The Daily Valet. - 11/9/21, Tuesday
✔️ A Simple Solution?
Tuesday, November 9th Edition
I’m not much of a college basketball fan, but the season tips off today.
Cory Ohlendorf, Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf
Today’s edition is presented by
Today’s Big Story
The Solution to a Climate Crisis?
Sucking carbon out of the air promises to reverse our emissions. Will it work?
The U.S. Department of Energy wants to accelerate the development of carbon dioxide removal technology. U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm announced the DOE’s new program as “Carbon Negative Shot.”
Just a few years ago, this technology, known as “direct air capture,” was seen by many as an unrealistic fantasy. But the technology has evolved to where people consider it a serious tool in fighting climate change, reports PBS Newshour.
The cause is, unequivocally, human activity. Burning fossil fuels sends carbon dioxide into the atmosphere where it lingers for centuries. The molecule is good at trapping heat and forms something of a blanket over the Earth.
If humans have pumped all that excess carbon dioxide into the air, why don’t we just try to vacuum it back up? Literally. Why not suck carbon dioxide out of the air? That’s the theory here.
So how does it work? At Climeworks’ Orca plant near Reykjavik, fans suck air into big, black collection boxes where the carbon dioxide accumulates on a filter. Then it’s heated with geothermal energy and is combined with water and pumped deep underground into basalt rock formations. Within a few years, Climeworks says, the carbon dioxide turns into stone.
Direct air capture is a promising technology, but there are a couple of major hurdles. One is that the technology is prohibitively expensive. But important public money has begun flowing in, reports Mother Jones. The just-passed infrastructure bill contains billions for various carbon-capture efforts, including $3.5 billion to build “regional direct carbon capture hubs” that the feds hope will create big networks of clean-energy jobs ... as well as a whole lot of clean air.
↦ FYI: By spring 2021, more than 100 of the world’s largest companies—including PepsiCo, Alaska Airlines, Colgate-Palmolive and Wall Street giants like Morgan Stanley—had all pledged to get to “net zero” emissions by 2040.
When Imitation Isn’t Flattering
China is building mock versions of American military ships ... for possible target practice
Well, this is slightly troubling. Recent satellite images show China has built mock-ups of U.S. Navy ships in its north-western desert.
The mere existence of the replica ships—an aircraft carrier and a destroyer—are raising concerns that China may be preparing future attacks against U.S. vessels. The complex has repeatedly been used for ballistic missile testing, according to USNI and Maxar Technologies, a space technology company.
China has massively upgraded its military in recent years, The Guardian reports. And its capability and intentions are increasingly concerning to the U.S. as tensions rise over the South China Sea, Taiwan and military supremacy in the Indo-Pacific.
The U.S. provides Taiwan with military weaponry and says it is committed to helping the island defend itself—but has not confirmed or denied that the U.S. would enter battle to defend Taiwan.
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Having trouble finding a good gift? What about upgrading their basics?
A Big Book Day
Ready for some reading?
If you're looking for a few new books to read, November is a big month for releases and some of the season's most anticipated titles are being released today.
First up is Will by Will Smith, where the multi-hyphenate star opens up about his life, tracing his transformation from a fearful child in West Philadelphia to a Hollywood box-office titan. Early excerpts indicate a particularly juicy and thrilling read.
Another memoir getting a lot of buzz is Emily Ratajkowski's My Body. In this collection of essays, the writer and model reckons with how her appearance has shaped her personal relationships, career and psyche.
Then there is Unguarded by Scottie Pippen, which the New York Times calls a master class in settling scores, or creating new ones. A wave-making excerpt makes a sharp turn from decades of praising his former Chicago Bulls teammate Michael Jordan to calling him selfish, hypocritical and insensitive.
IMAX Comes to Disney+
The streamer is launching a special large-screen format for select movies
Disney+ subscribers will be able to stream more than a dozen Marvel titles in Imax's Expanded Aspect Ratio, aka Imax Enhanced, starting Nov. 12, the company said Monday in a release.
This special screening feature means that about 26% more of the movie will be visible—allowing for more action to be seen onscreen. The special 1:90:1 aspect ration is also closer to the typical 16:9 ratio of TVs.
Imax CEO Rich Gelfond told The Hollywood Reporter that conversations with Disney began about a year ago to bring Imax into the Disney+ viewing experience as the streamer looks for ways to differentiate itself from the competition.
According to Tech Crunch, this collaboration will deliver more enhanced audio and visual technology to Disney+ in the near future, including immersive IMAX signature sound by DTS, which is likely poised to compete with Dolby Atmos.
↦ FYI: Tiger Child, the first IMAX film, was demonstrated at Expo '70 in Osaka, Japan. The first permanent IMAX installation was built at the Cinesphere theatre at Ontario Place in Toronto.
In Other News
Other Things We’re Talking About Today
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The Basics to Give This Season
Los Angeles Apparel has something for everyone on your list
Here's a pro tip when it comes to giving gifts: Smart basics make for the perfect gift. Why? Because they're practically foolproof. You take an item that someone already wears—their favorite hoodie or the T-shirt you see them wearing all the time—and then give them an upgrade of said item. You know they'll wear it (because they already do) and this version is even better.
Case in point: Los Angeles Apparel. The company is known for quality through and through. They cut and sew everything here in the United States and source much of their textile and yarn from American manufacturers. The garments are expertly sewn and many are garment-dyed for a unique wash of color. The fits are adaptable and the feel of the pieces are as luxe as they are comfortable. What's more, the majority of items are offered in over a dozen different colors. Which is to say, it's hard not to find something here for everyone on your list.
Polar fleece sweatpant, $66
Heavy jersey casual pants, $40
Biketard, $35
↦ Want more? Browse all gift options from Los Angeles Apparel
Protect Ya Neck
Roll neck, $650 by Stòffa
What’s one thing that John Lennon, Mick Jagger, Muhammed Ali and Sammy Davis Jr. all have in common? They once wore turtlenecks and looked so damn good doing it. Sure, a turtleneck may be a risk. But it's a risk worth taking. Why? They make any cold weather outfit look a bit cooler and gentlemanly.
Pull one on and you'll instantly feel dressed up without feeling overdressed—that's the power they have. Pair it with a suit, an overcoat, some relaxed jeans, hell even with a military jacket. Bottom line, this sweater oozes sophistication and you can't deny that, even if you tried.
Rib cotton cashmere seafarer turtleneck, $155 by Buck Mason
Wool mock-neck sweater, $280 by Margaret Howell
Oversized mockneck, $69 by Abercrombie & Fitch
↦ Want more? 20 of the best turtlenecks
Today’s Deals
Expires 11/12
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Ongoing Sale
↦ Want More? See all 28 sales
Morning Motto
Are you ever 100% ready?
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That’s all for today...
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