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A REUBEN WITH A VIEW: The hobby that became an industry – The Chronicle Journal

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4 years ago

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Sports card collecting can make you feel like a real life general manager at times.

Thanks to everyone’s not-so favourite pandemic, I’ve found myself back into the volatile world of sports cards — specifically hockey.

Earlier this month, I finally acquired the “it” rookie card of the NHL season so far. I sent my Ja Morant NBA rookie card and an undisclosed amount of cash to someone in southern Ontario for the Alexis Lafreniere 2020-21 Upper Deck Young Guns card. No future considerations.

I need to make something clear: I am not a buy-and-sell kind of collector. Sure, I check on the values of my cards and I am aware of the markets when shopping, but I do not purchase or trade for cards with the intent of flipping them and making a profit. I’m a sports fan first and foremost with an interest in building a personal collection. I like cool, quirky cards.

The art and design of hockey cards have come a long way. Gone are the simple O-Pee-Chee sets which featured a player photo, a coloured border, some stats and a stick of gum.

Today, there are special inserts, limited numbered/parallels, patches, game-worn jersey pieces, on-card autographs, sticker autographs, autograph patches, autographed jersey pieces, graded, ungraded, re-issues, rookie redemption codes, acetates and even virtual cards via a phone or tablet app.

And a partridge in a pear tree.

I try to keep things simple so I don’t spend beyond my limited budget. I stick to any and all cards featuring members of the Edmonton Oilers, past and present, within reasonable value, cards of players from our region such as the Staals, Patrick Sharp and Mackenzie Blackwood and certain rookie cards of current stars. It’s a lot easier to justify purchasing a low-end Victory brand Sidney Crosby rookie as opposed to his Upper Deck one which is valued at anywhere between $2,000 to $20,000 depending on its condition and scarcity.

The COVID-19 pandemic appears to have provided a boost to the industry. Numbers have shot up across the board both on the primary and secondary market. The 1979 Wayne Gretzky rookie card in pristine condition — which is better than mint apparently — sold for a hockey record $1.29 million this past December. Twelve boxes of unopened packs of 1986-87 Fleer basketball cards and the chance to “pull” multiples of Michael Jordan’s rookie card moved for $370,000 at a recent Goldin auction — double the price of what it was a year ago. During the actual 1986-87 NBA season, one pack set you back 50 cents.

However, a Jordan rookie card can command a five-or six-figure return.

Even new releases carry a hefty price tag. Rookie cards of current stars from all major sports — Patrick Mahomes, Luka Doncic, Mike Trout, Fernando Tatis, Jr. —are skyrocketing in value.

A box of this year’s “The Cup” Upper Deck brand hockey cards can be yours for just $900 to $1,000. One box contains six speciality cards.

Yes, six.

The potential value of a signed or special edition card (also known as a “hit”) can easily earn that money back and turn a profit — figuratively speaking. You still have to hustle out there and sell, sell, sell.

Glen Harmer, a fellow collector in Thunder Bay, says the hoopla of the new card genre is not for him.

“That’s why I quit buying,” he said. “Invest in older cards. They hold their value.”

It’s a commerce game now and some innocence was likely lost decades ago. Our family friend, Wayne Rich, who grew up in the 1960s and 70s, recalls a time when there wasn’t an online auction or Facebook group to obtain new cards. Even at mere cents per pack, kids could only afford so much.

In order to get the cards he wanted, Wayne would pull off trades with friends or compete in a game where he and others would line their cards against a wall and then throw cards at them. First one to knock an opposing player’s card and won the pot. Imagine that happening today? Those bent corners would take a beating in the grading process.

In Thunder Bay, we’ve lost the personal connection of sports card dealing — even before the pandemic.

Overtime Sports and Collectibles closed last February after the untimely passing of owner John McCuaig. Sportscards Plus and Collectibles on Victoria Avenue also shut its doors in recent years. Part of the fun was gathering around and talking shop . . . at the shop.

Stay tuned for Saturday’s sports section where I trace back why I returned to this crazy hobby after nearly 30 years and why some kid from St-Eustache, Que., became a target of that obsession.

Reuben Villagracia is the sports editor at The Chronicle-Journal. Contact him at rvillagracia@chroniclejournal.com.

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Slack researcher discusses the fear, loathing and excitement surrounding AI in the workplace

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15 hours ago

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October 21, 2024

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Artificial intelligence‘s recent rise to the forefront of business has left most office workers wondering how often they should use the technology and whether a computer will eventually replace them.

Those were among the highlights of a recent study conducted by the workplace communications platform Slack. After conducting in-depth interviews with 5,000 desktop workers, Slack concluded there are five types of AI personalities in the workplace: “The Maximalist” who regularly uses AI on their jobs; “The Underground” who covertly uses AI; “The Rebel,” who abhors AI; “The Superfan” who is excited about AI but still hasn’t used it; and “The Observer” who is taking a wait-and-see approach.

Only 50% of the respondents fell under the Maximalist or Underground categories, posing a challenge for businesses that want their workers to embrace AI technology. The Associated Press recently discussed the excitement and tension surrounding AI at work with Christina Janzer, Slack’s senior vice president of research and analytics.

Q: What do you make about the wide range of perceptions about AI at work?

A: It shows people are experiencing AI in very different ways, so they have very different emotions about it. Understanding those emotions will help understand what is going to drive usage of AI. If people are feeling guilty or nervous about it, they are not going to use it. So we have to understand where people are, then point them toward learning to value this new technology.

Q: The Maximalist and The Underground both seem to be early adopters of AI at work, but what is different about their attitudes?

A: Maximalists are all in on AI. They are getting value out of it, they are excited about it, and they are actively sharing that they are using it, which is a really big driver for usage among others.

The Underground is the one that is really interesting to me because they are using it, but they are hiding it. There are different reasons for that. They are worried they are going to be seen as incompetent. They are worried that AI is going to be seen as cheating. And so with them, we have an opportunity to provide clear guidelines to help them know that AI usage is celebrated and encouraged. But right now they don’t have guidelines from their companies and they don’t feel particularly encouraged to use it.

Overall, there is more excitement about AI than not, so I think that’s great We just need to figure out how to harness that.

Q: What about the 19% of workers who fell under the Rebel description in Slack’s study?

A: Rebels tend to be women, which is really interesting. Three out of five rebels are women, which I obviously don’t like to see. Also, rebels tend to be older. At a high level, men are adopting the technology at higher rates than women.

Q: Why do you think more women than men are resisting AI?

A: Women are more likely to see AI as a threat, more likely to worry that AI is going to take over their jobs. To me, that points to women not feeling as trusted in the workplace as men do. If you feel trusted by your manager, you are more likely to experiment with AI. Women are reluctant to adopt a technology that might be seen as a replacement for them whereas men may have more confidence that isn’t going to happen because they feel more trusted.

Q: What are some of the things employers should be doing if they want their workers to embrace AI on the job?

A: We are seeing three out of five desk workers don’t even have clear guidelines with AI, because their companies just aren’t telling them anything, so that’s a huge opportunity.

Another opportunity to encourage AI usage in the open. If we can create a culture where it’s celebrated, where people can see the way people are using it, then they can know that it’s accepted and celebrated. Then they can be inspired.

The third thing is we have to create a culture of experimentation where people feel comfortable trying it out, testing it, getting comfortable with it because a lot of people just don’t know where to start. The reality is you can start small, you don’t have to completely change your job. Having AI write an email or summarize content is a great place to start so you can start to understand what this technology can do.

Q: Do you think the fears about people losing their jobs because of AI are warranted?

A: People with AI are going to replace people without AI.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Biden administration to provide $325 million for new Michigan semiconductor factory

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15 hours ago

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October 21, 2024

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration said Tuesday that it would provide up to $325 million to Hemlock Semiconductor for a new factory, a move that could help give Democrats a political edge in the swing state of Michigan ahead of election day.

The funding would support 180 manufacturing jobs in Saginaw County, where Republicans and Democrats were neck-in-neck for the past two presidential elections. There would also be construction jobs tied to the factory that would produce hyper-pure polysilicon, a building block for electronics and solar panels, among other technologies.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said on a call with reporters that the funding came from the CHIPS and Science Act, which President Joe Biden signed into law in 2022. It’s part of a broader industrial strategy that the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, supports, while Republican nominee Donald Trump, the former president, sees tariff hikes and income tax cuts as better to support manufacturing.

“What we’ve been able to do with the CHIPS Act is not just build a few new factories, but fundamentally revitalize the semiconductor ecosystem in our country with American workers,” Raimondo said. “All of this is because of the vision of the Biden-Harris administration.”

A senior administration official said the timing of the announcement reflected the negotiating process for reaching terms on the grant, rather than any political considerations. The official insisted on anonymity to discuss the process.

After site work, Hemlock Semiconductor plans to begin construction in 2026 and then start production in 2028, the official said.

Running in 2016, Trump narrowly won Saginaw County and Michigan as a whole. But in 2020 against Biden, both Saginaw County and Michigan flipped to the Democrats.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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The Internet is Littered in ‘Educated Guesses’ Without the ‘Education’

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2 weeks ago

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October 8, 2024

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Although no one likes a know-it-all, they dominate the Internet.

The Internet began as a vast repository of information. It quickly became a breeding ground for self-proclaimed experts seeking what most people desire: recognition and money.

Today, anyone with an Internet connection and some typing skills can position themselves, regardless of their education or experience, as a subject matter expert (SME). From relationship advice, career coaching, and health and nutrition tips to citizen journalists practicing pseudo-journalism, the Internet is awash with individuals—Internet talking heads—sharing their “insights,” which are, in large part, essentially educated guesses without the education or experience.

The Internet has become a 24/7/365 sitcom where armchair experts think they’re the star.

Not long ago, years, sometimes decades, of dedicated work and acquiring education in one’s field was once required to be recognized as an expert. The knowledge and opinions of doctors, scientists, historians, et al. were respected due to their education and experience. Today, a social media account and a knack for hyperbole are all it takes to present oneself as an “expert” to achieve Internet fame that can be monetized.

On the Internet, nearly every piece of content is self-serving in some way.

The line between actual expertise and self-professed knowledge has become blurry as an out-of-focus selfie. Inadvertently, social media platforms have created an informal degree program where likes and shares are equivalent to degrees. After reading selective articles, they’ve found via and watching some TikTok videos, a person can post a video claiming they’re an herbal medicine expert. Their new “knowledge,” which their followers will absorb, claims that Panda dung tea—one of the most expensive teas in the world and isn’t what its name implies—cures everything from hypertension to existential crisis. Meanwhile, registered dietitians are shaking their heads, wondering how to compete against all the misinformation their clients are exposed to.

More disturbing are individuals obsessed with evangelizing their beliefs or conspiracy theories. These people write in-depth blog posts, such as Elvis Is Alive and the Moon Landings Were Staged, with links to obscure YouTube videos, websites, social media accounts, and blogs. Regardless of your beliefs, someone or a group on the Internet shares them, thus confirming your beliefs.

Misinformation is the Internet’s currency used to get likes, shares, and engagement; thus, it often spreads like a cosmic joke. Consider the prevalence of clickbait headlines:

  • You Won’t Believe What Taylor Swift Says About Climate Change!
  • This Bedtime Drink Melts Belly Fat While You Sleep!
  • In One Week, I Turned $10 Into $1 Million!

Titles that make outrageous claims are how the content creator gets reads and views, which generates revenue via affiliate marketing, product placement, and pay-per-click (PPC) ads. Clickbait headlines are how you end up watching a TikTok video by a purported nutrition expert adamantly asserting you can lose belly fat while you sleep by drinking, for 14 consecutive days, a concoction of raw eggs, cinnamon, and apple cider vinegar 15 minutes before going to bed.

Our constant search for answers that’ll explain our convoluted world and our desire for shortcuts to success is how Internet talking heads achieve influencer status. Because we tend to seek low-hanging fruits, we listen to those with little experience or knowledge of the topics they discuss yet are astute enough to know what most people want to hear.

There’s a trend, more disturbing than spreading misinformation, that needs to be called out: individuals who’ve never achieved significant wealth or traded stocks giving how-to-make-easy-money advice, the appeal of which is undeniable. Several people I know have lost substantial money by following the “advice” of Internet talking heads.

Anyone on social media claiming to have a foolproof money-making strategy is lying. They wouldn’t be peddling their money-making strategy if they could make easy money.

Successful people tend to be secretive.

Social media companies design their respective algorithms to serve their advertisers—their source of revenue—interest; hence, content from Internet talking heads appears most prominent in your feeds. When a video of a self-professed expert goes viral, likely because it pressed an emotional button, the more people see it, the more engagement it receives, such as likes, shares and comments, creating a cycle akin to a tornado.

Imagine scrolling through your TikTok feed and stumbling upon a “scientist” who claims they can predict the weather using only aluminum foil, copper wire, sea salt and baking soda. You chuckle, but you notice his video got over 7,000 likes, has been shared over 600 times and received over 400 comments. You think to yourself, “Maybe this guy is onto something.” What started as a quest to achieve Internet fame evolved into an Internet-wide belief that weather forecasting can be as easy as DIY crafts.

Since anyone can call themselves “an expert,” you must cultivate critical thinking skills to distinguish genuine expertise from self-professed experts’ self-promoting nonsense. While the absurdity of the Internet can be entertaining, misinformation has serious consequences. The next time you read a headline that sounds too good to be true, it’s probably an Internet talking head making an educated guess; without the education seeking Internet fame, they can monetize.

______________________________________________________________

 

Nick Kossovan, a self-described connoisseur of human psychology, writes about what’s

on his mind from Toronto. You can follow Nick on Twitter and Instagram @NKossovan.

 

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