The Daily Valet. - 6/23/20, Tuesday
✔️ Something Big Is Coming Your Way
Tuesday, June 23rd Edition
We could all use a few brighter sunsets, right?
Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf
Today’s Big Story
A Saharan Dust Cloud Is Coming Our Way
It’s not unusual, but this year’s is different ... of course.
Each summer, large plumes of dust traverse the atmosphere above the tropical Atlantic Ocean, traveling 5,000 miles from the Sahara desert in northern Africa all the way to the United States.
While they’re a common occurrence, the one sailing through the Caribbean right now is starting to make news and you’ll likely hear about it today or tomorrow. That’s because in pure 2020 fashion, this year’s plume appears to be one of the most extreme in recent memory, reports the Weather Channel.
Astronaut Doug Hurley tweeted that he saw the large cloud—thicker and larger than usual—from the International Space Station. It’s estimated to contain about 800 million metric tons of desert dust.
And while it sounds and looks scary, the plume should bring enhanced sunrises and potentially suppress any storms forming in the area. “Due to more sunlight being scattered by the dust particles, there will likely be more vibrant sunsets and sunrises of the orange and red side of the visible light spectrum,” David Wally, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service told the New York Times.
Over the next few days, the thickest of the dust layer will stay south of Florida. And by late this week, it will spread across Texas and the rest of the Southeast. The only other thing to watch out for, other than the impressive sunsets and sunrises, are slight allergic reactions.
According to CBS News, for most people the dust is merely a nuisance, making for hazy skies and often leaving a dirty film on cars as it falls out of the air. But for people with preexisting respiratory ailments, it can trigger breathing difficulty. Good thing we’ve all got masks to wear.
↦ Dig Deeper: Looking to track the Saharan dust plume in real time? Colorado State University’s Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere has an impressive tracker.
Reporters Ordered to Leave White House
Members of the White House press corps were told to immediately leave the White House grounds
Late Monday evening, U.S. Secret Service told members of the White House press corps to immediately leave the White House grounds, a highly unusual decision that did not immediately come with an explanation, reports CNN.
It was a rare move, said CNN's Kaitlan Collins, telling Anderson Cooper that “I don’t think we’ve ever been asked to actually physically leave the White House at a time like that.”
The decision came during an ongoing demonstration in Lafayette Square, across the street from the White House, where protestors were trying to bring down a statue of slave owning former President Andrew Jackson that stands in the middle of the park. They were eventually pushed back out of the park by police.
According to local station WUSA, law enforcement used a chemical irritant on the crowds of demonstrators, also spraying reporters covering the protest. The statue of Jackson, which was commissioned in 1847, remains standing.
Cats Kill Your Game?
A new study suggests that men with cats are seen as less dateable
There are much bigger problems out there, I realize, but let's just take a moment to appreciate this wild bit of scientific news about gender, stereotypes and romance.
According to science, men who like cats are less likely to get a date. That's the takeaway from a study by Colorado State University, which found that women are less likely to swipe right—or say yes—to men if they're posing with a cat in a picture.
Scientists showed hundreds of women photos of two men, both men pictured with and without a furry companion. Their responses showed that the men's luck got noticeably worse when women saw the picture with a cat.
“Men holding cats were viewed as less masculine; more neurotic, agreeable and less dateable,” the study's authors wrote. How's that for stereotyping? And according to InsideHook, it also means there is no end in sight for the relentless reign of dog Tinder.
Apple Made Some Big Moves Yesterday
Catch up with everything that happened at WWDC
It was almost like Apple knew that during a global pandemic, people need something to look forward to—because the company dropped a lot of new updates and features that will be coming to the iPhone, iPad, AirPods, Apple TV and Mac this fall.
According to The Verge, one of the most exciting was iOS 14, the new update for iPhones that will be coming later this year. The most notable change comes in the form of widgets that you can place on the home screen. Your phone will also get powerful translation abilities (can't wait to use that once we start traveling again).
And Gear Patrol says iMessage is getting way better too. First by allowing you to pin your most frequent conversations to the top of your list. While group messages will see threads and mentions, making it a bit more like Slack.
Lastly, it sounds like AirPods are getting even smarter. They'll now connect automatically to whichever paired device starts playing audio. Meaning, you'll no longer need to manually select which source you want to connect to. And AirPods Pro are getting Dolby Atmos surround sound to provide a more immersive sound experience—all through updates.
↦ More? The updates to WatchOS7 will include hand washing tracking, as well as new faces and the ability to monitor your sleep cycles.
In Other News
Other Things We’re Talking About Today
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Boost Your Productivity
10 WFH accessories you should consider
As working from home becomes the new normal for so many companies, some of us are realizing that our setups could use a few more additions to make day-to-day working easier.
The Valet. team rounded up some essentials for your workspace—wherever it may be—that will make you more comfortable and productive throughout the workday.
There are proper lamps and Wifi extenders and clever ways to stay on task or simply enjoy the work a little more. And if we eventually make it back into the office ... then we're bringing these with us.
↦ Check Out: The 10 work accessories you need on your desk right now.
Sales We’re Eyeing
When it comes to buying clothes and accessories on Amazon, the site's new “Big Style Sale” is shaping up to be the next best thing to Prime Day. This weeklong event will include deep discounts on literally thousands of clothing items, shoes and accessories. We just dipped our toes in to get you started.
Calvin Klein denim jacket $50 / $30
Ray-Ban round sunglasses $165 / $115.20
Billy Reid washed tee $68 / $27.55
J.Crew Mercantile stretch cotton shirt $59.99 / $29.99
Bather marble swim trunks $85 / $59.50
↦ Shop the Sale at Amazon
Today’s Deals
Expires 6/28
Expires 6/30
Ongoing Sale
↦ Want More? See all 65 sales
Morning Motto
Keep your head up ...
↦ Follow: @positivevibesquotes
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