Numlock News: October 21, 2026 • Magic, Past Lives, Pokémon

Oct 21, 2026

By Walt Hickey

Today I’m the guest on one of my favorite podcasts, No Such Thing, talking about the state of the romantic comedy. Check it out wherever you find your podcasts.

Dice

Hasbro, the toy company that serves as the convenient corporate wrapper for the astonishingly lucrative Magic: The Gathering card game, posted $517 million in operating profit. This is thanks to a 49 percent operating margin in the Wizards of the Coast and digital gaming segment of the business, which is responsible for the cash cows of Magic, with over $600 million in revenue, and the mobile game Monopoly Go!, which brought in $41 million in revenue.

James Zahn, The Toybook

Clovis

A blockbuster presentation at an archeological conference sets out the terms to challenge a long-held theory about the history of civilization in the Americas. In March, a cohort of archaeologists argued that a coastal site in southern Chile could be traced to 8,200 to 4,200 years old, dated thanks to a layer of volcanic ash. This would be 10,000 years younger than most researchers thought, which would challenge evidence that people arrived before the end of the ice age. The whole thing has caused a kerfuffle among archeologists.

Mike Price, Science

Scott’s Tots

In 2015, the Milwaukee Brewers ran a promotion called the “Timeless Ticket,” where in exchange for $1,000, the buyer could get admission to any game in the future, and become eligible to buy three additional tickets to that game at retail. Well, the Brewers have made it to the World Series for the first time since 1982, so obviously now is a great time to cash in on that. However, the team has become embroiled in controversy as it is offering only 400-level or standing room options. The team, which clearly assumed it would never amount to anything moving forward, has said that any Timeless Ticket holder who wanted World Series tickets would be able to keep those tickets as well as their Timeless Ticket to redeem at another game in the future, when presumably the Brewers suck again.

Steve Megargee, The Associated Press, and Justin Brinbaum and Jacob Feldman, Sportico

Glaciers

Rock glaciers contain debris as well as ice, and have been more resiliant in the face of climate change than their more typical icy glaciers. An analysis of rock glaciers in Grand Teton National Park from 1967 to 2014 found that rock glaciers did not have an increase in thinning rate between the historical and contemporary period, losing just an average of two inches annually, compared to snowfields that lost 1.9 feet annually and clean ice glaciers that lost 2.8 feet annually. The first global inventory of rock glaciers counted over 51,000 worldwide, compared to 274,531 pure ice glaciers.

Claudia Steiner, Knowable Magazine

To Extend Our Reach To The Stars Above

Hundreds of Pokémon cards and sports trading cards valued at $963,000 were boosted from a FedEx truck last week in California, bound for a company that appraises cards. Two pallets were taken from the truck, and a third pallet of cards showed signs of being disturbed. The theft was reported by PSA, the card grader.

Esther Fung, The Wall Street Journal

Skis

About $1.5 billion worth of cross-country ski gear is sold annually, with 5.5 million Americans participating in the activity, up from 4.6 million a decade ago. Nordic skiing has become increasingly popular, and with it, the cottage industry that services those skis and sells to those skiiers. Participation in the Worldloppet circuit, which involves skiing marathons in 20 countries, is up 35 percent over the past decade.

Bill Donahue, Bloomberg

Past Lives

A new study examined 1,678 reports collected by the Division of Perceptual Studies about cases of purported reincarnation. According to the report, the median intermission between death and purported rebirth was 16 months, however based on the reports there was an association between unexpected deaths and a somewhat speedier rebirth.

Josh Barney, University of Virginia Health System

Check out No Such Thing:

Thank you to Numlock’s paid subscribers, whose support guarantees this stays ad-free. If you pay to subscribe, you get a Sunday edition! Subscribing is the single best way to support a thing you like to read:

Numlock News is written each day by Walt Hickey. Email me with numbers, tips or feedback at walt@numlock.news. Every post is entirely by a human; send corrections or typos to the copy desk at copy@numlock.news. If you enjoy Numlock, tell a friend, word of mouth is the only way that independent publications like this one grow.

Check out my book, You Are What You Watch: How Movies and TV Affect Everything, and subscribe to the Numlock Awards newsletter.

Previous Sunday subscriber editions: Garbage Fire · Fanfic · Young Money · Crumbling Facades · The Adventure Zone · Outdoor Cats · Imported Beer · Auteurs · Overflowing Cups ·