The Daily Valet. - 7/27/21, Tuesday

✔️ What's Up in Apps

July 27, 2021

Tuesday, July 27th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

I don’t even have the discipline to sleep like an Olympian.

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s Big Story

What’s Up in Apps

Business is booming, Clubhouse opens up and Instagram continues tinkering while Spotify adds new addictive feature

The app industry isn’t slowing down anytime soon—a record 218 billion downloads and $143 billion dollars was spent across the globe last year, reports Tech Crunch.

According to App Annie’s annual “State of Mobile” report, Android users spent 3.5 trillion minutes using apps on their devices alone. And in the U.S., app usage surged ahead of the time spent watching live TV. Currently, the average American watches 3.7 hours of live TV per day, but now spends at least four hours on their mobile devices.

Of course, wherever there are eyeballs, there is money to be made. That same report found that in 2020 alone, investors poured $73 billion into mobile companies—a figure that’s up 27% year-over-year.

One of the most talked-about apps of the past year has got to be Clubhouse. The pandemic’s favorite audio chat platform just exited beta. That means users no longer need to know someone with an invite in order to sign up. And it continues to grow thanks to a recent Android release. Last month, the app was installed 7.7 million times across iOS and Android devices.

When it comes to music, it seems that TikTok is a huge discovery vehicle. A recent study found that 75% of users found artists and new music on the app. Meanwhile, Spotify added a “What’s New” feed to their app, at long last. And while it should’ve probably been in there all along, you’ll now find those little red dots adding a unique sense of urgency, making you want to listen immediately.

And if your Instagram feed is looking or feeling a bit different these days, it might be due to the app’s new Sensitive Content Control filter. Several people have said that it feels like the social media giant is automatically censoring out more content than you may want. Instagram is downplaying it, but there are also plenty of guides on how to turn it off (or dial it up).

↦ A Recomendation: 8fit is a streamlined health and fitness app that blends workouts, meal planning and meditation into one tool. But Mashable says you will likely want to upgrade from the free version.

The New Vaccine Mandates

Now they mean business ...

In a bid to counter what some officials have described as a “pandemic of the unvaccinated,” the most populous U.S. state, the country's largest city, and the first federal agency all announced on Monday new vaccine mandates for public employees.

It appears that we've entered the muscle phase of the vaxx plan. They offered, they asked and now they will push those who are unvaccinated to get the shot.

In New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that all city workers—including teachers and police officers—will be required to get vaccinated by mid-September or face weekly testing. California said it will similarly require proof of vaccination or weekly testing for all state workers and all the bars in San Francisco followed suit. So did the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Health professionals say we've reached a tipping point: On Monday, a joint statement from nearly 60 medical groups, including the American Medical Association and the American Nurses Association, urged every health facility to require workers to get vaccinated.

↦ FYI: More than 97% of Americans currently being hospitalized with COVID-19 are unvaccinated, according to the CDC.

The ‘Car Rental Apocalypse’

How travelers are coping

Travel is never an easy endeavor. Especially during a pandemic. But to rent a car right now is to live through an expensive, frustrating nightmare. Garages normally filled with cars are sitting practically empty. Prices online are routinely over $100 a day for midsize cars—and that's before insurance and other dubious add-ons.

With fewer vehicles and plenty of eager travelers still wary of public transportation and airports, customers are coming up against rental-car companies that seemingly act with impunity, jacking up prices for some and denying others for what can appear to be arbitrary reasons.

Jonathan Weinberg, founder AutoSlash, said the low-inventory, high-price trend started emerging earlier this year in leisure areas including Florida, Arizona and Las Vegas, and then spread to Hawaii, Alaska and national parks and eventually the entire U.S. And this so-called ‘carmageddon’ isn't just effecting America. CNN says it's just as bad throughout Europe.

So what are your options? Some people are postponing trips until the fall, when more cars are expected. Others are turning to alternative options like the app Getaround and ride-sharing services. Still, others are getting creative and booking U-Haul trucks.

↦ FYI: The rental-car industry off-loaded about a third of its vehicles last year as demand plummeted, and now finds it can’t buy them back fast enough.

Sleep Like an Olympian

How to get rest like a champ

The hard truth is, most of us won't qualify for the Olympics. It takes years of training. Otherworldly talent. Their workouts are carefully structured, their diets carefully balanced—every move designed to maximize athletic potential, with nothing left to chance.

Including their sleep. But that's one area where we mere mortals can be like Olympians. Sleep has become an important frontier for elite athletes—an opportunity to both rest their minds and rebuild their bodies.

One sport psychophysiologist working with Team U.S.A. said that the biggest realization athletes come to is that they simply need more sleep, so they draft a sleep plan/schedule. Because she found that “insufficient sleep after training is almost analogous to not eating protein after lifting weights.”

Another doc who serves as the sleep performance director for the U.S. Olympic Weightlifting team says that simplifying your nighttime routine is key. He suggests slowing down for 30 minutes before lights-out, meditating, belly breathing and stretching in order to trigger your body to relax.

↦ Sleep Essentials: Here is some of the best gear to outfit your bedroom for championship sleep.

In Other News

↦ U.S. Will Not Lift Travel Restrictions, Citing Delta Variant, White House Says

↦ Social Media Not As Toxic As We Think: Most Posts ‘Support’ Causes Rather Than ‘Oppose’ Them

↦ ‘The Simpsons’ Is About to Do Something It’s Never Done Before

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

The best Olympic logos

The IPAs of the moment

Situational showers

Boost Your Energy With Breakfast

What you should and shouldn’t be eating to get the most out of your day

You probably realize that eating breakfast does more than just prevent a grumbling stomach before lunch. It improves mental performance and prevents you from storing fat throughout the day.

One of the upsides of working from home is that you've got more time in the morning to prepare and enjoy your breakfast. But what should you be eating for breakfast?

Thankfully, some of the healthiest options don't take that long at all. We spoke with several nutritionists to get some intel on the kind of breakfasts that not only keep you full and help you kickstart your metabolism, but also give you a jolt of brain power to help you get your most important work done early in the day.

↦ Read: Three simple options (along with an easy grab-and-go bar) to kick your day into gear.

Beat the Heat

Todd Snyder + Champion Sun-Faded Muscle Tee

Sun-faded muscle tee,$60 / $49 by Todd Snyder + Champion

You've tried everything. The air conditioner is on full blast, the ice maker is on twenty-four-seven, and you're still somehow sweating. There's really only one answer to keeping it cool on the sultriest of summer days, and that's minimal clothing ... so, adios the sleeves. Guaranteed lightweight, and without the inevitable cotton-tee pit-stains, tanks are the perfect airy layer for when even a breezy polo isn't going to cut it. Sun's out, guns out, right? Browse our picks below for the best tank tops of the season.