The Daily Valet. - 11/15/21, Monday

✔️ The Year's Best Inventions

Monday, November 15th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

Please enjoy this special 10-minute version of today’s newsletter.

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s edition is presented by

Today’s Big Story

The Year’s Best Inventions

100 innovations changing how we live right now

As we slowly wind down the year, it’s safe to say that 2021 was one helluva wild ride. I was thinking of a roller coaster, but that feels too polished. Maybe it’s like a rickety carnival ride—those are a bit more precarious, right? And because we’ve got less trust in them, they tend to feel a little more dangerous. The upside? That can make them more thrilling.

Because even in an unpredictable year mid-pandemic, there are innovations, discoveries and developments worth celebrating. Which is just what TIME does with its annual “Best Inventions of the Year” list.

Topping the list, of course, is the COVID-19 vaccine. This year looks very different from the last when it comes to the pandemic, and that’s largely thanks to the Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines, which use different technologies to teach our cells how to make a protein that will trigger an immune response.

There is also an emotional support robot for hospitalized children, an environmentally friendly dye for jeans and a brand new pasta shape—that are all changing how we live, work, play and think about what’s possible.

For instance, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip3 is the only smartphone to be included because it’s proven several things that were thought to be impossible: A foldable phone can be as durable as it is stylish and that there is a phone on the market that has me questioning my loyalties to Apple.

The food innovations are encouraging as well. There’s a plant-based, sushi-grade, ready-to-eat tuna that retains the iron, vitamin B12, and omega-3 fatty acid of the real thing—without the microplastics or mercury. And after a year of eating out of takeout containers, this peel-and-stick patch—which gets placed inside standard plastic containers, pizza boxes and paper bags to keep food fresh while in transit—is very, very interesting.

↦ Dig Deeper: The TIME staff outlines how they evaluated each contender on a number of key factors—from originality and creativity to efficacy and impact.

U.S. Food Banks Are Struggling

Need remains above pre-pandemic levels

American food banks across the country were already dealing with increased demand from families sidelined by the pandemic. Now they face a new challenge—surging food prices and supply chain issues walloping the nation.

According to the Associated Press, the higher costs and limited availability mean some families may get smaller servings or substitutions for staples such as peanut butter, which food banks are buying for nearly double what it cost two years ago. As the holidays approach, some food banks worry they won’t have enough stuffing and cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Lower inventory and labor shortages have all contributed to increased costs for charities on which tens of millions of people in the U.S. rely on for nutrition, reports Newsweek. Donated food is more expensive to move because transportation costs are up, and bottlenecks at factories and ports means there's less food coming.

Feeding America, which coordinates the work of more than 200 food banks around the country, says that this hidden crisis impacts more families than you might realize. In fact, as many as 160,000 active-duty military members are having trouble feeding their families.

↦ Get Involved: Feeding America has a locator to help you find a food bank locally that could use your help. When they can't buy in bulk, your individual donations are even more important.

Partner

You know what's easier (and more affordable) than ordering in? Subscription meals that practically cook themselves.

Holiday Travel Will Be Busy This Year

But there is a proven way to make it a lot more enjoyable

According to a new survey, over 161 million American adults plan on traveling during the holidays. That number represents the nearly 44% who said they feel more comfortable traveling this season than last year. That's the good news.

The bad news is that the airport isn't a pretty place to be these days. Literally. Many restaurants are closed or clogged with lines, people hog the outlets and there's rarely a decent place to sit and relax. The solution? Skip it and head to the lounge offering complimentary food, artisanal cocktails and spacious interiors designed for pre-flight relaxation.

Once reserved for those holding business-class tickets, the right credit card can gain you access these days. Which one is the best? Several travel publications and The Points Guy agree that the Platinum Card from American Express offers access to more lounges around the world than any other credit card (including their posh Centurion lounges). If you travel regularly, this card has plenty of perks, making it well worth the high annual fee of $695.

If you only travel occasionally or simply can't swallow high annual fees, the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card is a more affordable way to score lounge action. A $95 annual fee won't get the unlimited entry of higher fee cards, but you'll enjoy 10 free lounge visits to 1,300+ Priority Pass lounges every year.

↦ FYI: According to Forbes, other benefits that come with these travel cards include no foreign transaction fees, statement credits for application fees to TSA PreCheck and trip cancellation insurance.

A Tactic to Bring Down Gas Prices

Can (or will) the president tap into reserves?

Here's some not so great news for the 48.3 million Americans hitting the road to visit friends and family next week for Thanksgiving: The price of gas is still shockingly expensive.

According to CNBC prices are at a seven-year high, up more than a dollar from a year ago. Rising energy costs, including gasoline as well as natural gas and coal, are a major driver of high inflation. That's putting pressure on household budgets and creating a major political problem for the Biden administration.

The president recently said that addressing inflation "is a top priority for me," and his administration has repeatedly alluded to the possibility of some sort of action to push gasoline prices down. So what can the president actually do? As it turns out, not much, reports NPR.

One option he's being pushed toward is to tap into emergency petroleum reserves. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said last Monday Biden could act, but there was still no word on whether he would authorize a sale from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which is held in a series of caverns on the Texas and Louisiana coasts.

In Other News

↦ Tiktok Tics Are a Symptom of a Much Better Problem

↦ “Lockdown’s Over and I Still Don’t Feel Like Doing Anything. What’s Wrong With Me?”

↦ A Startup Just Launched a Rocket by Spinning It Really Fast and Then Letting Go

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

$100 watches

Going to the “man park”

What’s currently on our radar

Partner

Self-Cooking Chef-Curated Meals

The first food subscription service with its own smart oven

I've always been intrigued by futurist gadgets. They seem so optimistic—imbued with the promise of making our lives simpler or more interesting. And Tovala does just that. The first of its kind, the brand ingeniously combines a food subscription service with a smart oven for quick and convenient home-cooking.

Here's how it works. Choose fresh meals from a new, chef-curated menu every week (you've got your pick of gluten-free, vegetarian, calorie smart or carb conscious meals). The meals will be shipped directly to you and then all you need to do is scan the barcode on each meal to cook it perfectly in their smart oven which fits conveniently on your countertop. There's no washing or chopping, the prep work takes less than a minute and the whole meal (main dish and sides) cooks all at once in less than 20 minutes.

But this is no soggy, sad nuked frozen dinner. The Tovala doesn't just reheat the food—that scanned QR code informs the oven what it needs to do for this particular meal—cycling through the broil, bake and steam functions, giving each item the care it deserves. What's more, Tovala provides an app with recipes for cooking everyday staples from hard-boiled eggs to a whole roast chicken and can prepare a growing list of grocery store frozen foods with the same simple, scan-to-cook function as their own meals and recipes.

↦ Get it: Meals start at $11.99 each, and the oven is currently available for $99 (that’s $200 off) at Tovala

Partner

New Shoes Are Never a Bad Gift

Choosing the ideal gift can be a burdensome challenge during the holidays, but a good pair of shoes is all but guaranteed to please any recipient on your list. After all, a good gift should be surprising but relevant and ideally useful. These stylish kicks from SeaVees tick all those boxes.

Based in Santa Barbara, California, the brand honors its mid-century heritage by drawing inspiration from the past and using time-tested production methods. The end result is footwear that's intentionally simple, purposefully timeless and consciously crafted. What's more, there are options to suit any and everyone—from the coziest house slides to some rugged weather-resistant boots. Just make sure you know the right size, and you can't go wrong.