The Daily Valet. - 1/5/21, Tuesday

✔️ Decision Day

January 05, 2021

Tuesday, January 5th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

Can we just pretend like Slack is down again today?

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s Big Story

All Eyes on Georgia

Trump and Biden campaign in state on Monday ahead of today’s runoff

Politics can sometimes feel overly dramatic, but today’s runoff elections in Georgia are the definition of high-stakes. The outcome will determine which party controls the Senate, thus setting the agenda for the new administration in Washington.

Control of the Senate will effectively set the parameters of President-elect Joe Biden’s first two years in office, reports the New York Times. A Republican-led Senate would complicate his ability to staff his cabinet, pass legislation and drive his political priorities.

Two Republican incumbents, Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, are battling to keep their seats. If their Democratic challengers, Jon Ossoff and the Rev. Raphael Warnock, both win, Democrats will reclaim the Senate majority.

Both Biden and President Donald Trump held rallies on Monday to persuade supporters to turn out. “It’s a new year, and tomorrow can be a new day for Atlanta, for Georgia and for America,” Biden said. Trump warned that Ossoff and Warnock wins would lead to a sharp leftward swing in American policy making. “These Senate seats are truly the last line of defense,” he said.

So what can we expect tonight? Strategists from both parties remain uncertain on what to anticipate beyond a very tight race. Three million people have already voted in the runoff races, nearly 40% of all the registered voters in the state, according to data compiled by the U.S. Elections Project. That total surpasses the 2.1 million ballots cast in the state’s last Senate runoff election in 2008.

But just like back in November, the results may not be known for several days. As the Associated Press explains, no ballots—including absentee ballots received before Election Day—may be counted until the polls close at 7 p.m. Eastern.

↦ FYI: Gen Z has been using TikTok to encourage youth voter turnout.

In the Club?

Here’s why everyone seems to be talking about Clubhouse all of a sudden

You might've heard of Clubhouse by now. It's unlikely you've joined Clubhouse. That's because the new social media platform has built its reputation, in part, on exclusivity. You have to secure an invite to get in. Although, according to Mashable, that might soon change.

So what is it? Essentially, it's an audio-based social media app. Vogue describes the experience of using it as “a dizzying bringing together of live podcast-style conversations, panel discussions, networking opportunities (some savvy people are already swapping 'influencer' for 'moderator') and advantageous multiple-room use (locked and private options are available so you can talk to pals too).”

The idea is that the app mimics real-life interactions. Especially mid-pandemic, where in-person networking events aren't happening and isolation between individuals has grown, it seems to be a solid option for engaging with industry connections (or maybe your favorite celebrity) in real-time.

But not everyone is sold on it. Vulture recently called it our new internet wasteland. “If Clubhouse's name and ability to control who gets to speak, suggests a reprieve from the noise and unruliness elsewhere on the internet, what's true of any social-media endeavor remains the same: Give people the space to talk, and they will say too much.”

↦ Got an Invite? I'll give it a try, if you've got a spare invite. I'm not above asking. After all, this is about connecting, right?

New Coronavirus Variant Surges

It's spreading worldwide now been found in four states

The United States again set a record for coronavirus-hospitalizations on Monday, with over 128,000 people receiving inpatient treatment nationwide, according to data tracked by the Washington Post.

And the newly identified variant of the COVID-19 virus, which appears to be more contagious, has been found in four states: California, Colorado, Florida and New York.

There's no evidence so far that the mutation makes people any sicker, reports Axios. But if it's more contagious, that means more people getting sick, a certain portion of which will require care from the already-strained health care system.

Meanwhile, the Wisconsin authorities alleged Monday that the pharmacist accused of trying to destroy hundreds of doses of coronavirus vaccine is a conspiracy theorist who believed the medication wasn't safe.

↦ FYI: U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday ordered a new lockdown across Britain in an effort to contain the rapidly-spreading new variant.

Early Humans Used to Hibernate

New evidence sparks a fascinating debate

While I was essentially hibernating over the holidays, this story came out. But you might've missed it too and it's too fascinating not to share: Evidence from bones found at one of the world's most important fossil sites suggests that our ancestors may have dealt with extreme cold hundreds of thousands of years ago by sleeping through the winter.

The Guardian reports that scientists are proposing that Neanderthals might have nestled into caves and slept through winter like bears and other mammals. It certainly sounds appealing, to go dormant for a while and skip the short days and cold weather, right?

The conclusions are based on the examination of a number of prehistoric bones found within a cave called Sima de los Huesos—the pit of bones—in northern Spain.

But according to Popular Mechanics, humans aren't built to hibernate. By trying to sleep through the worst part of the year, the Neanderthals sacrificed nutrition and vitamin D from the sun, thus permanently damaging their bodies. Of course, like most scientific findings, the researchers maintain this is just a theory until they get more data.

In Other News

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

Fitness gear that really works

An actual grappling gun like Batman uses

Slowing down … just a bit

Drink Like an Expert

The cocktail terms every man should know

Have you ever looked at a cocktail menu or recipe and felt like you needed a translator? No one loves that feeling.

Personally, I thought that “neat” and “up” meant the same thing until I learned recently that there are subtle but distinct differences about the two terms.

So we had our resident cocktail expert, Christopher Doell, round up a list of next level drinking jargon so you can speak like a seasoned connoisseur. That way, you'll feel comfortable experimenting and your next drink order can be made with confidence.

↦ Read: A dozen cocktail terms every man should know.

What We’re Buying

Umbrellas are something we rarely spend money on. But like any protective gear, the more you invest, the better the result. The good news is that the Repel umbrella, which currently boasts nearly 20,000 five-star reviews, is only a little more expensive than your average throwaway umbrella. Except this one is double-vented so it'll never invert in the wind and Teflon-coated for superior protection from precipitation. Not bad, right?

↦ Get It $21.95 by Repel