The Daily Valet. - 1/14/21, Thursday

✔️ Impeachment Sequel

January 14, 2021

Thursday, January 14th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

You’re not wrong. The days are actually moving faster now.

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s Big Story

Impeachment Sequel

10 Republican votes make it the most bipartisan impeachment in history

Donald Trump on Wednesday became the first president in U.S. history to be impeached twice, as 10 of his fellow Republicans joined Democrats in the House of Representatives to charge him with inciting an insurrection in last week’s violent rampage in the Capitol.

Ten breakaway Republicans were not that many compared with the 197 GOP members who voted against impeachment. On the other hand, it was 10 more than voted to impeach back in 2019—and the most members of a president’s own party to support impeachment in American history.

But a law professor and impeachment scholar makes a dire point, telling the New York Times, “If the overwhelming majority of the elected representatives to one of the two American parties cannot reject the hold of a demagogue even after he overtly schemed to reverse an election and in doing so threatened their very lives, well, we have a long road ahead.”

The House will now send the article of impeachment to the Senate immediately, requiring it to begin the process of holding a trial determining whether to convict Trump and potentially bar him from ever running for any federal office again.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, on Wednesday, said that the trial wouldn’t begin before the Senate reconvenes on Tuesday—just one day before Biden is sworn into office. That means it wouldn’t conclude until Trump was out of office.

McConnell also said that he will consider convicting Trump, which may convince more GOP senators following his lead. To convict Trump, 17 of the 50 Republicans in the new Senate would have to join the 50 Democrats to meet the necessary two-thirds threshold.

↦ Meanwhile: After the impeachment vote, President Trump posted a five-minute video condemning the storming of the Capitol and urging followers to avoid a repeat in “the coming days both here in Washington and across the country.”

Today, In Stopping COVID-19

Better masks, saliva tests and a simpler vaccine

If you're a sensible person, you're likely going to put on a mask today. Because I live in Los Angeles, where cases are surging, I don't leave the house without a serious filtered mask anymore.

Cloth masks are better than nothing, but they were supposed to be a stopgap measure. Two professors tell The Atlantic, "We'd hoped that by 2021 supply chains would have ramped up enough to ensure that everyone had better masks. Medical-grade masks that adhere to standards such as N95 (in the U.S.), FFP2 (in the E.U.), and KN95 (in China) do a much better job of protecting you and dampening transmission."

Speaking of transmission, saliva could hold clues to how sick you will get from COVID-19, reports Science magazine. If the results are confirmed, saliva tests could help doctors prioritize which patients in the early stages of the disease should receive medicines that drive down levels of the virus.

And on Wednesday, Johnson & Johnson's one-shot COVID vaccine was deemed safe as it generates a promising immune response in an early trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The company expects to report details of more advanced trials later this month and is hoping to apply for authorization from the FDA soon after.

↦ The Count: The latest figures bring the nationwide total to 23,071,895 infections and at least 384,653 deaths from the virus.

Scientists Want to Shorten the Minute

But just by a second ...

Albert Einstein famously said, "Time is an illusion." Well, that illusion might be getting shorter. Scientists believe that shortening a minute to 59 seconds, or including "a negative leap second," would better align us with Earth's real rotation speed, reports Popular Mechanics.

The Earth, it seems, is spinning faster now than at any time in the past half century—making our days marginally shorter. For example, Sunday lasted only 23 hours, 59 minutes and 59.9 seconds, according to TimeAndDate.com.

Of course, we won’t really notice that loss of a second, right? Actually, according to the New York Post, losing and gaining seconds may be causing more confusion than good. In 2012, an added leap second caused server crashes across the internet (including Reddit, Yelp and LinkedIn) while also disrupting several operating systems.

A final decision on this matter is reportedly expected to come at the World Radiocommunication Conference in 2023. So, I guess, time will tell.

↦ FYI: I don't know how yet, but I'll be trying to use these "negative leap seconds" as an excuse for constantly being late.

The Porsche Boxster Celebrates 25 Years

An exceptional set of wheels ... literally

Porsche debuted the Boxster in 1996, restoring its legacy of sexy, smooth-driving roadsters. Though, it should be noted, the two-seater sports car didn't make it to the States until 1997.

To celebrate the Boxster's quadranscentennial anniversary, the automaker is releasing a limited edition model inspired by the Boxster concept that was shown at the 1993 Detroit auto show.

Called the 2021 Boxster 25, this special roadster is based on the new 718 GTS 4.0—which Road Show calls "the best version of the Boxster you can buy today." It might not look too different at first glance, there are some distinct throwback details.

Like the Boxster concept, this Porsche features Neodyme accents—a sort of coppery bronze—on the front and side air intakes, badges and notably, on the 20-inch wheels. It will, no doubt, contrast nicely against the three exterior colors offered: GT Silver Metallic, Deep Black Metallic and Carrara White.

↦ Buy: The Boxster 25 Years can be ordered now with delivery beginning in Spring 2021.

In Other News

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

Netflix’s creepy ‘Night Stalker’

Are mullets back?

Luxury water

Take Care of Your Knives

The most basic dos and don’ts

It seems like we’re all cooking more at home these days. And the good news is that most home cooks can get by with just a few essential knives. You don't need a dozen different specialty blades. But the knives you do use on a daily basis need to be cared for properly.

Especially if you want them to work well for you. Treat them right and you'll maximize your output while minimizing the chances of injury.

We spoke with chefs and home-cooking experts to outline the four basic tenets of knife care to keep your blades in peak shape and make your prep work go smoothly.

↦ Read: Four ways to take care of your go-to kitchen tool.