The Daily Valet. - 11/9/20, Monday

✔️ A Win Like No Other

Monday, November 9th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

You ready for another wild week?

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

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Today’s Big Story

A Win Like No Other

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris make history (and herstory)

On Saturday, the networks and top news services finally called it and projected Former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris the winners as the last batches of early mail-in ballots were counted.

With votes still being counted, the Associated Press reports that turnout in the 2020 presidential election was historic. So far 148 million votes have been tallied, with Biden winning more than 75 million—the highest number for a presidential candidate in history. Trump received more than 70 million—the highest total for a losing candidate.

Biden was able to rebuild the “blue wall” Clinton lost to Trump in 2016 and, if his current leads hold, will become the first Democrat in a generation to win Arizona and Georgia. Acccording to the New York Times, the victory amounted to a “repudiation of Trump by millions of voters exhausted with his divisive conduct and chaotic administration, and was delivered by an unlikely alliance of women, people of color, old and young voters and a sliver of disaffected Republicans.”

And for the first time, the United States has elected a Black and South Asian woman as vice president. The huge historical significance of Harris’ breakthrough might be lost temporarily amid the drama of close vote counts dragging on, but her victory speech on Saturday was an eloquent celebration of the American dream—a daughter of immigrants who pursued work as a lawyer before ascending to become California’s attorney general and eventually a U.S. Senator.

In another first, despite Biden being declared the winner, Trump has so far refused to concede, making an aggressive pitch for donors to help finance any court fight, reports Fox News. Trump maintains that he won and that there was widespread voter fraud, so far without proof. He also plans to revive his campaign rallies to gain support.

World leaders, however, have been quick to congratulate President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris, reports Vice. And if that's not enough to convince Trump to accept the seemingly inevitable, the advisory board of the nonpartisan Center for Presidential Transition also urged the White House to “immediately begin the post-election transition process and the Biden team to take full advantage of the resources available under the Presidential Transition Act.”

↦ MOre History: The Bidens have two German shepherds, Major and Champ. And Major will be the first rescue dog in the White House.

Now, Back to COVID

Cases top 50 million globally, U.S. nears 10 million

If we hadn't been enduring the long, painful wait of the election, we would've surely been made to focus on the alarming rise in COVID-19 cases.

More than 50 million coronavirus cases have been recorded around the world as of Sunday, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.

America reported its 10 millionth COVID-19 case on Sunday, with the latest million added in just 10 days, as most of the country struggled to contain outbreaks in the third and most widespread wave of infection since the pandemic began.

With 28 states setting weekly case records, the virus is surging at a worrisome level in more than half the country. Nationwide, hospitalizations have nearly doubled since mid-September, with some hospitals reaching capacity. And unfortunately, deaths are slowly increasing again—health experts say deaths tend to increase four to six weeks after a surge in infections, reports Reuters.

↦ FYI: Today, Biden will name a group of scientists and experts as transition advisers to help create an action blueprint that starts as soon as they enter office.

Special Promotion

What makes a good whisky? It’s all about the age. And what it was aged in. Just ask these experts.

What Is a Gentleman?

Remembering the late Alex Trebek

Alex Trebek, the legendary Jeopardy! host with all the answers and a reassuring presence in the TV game-show landscape for five decades, died Sunday at 80 years old after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

According to Vulture, Trebek was uniquely suited to preside over this week-nightly ritual rooted in a belief in knowledge and truth. He spoke in articulate and measured tones. He always dressed in a proper suit and tie. (There is no casual Friday on Jeopardy!)

Even those of us who didn't regularly watch have fond memories of trying our hand at tackling those questions on the big blue board. Hollywood was heartbroken over the news of Trebek's death and everyone from Viola Davis and Disney's Bob Iger to Ralph Maccio took to social media to pay tribute to the late, great host.

The New York Times' obituary of Trebek states that new episodes with him as host will continue to air until Christmas.

↦ FYI: Over 37 seasons, Trebek hosted more than 8,200 episodes, the most by a presenter of any single TV game show.

A New Virgin Hyperloop Milestone

For the first time, two people rode a hyperloop pod through a nearly airless tube at 100 mph

Richard Branson's Virgin Hyperloop has completed the world's first passenger ride on a super high-speed levitating pod system, the company said on Sunday.

According to Reuters, the plan is for floating pods packed with passengers and cargo to hurtle through vacuum tubes at 600 miles an hour or faster. This ride, at around 107 mph, was a key safety test for the technology.

The company has conducted over 400 tests on that track, but never before with human passengers—until yesterday, reports The Verge.

The Pegasus pod used for the first passenger test was designed with help from famed Danish architect Bjarke Ingels’ design firm. It represents a scaled-down version of what Virgin Hyperloop hopes will eventually be a full-sized pod capable of carrying up to 23 passengers. Inside, a lush white interior is meant to calm passengers (who may not be comfortable with the idea of slingshotting through a vacuum-sealed tube at the speed of a commercial jet).

↦ FYI: Virgin Hyperloop projects that with enough track it can eventually get up to 670 mph—but the company's record to date is 240 mph, which it hit in 2017.

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

New stuff we want to buy

Hands-on mindfulness

The Rise of the Bro-cast

Special Promotion

The Secrets of Aging Whisky

The art and science of a good bottle (or barrel) of Scotch

Technically speaking, it only takes about 48 hours to distill a barrel of whisky. But it takes time—over a decade really—to develop that liquid into a tasty golden spirit. Within those dark casks, the liquor undergoes continual chemical changes. The charred oak of the barrel itself actually absorbs some the harshness of alcohol that can give young whiskeys such a rough edge. Take it out too quickly and you'll miss out on the depth of flavors which make good bottles in such demand. And worth so much.

When first distilled, the whisky being sealed up in its barrel is much more like a biting moonshine than the smooth spirit we've all come to appreciate. Instead of a rich caramel hue, the infant whisky is clear and smells a lot like the malted barley from which it's made. But once the barrel is corked, that's when the alchemy begins.

Of course, when it comes to that decade-plus rest, the wooden barrel it's aged in plays a big role. For the legendary distillers and malt masters at Glenfiddich, this is how they craft the flavors and develop the nuances that separate one bottle from the next.

↦ Learn More: How Glenfiddich ages four standout bottles.

Great Gifts for Dads

Over two dozen options for your old man, young dad or any father who’s young at heart.

↦ Browse gifts options for dad

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Early Tech Black Friday Deals

Samsung 75-Inch QLED 4K Ultra HD HDR Smart TV

In Entertainment

Samsung 75” QLED 4K ultra HD HDR smart television$2,197.99 / $1,497.99

Black Friday has officially arrived early for some of the best and latest technology we all want this year. From gaming and entertainment to Work From Home essentials, everyone's plugging in more and more. Thankfully, there are deep discounts across the board, but we've picked some of our favorites, all on sale at Dell. Grab these deals now because there will absolutely be an early shopping rush this year—let alone the inevitable shipping delays—as shoppers avoid crowded stores.