The Daily Valet. - 1/23/20, Thursday
✔️ Making Cases and Cleaning Clothes
Thursday, January 23rd Edition
I really wish my closet cleaned and steamed my clothes for me.
Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf
Today’s Big Story
Democrats Present Their Case
Or they tried to, anyway ..
House Democrats continued to try to persuade Republicans in the Senate to support calling new witnesses and documents, as opening arguments in President Trump’s impeachment trial began Wednesday.
According to the New York Times, Representative Adam Schiff, head of the team of House managers, mentioned various moments in the effort by the president and his team to pressure Ukraine to investigate his Democratic rivals. Schiff stopped at several points and mentioned that if the senators wanted to know more about what happened, they could seek documents or witnesses who could provide more information.
The argument revived the pleas the managers made on Tuesday to no effect, as Republican senators rejected motions to call witnesses and seek additional documents. After voting down each request, they spent Wednesday saying that Democrats presented nothing new. “So far what Schiff has said we’ve heard before,” said Indiana Sen. Mike Braun to BuzzFeed News.
Democratic senators responded that if Republicans want to learn something new, they should vote to bring in witnesses.
There was some excitement though, among the expected party-line business. A white-haired man burst through the balcony doors before he started shouting, reports the Wall Street Journal. "Dismiss the charges! Dismiss the charges against President Trump!" But Chief Justice John Roberts kindly asked him to be removed.
↦ FYI: The first day of the trial proved to be a modest hit on television, with an average of 11 million viewers tuning in.
Jeff Bezos Got Hacked
The United Nations is now calling for an investigation
In 2018, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent a WhatsApp message to Jeff Bezos, the owner of the Washington Post (and world's richest man). That message was behind a high-profile hack of Bezos' phone, according to a report commissioned by the Amazon CEO and reviewed by United Nations human rights experts, reports NPR.
"The information we have received suggests the possible involvement of the Crown Prince in surveillance of Mr. Bezos, in an effort to influence, if not silence, the Washington Post's reporting on Saudi Arabia," the experts said in a statement released Wednesday.
The Saudi embassy has denied any involvement with the hack, but forensics research concluded that a video file sent from the crown prince's account to Bezos on WhatsApp included malicious code in its downloader.
CNET reports that cellular data analysis revealed that within hours of Bezos receiving the video, there was a spike in activity on his phone, siphoning out data at a rate that was 29,156% higher than usual.
↦ FYI: Six months after the hack of Mr. Bezos’ phone, Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was killed by Saudi agents in Istanbul.
Mr. Peanut’s Death, Explained
The publicity stunt worked
Mr. Peanut, the 104-year old mascot of the Planters snack food company, has died after sacrificing himself in what appears to be a traumatic road accident.
The company made the announcement in a series of tweets and news releases Wednesday, along with a teaser commercial that is, essentially, a snuff film.
The full story, according to Vox, will be told in a forthcoming commercial that will air before, what else, the Super Bowl.
Like all marketing campaigns, this stunt is intended to get people to talk about it, which I guess we are all doing right now. It certainly got a lot of people reacting hilariously on Twitter.
↦ FYI: Mr. Peanut was featured in a real World War II-era poster from the US Department of Agriculture.
Boost Your Creativity
Five ways to give yourself a competitive edge
You don't have to work in a creative field like design to benefit from creativity. Anyone could develop and train their creative faculties to be better at their job or just improve their everyday life.
If you've been feeling stuck in a rut or uninspired lately, then you need to hear this: You can tap into your inner genius to relieve your mental fatigue and lack of ambition. Get those creative juices flowing and all sorts of adventures await.
For today's installment of "31 Days," we've pulled together five science-backed ways to give yourself a creative, competitive edge. And they're not as hard as you might think.
↦ Read: How to break out of a rut and boost your creativity.
Other Things We’re Talking About Today
+
An Appliance in the Closet? Why Not?
I want this. And you probably will too.
The future doesn't always look bright, but I've got to say, I'm impressed with this handsome machine Samsung has introduced. Resembling a tall, narrow refrigerator, the AirDresser uses a combination of air and steam to clean a few items of clothing and then get rid of things like sweat, wrinkles and smells.
CNET got to preview it at the recent CES in Vegas and was duly impressed. They said the fact that the AirDresser lives alongside your clothes, and not in the laundry room or at the cleaners, is wildly convenient. And you don't need a lot of space to install one—or a separate water line.
A "JetAir" system and "Air Hangers" buffet your clothes with fast moving air. This is what sets it apart, Samsung claims, because they're designed with a hollow center so steam and heat can treat your smelly garments from the inside—as well as the outside.
While it may seem excessive, the company argues that its magic cleaning wardrobe is actually more efficient than traditional cleaning methods. Running a washer and dryer for just a couple of items is wasteful, while dry cleaning can be expensive and use harsh chemicals. Either way, they’re both fairly intensive processes and besides, this thing is cool.
↦ Ready to Buy? It will be available this April for $1,400.
Weekend Shopping Plans
From accessories and sneakers to outerwear, our picks from three can’t-miss sales going on this weekend.
Up to 60% off select items
Tokyo tote $145 / $87
Extra 20% off sale items w/code ALLYOU
Air Max 270 $150 / $86.37
Extra 40% off sale items w/code BIG40
Military shirt $188 / $83.40
Morning Motto
Just try it. You don’t have to be great at it, right?
↦ Follow: @lucialitman
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