#he’s a scammer!!! he’s a scalper!!!

[goldensunset]

‘you’re my best friend ever and i think you’re so cool and special and amazing! so because the world is being pulled apart at the seams and you’ve been tasked with fixing it i’m going to offer you a special one-time sales event. buy any of my items for only 100% of the cost! save 0 dollars if you buy in bulk! shop now!’

[666writingcafe]

Barbatos' Birthday Surprise (Part One)

"...for more details on how to win tickets to see Severa at the Hell Dome on August twenty-fourth, visit our website www.wdbl.com and click on 'Contests'."

I turn off the radio as quickly as I turned it on. I originally was just going to listen to some music as I relaxed in my room at the House, but as soon as I heard the announcement, I knew I had to move quickly. While I don't know much about the band Severa, I do know that they specialize in metal music, and I happen to know someone that's really into that genre. Plus, it would make for a nice present for him, provided that he's okay with taking some time off.

Opening up my laptop, I go on the station's website and do as the announcer instructed. I'm then greeted with the following question:

Why do you want to win these tickets?

A simple enough question. I can imagine the radio station wants to weed out scalpers and scammers and give these tickets to someone that truly wants them and will go see the band in concert. Cracking my knuckles, I proceed to type in the empty text box accompanying the question.

I want to surprise a dear friend of mine with some time off. He works day in and day out with little rest, and although he will never admit it, he's starting to get tired. I can see it in his eyes. The two of us have bonded over our love of metal music, and we've spent time comparing and contrasting what it sounds like in the human world versus the Devildom. I hope by winning these tickets and attending the concert that we continue to grow close. He's a kind, caring man, even though his job requires him to be rigid and uptight, and I want to reward him for all his hard work.

As I fill in my contact information, I begin doubting my efforts. Surely a superfan will get the tickets over me, right? I mean, they would know more about the band than I do. Plus, I didn't name the person I wanted to get the tickets for. If I did, I'd probably would get the tickets right away. But, that would be cheating, and I want to win honestly.

So, I take a deep breath and hit the submit button.

~~~~~

"Oooh, MC's got mail!" Asmo teases lightly as I enter the living room. A while ago, Lucifer set up a table right outside the room so that he could easier sort the mail that the House received. Each of us has a basket, although mine's usually empty.

Except for today, when a thick, sturdy white envelope awaited me.

"Calm down, Asmo," Satan replies, glancing up from his book with an annoyed look on his face. "It's not like they're not allowed to receive any correspondence."

"What if it's from a secret admirer?" Asmo wonders, seemingly ignoring his brother.

"Do either one of you know who Jazzon M. is?" I ask, reading off the name on the upper left corner of the envelope.

"He's one of the radio DJs for WDBL," Satan responds as he closes his book.

"I see." My throat tightens up, and I feel my heart begin to beat faster. Grabbing a nearby letter opener, I carefully cut across the top of the envelope and pull out a neatly folded piece of paper. Unfolding it reveals a handwritten letter.

Dear MC,

I wanted to reach out to you personally and congratulate you on winning our contest on WDBL 110.6. Your submission was quite sweet, and after a bit of sleuthing, I figured out who exactly you wanted to get these tickets for. So, I pulled some strings and included a couple extra things in order to make the experience extra special for the two of you.

Hope you have a blast!

J.M.

"Everything alright, MC?" Asmo asks. "You look a little pale."

"I'm fine. Just...surprised, that's all."

"I take it you won one of the stations' contests?" Satan asks. I nod my head.

"They were giving away tickets to see this metal band called Severa at the Hell Dome on August twenty-fourth, and I figured it would make a nice birthday present for Barbatos." The two demons exchange glances, making me even more nervous. "Did I make a bad assumption?"

"Severa is one of Barbatos' favorite bands of all time," Satan responds. "Their shows are normally sold out minutes after they go on sale, though, and no amount of connections or money is going to make any of those people resell their tickets."

"I...I didn't know that."

"He's never had any luck seeing them live," Asmo continues as I sit down next to him on the couch. "The one time he got tickets, he ended up with a horrible stomach flu that knocked him out for the entire week of the concert. Rumor has it that when he wasn't throwing up, he was straight up crying because he couldn't attend the concert. Apparently, he was that distraught."

"So, in other words, I picked out a good gift for him."

"Not just a good gift, MC: the perfect gift. Nothing anyone else does for him is going to top that." I breathe a sigh of relief. I'm glad I didn't mess up by getting Barbatos something he wouldn't like or enjoy for his birthday.

"What all is in the envelope?" Satan asks. "It looks awfully thick for it to just have tickets and a letter." I carefully dump out the remaining contents on the coffee table in front of me.

"Front row tickets?!" Asmo exclaims. "AND VIP lanyards?!"

"Looks like there's backstage passes, too," Satan remarks.

"He did say that he pulled some strings," I explain as Asmo unfolds another piece of paper.

"I would say a lot," he replies. "He reserved you a suite at the Utopia Hotel." Upon seeing the confused look on my face, he explains that it's one of the most expensive hotels in the Devildom, partly due to its close proximity to the Hell Dome, and partly due to how fancy the building itself is.

"You also have a reservation at Ristorante Ninurta the night before the concert," Satan continues. "They're usually booked for months at a time, sometimes years."

"You two are going to be so spoiled! I'm super jealous!"

"You don't even like metal music, Asmo."

"That's not the point!" Asmo turns his head to look at me. "What's important is that you're going to have one of the best experiences of your entire life. Barbatos is going to be all over you, MC."

"No offense, but I find that hard to believe," I tell him.

"Asmo might actually be right for once," Satan interjects. "People have told me that live metal music brings out a different side of Barbatos, one that no one really expects. He gets a bit rougher around the edges, saying and doing things he normally wouldn't in any other circumstance."

"In any case, you need to get this to Barbatos as soon as possible," Asmo instructs. "That way, he has plenty of time to prepare for it."

[twopoppies]

I truly appreciate Louis put that notice about resellers for AFHF. It shows he does pay attention to us, I know for a fact a lot of us has so much trouble with ticket access. I love buying from Louis from my own money cuz I think he’s earned it. And I’m just greatful he is doing stuff to protect the money we fans earn at our jobs 💙

Yeah, I thought that was very cool, as well. I hate how many scalpers and scammers get to tickets before fans do.

[atlanticcanada]

Fans and police warn of ticket scams at World Juniors

Canada’s victory over the USA at the IIHF World Junior Championship sent fans into celebration and ticket prices soaring.

Mid-afternoon Thursday, resale websites were listing a single ticket for the gold medal game against Czechia for as low as $1,089 and as high as nearly $29,000.

Tyler Boutilier tried to snag a ticket to the final on a buy and sell page on Facebook. At first, posts looked promising.

“Lots of comments like, 'I have four tickets, I have three tickets,'” he said. 

However, after messaging back and forth with one person, Boutilier sensed a red flag. 

“They wanted the money for the one ticket and then they would send the ticket. They wanted the money first,” he said.

Boutilier wasn’t interested in sending money to a potential buyer he’d never met. He suggested they meet in person.   

“And then she said, ‘Well, I can meet later in Ontario,’ and that’s when I sort of knew it was all a scam,” he said.

The hockey fan didn’t alert police but others have.

“They believe they’ve been taken advantage of or scammed in some way in relation to purchase of these tickets,” said Halifax Regional Police Const. John Macleod.

Macleod said police are investigating. He advises fans to buy tickets from trusted retailers or sites they know. 

“If something sounds too good to be true, you should trust your instincts,” Macleod said. 

Boutilier decided to play his own game on people trying to trick him. He posted online that he was looking for tickets to games that don’t exist.

“Tickets for Brazil versus Mexico or something and they said they’d be willing to hook me up,” he said.

As about 11,000 fans pack the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax Thursday to watch Canada defend its World Junior title, Boutilier will watch at a friend’s place -- where he’ll still be a fan and still keep all his money.

Additional tips for buying tickets online provided by the Better Business Bureau include:

Purchase from the venue whenever possible. Many official ticket sales agents now offer secondary sales options, as well. 

Consider your source. Know the difference between a professional ticket broker (a legitimate and accredited reseller), a ticket scalper (an unregulated and unlicensed ticket seller), and a scammer selling scam tickets.

Check out the seller/broker. Look them up on BBB.org to learn what other customers have experienced. 

Buy only from trusted vendors. Buy online only from vendors you know and trust. Look for the lock symbol in the web address to indicate a secure purchasing system. Don’t click through from emails or online ads; a common ticket scam trick is to create a web address that is similar to a well-known company.

Know the refund policy. You should only purchase tickets from a ticket reseller that provides clear details about the terms of the transaction. Sellers should disclose to the purchaser, prior to purchase, the location of the seats represented by the tickets, either orally or by reference to a seating chart; and, if the tickets are not available for immediate access to the purchaser, disclose when the tickets will ship or be available for pick up.

Use payment methods that come with protection. Always use a credit card so you have some recourse if the tickets are not as promised. Debit cards, wire transfer or cash transactions are risky; if the tickets are fraudulent, you won’t be able to get your money back.

Be wary of advertisements. When you search the web for online tickets, advertisements for cheap tickets will often appear. Use good judgment; some of these ads are going to be ticket scams, especially if the prices are low.

If you’re unsure, verify your tickets. Pay a visit to the arena where the event will be held. Present your ticket to “Will Call” (customer service) and they can verify if your ticket is legitimate and show you how to tell if a ticket is fake

from CTV News - Atlantic https://ift.tt/lyq3t6u

[tender-hobi]

Bts concert ticket sales bring out the ugly side of people…

[sirfrogsworth]

While a few people were obsessed with denuclearization and peace agreements, I’m pretty sure most of us were really wondering what the heck happened to the “Peace Talks” Commemorative Coins. 

I know I was. 

I have some good news. They decided to sell them!

That’s right folks, those 250 minted masterpieces are now available in the official White House Gift Shop for the low-low price of $49.00! 

SHUT UP!

But wait, if you act now you can get the Deal of the Day Price of only $44.90! 

ALMOST 9% SAVINGS!

Also, if you order 4 coins you are eligible for free domestic shipping!

TOTALLY WORTH IT! SHIPPING IS REALLY PRICEY THESE DAYS!

Some of you might be apprehensive due to the fact that the back of the coin was never revealed. Fear not! For there are now detailed images of the backside now available for viewing. 

SHOW ME THAT BACKSIDE!

OOOOOoooOOoOOOOOOOooooo!

Just beautiful. The back of the coin features a raised 3D image of the White House in front of a giant globe. Which sort of makes it look like the White House is floating in space. I’m not a professional coin designer, so I choose not to judge. 

Per the description, you can see “a Dove Flying from the White House to the Korea Peace Talks in Singapore, carrying an olive branch.” 

I’m not familiar with the flight capabilities of doves, but that seems like a long journey to me. 

THAT DOVE MUST BE SO TIRED!

Hey, did you know that doves are actually just pigeons? Weird, right?

I DID NOT KNOW THAT! 

PEOPLE HATE PIGEONS AND LOVE DOVES. IS THAT SOME SORT OF BIRD RACISM?

I know you can barely contain your excitement right now, but I need to get serious for a moment. 

OH NO, WHY?

There have been some evil scam artists trying to sell counterfeit coins on eBay.

*GASP*

The White House Gift Shop takes this thing very seriously. In fact, Tony Giannini, director of the gift shop, has written a personal message on the actual listing page for this coin. 

And Tony does not mince words... 

“The coins are available because of rapid actions we took to prevent auction site scammers or scalpers from acquiring our coins and representing themselves to you as in some manner affilitated with The White House Gift Shop.”

RAPID ACTIONS WERE TAKEN!

“These scammers are attempting to dupe people into pre-ordering our coins on eBay at egregious prices as much as or often more than $999.00!”

EGREGIOUS PRICES! DON'T BE A DUPE, YOU DUPES!  

“In their efforts, these scammers are using our photos, our wriiten messages, our logos, our generous pre-order special pricing, and our United States Patent and Trademark Office protected marks.”

EVEN OUR WRIITEN MESSAGES? THOSE FIENDS! 

ALSO, TONY DOESN'T SPELL GOOD WHEN HE'S ANGRY!

“We have alerted eBay® to this situation, have filed applicable U.S. Trademark complaints with eBay® and will continue monitoring all auction sites for gross abuses of our marks, and policies.”

WE HAVE ALERTED EBAY REGARDING GROSS ABUSES! 

DON’T CALL US HEROES. 

WE’RE JUST GIFT SHOP EMPLOYEES DOING A JOB.

“We thank the Three Leaders Who Continue to Nurture Peace Over War in this New Generation of American and Korean Leaders. As an aside, age does not, itself, determine a generation of thinkers; thinkers define a generation.”

GETTING A BIT PREACHY ON A COIN LISTING, TONY.

“U.S. President Donald J. Trump, South Korea President Moon Jae-in, and evinced by looking to the future, not the past, North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un all represent a turning away from time past to time future, as such, we are seeing the emegence of a New Generation of world leaders.”

EMEGENCE? CALM DOWN, BRO. JUST A COIN.

“We answered and continue to answer a massive number, more like a tsunami, of communications. Both Americans, Koreans, and peace loving peoples across the globe have shared with us, to be candid, their support and love of President Donald J. Trump, a fact.”

TSUNAMI OF FACTUAL TRUMP LOVE.

“We will continue to celebrate through objects of design and art the spirit of peace and harmony confluent with the innate dignity of all humankind. Challenge coins are special to the 1% who serve in the military to protect the 99%. A gift is endowed with unique engergy and spirit as it passes from the hands of a brother or sister to another who serves and knows.”

ENGERGY! YEAH!

THIS IS GETTING A BIT LONG. MAYBE IT'S TIME TO WRAP THIS UP, TONY.

“I have many memories, for I still have my own father's "Mickey Mouse" boots, giant insulated rubber, winter military boots, from the Korean War. A favorite uncle who carries to this day shrapnel in his neck and spine from combat in Korea.”

HOO-BOY. I HAVE NO IDEA HOW WE GOT HERE, BUT HERE WE ARE.

“The Korea Peace Talks commemorative coin represents a celebration of diplomatic communication and an embrace of all those who want our President to suceed in his steadfast efforts to secure denuclearization of the Koreas.”

NICE PIVOT BACK TO THE COIN. BRING IT HOME, BUDDY!

Best regards, Tony Giannini, CEO / Director

WELL SAID. 

SORRY ABOUT YOUR UNCLE’S SPINE SHRAPNEL!

DON’T BE A DUPE! BUY SOME COINS!

[npr]

Then he got an idea, an awful idea. The Grinch got a wonderful, awful idea.

I know just what to do, the Grinch laughed in his throat. All it will take is a few keystrokes.

But of course he didn't actually muse. Because the Grinch in this case is a bot. It's automatic. It doesn't snooze.

Online scammers with an arsenal of cyber bots are stealing Christmas by buying up the most popular toys of the season and selling them for a hefty markup on third-party sites such as Amazon and eBay.

While the demand for the hottest toys is particularly high this time of year, shoppers are competing against a growing army of bots. For years, scalpers have taken advantage of software robots to scoop up event tickets, but now scammers are employing the same tactics to cheat Christmas shoppers, says MSNBC anchor and economics correspondent Ali Velshi.

'Grinch Bots' Attempt To Steal Christmas By Driving Up Toy Prices

Photo: Getty Images/Getty Images

[aion-rsa]

How the Pokémon Trading Card Game Boom Brought Back Pokémon Fever

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

This story is presented by

The popularity of the Pokémon Trading Card Game was not an accident. While some might be quick to call it an overnight sensation, that actually sells short the effort that went into the Pokémon TCG (and the games it was based on).

Released in Japan in October 1996 (just 8 months after the debut of the first Pokémon games), the Pokémon TCG was one of the first major additions to what would become a vast pipeline of Pokémon merchandise. While clearly inspired by the incredible success of the Magic: The Gathering franchise, as well as Pokémon collectible cards released by Bandai earlier that year, the Pokémon TCG was no mere copycat. Along with being more accessible than other TCGs on the market, the Pokémon card game proved to be a natural extension of the things that made millions fall in love with the original games.

“Ishihara-san, President of The Pokémon Company, loved tabletop/card games and wanted to create a card game which would act as a ‘Physical’ Pokédex and give players another way to experience the Pokémon brand,” said Pokémon TCG director Atsushi Nagashima in an Evening Standard interview. “The idea of a trading card game fit perfectly in line with Pokémon‘s tenets of play, trade, and collect. It also encourages face-to-face play which has been key to the product’s success and longevity.”

By Nagashima’s own admission, though, nobody predicted what happened in late 1998 and early 1999 when Wizards of the Coast brought the Pokémon TCG to North America with the release of the Base Set. Despite the increased availability of the cards, the growth of the Pokémon TCG during this time was partially driven by their scarcity. Mobs of fans stormed stores at the mere suggestion of a new shipment while the value of intentionally manufactured rare cards quickly soared. 

While the Pokémon TCG only grew more successful as the years passed, its dominance on the public consciousness seemed to fade for a while. No, it’s not like we’d look back on an old binder of Pokémon cards and shake our flushed faces in embarrassment, but for a time it felt like the Pokémon TCG had maybe reached its peak in the ‘90s, a pop culture moment meant to be cherished and preserved in our memory. 

But the Pokémon TCG’s story is far from over… In fact, Pokémon fever is back with a vengeance and has taught us all a little more about the true value of nostalgia.

Gotta Collect ‘Em All

“The market right now is insane,” says Peter “Arcashine” Chipouras, a mod on the r/PKMNTCGTrades card trading subreddit and professional card grader. “Stores used to be relatively full of product, and, if you were lucky, something lucrative might still be available. Nowadays, there’s nothing. Everything is bought out. Online retailers can’t restock quickly enough, and even if they do have the product in stock, they price it high to meet the secondary market.”

“Insane” is certainly the word for the sales records being set at the moment. A recent eBay report revealed that Pokémon trading card sales had increased by 574% from 2019 to 2020. Last year, a 1st Edition Charizard card sold for over $295,000. An even rarer version of the card commanded a price of over $350,000. In November 2020, Heritage Auctions sold a box of 1st Edition Pokémon booster sets for $360,000. A similar set had gone for $198,000 just two months before. 

You expect older cards to become more valuable over time. What’s impressive, though, is that this buying craze has extended to modern Pokémon TCG cards, too 

“Even at the lowest level, we’re seeing sets that are normally printed to demand facing huge droughts of product,” Chipouras says. “Regular pack prices are typically $4.00 at retail stores, and usually around $3.00, give or take, on the secondary market. Recently, they’ve been pushing $7-$8.00 each.”

The extent of this shortage even impacted a recent McDonald’s promotion that offered limited supply Pokémon TCG cards with every Happy Meal. Across the country, stores were mobbed by enthusiastic buyers willing to buy dozens of Happy Meals simply for the card packs in their containers. Things have gotten to a point where The Pokémon Company has had to issue a rare statement regarding these shortages alongside a promise that more cards are on the way. 

This too may seem like it came out of nowhere, but that’s not really the case. As of March 2020, over 30 billion Pokémon TCG cards have been sold worldwide. Mobile game Pokémon GO has generated over $4 billion in revenue since 2016. The latest Pokémon games (Sword and Shield) have sold over 20 million units in a little over a year. The consistent success of the Pokémon franchise means it’s always been more “susceptible” to spikes that elevate the already impressive baseline popularity of the series. Millions are ready to become obsessed with Pokémon again at a moment’s notice.

But why is the Pokémon TCG specifically experiencing such a resurgence right now? It seems to come down to a couple of key factors. 

“One side is financial, where you’re seeing a lot of kids that grew up with the first Pokémon games finally hitting an age where they’re well into their careers and have access to disposable income,” Chipouras says. “Pair that with stimulus checks, and there’s a massive amount of capital available for those who want to invest in the hobby.”

There’s certainly something to be said about the influence of Covid-19 lockdowns on the growth of the Pokémon TCG market given the timeline of the boom. Last year, fans on Reddit were debating whether or not it was better to wait out the quarantine price surges and availability drops. Many suggested waiting things out, but the hype never really settled down.

Pokémon as a long-term investment may sound about as solid as the recent GameStop stock boom, but it’s more than that. Beyond short-term sales meant to make the most of the current market, periods of Pokémon popularity spikes such as this one strongly suggest that cards can (and often do) retain value. That’s likely a big part of the reason why professional grading service Collector’s Universe was acquired for $700 million by an investment group.

The idea that the current market is being propelled by fans who now have the disposable income to spend on cards really is the most interesting and impactful factor at play, though. It’s a movement that many older Pokémon fans are contributing to, but there’s a specific group of buyers who are clearly leading the charge.

“Influencers [are] coming into the space and exposing, or re-introducing, a huge number of people to the hobby,” Chipouras says. “Not only are they driving prices for the most expensive collectibles in the hobby sky high, they’re also creating highly edited, viral content about doing just that.”

The Celebrity Factor 

In 2017, a man known as Gary “King Pokémon” appeared on Pawn Stars with a collection of Pokémon cards that can only be described as one of a kind.

While he asked for $500,000 for the collection, he insinuated he wasn’t really interested in selling the cards for even that amount. He was right to hesitate. Some of the individual cards in that collection now command prices close to that $500,000 figure.

Cut to 2020 when controversial vlogger Logan Paul decided to visit that Pokémon card trader with $150,000 in cash. After a highly produced spectacle topped off by negotiations, Paul was able to convince Gary to part with one of his Charizard cards. Earlier that month, Paul had posted a video that showed him unboxing a $200,000 box of 1st Edition cards. It’s one of the most notable examples of the kind of slick content that has propelled the market to often absurd heights. 

The role of influencers certainly tracks with the timeline of TCG’s market resurgence. While YouTubers such as Derium and UnlistedLeaf have built careers off unboxing videos, card discussions, and similar Pokémon TCG content, it’s when some of the more mainstream names in the streaming and vlogging world got into the action that we saw prices and popularity skyrocket. Remember that box of cards that Paul bought for $200,000? It’s similar to the one that sold for nearly $400,000 a couple of months later. 

Sadly, that celebrity-assisted boom also unearthed some of the unfortunate elements of the scene. Consider, for instance, the story of Jake “JBTheCryptoKing” Greenbaum who was introduced to many people by Paul as a Pokémon card expert. Some who watched early Paul videos with Greenbaum expressed their concern that he was overvaluing cards either due to a lack of knowledge, a desire for personal gain, or a combination of both. In October 2020, Greenbaum helped the YouTube channel Dumb Money acquire what was described as a box of 1st Edition Pokemon TCG booster packs for $376,000. Shortly into the opening process, it was discovered that the box was fake. Examples of such scams and incompetency have been around for years, but the potential costs are higher than ever. 

Yet, the most prevalent negative impact of the Pokémon TCG resurgence is one that will be all-too-familiar to anyone who has tried to purchase high-profile items online, especially in the last couple of years. 

“One class of purchaser that’s come to the forefront this year are the botters,” Chipouras says. “Even normal collectors who just wait for a product to go live may miss out because the bots can immediately checkout hundreds or thousands of products in seconds.”

Again, the role of scalpers is nothing new, but just as with the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X last year, a new generation of bot technology can make online purchases of Pokémon TCG cards from certain outlets nearly impossible. Scalpers and scammers aren’t necessarily misrepresenting the popularity or value of the Pokémon TCG market, but much like the online celebrities throwing unheard of amounts of money at these cards, they are contributing to a raised barrier of entry for more casual collectors who must navigate low inventories, high prices, and delayed productions just to get their hands on a few packs. 

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Yet, it must be said that the role of celebrities and influencers has been far from a universal negative. The publicity generated by their content reminded people of the love they still harbor for the Pokémon TCG scene and gave many a new way to experience a sense of community during quarantine. Stories of such extravagant purchases may make your eyes roll, but they also open your eyes to a movement that is inherently fascinating.

Besides, the pleasure of watching someone open and discover Pokémon cards goes beyond guilt. Dr. Pamela Rutledge of the Media Psychology Research Center says that part of the appeal of unboxing videos can be attributed to our “mirror neurons” which ensure that “people watching someone can experience the same emotions.” Incredibly, they can also trigger “the muscles in your body that would be required if you were trying to open the box.” Those of us who watched one of the many Pokémon TCG unboxing videos over the last year can attest to the unique thrill of that sensation. 

And yes, while there are some celebrities who undoubtedly only got into the scene to follow trends or flex their success, many more are just trying to recapture something important to them — or perhaps make up for lost time. There’s no better example of that than the rapper Logic, who posted these words to his Instagram account shortly after spending $183,812 to acquire a rare Charizard card:

“When I was a kid I absolutely loved Pokémon but couldn’t afford the cards. I remember even trying to trade food stamps for theirs and now as an adult who has saved every penny he has made being able to enjoy something that I’ve loved since childhood now as a grown man is like buying back a piece of something I could never have, it’s not about the material it’s about the experience.”

That’s what we mean regarding the value of nostalgia. It’s not just about money; it’s about our shared emotional investment in these cards and how the money strangely represents it.

Pokémon Party Like It’s 1999

Have you wondered why Charizard pops up so often as the star of the most valuable Pokémon cards? Some of it has to do with the power level of the cards in question and their relative rarity, but the most amusing contributor to their value is the simple fact that people love Charizard. 

In a 2019 poll that saw over 52,000 Reddit users cast a vote for their favorite Pokémon, Charizard was ranked number one. A 2020 poll conducted by the Pokémon Company named Charizard as the fourth most popular Pokémon following an extensive fan voting competition. Numerous outlets have named Charizard the coolest Pokémon or awarded the character similar distinctions. 

The authors of the book Pikachu’s Global Adventure: The Rise and Fall of Pokémon theorize that Charizard may be most popular with older male fans drawn to the character’s comparative toughness and the idea that this evolution cycle represents a departure from childhood. This theory meshes with the comments and demographics of notable top Charizard buyers, but when you get to the heart of it, there’s just something about Charizard’s design that has resonated with Pokémon fans and stayed with them throughout the years. 

There’s also something to be said about the impact of the 30-year nostalgia cycle. As noted by Patrick Metzger in an article for The Patterning, it generally takes about “30 years for a critical mass of people who were consumers of culture” to turn to the art and culture that “helped them achieve comfort and clarity in their world.” More importantly, creators will “indulge in the ‘new’ nostalgic trend that’s being repurposed” in an attempt to “revive that same zeitgeist.” It’s part of the reason why the 1950s were big in 1980s America, why the 1980s were big in the 2010s, and it’s almost certainly part of the reason we’re seeing Pokémon re-emerge in such a big way now. 

It’s not just Charizard either. In the eBay sales report that revealed Charizard was the top-selling Pokémon card, the most popular athlete among sports trading card collectors was none other than Michael Jordan, another legendary figure from the ‘90s who recently experienced a popularity resurgence as a result of the success of The Last Dance documentary series. 

There’s something funny about Charizard and Michael Jordan sharing this pop culture moment. Both were superstars of their era, and both remain the faces of their respective fields: Pokémon and the golden age of ‘90s basketball. 

So before you begin to feel like you’re just caught under the wheels of nostalgia, consider that two of the earliest beneficiaries of what will almost certainly be a prolonged ‘90s revival never really lost value in the first place. We don’t look back on them solely because of nostalgic memories: we look back on them because their greatness never really left us. 

As a kid, you probably tried to justify your Pokémon collection to someone on the basis that it would one day grow in value. It’s not that it wasn’t true (it clearly was) but if you were really only thinking about the monetary value of Pokémon, you would have kept everything in mint condition rather than play with it all. It was really always about much more than that. 

It feels like something similar is happening today. Yes, there are people who purchase Pokémon cards solely as an investment, but there’s a real sense that even some of those fans who talk about these cards as an investment are under the same spell as in the ‘90s. Pokémon cards do often go up in value, but if it’s just about the money, there are better investments out there. On some level, people are “investing” six figures in Pokémon cards because they want a shiny cardboard dragon and they’ve wanted it for a long time. 

That’s the true value of nostalgia. It’s not just about sales themselves but how these cards still make us feel decades later.

The high prices of Pokémon cards don’t speak to us just because they make us wish we’d kept those binders full of cards. Those absurd figures are also an easy way to convey how we felt when we shared the excitement of combing over those cards with friends all those years ago. 

The post How the Pokémon Trading Card Game Boom Brought Back Pokémon Fever appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3gLHMBt

[secret-rendezvous1d]

So sad that people blame Harry. Ok - he easily could've played bigger venues and had tons of people be there and it be deeply impersonal and made way more money by the way. However he cares about the experience that each person gets that was able to get a ticket. Besides, he played to thousands and thousands in giant stadiums before- I'm sure he didn't want to go right back to that daunting task. It takes a toll. He's also paying more to be at these places on weekends instead of weekdays for us

Remember that Harry wasn’t the only one in the talks of where he wanted to perform on a sort-of world tour. His tour team and his management are the ones who finalised everything to make the tour possible.

Just because Harry’s already a well-known and popular artist in the music industry, it doesn’t mean that he should instantly  jump into performing in stadiums of 90,000 people like he did with One Direction. He’s starting off as a solo artist, for the first time in 7 years, and starting slow is how every solo artist starts off their career. It’s testing the waters. Seeing what happens. He’s not going to jump into a stadium with the capacity of almost 100,000 people because that may not sell out as well as they’d have hoped - fans of One Direction split up into stans when the boys went solo. Some may not want to go and see Harry on tour because his music isn’t what they like. That’s okay, you know? 

The general sale this morning has clearly proven, to him and to his team, that his tickets are in high demand which means that they may boost the tour, next year, up to arenas of 20,000 because then more fans get the opportunity to see him, rather than a small handful of lucky fans. More tickets will go on sale. More will get the opportunity to see him. He said that wanted to perform in venues where his idols have performed in before. Which is so adorable and so lovely. Where he’s starting off in these small venues, they’re intimate to be closer to his fans and very comfortable for someone who hasn’t performed in from of a large crowd. 

People who are getting bitter to those who have tickets... well, it costs nothing to be happy for a fellow supporter of your favourite artist. Be happy for those who got tickets. Don’t get jealous and nasty. And those who are being nasty to those who didn’t have the chance to purchase tickets? You need to think over your actions because that is disgraceful and nasty. You think Harry would want his fans treating other fans like that? It’s appalling behaviour and I recommend you grow up before you catch my hands. And those who unstanned him because they didn’t get tickets this morning? That means there is more of Harry for us to love. More for us. They’ll be missed in the fandom, but, we don’t need those people in this little flurry of Harries. 

I think it’s lovely how he’s done it. A little stressful, of course. Because no one has gone through that kind of process, but, it’s sweet that he’s really taken us into thought and realised that we could get scammed by those selling tickets for bigger prices. Ticketmaster cannot hide those scammers and scalpers from everything; they will find a way to get tickets to sell them and sometimes they can’t be stopped. It’s sad but it’s life. It happens.

But... That’s just my opinion, of course. 

My condolences to everyone who didn’t get tickets, and, my congratulations to everyone who did get tickets. xx

[aqua-harry]

The whole "verified fan" thing is so they can filter out people like re-sellers, scammers, etc. I think you have to a had pre-ordered the album to get first in order to sign up for it. I know a lot of people might not like that idea, but I honestly think it's a great idea and I love that Harry was one of the 1st artist to participate in something like this bc he really wants this for the fans

Yeah, I think that’s what the verified fan sign-up is for, which is awesome. I understand being frustrated about not being able to have that opportunity because you weren’t able to preorder, but I think it’s a really great way to ensure scalpers don’t get their hands on tickets before fans do - or even at all.

[dancingskys]

heyya, if you have a reddit account, r/bangtan usually have masterposts for tix sale/trade also @btsticketbot on twitter ! both sites/accounts have guidelines when u want to sell/buy/trade tix so at least you know you're dealing with legit people (and deter scammers/scalpers) u'll probably find more quick buyers there i'd buy it off u but the flying and everything else costs are over my head rn 😭😭 good luck !

I’ll check out the Twitter account since I don’t have Reddit

Thank you for suggesting them! ^^

Yeah, the travel cost is also another factor. My sister and I really had to dig around to find decent prices. Especially the flights were more expensive than what he usually had to deal with

[thegloober]

US ISP RCN stores customer passwords in cleartext

RCN, one of the largest internet and cable service providers in the US, admitted today on Twitter that it stores users’ passwords in cleartext, passwords to which its customer support employees have access at any time during technical support requests.

An RCN spokesperson said that “[customer support] agents need to see this password to verify account ownership when certain changes are requested.”

This revelation came to be after a user who goes on Twitter as Lomgrim called RCN support over the weekend. Prior to calling, Lomgrim says he used KeePass –a password manager application– to generate a random 26-character-long password for his RCN account.

He claims that the RCN employee handling his call was able to view and then read this password back to him without verifying that he was speaking to the actual account owner.

Speaking to ZDNet, Lomgrim pointed this reporter to a Reddit thread he opened over the weekend, where he vented on the matter.

“Their rep without any validation was able to see my password that I had just set online, 5 minutes earlier, in plaintext and then straight up READ IT BACK TO ME, OVER THE PHONE asking ‘the password looks very long and odd, are you sure this is what you want?’,” Lomgrim said.

But while Lomgrim confirmed this was the first time it happened to him, other users commenting on the same Reddit threat claimed to have experienced the same issue in the past.

“I just talked to a customer service rep and they told me the same thing. They didn’t seem to understand why it might be a problem,” a Reddit user said.

The problem that RCN employees didn’t appear to understand, as the user put it, is that by not verifying the identity of callers before giving out a password this can lead to serious privacy breaches.

For example, stalkers could find a new way to intrude on the privacy of their victims, while scammers and fraudsters can exploit this issue to gain access to a treasure trove of personally identifiable and financial information.

TechRepublic: Why 31% of data breaches lead to employees getting fired

According to Lomgrim, this can lead to some serious issues, as the RCN account, just like any other account at most US-based ISPS, stores quite a wealth of personal information.

“MyRCN web portal contains access to the billing portal, as well as to autopay setup,” Lomgrim told ZDNet. “Bill payment history is available for download for your entire tenure.

“You can also modify your security questions in the portal and the account password itself. Furthermore, MyRCN portal allows you to change your RCN Webmail password outright without having to provide the old password first.

“You can also update your billing address. In my view, if an attacker has access to this account, they can pull down all my statements, reset my RCN Email password (if I was using one), and set my billing address to something else, and disable paperless billing, so they can route my bills to their address,” Lomgrim added.

CNET: Ticketmaster teams with scalpers to rip you off, report says. Firm says no way

ZDNet reached out to RCN earlier today with several questions about the company’s practice. In an email, the company replied that is investigating the issue.

“RCN takes all our customer inquiries, concerns and feedback very seriously. We are looking into this matter; we are in contact with the customer and are gathering all the pertinent information,” Bill Sievers, Senior Vice President of Customer Service, RCN, told ZDNet via email. “We will provide updates as they become available.”

A quick Twitter search also reveals this has been going on for at least four years. The company has been pretty upfront on this policy since 2014, according to an older tweet.

“RCN reps have access to your webmail password and MyRCN password in case you were to ever forget them,” an RCN representative wrote on the official Twitter account in 2014 answering to a user complaining about the same thing –an RCN call center employee reading out the user’s password over the phone.

And there is also this four-year-old Reddit thread with the same complaint about RCN employees having access to customers’ passwords in cleartext.

But RCN isn’t the first or the last company to accidentally reveal on Twitter that it stores customer passwords in cleartext. Just a few months before, T-Mobile Austria admitted to the same practice.

Following multiple subsequent user complaints and a long stream of online ridicule and criticism, the company eventually implemented password-hashing as a way to stop employees or hackers from viewing the passwords in cleartext.

Also: Premera Blue Cross accused of destroying evidence in data breach lawsuit

As for Lomgrim, the user hopes the ISP improves its security posture in regards to its password handling, somewhat regretting the media storm he may have caused.

“RCN has generally been my ISP of choice,” he told ZDNet. “Their customer service is regularly very responsible, and rare issues that do arise tend to be resolved quickly and well. They provide faster and better service, including gigabit, for prices that are much better than Comcast, without any contractual service obligations.”

The issue with storing passwords in cleartext is not as bad as other problems a company like RCN could face and is certainly something that the company could fix in a heartbeat if it ever reached the correct decision. There are many other ways of verifying a customer’s identity or solving technical problems without reading back the user’s password and asking if “is this is yours?”.

Related coverage:

Source: https://bloghyped.com/us-isp-rcn-stores-customer-passwords-in-cleartext/

[seattlecraigslistfraudblog]

MACKLEMORE tickets CHEAP! $50

A friendly reminder from someone who works at a local venue: PLEASE BE CAREFUL OF SCAMMERS. My friend works at the Key Arena and he's seen lots of scalpers buying tickets. They use color printers and make multiple copies of a ticket. If it sounds to ... from Craigslist https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/tix/d/macklemore-tickets-cheap/6431814605.html Fraud Bloggs made possible by: http://circuitgenie.wix.com/techsupport