The Daily Valet. - 1/20/21, Wednesday

✔️ Inauguration Day

January 20, 2021

Wednesday, January 20th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

I don’t think we’re prepared for all the “you’re fired” jokes coming our way today.

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today's edition is presented by

Today’s Big Story

Inauguration Day

In his first inaugural event, Biden presides over somber memorial

President-elect Joe Biden opened his inaugural commemorations Tuesday evening by honoring the 400,000 Americans who have died in the coronavirus pandemic, reports the Washington Post.

Four hundred large lanterns lined the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. “To heal we must remember,” Biden continued in his brief remarks. “It’s hard sometimes to remember, but that's how we heal. It's important to do that as a nation.”

Biden also praised medical professionals for their roles in caring for the ill and their families over the past year. The somber sundown ceremony marked the final hours before his swearing-in with a reminder of the struggles facing the nation he will lead starting at noon today.

Biden was joined by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, who called on Americans to unite through their mourning of lost loved ones. “For many months, we have grieved by ourselves. Tonight, we grieve and begin healing ... though we may be physically separated, we the American people are united in spirit.”

Harris will be sworn in shortly before Biden at the Capitol. Vice President Mike Pence and outgoing second lady Karen Pence will be in attendance. Which mean they're not expected to attend this morning’s farewell ceremony for President Trump at Joint Base Andrews, reports Fox News.

And while the festivities have been radically scaled down, plenty of A-list talent will be appearing—from Lady Gaga and Garth Brooks performing to a 90-minute, multi-network evening broadcast hosted by Tom Hanks that officially takes the place of the usual multiple inaugural balls.

↦ Watch It: Mashable has a handy guide on how to watch Inauguration Day via various streaming services.

Citizen Trump

What will Donald Trump do after the White House?

Most ex-presidents spend their time out of office playing golf, getting their libraries in order, making well-paid speeches, writing even more lucrative memoirs and biting their tongues about what the next guy is doing. Other than the golf, the road ahead for Donald Trump, a president who's never been interested in the norms of the office, will not be like most others.

First off, Trump faces another impeachment trial in the Senate soon. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday explicitly blamed Trump for the deadly riot at the Capitol. It was a sign many viewed as paving the way for Republicans to convict him and disqualify him from holding office in the future.

Meanwhile, according to the Economic Times, Corporate America’s biggest names are shunning the businessman president, “de-platforming” him on social media and cutting him off from certain professional and financial services.

Trump is on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars of debt, most of it due within the next four years, reports The Hill. And the drama of his presidency may leave him with few options to pay it off. In the wake of the Capitol riots, multiple business partners have canceled contracts and three banks have announced they’re cutting ties with him. Meanwhile, New York state prosecutors are ramping up their investigation into Trump’s business dealings, which could lead to criminal charges.

↦ FYI: Trump began his term with a 44% approval rating, according to Gallop polling, and ended with a 34% approval rating.

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A Game-Changing Electric Car Battery

It charges in the same time it takes to fill gas tank

Electric cars are the future. We're pretty much all in agreement there. But charging times for electric vehicles are still far from ideal—typically, it will take more than an hour to fully charge an electric car at a charging station—but this might improve soon, thanks to Israeli startup StoreDot, reports Business Insider.

They're working on batteries for electric vehicles of all kinds, including e-scooters and cars, that charge in just five minutes. On Tuesday, the company announced it now offers engineering samples of its five-minute charge batteries.

The samples will be used to showcase the company's technology to prospective buyers and investors looking to get a jump on the new technology. Because the one catch is that while the batteries can technically be quickly charged, current chargers in use today wouldn't be powerful enough to juice them up in that amount of time.

Rapid-charging electric cars would drastically reduce lines at charging stations and all but eliminate range anxiety, which is currently a part of owning an electric vehicle. But it'll no doubt take some time until we get there.

↦ Car Shopping? The startup Recurrent has created sort of a Carfax of battery life information, intending to make it easier to have confidence in buying a used electric car.

The Streaming War Rages On

New players and titles amid trials and cancelations

ViacomCBS said Tuesday it will launch its Paramount+ streaming service on March 4. The service will stream new content, as well as CBS All Access’ existing offering of more than 20,000 episodes and movies from MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, BET, Paramount Pictures and CBS.

Of course, it’s entering the streaming wars at an increasingly crowded time. The latest + joins such rivals as Disney’s Hulu and Disney+, Apple TV+ and Discovery+ ... not to mention NBCUniversal’s Peacock and WarnerMedia’s HBO Max.

Fandor, a 10-year-old streaming home for independent films, was just acquired by Cinedigm and plans to relaunch later this year and expand its offerings with a goal of acquiring more subscribers.

I don’t know about you, but I feel a bit streamed out. I already have too much to watch and suffer the paradox of choice every time I fire up the TV to watch something. Maybe I need to drop a few. Because they're so easy to cancel, a lot of services are seeing large swaths of subscribers leave immediately after they finish watching the shows that convinced them to sign up in the first place, reports the Los Angeles Times.

↦ FYI: Despite all the competition, Netflix defied expectations and ended 2020 an unprecedented 204 million global subscribers.

In Other News

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

Presidential whiskey

This satisfying face scrubber

Fake LinkedIn job offers

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Elevate Your WFH

Investing in house shoes is an investment in better days

Whether you're working from home or just lounging around on the weekends, Del Toro's first house slipper is handmade in Italy from the brand's signature black velvet, lined with the softest Italian Napa leather and finished with a cushioned footbed. Meaning these are not only extremely comfortable for day-to-day wear, but they'll last you a decade--maybe longer. Also, the heel is able to be discreetly monogrammed. And, if you ask us, if you're going to shell out for gentlemanly footwear, you should definitely get 'em personalized.

↦ Get It: Black velvet house slipper, $225 by Del Toro

A Cool Clothing Fix

This Japanese practice is part solution, part hobby

Amidst this pandemic, there's never been a better time to stay home and fix the clothes you already have ... don't let a few rips or holes prevent you from wearing your favorite pieces.

Our own Brett F. Braley-Palko introduces us to his new hobby of sashiko—a Japanese mending technique that uses obvious stitches to enhance a piece of clothing, both functionally and aesthetically.

"I had first learned of sashiko from Instagram and have since enjoyed the process for those familiar small rips and tears that you encounter ... especially around the thighs of some pairs of jeans, due to gaining a few pounds during this last year of lockdown."

He walks us through the process and all the required supplies. Turns out, it's simpler than you'd imagine.

↦ Read: How to try your hand at sashiko and repair your clothes.

What We’re Buying

Nike's Killshot OG sneaker is a streamlined archival design based on the brand's original low-profile tennis shoe. It's got some serious throwback style and added, breathable comfort that is perfect for kicking around in relaxed quarantine clothing. And right now, it's on sale for nearly half off.

↦ Get It Killshot OG SP sneaker, $90 / $53.97 by Nike