The Daily Valet. - 7/28/21, Wednesday

✔️ Buds for Everyone

Wednesday, July 28th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

If you counted all the people you saw in earbuds today, how big do you think that number would be?

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s edition is presented by

Today’s Big Story

Earbuds Everywhere

Looking for an everyday pair or something more stylish? You should be set.

Remember when earbuds had wires? Hardly. The true wireless earbuds market has never been more crowded than it is in 2021. But, according to The Verge, the vast selection is actually a good thing: not only are there excellent picks for everyday buds, but you’ve also got a slew of options that prioritize things like noise cancellation, fitness, battery life and comfort.

And this week, a handful of really good options have been released, making me question my beloved AirPods Pro. Especially because these newbies are so good looking.

New York-based premium audio company Master & Dynamic’s new MW08 Sport set is as handsome as it is durable. The buds are available in four colorways, and designed to withstand the most intense workouts—thanks, in part, to a shatter-resistant, scratch-resistant sapphire glass body and an ultra-rugged Kevlar fiber charging case.

On Tuesday, London-based consumer technology company Nothing unveiled its ear (1) earphones. They’re not only uniquely designed with a transparent body, but they’re among the most affordable too. The company, which calls the buds a “a breath of fresh air in a cluttered and indifferent market,” promises 5.7 hours of playtime on a single charge (and powered for up to 34 hours when in their accompanying fast-charging case). All for less than a hundred bucks.

Then there are LG’s new Tone Free earbuds, which have a case that doubles as a wireless dongle, reports Engadget. They not only come with active noise-canceling and two new spatial audio upgrades, but auto-cleaning as well. The company says it can get rid of 99.9% of germs in five minutes when the buds are placed inside the case. (No word on pricing just yet though.)

Of course, even if you don’t consider yourself any kind of audiophile—I surely don’t—it’s important to find a set of earbuds that sound good to you. And as long as you are actually using earbuds (and not using speakerphone or playing your music out loud in public), you’re good in my book.

↦ FYI: The very first truly wireless earphones were made by a Japanese company named Onkyo in the year 2015.

CDC Reverses Mask Guidance

They urge vaccinated people in COVID hot spots to resume wearing masks indoors

Revising a decision made just two months ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday that even those who are vaccinated should mask up in public indoor spaces—in parts of the country where the virus is surging. Which is pretty much everywhere, right?

According to the Washington Post, it's a gloomy acknowledgment that the mutated Delta variant has reversed the promising trend lines of Spring.

The changed guidance comes as confirmed infections nationwide have quadrupled in July, from about 13,000 cases per day on average at the start of the month to more than 56,000 now, according to the latest tracking.

Health officials were persuaded by new scientific evidence showing that even vaccinated people may become infected and may carry the virus in great amounts, perhaps even similar to those in unvaccinated people. The vaccines still remain remarkably effective against the worst outcomes of infection with any form of the coronavirus, including hospitalization and death.

↦ FYI: Breakthrough coronavirus infections are still rare but on the rise. Here is how you can stay safe.

Partner

Your eyes are important, right? Your sunglasses are probably not protecting them as much as you think they are.

Chilling Testimony

Officers give a harrowing account of their experience defending the Capitol on Jan. 6

Four police officers testified Tuesday about the physical and verbal assaults they faced responding to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol in a highly emotional hearing that was both gripping and jarring.

It was the first hearing held by the Democratic-led House select committee investigating the attack by pro-Trump rioters who were trying to stop the certification of the presidential election.

The Associated Press reports that racism was at the core of much of the testimony. “It had only been hinted at in previous examinations of the insurrection: Rioters attacked police officers not just with makeshift weapons, stun guns and fists, but with racist slurs and accusations of treason.”

The officers who testified were made up of an Iraq War vet, a cop with over a dozen years of service and an immigrant who became a citizen to defend the United States that he loved so much. Lawmakers asked the officers what they wanted the panel to investigate and Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn gave the analogy of an investigation into a mob hit. “If a hit man is hired and he kills somebody, the hit man goes to jail, but … so does the person who hired him.” He added, “I want you to get to the bottom of that.”

A ‘Friendship Recession’ Among Men

Are men really bad at making and maintaining friends?

As Americans try to rebuild and reconnect after a year of isolation, a new survey conducted by the Survey Center on American Life finds that the social landscape is far less favorable than it once was. Especially for men.

Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman tweeted a pretty sad statistic from the findings: “Heartbreaking: 15% of men and 10% of women in America have no close friends. The decline is most pronounced among men.”

Single men fare the worst. One in five American men who are unmarried and not in a romantic relationship report not having any close friends. The number of American men without a close friend has exploded five fold in the last two decades. According to data from Cigna Health, 61% of Americans report feeling lonely, with men feeling lonelier than women.

Why? It may be an age old question. One psychologist told InsideHook that he's been studying the phenomenon since the '90s. He explains there are a few variables that explain why there's a lack of intimacy and close friendships in male-to-male relationships. The first being that men aren't too keen on opening up.

↦ Dig Deeper: I tried an online men's group during the pandemic and found support, strength and a new kind of friendship.

In Other News

↦ Simone Biles Will Not Compete in Gymnastics All-Around Final at Olympics

↦ Researchers Are Testing Concrete That Could Charge Your EV While You Drive

↦ Lucasfilm Hires YouTuber Who Deepfaked ‘The Mandalorian’

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

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Partner

You Need “Internal Sunglasses”

Athletes swear by this supplement to help them see better—on the field and off

I'm probably a lot like you. I put on my daily sunscreen and wear sunglasses to protect my eyes from UV rays. But I don't take into account all the time I spend in front of a screen—my computer, my TV and my phone (my God, the phone!). You might've heard about the dangers of blue light exposure—how it can contribute to the destruction of the cells in the center of the retina.

And while I've long prescribed to the hope that eating my carrots would have some added benefits to my eyes, that's not really the case. True, carotenoids like Zeaxanthin (found in carrots and corn) are good for your vision, you'd need to eat about 50 ears of corn every day to get the amount of zeaxanthin needed to fuel healthy eye sight.

Which is why dieticians and sports nutritionists opt for supplements—and the number one doctor-recommended option is EyePromise. Why? Because it protects your eyes 24/7. Unlike sunglasses or those popular blue light glasses that only work while you're wearing them.

These supplements have become something of a secret weapon for major league athletes, professional gamers and even your favorite newsletter writer. Their patented high level of dietary nutrients in Screen Shield Pro—my personal favorite—not only boosts your overall nutrition, but the combination of eye-strengthening Zeaxanthin and lutein that will give you better eye performance over time. And it's not just a promise: that performance can actually be measured by testing your macular pigment optical density. Which is a really science-y way of saying that this stuff really works to restore your eye's strength.

↦ Get It: ScreenShield Pro, $38.95 by EyePromise

6 Discounted Travel Essentials

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↦ Want More? 6 discounted travel essentials