YOUR FIVE-MINUTE UPGRADE | NO. 015 | OCTOBER 26, 2026
Have you ever defended an opinion so confidently that changing it later felt almost embarrassing?
Maybe it was a restaurant you insisted was overrated, a career path you thought you'd never consider or a person you were convinced you'd figured out.
We like to think our opinions are based entirely on facts. But sometimes, once we've said something out loud, sticking to it becomes a matter of pride.
This issue is about why changing our minds can feel uncomfortable, why certainty is sometimes overrated and how being open to new information can actually make us more confident.
THE BIG THREE
Three stories worth understanding. The context, minus the endless scrolling.
TRADE
1. The U.S. is easing some tariffs on Canada. But there's a catch.
The gist: After months of escalating trade tensions, the United States is rolling back tariffs on certain Canadian products.
On Friday, the Trump administration announced exemptions for goods including plywood, some paper products, machinery and refrigeration equipment.
The changes take effect on October 30.
But this isn't a complete reversal of the trade dispute.
The administration is also introducing tariffs on other products, including certain carpets, valves and household goods.
The decision follows pressure from American businesses and politicians, particularly in border states where companies rely heavily on Canadian suppliers.
One prominent example is Maine, where Republican Senator Susan Collins has been pushing for tariff relief ahead of a closely contested November election.
President Trump also said Sunday that a broader agreement with Canada could be reached soon, although he provided no timeline or specific terms.
Why it matters: Tariffs are taxes paid by importers when goods cross a border. Businesses may absorb those costs or pass some of them along to customers.
That means tariffs can affect prices, supply chains and jobs on both sides of the border.
The latest exemptions could ease pressure on some businesses, but the introduction of new tariffs means uncertainty remains.
And with the U.S. midterm elections approaching, trade policy is becoming an increasingly important political issue.
A few tariffs are coming down. The bigger trade dispute is far from settled.
TECHNOLOGY
2. Apple's $2,000 foldable iPhone is finally here
The gist: After years of watching competitors experiment with folding smartphones, Apple has officially entered the market.
The company's first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, went on sale Friday with a starting price of approximately US$2,000.
The device opens into a larger screen, combining some of the convenience of a smartphone with the display space of a small tablet.
Demand has been strong. Within minutes of pre-orders opening, estimated delivery dates slipped into late January as orders exceeded available supply.
But early reviews have been mixed.
Reviewers praised the design and barely visible hinge, while pointing to compromises in the camera system, apps that haven't yet been adapted to the new display and the phone's practicality for everyday tasks.
It's also an early test for Apple's new CEO, John Ternus, who took over in September.
Why it matters: Samsung, Huawei and other manufacturers have sold foldable smartphones for years, but the category remains relatively niche.
Apple's entry could introduce the format to a much larger audience and encourage more developers to design apps for folding screens.
The bigger question is whether consumers see enough value in the design to justify paying significantly more than they would for a conventional phone.
Apple has proven people are curious. Now it has to prove folding your phone is actually useful.
HISTORY
3. Scientists figured out how to recreate a Roman glass mystery
The gist: There's a 1,600-year-old Roman cup in the British Museum that appears to change colour depending on how light hits it.
Viewed in reflected light, the Lycurgus Cup looks green. But when light shines through it, the glass turns a striking ruby red.
For centuries, the extraordinary craftsmanship behind the effect has fascinated researchers.
Now, scientists at the University of Sheffield have recreated the colour-changing effect using an ancient glassmaking approach.
The secret involves incredibly small particles of gold and silver embedded in the glass.
These particles interact with light differently depending on whether the light is reflected or transmitted through the material.
Researchers heated glass to more than 1,000°C and carefully controlled the process to reproduce the distinctive colours.
Why it matters: We tend to associate advanced materials science with modern laboratories and technology.
But ancient craftspeople were sometimes achieving effects that researchers are still working to understand today.
The discovery also illustrates how historical objects can inspire modern research into materials and optical technologies.
And while the Romans didn't have our modern understanding of nanoparticles, their craftsmanship produced an effect that remains extraordinary more than a millennium later.
Sometimes the most impressive technology is the kind we've been trying to figure out for 1,600 years.
WORD ON THE STREET
Equivocal ih-KWIV-uh-kul | adjective
Definition: Open to more than one interpretation; ambiguous or unclear.
In a sentence: Her response to the proposal was equivocal, leaving everyone unsure whether she supported it.
Why it's worth knowing: Not every statement is a clear yes or no. Equivocal is particularly useful when describing political statements, uncertain research findings or someone who seems reluctant to commit to a position.
THE BOOKSHELF
Think Again by Adam Grant
The surprising power of knowing what you don't know.
The big idea: We spend years learning how to form opinions, but considerably less time learning how to reconsider them.
Organizational psychologist Adam Grant explores why we become attached to our beliefs and how intellectual flexibility can help us make better decisions.
One of the book's central ideas is to think more like a scientist: treat your beliefs as hypotheses to test rather than identities to defend.
What to take away: Being willing to reconsider an opinion isn't a sign that your original thinking was worthless. It means you're willing to update your conclusions when the evidence changes.
Try it: Identify one opinion you've held for years and ask yourself what evidence would genuinely make you reconsider it.
THE POWER MOVE
Use the cancellation test
Before committing to something expensive or time-consuming, imagine you've already booked it.
Now imagine receiving an email saying it's been cancelled and you'll get a full refund, with no penalties or consequences.
What's your first reaction?
Relief? Disappointment? Or are you immediately trying to find another way to make it happen?
That reaction can reveal something your pros-and-cons list might miss.
Sometimes we agree to things because we've already invested time planning them, feel obligated to someone or simply don't want to miss out.
The cancellation test helps separate what you genuinely want from what you feel committed to doing.
It's not a substitute for thinking through the practical consequences, but it can be a surprisingly useful gut check.
If the thought of getting out of something feels better than the thought of doing it, that's worth paying attention to.
THE PROMPT EDIT
Find the hidden costs before you commit
The price of something isn't always what it ends up costing you.
A cheaper flight might mean expensive transportation. A new apartment might come with unexpected expenses. A subscription might seem inexpensive until you add up a year of payments.
Use AI to look beyond the advertised price.
COPY AND PASTE:
I'm considering [PURCHASE, SERVICE OR DECISION].
The advertised price or estimated cost is [AMOUNT].
Help me identify the potential hidden costs, ongoing expenses and trade-offs I might be overlooking.
Break the analysis into:
1. Upfront costs beyond the advertised price
2. Recurring or maintenance expenses
3. Time, convenience or opportunity costs
4. Common surprises or expenses people underestimate
5. Questions I should ask before committing
Then estimate a realistic total cost over [TIME PERIOD], using clearly labelled assumptions where exact figures aren't available.
Separate essential costs from optional ones, and don't invent precise prices.
End with three ways I could reduce the total cost without significantly sacrificing quality.
Try it with: Booking a holiday, moving apartments, buying a car, choosing a gym membership or comparing subscription services.
THE RABBIT HOLE
One thing you didn’t know you wanted to know.
Why we value things more once we choose them
Imagine you're deciding between two equally appealing holiday destinations.
After some deliberation, you choose one.
Suddenly, the destination you picked starts to look even better, while the one you rejected seems less exciting.
Psychologists have studied a phenomenon called choice-supportive bias, in which people remember or evaluate their decisions more favourably after making them.
A related line of research on cognitive dissonance suggests that people sometimes increase their preference for a chosen option after a difficult decision.
It's one reason we can become surprisingly attached to choices that originally felt uncertain.
Our minds don't always stop evaluating a decision once we've made it. Sometimes they begin building a case for why it was the right one.
We don't just make decisions. We sometimes rewrite the story of how good those decisions were.
Go deeper: https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.117.1.3
NEW AROUND HERE?
Welcome to the club! Consider It Known is your five-minute upgrade on the news, ideas and little things worth knowing.
New here, or missed an issue? There’s plenty more to know.
That's your five minutes.
CIK.
Know someone who'd love this? Forward it their way.