The Daily Valet. - 3/5/21, Friday

✔️ The Remote Work Life

Friday, March 5th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

Before I unplug for National Unplugging Day, I’ll be sure to get in some extra doomscrolling.

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s edition is presented by

Today’s Big Story

The Remote Work Life

The WFH trend is changing the way we work, live and travel

There are still lots of unanswered questions when it comes to what to expect once life returns to normal. But one thing is clear: Remote work isn’t going anywhere. Companies are anticipating another largely remote work year, reports the Wall Street Journal.

And now that so many employees can essentially work from anywhere, people are taking advantage of the situation to relocate to new cities, states and even countries. The migration has given rise to new travel trends.

According to Digiday, the current surge in remote work has kickstarted a hotel subscription-living movement. Tourism isn’t projected to return to pre-pandemic levels until at least 2024, so hotels are appealing to those working from wherever they want.

Micro-apartment hotel Zoku Amsterdam opened in 2015 and was designed specifically for digital nomads. It offers space-saving ‘loft apartments’ instead of standard hotel rooms, has a coworking space instead of a lobby, and employs community managers whose job is to facilitate introductions between locals and visitors. Zoku is now expanding to different cities and going all-in on a subscription business model.

What does a remote worker look for when choosing a city? It takes more than a strong wifi signal. According to Mental Floss, number of co-working spaces and coffee shops per capita, cost of living, and time saved on commutes are all important factors. So is safety, apparently.

CNBC reports that Canada is now seen as the most desirable destination for overseas workers when it comes to choosing a country to relocate to, knocking the U.S. off it's long-held top spot. Apparently America was “hurt by an inconsistent pandemic response, the adoption of more nationalistic policies, and social unrest.” Go figure.

↦ On Wheels: Nissan's Office Pod camper van imagines a new kind of remote working setup.

Are You Unplugging?

The National Day of Unplugging kicks off tonight at sundown

Remember when everyone was sharing their horrifying surges in screen time? Up 230%!? But now we've settled into the fact that we're all relying more on our screens these days. But a day off could be kind of nice.

Tonight, at sundown, the 24-hour respite known as the National Day of Unplugging begins. If you participate, you'll be going without your phone or other screens until sundown on Saturday.

For more than a decade, schools, religious institutions and businesses have used the awareness campaign as a call-to-action, to inspire healthy life/tech balance for their communities. Of course, this year it's a little different. As a result, the 2021 campaign focuses on safe, in-home, and outdoor small group activities, along with contests and charitable partnerships aimed at amplifying social impact.

Honestly, you don't have to sign-up or tell anyone. You could simply shut off your screens, pick up a paper book or go for a long walk outside. It's just nice to take a little time for yourself.

Special Promotion

Take your self-care seriously. That way, you'll offset the parts of your life that rob you of looking and feeling your best.

Blockbusters In the Streaming Age

The days of knowing how big a movie is seem to be over

When it comes to films, the box office doesn't dictate quality, but it does track global cultural phenomenons. As a professor of pop culture at USC told NPR, “They're like some huge event that for many people is an option for them to say that ‘I participated in something that a lot of other people also participated in,’ and this allows them to be defined as part of a group.”

This is probably why everyone wants to tell everyone else what they're currently streaming. But because of the lack of data about what people are watching, figuring out what’s a hit and what isn't is getting much harder to determine, reports The Verge. As a result, more viewing experiences will feel increasingly isolating.

With the future of theaters so uncertain, this will only become a bigger problem being brought over to streaming platforms. Without divulging actual numbers, the idea of what's considered an official hit becomes much more difficult to track.

For example, last week's Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry debuted on Apple TV Plus and according to Deadline, the documentary drew a “record-breaking 33 percent new viewers to the service.” Or Hulu’s Happiest Season was the “most-watched film across all acquired and Hulu Original films” over its opening weekend. But in reality, what do these mean in the end?

↦ FYI: The average American spends around $47 per month on video subscription services, according to Variety.

Suitsupply’s Post-Vaccine Ad Campaign

Too soon? Not soon enough? Or just cringe-y?

Someday—ideally sooner rather than later—we will find ourselves in a post-vaccine world. How do you plan to spend those first free days in The After? Maybe eating indoors or hanging out with a group but without a mask and the constant fear of transmitting a deadly virus. Just make sure to dress for the occasion.

A new ad from clothier Suitsupply that shows models opening wide to kiss had some consumers dropping their own jaws in response, reports Ad Age. Called “The New Normal,” the racy campaign includes images of men and women, in various states of undress, piled on top of each other in maskless, reckless abandon.

Esquire admits, it's jarring. But it has done exactly what it was most likely designed to do—in that a whole bunch of folks are talking about it online. Others point out that for fashion advertising, which has a rich history of imagery that seems to venerate misogyny or non-consensual contact, the campaign feels kind of decent. After all, the face-licking looks consensual, there are queer couples depicted and there's a lot of near-nudity across gender lines.

Call me old fashioned, but I've always responded to aspirational advertising ... and there's a lot to aspire to here.

In Other News

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

Banksy’s daring new work

What we’re wearing at home

This honest J.Crew review

Your Weekend Pairing

Coming 2 America + a Amarula Thai Tea Cocktail

It's been a long week, right? So if you're looking for absurd humor to take in this weekend, Coming 2 America is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video. If there's something specific you're hoping to see in the long-belated sequel, Mashable says prepare to walk away a happy customer.

Eddie Murphy's Akeem is now the newly minted king of Zamunda—returning to New York alongside his faithful hand Semmi (Arsenio Hall) after discovering he has a son he never knew about. The Hollywood Reporter says this is more of a remake than a sequel, with so many nods to its predecessor that it feels like a feature-length Easter egg in search of a movie. But the consensus is that this is still really funny—and in all the ways that should matter to fans who quote lines from the original.

↦ Your Pairing:I was introduced to Amarula, the cream liqueur, by some South African expats who explained it was like Baileys, but better. Made from marula fruit, which only grows in sub-equatorial Africa, it's matured for two years in French oak before being bottled. And as The Kitchn proves, it mixes perfectly with the warm spices of Thai tea for a winter cocktail.

What We’re Buying

Like the humble T-shirt, a hoodie is a staple that's gotten a lot of wear this past year. Looking for a new one? You won't find a softer style for a price this good. Properly labeled as the “Soft Fleece Sweatshirt,” this cozy hoodie combines a clean and elevated outside appearance with a warmed, brushed softness inside. After all, you don't have to reinvent the wheel to keep looking good, but it doesn't hurt to get a better (or shall we say ... a softer) wheel.

↦ Get It $59.99 / $29.99 at Banana Republic Factory

Simple Sneakers With a Shot of Rebel Style

Moral Code x Donald Driver Purpose leather sneakers

Handcrafted in small batches from premium leather in three colorways, these sneakers from Moral Code’s collaboration with Donald Driver offer cloud-like comfort—unlike most minimalist sneakers. Plus, a portion of the proceeds will go towards Driver’s charitable initiatives—aimed at helping young men in underserved communities understand the importance of self-empowerment.

↦ Get It $149 by Moral Code