@#4 ... The computers my company purchase have nearly doubled in price over the past 12 months. A year ago we were spending about $670 per system. Our vendor recently informed they are increasing the price on that same system to $1200. ...

My guess is that a good portion of that increase is due to the memory price increase as AI datacenters gobble up memory chips.

Memory price explosion triggers PC buying spree
www.theregister.com

... Exploding memory prices are pushing corporate buyers to fast-track PC purchases before costs climb further.

DRAM and NAND have already soared 80 to 90 percent since the final quarter of 2025, as The Register recently reported, and further bill shocks are forecast as the year progresses. ...

A similar effect was seen early last year when a tariff threat from the Trump administration caused a spike in trade as resellers and buyers alike tried to buy up boxes and get them through customs before the cost of imports jumped.

The memory supply shortage and the rising cost situation is "unprecedented," said Lenovo chief Yang Yuanqing, speaking on an analyst call to discuss its earnings.

"DRAM cost increased by 40 to 50 percent last quarter, but the current quarter versus last quarter almost doubled again, even with the contract price. So this structural imbalance between supply and demand is not simply a short-term fluctuation. It's likely to have a prolonged impact on the industry throughout this year," he stated. ...

Another view ...

South Carolina measles outbreak exceeds 930 cases as doctors battle vaccine scepticism
in-cyprus.philenews.com

... Dr Justin Moll began conducting outdoor triage at Parkside Pediatrics in Spartanburg in December to prevent the highly contagious virus from spreading through waiting rooms filled with infants too young for immunisation. His clinic has treated approximately 50 measles patients since the outbreak began in early October, an unprecedented caseload for the practice.

The South Carolina outbreak has surpassed 930 cases, with roughly 20 requiring hospitalisation, according to state health officials. No deaths have been reported. ...

Political leaders retreat from vaccine advocacy

Some South Carolina Republicans now question the backlash against routine immunisation but find themselves marginalised.

"I now believe that some folks have overreacted in the other direction and oppose any and all vaccines, even ones that have been tried-and-true for decades," Josh Kimbrell, a Republican state senator running for governor, wrote last month to a Spartanburg County school board.

When he posted the letter online, Kimbrell faced fierce criticism on social media. He did not respond to requests for comment. ...

www.nbcnews.com

... The Bureau of Labor Statistics said that the price of housing "was the largest factor" in the increase for the month, rising 0.2%. The same went for the "food at home" category, which tracks grocery prices.

The price of energy was among the biggest drops in January, falling 1.5%. ...

There are some signs of significant tariff pass through to consumers, however, as many economists feared.

The price of laundry equipment and an index that tracks "other appliances" jumped 2.6% just from December to January.

Other indexes that rose sharply from month to month include those tracking the price of appliances overall, which rose 1.3%.

Computers rose 3.1%, floor coverings jumped 3.2%, home furniture popped 1% and boys' apparel increased 2.4%.

The price of watches increased by 2.9% from month to month, and the reading that tracks video and audio equipment, including televisions, increased by 2.2%.

"You start to see some of the tariffs creep into some of the prices ... and you see some sellers are deciding that they're passing on those higher costs to consumers in the form of higher prices," Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said on CNBC in mid-January. "I think you're starting to see some more of that impact." ...

... % of Americans who have a great deal of confidence in journalists to act in the best interests of the public All US adults: 6% Republicans: 2% Democrats: 9% ...

From the Pew Research article link in the cited article ...

www.pewresearch.org

...A majority of Americans (57%) express low confidence in journalists to act in the best interests of the public, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis from the Pew-Knight Initiative.

This includes 40% who say they have not too much confidence and 17% who say they have none at all. By comparison, 43% of adults say they have a great deal or a fair amount of confidence in journalists. ...

@#3 ... China has more wind power than any other country. ...

Wind power in China
en.wikipedia.org

... China has the largest installed capacity of any nation and continued rapid growth in new wind facilities.[1] ...

... "I'm not a big fan of those crazy windmills," Trump said ...

How Trump's loathing for wind turbines started with a Scottish court battle (2025)
www.bbc.com

... "I am the evidence," was the eyebrow-raising comment made by Donald Trump when he appeared before the Scottish Parliament in 2012.

He was speaking as an "expert" witness on green energy targets, describing how he believed wind turbines were damaging tourism in Scotland.

Five years before he first became US president, it was one of his earliest interventions on renewable energy - but since then his opposition to them has grown to become government policy in the world's biggest economy.

He was objecting to 11 turbines which were planned -- and ultimately constructed -- alongside his Aberdeenshire golf course.

On his latest visit to Scotland, he described those turbines as "some of the ugliest you've ever seen".

When Trump bought the Menie estate, about eight miles north of Aberdeen, in 2006, he promised to create the "world's greatest" golf course.

But he soon became infuriated at plans to construct an offshore wind farm nearby, arguing that the "windmills" -- as he prefers to call the structures -- would ruin the view. ...

[emphasis mine]

@#2 ... Tim Cook will be more than happy to oblige the Trump administration and publish more MAGA propaganda. ...

OpEd: As Apple's Cook bows to Trump, Microsoft's Nadella quietly refuses
www.computerworld.com

... Flash forward to today. Apple CEO Cook has proved that he's anything but a rebel. To broadcast his support for Trump and all he represents, he was front and center at Trump's inauguration last year.

Since then, he's been in meetings with Trump multiple times, and praised Trump's "leadership and focus on innovation." He knows that Trump loves bling, so he very publicly gave Trump a gift made in large part of 24 karat gold.

There's more ... and worse.

Only hours after ICE agents murdered Alex Pretti in Minnesota by shooting him in the back 10 times while he lay defenseless on the ground, Cook attended the gala White House screening of the new Melania Trump documentary. All the guests, including Cook, were given commemorative popcorn boxes served by gloved waiters, and a framed screening ticket.

Conservative political strategist Rick Wilson framed the scene succinctly, "If you're a CEO willing to sit in the company of this regime, your 'shareholder value' excuse feels pretty blood-soaked tonight." (Cook did later release a statement calling for "deescalation," saying he was heartbroken over Pretti's death and had spoken to Trump about it.) ...