The Daily Valet. - 11/1/21, Monday

✔️ Robotically-Built Housing for All

November 01, 2021

Monday, November 1st Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

In case you were unaware, Reese’s pumpkins are great with your morning coffee.

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s edition is presented by

Today’s Big Story

Robotically-Built Housing for All

Bjarke Ingels Group designs world’s largest 3D-printed community

Texan 3D-printing company Icon is working with American homebuilder Lennar and Danish architect Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) to create the world’s largest 3D-printed neighborhood in Austin, Texas.

The 100-home development will use Icon’s Vulcan construction system, capable of building 3,000 sq ft homes using the company’s proprietary walling system, which it says produces stronger and longer-lasting results than traditional building methods.

What’s more, the structures are also expected to withstand extreme weather to greatly reduce the impact of natural disasters.

The Danish architecture firm said the project will break ground early next year and that the undertaking will mark a promising step toward delivering affordable homes that meet rising demand.

According to U.S. News and World Report, the U.S. currently faces a deficit of around 7 million homes, so these dwellings could come in handy. There is a profound need to swiftly increase supply without compromising quality.

Decades of underbuilding have left the country with too few homes available, especially as millennials enter their peak home-buying years and drive demand higher. But are these the kind of homes people will want to buy? Time will tell.

↦ FYI: 3D-printed structures are built by a robot squeezing a cement mixture out of a nozzle, layer upon layer, like a soft swirl ice cream cone.

A Historic Tax Deal

World leaders approve a plan to introduce a global minimum corporate tax rate

World leaders at the G20 summit in Rome approved a global agreement over the weekend that will see the profits of large businesses taxed at least 15%. It was officially adopted Sunday and will be fully enforced by 2023.

The tax deal, which was proposed by the U.S., follows concern that multinational companies are re-routing their profits. This will now make it harder for businesses to avoid taxes by assigning their profits to countries with low tax rates.

“This is more than just a tax deal,” Biden tweeted. “It’s diplomacy reshaping our global economy and delivering for our people.”

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the historic agreement was a “critical moment” for the global economy and will “end the damaging race to the bottom on corporate taxation.”

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Want a subtle wardrobe upgrade? Invest in a few small details that will overhaul your whole look.

Apple’s New Policy Cost Social Media

Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube all took a hit

An investigation by the Financial Times found that Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube lost around $9.85 billion in revenue following Apple's changes to its privacy practices.

You probably remember Apple announced the App Tracking Transparency policy last year that requires apps to ask permission to track users' data. The policy went into effect in April, barring apps from tracking users if they opt out.

Apple CEO Tim Cook told analysts on a call last week that the service has been extremely popular with its customers.

According to The Verge, Apple's new policy will force social platforms to get more creative with their advertising. Whether this means focusing on Android devices or investing in Apple's ad business—which nearly broke its own rules by quietly collecting user data in the same way third-party apps did—they'll have to figure out another source of revenue that doesn't involve tracking people on their iPhones.

↦ Meanwhile: A new study shows that despite enabling App Tracking Transparency, a host of apps disregard the user's choice and allow the same number of trackers as when the service is disabled.

Christmas Creep

Retailers eagerly get into the holiday spirit earlier and earlier

You might've noticed, perhaps while shopping for Halloween candy or costumes, Christmas and holiday products were crowding store shelves instead.

This phenomenon is known as “Christmas Creep.” The term was recently added to Merriam Webster's Words We're Watching, who commented: “It seems to never be employed in celebratory fashion but rather functions as a shorthand for the existential dread and disgust that many people feel at the apparent increasing commercialization and banality of the season.”

Christmas trees went up before the leaves fell in much of the Northeast. According to the New York Times, retailers—everything from upscale boutiques to discount shops—have turned their stores into winter wonderlands weeks, even months, earlier than last year.

The pandemic has further complicated matters. Supply-chain issues have spurred a fear of scarcity. Americans, many of whom celebrated a watered-down version of the holiday last year, are also eager to get the holidays started and make up for lost time.

↦ The Opposite: Want to keep spooky season going? Mashable has assembled a handful of creepy shows you can stream now to keep the scares coming.

In Other News

↦ American Airlines Has Cancelled More Than 1,700 Flights Since Friday

↦ The Rise of Female Drug Bosses in Latin America

↦ Kal Penn Is Opening up About His Sexuality and Racism in Hollywood in His New Book

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

This baby Bronco

Pickleball

‘Fairfax’

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Focus on the Finer Points

MR PORTER specializes in details that set your style apart from the pack

Love Lock gold necklace, $5,740 by Luis Morais

We're currently living in a great time style-wise. Looking good these days is more about looking authentic. Does what you have on actually feel like you? Does it suit your personal tastes and complement your personality as much as it does your physique? The simplest staples can be made to look and feel unique and special with just a few tweaks.

If you want to look sharp right now, you'll want to focus on the finer points. Quality craftsmanship, unique textures and tailoring with a relaxed, modern feel—all things that MR PORTER specializes in. They curate the best designers and their buying team is renowned for picking the season's coolest, most luxe garments and accessories. These are investment pieces that will upgrade the rest of your wardrobe.

Case in point: the retailer just launched a fine jewelry shop, stocked with high-end jewelry, including silver, gold and platinum bracelets, rings, cufflinks and necklaces from luxury designers like Luis Morais, Le Gramme, Buccellati and more. They make the perfect accent to an otherwise understated look. The same could be said for a pair of cords that are tapered and pleated or a simple shirt jacket that's cut from Italian cotton that's woven in a subtle herringbone pattern.

Virgin wool sweater, $150 by William Lockie

Folk Assembly Tapered Pleated Cotton-Corduroy Trousers

Tapered pleated corduroys, $200 by Folk

Tom Wood Sterling Silver Marble Signet Ring

Marble signet ring, $435 by Tom Wood

Tod's City Gommino Leather Penny Loafers

City Gommino leather penny loafers, $525 by Tod's

Liquid plug lock 18-karat gold necklace, $9,180 by Luis Morais

Herringbone shirt jacket, $640 by Barena

↦ Want More? Browse new Fall styles at MR PORTER

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Get a Jumpstart On Holiday Shopping

10-Year Pullover, $98 by Flint and Tinder

This year promises to be a wild one in terms of holiday shopping (and shipping). Supply chain issues and slow-crawling deliveries mean that shopping early is the only way to ensure you get what you want—and get it on time. And whether you're shopping for a gift or maybe treating yourself, Huckberry has a range of cozy yet hard-wearing options from some of our favorite brands.

Trust us, when they unwrap a super-soft hoodie that's guaranteed to hold up for the next 10 years, they will be very happy. And isn't that what gift-giving is all about? Along with the hoodie, we chose a few other surefire gifts that can be given to friends, family and coworkers. Especially, if they're the rugged outdoorsy type.