The Daily Valet. - 4/30/20, Thursday
✔️ No Time for Slow WiFi
Thursday, April 30th Edition
How much beer have you bought since you started self isolation?
Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf
Today’s Big Story
This Is No Time for Slow WiFi
More Americans are working from home than ever before, but many are saddled with lagging internet
There’s a special kind of rage I feel when my internet is acting up. After all, it’s not a cheap service. And yet, many of us have to simply put up with sputtering video calls, buffering streaming and lost connections with our wireless speakers.
Bad internet connections are our number one tech problem in America, reports the Washington Post. They’re as frustrating as robocalls, but tied directly to our ability to do our jobs and connect with others in the coronavirus era.
Several factors affect the performance of a wireless network connection. Sometimes, it could be that you’re too removed from the access point (AP)—or there’s a concrete wall between the AP and your device. If this is the case, a simple readjustment of your equipment to achieve an unobstructed view or moving yourself closer to the access point could be all you need in order to solve the problem.
You can (and should) turn off hidden data hogs also. It’s easy to forget everything we’ve got running on our gadgets these days, from iCloud and Dropbox to streaming security cameras. Unfortunately, they’re usually not smart enough to shut themselves off while you’re trying to have an important video call, so just turn them off yourself.
There’s also a chance your service provider may be throttling your internet, according to CNET. What’s worse, with last year’s Supreme Court decision to decline to hear an appeal on net neutrality, ISPs can legally throttle your service—limiting your broadband if you’re streaming more YouTube than they want, and providing slower connections to websites owned by their competitors.
If you want to make sure your internet problems are legit, CNET suggests starting out with a simple test through M-Lab. This will check your connection speed, essentially gauging whether your ISP is providing consistent performance.
↦ Dig Deeper: Personal finance site WalletHub has rated all 50 states and the District of Columbia based on how easy it is to work from home during the coronavirus crisis.
Drug Proves Effective Against Virus
The experimental treatment improves recovery time
Scientists announced a breakthrough with the first effective treatment against the coronavirus—an experimental drug that has been shown to speed up the recovery time in patients.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious-disease expert, said Wednesday that testing Gilead's antiviral drug remdesivir showed “quite good news” and sets a new standard of care for patients, reports CNBC. “What it has proven is a drug can block this virus,” he said.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it has been in discussions with Gilead about making remdesivir available to patients as quickly as possible, but the agency declined to comment on any plans to grant the drug regulatory approval.
Gilead earlier this month said the company was prepared to donate to hospitals its existing supply of 1.5 million doses. That'd be enough for nearly 150,000 patients. And regulatory approval of the drug would also clear the way for commercial sales.
↦ FYI: Gilead's stock rose more than 5% on Wednesday to close at $83.14, posting a 27% gain so far this year.
Beer Sales Are Soaring
Peak pandemic leads to a surge in beer buying
Blame it on all those virtual happy hours, but beer sales are booming—and, if I had to guess, so is day drinking. Because in times of crisis, we Americans gravitate towards the comfortable and familiar.
CNN reports that while beer had been falling out of favor with consumers as they shifted their preferences to low-calorie drinks, including hard seltzer and spirits, it's since spiked. Anheuser-Busch's sales have increased 44%, while other macro-brew brands are also reporting double-digit sales increases.
According to Nielsen, beer sales as a whole increased nearly 18% over the last four weeks. They also found that larger packs of 24 or 30 bottles have grown 90% during the third week of March (once shelter-in-place laws started being issued nationwide) compared to a year ago.
It makes sense, right? After all, the economy is on shaky ground and sheltering in place requires a certain amount of lubrication to keep things running smoothly. What Nielsen can't tell us is how much of the beer sales are for pantry loading and how much is going straight down the hatch.
Video Conferences Wearing You Down?
Experts agree ... “Zoom fatigue” is real
If you're starting to get a little bit sick of virtual get-togethers, you're not alone. Over the past few weeks, mentions of “Zoom fatigue” have started to pop up more and more on social media, and Google searches for the same phrase have steadily increased since early March.
Why do we find video calls so exhausting? There are a few reasons, but it's mostly because it's an unnatural way of communicating. You're always “on” and constantly being looked at, reports the Wall Street Journal.
During a regular work meeting, everyone is often talking and looking at notes, but the time spent in a mutual gaze—looking directly into the eyes of one another—is small. But with Zoom, each person stares right at you for nearly the entire meeting. This forces you to pay attention, but it's also draining.
Then there's the format. The brain is particularly attentive to faces, and when we see large ones close up, we interpret them as being close by. Our fight-or-flight reflex responds and a Stanford study found that we physically flinch. I still like seeing my colleagues' faces now and then, but I miss all the multi-tasking I could do while on a traditional phone call.
↦ Fight It: The Harvard Business Review offers up six different strategies for combating Zoom fatigue.
In Other News
Other Things We’re Talking About Today
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A24 Is Auctioning Off Some Wild Props
The indie studio is doing it for a good cause
The jewel-encrusted Furby pendant from Uncut Gems and Rue’s burgundy hoodie from Euphoria will soon be helping in the fight against COVID-19.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, ultra-cool indie distributor A24 has set up an online auction, where it will be selling original props, set pieces and costumes from some of its recent projects to benefit charities in New York City, where the company was founded and is based.
It's a rare chance to own a piece from one of A24's most talked-about productions over the years. There's the time capsule from Eighth Grade and of course the Furby necklace from Uncut Gems. You could score the creepy little doormat from Hereditary or the carved mermaid from The Lighthouse that Robert Pattinson's character uh ... got some use out of during his own time in isolation.
↦ Bid Away: Bidding is now open for several items, while others will go live later in May.
Weekend Shopping Plans
From jackets to home goods, our picks from three can’t-miss sales going on this weekend.
40% off select items
Madewell field jacket $148 / $88.80
Up to 25% off home goods
Mid-century coffee table $220 / $186.99
Up to 70% off select styles
Sunset indigo shirt $69.50 / $17.97
Morning Motto
Surround yourself with positivity.
↦ Follow: @successfulmaster
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