The Daily Valet. - 11/22/19, Friday

✔️ A Travel Warning and Tesla's Cybertruck Revealed

November 22, 2019

Friday, November 22nd Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

I knew that sledgehammer was going to be a problem ...

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

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Today’s Big Story

What’s Juice Jacking?

Holiday travel is stressful enough, and now there’s one more thing you have to worry about

When you’re traveling and suddenly realize your phone is about to die, most of us will take a charge wherever we can find it. There are only so many available outlets at airports and in hotel lobbies—in fact, I've seen some ugly exchanges of people jockeying for a place next to a plug. Thankfully, more and more charging stations have begun popping up in public spaces. But you might not want to trust those open USB ports at first glance.

A new report from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office warns against using such public power stations because of “juice jacking.”

Apparently, juice jacking happens when a hacker tampers with a USB charging port, or the cable attached to it, so that it installs malware on a device that gets plugged into it.

“Once a device is plugged in, it becomes infected,” a security expert from Norton told Men’s Journal. “After a phone is infected, the malware can send a full backup of the phone directly to the attacker.”

Could this really happen? Yes. Does it happen frequently? Not likely. The LA County chief prosecutor’s office told TechCrunch that it has “no cases” of juice-jacking on its books, though it said there are a few known cases on the east coast.

Luckily, it’s an easy scam to avoid. Just use the regular AC power outlets when you can. Or travel with your own power packs. Ever since I switched over to my battery-equipped suitcase, I haven't had to elbow my way into the charging station scrum.

The Impeachment Hearings Wrapped Up

The House Intelligence Committee plans to move forward without testimony by key players

On the last day of public hearings for the House's impeachment inquiry, we heard from Fiona Hill, a former Europe and Russia expert at the White House and David Holmes, a career diplomat and political counselor to the United States Embassy in Ukraine.

Hill explained the difference between a standard national security policy and a "domestic political errand." She said a theory that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 US elections was a fictional narrative fueled by Russian propaganda, rejecting President Trump’s rationale for pushing Ukraine to investigate the matter and arguing that the effort amounted to a “political errand” outside formal diplomatic channels, reports the Wall Street Journal.

Diplomat Holmes, meanwhile, described in detail an unusual lunch in which he overheard Ambassador Sondland’s cell phone call with the president—the call in which Trump asked Sondland if the Ukrainian president planned “to do the investigation.” The president tweeted in defense on Thursday that what Holmes described—a conversation that was not on speaker phone but could still be overheard—was not possible.

If you were waiting for Rudy Giuliani, Vice President Pence or Secretary of State Pompeo to be called as witnesses, you'll be disappointed. Democratic leaders have decided not to force them to testify over White House objections. And according to NPR, the committee feels they don't need the testimony to make their case. It's a gamble, but one that, will hopefully make this tedious process go a bit quicker.

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Tesla Unveiled Its New Cybertruck

The armored utility vehicle starts at just $39,900

Elon Musk bets big ... at a shareholder's meeting earlier this year, Musk said Tesla's first pickup truck will "look like it came out of a sci-fi movie" and the run up to the reveal was heavy on Blade Runner references. The Cybertruck's unveiling on Thursday night lived up to the hype.

The futuristic stainless steel truck rolled onto the stage looking menacing and ready for anything. That is, until they took out a sledge hammer. The metal "exoskeleton," as they call it, took a beating without even a ding, but during a presentation to showcase the strength of the glass, both windows broke. Watching the livestream, I audibly gasped. It was a momentous gaffe that visibly shook Musk, who eventually recovered to finish highlighting the vehicle.

And the truck is pretty wild. It's got plenty of performance chops—it'll do zero to 60 in about 2.9 seconds. But more importantly, it can tow 14,000 pounds, reports Engadget. Even more impressive, this electric truck is going to cost just $39,900. Plus, it really does look tough as hell. Just go easy on the glass for now.

↦ Check it Out: Get all the specs and preorder your Cybertruck at Tesla today.

Don’t Say “OK Boomer” at Work

It’s bad form ... and just might get you fired

The phrase "OK boomer" has become something of a catchall retort Gen Zers and millennials have been using to dismiss retrograde arguments made by baby boomers, the generation of Americans who are currently between 55 and 73 years old.

While it originated online and is mostly used for harmless memes and fueling Twitter feuds, it has begun migrating to real life, reports PBS. And as the put-down becomes more commonplace, it could easily end up getting tossed around at work.

But you don't want to do that. It's all fun and games until an HR rep calls a lawyer. According to the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, discriminating terms against people 40 and over could get you fired. That’s because use of the phrase could create a “hostile work environment,” according to Inc., which constitutes “behavior that violates the law—such as age, race or sex discrimination.”

Of course, the age limit means that millennials who have suffered through years of being called “snowflakes” aren't protected from such personal attacks. Yet a growing number of states are banning age discrimination for any worker over 18. But, for now, it's best to keep the internet jabs where they belong ... online.

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

The grown-up toys we want to unwrap

The 56th anniversary of JFK’s assassination

This Brutalist office building turned hotel

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Your Weekend Pairing

“The Yellow House” + a Sazerac

More than 1,700 books began the autumn with a chance at winning a National Book Award. And this week, The Yellow House became one of just five to claim the prize and the right to slap that precious gold medallion on the front cover.

The non-fiction book by Sarah M. Broom traces the history of the home she and her 11 siblings once lived in with their parents—a widow and a father who died just months after Broom was born. She reflects on the history of the neighborhood and the house that was eventually lost in Hurricane Katrina. “My beginning precedes me,” she writes, as she sets off to learn more about the environment that created her. Yet as Broom searches, she finds that few, if any, people have really studied the area where she comes from, despite its proximity to such a romanticized cultural center—so she takes it upon herself and discovers a century of untold New Orleans history.

What better to sip while reading this tale than the unofficial drink of New Orleans, the Sazerac? One of the world's oldest cocktails, it was basically an elixir concocted by a New Orleans pharmacist. Antoine Amedie Peychaud, a Creole descendant of escaped slaves, created a bitter that he'd drop into brandy and serve to guests. Today, the cocktail has evolved into a nuanced mixture of rye whiskey, absinthe, bitters, a lemon peel, and just a hint of sugar.

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