The Daily Valet. - 4/28/22, Thursday

✔️ A Light at the End of the Tunnel

April 28, 2022

Thursday, April 28th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

Today I learned that a strong dislike or hatred of certain sounds is called “misophonia”.

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s Big Story

Light at the End of the Tunnel

Here’s why Dr. Fauci says the U.S. is now ‘out of the pandemic phase’

The United States is finally “out of the full-blown explosive pandemic phase” more than two years after COVID-19 was first identified in the country, Anthony Fauci said Wednesday.

When the quote raised some eyebrows, President Biden’s chief medical adviser told CNN that some people took that to mean that the pandemic is over. But it’s a “different phase of the pandemic,” he said, a “transition phase, hopefully headed toward more of a control where you can actually get back to some form of normality without total disruption of society.”

Fauci noted that, in fact, Covid-19 cases are trending up again, though it’s not anywhere near the rise we saw over the winter with the omicron wave. This follows a report from the CDC indicating that roughly three in five Americans have already been infected by the coronavirus. And about 25% of those infections were caused by the omicron variant.

That means that nearly 60% of people in the U.S.—including almost 75% of children 11 and younger—now have antibodies in their blood. These startling numbers suggest the country has a much higher level of collective immunity than it did before omicron. What is far less clear is how long that immunity will persist, and to what extent it could be evaded by new coronavirus variants.

To keep improving, Fauci ticked off a to-do list: Get more people fully vaccinated; develop even better vaccines; figure out the best booster strategy to counter variants; and make sure people can access treatment as soon as they need it. “We can’t take our foot off the pedal,” he said. “There’s a lot of viral dynamics throughout the world and we still may get another variant that leads to another surge.”

↦ Meanwhile: Experts say that infections linked to Saturday’s White House Correspondents Dinner are inevitable ... which is why the president will take extra precautions, including skipping the meal.

Musk’s “Maximum Fun”

What’s happening over at Twitter? Funny business, that’s what.

Honestly, anything I write about Twitter and its new overlord Elon Musk could be out of date by the time you're reading this, but ... Musk is tweeting his way through his takeover and there's something getting people's attention hourly it seems.

Last night, he tweeted “Next I'm buying Coca-Cola to put the cocaine back in,” followed shortly by “Let's make Twitter maximum fun!” Earlier in the day, he wrote that “For Twitter to deserve public trust, it must be politically neutral, which effectively means upsetting the far right and the far left equally.” But that would be measured how, exactly?

What's next? Who knows. But you know how people were threatening to leave Twitter? It looks like people are really doing it in big numbers (and being replaced with new followers for other accounts). Twitter confirmed to TechCrunch that these fluctuations were the result of new account creation and deactivation and were not caused by bots or due to action on the social media platform's part.

But this could all still be for naught. A commentary piece by two Reuters writers makes a strong case for why this deal won't actually go through and gives several good reasons for him to get cold feet.

↦ Highlights: New York magazine looks back on two dozen of the most memorable moments in Twitter history.

The NFL Draft Is Tonight

Mystery at the top of the draft makes for a confusing situation this year

Round 1 of the 2022 NFL draft kicks off in Las Vegas tonight at 8 p.m. ET. Then Rounds 2 through 7 will follow on Friday and Saturday.

There will be 262 picks in this year's draft, and the Jacksonville Jaguars have the No. 1 pick—for the second year in a row—but who that pick will be is still uncertain. There is a thriving industry that hinges on scouts and NFL prognosticators declaring how the draft's top prospects will fare as pros and which teams will select them. But ahead of tonight's first round, the experts can't quite agree on who the No. 1 pick will be. According to the New York Times, this year marks the first draft in five years in which a quarterback is not expected to be chosen first overall.

The Jaguars and Kansas City Chiefs have the most picks in the entire draft with 12 each, while the Miami Dolphins have by far the fewest with just four. ESPN has all the necessary info, numbers and stats in their cheat sheet.

There is no such thing as a bad NFL draft, says The Ringer, only a confusing one. And this is a confusing one. Even the worst drafts of all time produce superstars, but the tepid reaction league-wide to this year's high-end talent creates a situation that will absolutely lead to wild scenarios.

↦ FYI: The Athletic, Yahoo Sports and readers of Bleacher Report all tabbed Aidan Hutchinson, an edge rusher from Michigan, as the No. 1 pick.

Noise Pollution Is Serious

It’s so hazardous to your health, cities are starting to crack down

Noise when you don't want to hear it—say, when you're working, trying to sleep or watching a movie—is annoying as hell. But it, turns out, it's actually hazardous to your health. According to the CDC, noise-induced hearing loss affects about 40 million U.S. adults between the ages of 20 and 69 every year.

Most of the attention given to pollution focuses on particles in the air and the impact they have on health. But noise can cause chronic stress, disrupt sleep patterns and trigger anxiety and depression. All of which can affect the health of your heart so badly it can cause a heart attack, according new research from Rutgers University.

To combat the ill effects of urban noise pollution, cities like Paris are deploying automated sensors with microphones to crack down on the loudest vehicles and construction sites. Motorcycles and scooters (often with their exhaust systems illegally modified to boost noise and power) are a particular problem in Paris.

But this isn't just a problem for city dwellers. Seemingly quiet, suburban areas are dealt similar decibels from a different source: landscaping equipment. Groups are now pushing quieter options, like electric equipment which not only get rid of noise pollution but also some greenhouse gases as well.

↦ Meanwhile: MIT scientists just invented paper thin speakers that could be used like wallpaper to turn your bedroom into a noise cancelling oasis.

In Other News

↦ Will President Biden Really Forgive Student Loan Debt?

↦ Disney Announces Avatar Sequel Title, Premieres Teaser Trailer

↦ The Whole Snickers Vein Debacle Was Always a Spoof

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

Savage Sudeikis

Pete Davidson’s new series

Hot dogs *in* beer

How to Balance Working Out With Real Life

Proven tactics to help you stay on track and succeed

You hear it constantly: “There's never enough time” or “I just don't have time to workout.” We've all got a lot to do, events to attend and plenty of errands to run. That's life, right? Most of the demands on our time are non-negotiable. But if you're not taking care of yourself and making time for fitness, you pay the price—one way or another.

Here's a basic, but nonetheless surprising fact: a one-hour workout is only 6% of your waking day. No matter how packed your life is, there is always a way to incorporate fitness into a busy day. And while it may sound counterintuitive, adding exercise into a busy schedule will actually help you feel less stressed and more balanced.

Researchers at Saint Leo University found a “clear relationship” between physical activity and navigating the intersection of work and life. The takeaway is this: if you exercise regularly, you're less likely to feel a conflict between your working life and your home life. After all, we all know that exercise reduces stress. “But there's also an increase in self-efficacy, or our sense of being able to get things done,” says professor and author of the study Russell Clayton.

So how do you modify your life to make room for fitness? We spoke to a few experts to get you some proven tactics to help you succeed.

↦ Read: How to balance your workouts with real life.

What We’re Buying

No one says you can't have beautiful things in your home that are actually functional too. Any beverage would taste better being poured out of a unique handmade piece of pottery like this “Big Jug” from Milo Made. Handcrafted in London using flecked stoneware clay, it has an elevated, angular silhouette with a tiny spout. The handle, which is designed perfectly round, is glazed in a contrasting black for ultimate impact. Use it for a pitcher when dining, as a vase or simply to sit on a table looking cool. This piece will help curate an intentional and romantic feeling in your home, all for about a hundred bucks.

↦ Get It: $185 / $109 by Milo Made