The Daily Valet. - 1/29/21, Friday

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January 29, 2021

Friday, January 29th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

Do you think the Hyperloop will have a bar car (or bar pod)?

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today's edition is presented by

Today’s Big Story

Biden’s $1.9 Trillion Aid Plan

Democrats will push for “big bold action” without bipartisan support

Democrats are preparing to bypass Republican objections to speed President Biden’s $1.9 trillion economic aid package through Congress, rather than pare it back significantly to attract Republican votes, even as administration officials and congressional moderates hold out hopes of passing a bill with significant bipartisan support, reports the New York Times.

In a speech Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, made it clear he has no interest in a trimmed-down proposal, using the words “big,” “bold” and “robust” numerous times. He vowed not to “repeat the mistakes” of 2009, when he said Congress was “too timid” in tackling the financial crisis.

Biden has made ramping up the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed nearly 430,000 people in the United States and thrown millions out of work, a major focus of his early days in office. But Republicans and some Democrats have balked at the cost, after the $4 trillion in aid approved by Congress last year.

Not surprisingly, the majority of Americans agree with Biden. According to new Pew Research Center survey, 79% of U.S. adults say another economic assistance package will be necessary. Additionally, new data from the Commerce Department showed that the economic recovery decelerated at the end of last year.

But that doesn’t mean it’ll be easy. CNN says Schumer has no room for error and he must convince every single Democrat to vote together or risk letting the president’s first legislative priority falter under his leadership. (The budget reconciliation option to bypass the 60-vote rule can be used for laws related to taxes and spending.)

The move reflects Democrats’ desire to use their newfound Senate control to help Biden on a top policy priority before the Senate turns to the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump next month.

↦ FYI: The stimulus checks in the Biden plan actually are $1,400 per person, but would come on top of $600 checks included in the last relief package in December, bringing the total to $2,000.

U.S. COVID Cases Continue to Drop

But new variants continue to concern experts

The beginning of winter saw the worst coronavirus surge in the U.S. so far, with cases, hospitalizations, and deaths all rising to horrific levels and hospital systems around the country overwhelmed after a rush of holiday travel.

Of course, cases are still much higher than they were a few months ago. But according to the COVID Tracking Project, the seven-day average is the lowest since the end of November, and has fallen 30% since the peak earlier this month.

It's a hopeful turn and comes as Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the government's top public health experts, said Thursday that he supports re-opening schools under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.

Unfortunately, he also said hope from decreasing COVID-19 numbers has been blunted by the spread of new coronavirus variants. Particularly as one of the most worrisome strains—first found in South Africa—was just d etected in the U.S. for the first time in the South Carolina. And, of course, the Super Bowl will likely bring about another surge in cases.

↦ Silver Lining? Health workers with vaccines got stuck in the snow, but instead of letting them expire, they walked car to car, administering shots to stranded drivers.

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Reddit Frenzy Pumps Up Dogecoin

The social media mob that pumped up GameStop is now dabbling in cryptocurrency

Dogecoin, a digital coin originally founded as a joke, has soared over 800% after a Reddit board talked about making it the cryptocurrency equivalent of GameStop, reports CNBC.

While it has taken a backseat to larger crypto like bitcoin and ether in recent years, its resurgence in the last few days has been down to enthusiasm from a Reddit group called SatoshiStreetBets. Like the group WallStreetBets, which was behind the GameStop rally, SatoshiStreetBets is looking to pump up digital currencies.

The situation with dogecoin appears different from GameStop, however. WallStreetBets is pushing the narrative of buying shares in order to create pain for hedge funds that are shorting or betting against the stock.

But there's no such shorting dynamic from hedge funds at play with dogecoin. Instead, it appears a group of people are just trying to push the cryptocurrency higher to make money. One of the early posts on SatoshiStreetBets read: “Let’s make DOGECOIN a thing. That’s it, that’s the post.”

↦ FYI: Yes, Elon Musk weighed in on this too, tweeting a digital magazine cover featuring a dog in apparent support.

A Closer Look at Riding the Hyperloop

The futuristic pod transit system has taken a step forward, following its successful passenger test

Virgin is tired of just talking about its upcoming Hyperloop. Rather than keep telling us why it believes the state-of-the-art transportation system will revolutionize the way we move around the world, the company has decided to show us exactly what it's envisioning.

The company released a new video outlining exactly what it will be like to ride the Hyperloop. Set in the not-too-distant year of 2030, the video seeks to highlight just how easy and carefree the experience of riding in one of its high-speed pods will be.

Building on Elon Musk's 2013 white paper—which details a vacuum-sealed pod transit system that can move passengers and cargo at speeds of over 700 mph—they're also designing an entirely new form of mass transit. Which is just as complex, if not more so, than making it function.

The footage shows someone booking a seat with less than five minutes to go before departure. According to Inverse, each pod is expected to hold 28 passengers, so this design enables one station to ferry far more people at once by hosting multiple pod boarding gates. And while I imagine actually riding in one of the pods will be slightly different than what's depicted in the video—for instance, you'll probably have to wear seatbelts—but it definitely offers an exciting hint of the future to come.

↦ Meanwhile: GM announced plans to go all-electric by 2035, phasing out gas and diesel engines.

In Other News

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

Amanda Gorman at the Super Bowl

Body neutrality

Canned salmon

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Optimize Your Kitchen Time

Get more meals (and less dishes) when cooking

You’ve likely heard that multitasking is problematic and that it actually distracts you and prevents you from being efficient. But the kitchen is one place where you're able to tackle multiple tasks and easily come out ahead.

Sure, you learn to work faster, but you'll also become much more methodical about what tasks can overlap to save you time, effort and additional dishes.

As we wrap up this month of streamlining and self-improvement, we head to the kitchen for some expert tips on ways to get the most out of your time in the kitchen.

↦ Read: The one place where multitasking works.

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