The Daily Valet. - 10/14/20, Wednesday

✔️ The Counting Stops

October 14, 2020

Wednesday, October 14th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

Is it weird to like the new iPhone design because it's kinda retro?

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s Big Story

The Supreme Court Halts Census Count

Getting an accurate recording of America’s population has been tough

The Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the way for the Trump administration to end field operations for the 2020 census, temporarily halting a lower court decision that had extended the count.

The high court’s order, following an emergency request from the Justice Department last week, helps clear the way for President Trump to try to alter the count while in office, reports NPR. Justice Sonia Sotomayor was the lone dissenter from the unsigned court order.

The decision was not a total loss for plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging the early finish. They managed to get nearly two extra weeks of counting as the case made its way through the courts.

However, the ruling increases the chances of the Trump administration retaining control of the process that decides how many congressional seats each state gets—and by extension how much voting power each state has.

According to Reuters, ending the census a month earlier than originally planned is a blow to civil rights groups concerned about undercounts, particularly of racial minorities. And they believe that some of the hardest-to-count regions in the last census might be even harder to survey this year as the country reels from the coronavirus pandemic.

Hours after the ruling was released, the Census Bureau announced that it will keep accepting responses online at My2020Census.gov through Thursday. The bureau has also set October 15th as the postmark deadline for paper forms, so there’s still a little time left.

↦ FYI: The census guides the allocation of $1.5 trillion a year in federal aid.

Barrett’s Confirmation Hearings: Day 2

The nominee refused to weigh in on critical matters that could come before the court

Senators on the Judiciary Committee spent nearly 12 straight hours Tuesday asking questions of Amy Coney Barrett, President Trump's Supreme Court nominee. And they'll do it all again today.

According to the Washington Post, the process is going well for Republicans. Barrett isn't easily flustered. And her teaching background was evident when she described her judicial philosophy in plain English.

Barrett was eager to discuss her legal philosophy in broad strokes, reports the Wall Street Journal. And while she told senators Tuesday she wouldn't impose her personal views on the law, she dodged questions on matters that would likely be coming before the court.

She wouldn't commit to recusing herself from a case about the presidential election results. She wouldn't say how she would rule on whether a president can delay an election. Nor how she would rule on a case coming up in November on whether to overturn the Affordable Care Act. But Sen. Amy Klobuchar pointed out that Barrett's consistently conservative decisions as a federal judge point to how she'd vote on the Supreme Court.

↦ Next Steps: The Washington Post has a primer on how the confirmation process for Barrett will unfold.

Are You Voting Early?

Because it seems like everyone else is ...

The chance to cast ballots on Georgia’s first day of in-person early voting Monday had thousands of people waiting for hours to make their voices heard, reports the Associated Press.

In Texas, voters in Harris County near Houston shattered the record for in-person ballots cast on the first day of early voting on Tuesday. And in Austin's Travis county, more people have already voted early than in 2016, with ten times more people sending in mail-in ballots as of Tuesday. An estimated three million new voters have registered in the state since the last presidential election.

Other states had a rougher start. Virginia’s online voter registration portal crashed on the final day it was available when roadside utility workers cut the wrong cable, reports the New York Times.

With three weeks until Election Day, early voting turnout both in person and via mail is far outpacing that of 2016, reports CNBC. By Oct. 16 of the last presidential election, only about 1.4 million voters had cast a ballot. As of Tuesday evening, nearly 11 million voters across the U.S. have already cast their ballots.

Apple Unveiled New iPhones (and More)

Here's what you need to know

As if we didn't have enough financial worries, Apple announced a slate of new goodies on the first day of Amazon's Prime Day sale.

And while there wasn't groundbreaking news, there were a lot of impressive announcements. For instance, Apple will be 100% carbon neutral by 2030—very impressive. But the cost is sacrificing both a wall charger and earbuds in its packaging for their new phones. But really, most of us have plenty stocked away at home, right?

The new iPhone 12 comes in four models with various sizes and camera upgrades. But you might recognize the revamped shape—the squared-off metal frame is reminiscent of the iPhone 4 which debuted in 2010, reports GQ. Only this time, the glass is flush inside the metal belt and is four times more drop-resistant.

But the announcement that seemed to get the most attention was the unveiling of the HomePod mini, the kid brother to Apple's smart speaker, available next month for just $99. According to Inside Hook, the small 360-degree speaker features a good-looking mesh fabric around the base, a backlit touch surface on top and some cool new features, like the ability to "hand off" what you’re listening to on the HomePod mini to your iPhone just by proximity.

↦ FYI: Here's what some buyers will really pay for the new iPhone 12 models.

In Other News

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

‘The Bachelorette’

Making the perfect trucker jacket

Dries Van Noten’s first American shop

The Army Is Testing AR Goggles for Dogs

They can be used to guide the dogs remotely

The US Army is trialing a new technology that could "fundamentally change how military canines are deployed in the future"— a pair of augmented reality goggles for dogs, reports The Verge.

The technology is being designed to enhance communication between the dog and its human handler. Verbal commands and hand signals are often used to direct the canines. However, in some military contexts it can be unsafe for a handler to be close to the animal, so this technology could offer a solution.

The goggles are just a prototype for now, but according to Stars and Stripes, the goggles’ command system works by simulating what a dog would see when following instructions via a laser pointer.

Augmented reality works differently for dogs than for humans, Army Research Laboratory senior scientist Stephen Lee said in a blog post. "AR will be used to provide dogs with commands and cues; it’s not for the dog to interact with it like a human does."

↦ FYI: The goggles uses a type of protective glasses that military dogs are already trained to wear.