because his materials sell out too often and he wants to sell them for more to stay in stock more (classic supply and demand, he doesn't want to stock them as often making the supply lower and the demand proportionally higher making them worth more and therefore more expensive)

the reason i say the permits are to blame for the high prices is because they cause the responsibility of constantly stocking something to fall on one person (in past seasons, if one persons sandstone shop was out of stock you could go check someone else's sandstone shop). the threat of taking the permit away if they arent stocked along with the difficulty of constantly stocking some of these materials raises the cost.

a great example of this is skizzleman because his mangrove and cherry wood shop was one of the first shops to be built in the shopping district, meaning he somewhat set the prices this season. now, mangrove and cherry are both difficult trees to harvest because of their unconventional shapes and the fact that they are more recent additions (and skizz's stubborn desire to design his own farms...) so because of the time required to gather them the prices already were hitched up. add that to the fact that they are trying to constantly be in stock and therefore low prices that allow hermits to completely buy out the shops are unfavourable, and you get sky rocket-ing prices. (it is also difficult because skizz had no prior experience with hermitcraft pricing)

in conclusion... hermitcraft needs a laissez-faire economy (f. a. hayek) to function and not go into economic depression. Between the nature of the diamond currency, hermits' tendency to rebel against governments, the way they use the concept of supply and demand to price their goods, and the restrictions permits put on supplying products, hermits have proven that extensive structure and government intervention have not improved economic wellbeing the way that it does in real life

thus, hermits do not behave like regular humans, they operate on fae laws of its funny so lets do it and therefore must be governed as such (aka not governed), thank you for coming to my ted talk

[liberalsarecool]

THE ERA OF VANISHING HAS BEGUN

They are not arresting people. They are vanishing them.

Rumeysa Ozturk wasn’t read her rights. She wasn’t told why she was being detained. She was walking to break her fast in Somerville, Massachusetts when masked men in an unmarked SUV pulled up, took her phone, slapped on handcuffs, and dragged her into a vehicle like she was some kind of national security threat.

She’s a doctoral student. A Fulbright scholar. A trauma researcher. But in Donald Trump’s America, she fit the profile: Muslim, foreign-born, sympathetic to Palestinians.

Now she’s locked in a for-profit detention center in Louisiana, hundreds of miles from her lawyer, after a federal judge specifically said she wasn’t to be moved.

They moved her anyway. Because rules no longer apply to those with badges — real or fake.

A MOVEMENT BUILT ON CHAINS AND COWARDS

Alireza Doroudi is gone too.

He’s a doctoral student at the University of Alabama, born in Iran, studying mechanical engineering. No criminal record. No warning. Just scooped off the grid.

ICE refuses to say where he’s being held. No public charge has been announced. His only crime appears to be existing in the wrong body, from the wrong country, in the wrong era.

Mahmoud Khalil was next — a Columbia student, arrested for leading pro-Palestinian protests. Trump labeled him a “radical foreign Hamas sympathizer” on Truth Social. Days later, he was gone.

Jeanette Vizguerra was taken from her Target shift in Colorado, chained at the waist.

Alfredo “Lelo” Juarez, a farmworker organizer, was dragged from his car at dawn in Washington. His window was smashed by federal agents. His voice silenced.

These aren’t isolated incidents. These are deliberate acts of political intimidation.

They are testing the system — testing us — to see how many people they can disappear before we stop calling it democracy.

WHEN ICE IS A BADGE — AND A COSTUME

While the real ICE disappears scholars, organizers, and mothers, the fakes are circling like vultures.

In South Carolina, Sean-Michael Johnson posed as an ICE officer. He pulled over a van of Latino men, screamed slurs, jiggled their keys, and knocked a phone out of someone’s hand. “You’re going back to Mexico!�� he shouted. He wasn’t an agent — but he played one with conviction.

In North Carolina, Carl Thomas Bennett used a fake badge to sexually assault a woman at a motel. He told her if she didn’t comply, he’d have her deported. He held up a counterfeit ID and pretended to be the state.

And in Philadelphia, a Temple University student in an “ICE” shirt tried to storm a dorm building with two accomplices. They were dressed for the part, intoxicated by the illusion of authority, emboldened by the climate.

This is what happens when the state makes cruelty a brand. When a badge becomes a fetish object. When the line between enforcement and cosplay disappears altogether.

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS THE CRIME

Let’s stop pretending this is a coincidence.

This is a unified strategy. The Trump administration is using ICE like a personal strike force — targeting international students, protest leaders, organizers, and mothers with surgical precision.

They invoke secret designations. They bypass due process. They manufacture pretexts out of thin air and rely on the fog of bureaucracy to hide the blood on the floor.

The point isn’t law enforcement. The point is deterrence. Spectacle. Control.

This is what political cleansing looks like when it’s dressed up in the language of national security.

They’re showing the world that resistance has a cost — and the cost is your freedom, your voice, your visibility, your future.

SILENCE IS CONSENT. AND WE ARE LOUD.

There is no middle ground here. No fence to sit on. No neutral position when people are being kidnapped in the name of the state.

ICE doesn’t need your applause. It needs your silence. Every time a student vanishes and the media shrugs, every time a woman is cuffed and the public looks away, the machine gets stronger.

They are daring us to ignore it. They are counting on our numbness. They are betting that we’ll keep scrolling.

We cannot let them win.

This is not border policy. This is not visa enforcement. This is not safety.This is authoritarianism with a PowerPoint presentation.This is fascism disguised as formality.

This is the state stripping people from the land and pretending it’s order.

Let the record show:

They took people.

And we did not look away.

We saw it.

We named it.

We raised hell.

And we did not stop.

(I didn’t write this. Credit goes to Fear and Loathing: Closer to the Edge)

[jdstanelle]

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