The Daily Valet. - 11/11/22, Friday

✔️ Twitter's Trouble Multiply

November 11, 2022

Friday, November 11th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

I come from a long line of brave military men. Today I’m celebrating their, and every veteran’s, service.

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s Big Story

Twitter’s Trouble Multiply

Bankruptcy, a brain drain, and some clever verified impersonators have made a mess out of those $8 blue checkmarks

Are you sick of talking about Twitter? Yeah, I kinda am, too. But here we are, another day, and still more drama. It feels like the world is watching the world’s richest man single-handedly muck up one of the world’s most powerful social media platforms. Just two weeks acquiring it for an ungodly amount of money. And this flaming car accident is unfolding on—where else?—Twitter.

With the staff still reeling from mass layoffs, Musk held an all-hands meeting Thursday in part to motivate Twitter employees who remain to work harder. He warned employees that Twitter did not have the necessary cash to survive, even mentioning “bankruptcy.” He also reiterated his aim to end all remote work. “If you can physically make it to an office and you don’t show up, resignation accepted,” he said.

It’s no surprise that a lot of employees aren’t loving it there at the moment. Which is why even after the layoffs, employees are willingly jumping ship—even top executives. Trust and Safety head Yoel Roth resigned. Bloomberg reported that its advertising chief Robin Wheeler was on the way out. Both of Twitter’s chief information security officer and chief privacy officer resigned, too.

Musk told employees that the reason why he recently sold billions of dollars worth of Tesla stock was to “save” Twitter. The plan, it seems, is to bolster the revenue with subscriptions. But those, too, are proving problematic. The site’s now-depleted privacy and security unit were trying to stop a wave of abuse in the company’s expanded paid service, Twitter Blue.

After first announcing plans for an $8 paid verification system, Twitter has gone through a whirlwind of multiple renditions of the system. They tried adding a grey “official” checkmark for certain high-profile accounts before quickly pulling the feature—only for it to return to some accounts yesterday. Meanwhile, parody and impersnator accounts were having a field day on the platform. Gizmodo rounded up some (along with Musk’s cavalier attitude towards the confusion). One example is above: A verified account claiming to be Nintendo of America, showed an image of the company’s main mascot giving the middle finger.

Given that Twitter heavily relies on advertising revenue, the developments spell exceptionally troubling news for the already-imperiled company. And that’s to say nothing of the warnings by regulators at the Federal Trade Commission that could result in millions(possibly even billions) in fines.

↦ Dig Deeper: Okay, so you think you might be done with Twitter? Here’s where people are looking now.

Biden’s Student Loan Relief Plan Struck Down

Could student loan forgiveness still happen this year? It’s possible

A U.S. judge in Texas on Thursday blocked President Biden's plan for federal student-loan forgiveness—a program that was already on hold as a federal appeals court in St. Louis considers a separate lawsuit by six states challenging it.

The suit, filed on behalf of two borrowers, accuses the administration of denying borrowers an opportunity to provide public comment before launching the program. The Biden administration said in a Thursday night filing that it's appealing the ruling of the Trump-appointed U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman.

“For the 26 million borrowers who have already given the Department of Education the necessary information to be considered for debt relief—16 million of whom have already been approved for relief—the Department will hold onto their information so it can quickly process their relief once we prevail in court,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told Axios.

So what's next? According to CNBC, the case could drag on for months and possibly go up to the Supreme Court. But they're likely to refuse to take the case. If the temporary pause is lifted within the next few days, borrowers who've already applied for forgiveness or those who do so by Nov. 15 could still receive the relief before federal student loan payments resume in January.

Airports Open Up to Non-Travelers

Six airports across the U.S. are allowing people without tickets past security

Remember the old days of walking a loved one to their airline gate before their flight? Or a post-flight welcome home just steps from the jetway? Only if you're a certain age, since those activities are from a bygone era of travel. A simpler time.

But thanks to new programs at about a half-dozen airports across the country, non-travelers will now be able to get through the TSA checkpoint sans ticket. Which will make those goodbyes (or greetings) at the gate possible once again.

Perhaps you just want to watch some planes take off and land. Or overpay for mediocre food. The latter might play into the decision to open things up—since airports have struggled as much as airlines have since the start of the pandemic. Less overall passengers means less foot traffic and according to Jalopnik, global airport revenue is down $60.8 billion, or about 35%, compared to pre-pandemic projections.

So far, the programs aren't related but all follow a similar template. You apply with a photo ID and pass a background check. Then pick up a visitor pass when you get to the airport and head through the TSA checkout like a passenger. Visitor passes are free, but most airports are capping the total number of passes granted each day.

↦ FYI: The origin story for those duty free shops in airports go back to a port town in Ireland trying to cash in on the early days of air travel.

A Weekend Pairing

‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ + an Old King Cocktail Cocktail

According to those who've seen the highly anticipated Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the most moving part actually comes before the movie properly begins. In place of the familiar Marvel intro—a comic-book-style flip-through montage of heroes from throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe—comes a somber tribute to a single figure: the Black Panther himself, T'Challa, beloved leader of the Afrofuturistic utopia of Wakanda, which, of course, was played by the late Chadwick Boseman.

The loss of Boseman threw plans for a sequel into chaos, forcing writer/director Ryan Coogler to throw out the whole film he planned to make. Fittingly, this follow-up makes the loss of T'Challa central to its story. And while reviews have mentioned that, like a lot of Marvel films, this might have too much plot, it seems like everyone's enjoying it. The Verge says rather than “one-upping Black Panther, Wakanda Forever continues its story with a grace and care that's more moving than any comic book movie has the right to be.” Variety called it a slow-burner that really picks up steam at the end, while Collider says it's “one of the best films to come out of Marvel's Phase Four.”

↦ Your Pairing:Looking for a drink to sip on after the theater? Or something classy to pack into a flask? The Old King works beautifully as a digestif, despite containing a trio of Italian aperitifs—intriguing spirits that play on both sides of the bitter and sweet divide. It’s like a darker, more complex take on the Negroni.

In Other News

↦ Stock Market Surges After Inflation Report Shows the Pain of High Prices May Ease

↦ Greenpeace Says Automakers to Sell 400 Million More Vehicles Than Climate Change Estimates Can Handle

↦ Airbnb Is Addressing Two Huge Complaints: Hidden Fees and Chores

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

These strong men

The ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’ trailer

That rotisserie chicken guy

Get the Most Out of Your Cast Iron

Your pan does a lot for you ... do more for it

You've got a cast iron pan, right? If not, you'll want to change that immediately. When it comes to essentials for your kitchen, the cast iron pan is legendary. And for good reason. There's a unique, simple pleasure in salting a piece of red meat and throwing it on a piping hot slab of iron. The result is impressive and tasty and you didn't really have to do anything at all.

You barely even have to clean it when you're done. It's that good. And few other cooking vessels are nonstick enough to cook eggs, hot enough to sear anything and completely functional for roasting and simmering. Just wait until you bake up a batch of cinnamon rolls in it.

Whether you've scored an heirloom quality pan from a previous generation, invested in one of the new breeds of cast iron or simply bought yourself the classic Lodge skillet, you'll want to make sure you take care of it. The better you treat your pan, the better your food will turnout. We pulled together what you need to know to get the most from your cast iron.

↦ Read: Get the most out of your cast iron pan.