The Daily Valet. - 8/12/21, Thursday

✔️ The Pet Revolution

August 12, 2021

Thursday, August 12th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

Pets, junk food and new technology ... all my favorite things.

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s Big Story

The Pet Revolution

We really live for our furry friends these days, but we’re all better off for it

Dogs have come a long way since the days when they were put to work on farms and fed scraps, writes Greg Rosalsky in the Planet Money newsletter. “They’ve even come a long way since just a few decades ago when they spent their nights in the doghouse.”

If you don't think so, just ask my dog. She sleeps on a memory foam bed—when she's not happily snoozing on my feet while I work. Or snacking on gourmet dog treats, drinking water with an herbal additive or being whisked off to a playdate at doggy daycare.

But that’s not to say this is a purely one-sided friendship. Researchers have found that pet owners have a lower risk of heart disease and that simply having a dog reduces a person’s risk of premature death by up to a third. They're certainly good stress relievers.

Which could explain why as companies look to reopen their offices post-pandemic, many remote workers—some of whom adopted a new pet during the pandemic—are choosing their pets over jobs, reports TIME.

Since 1998, the pet population in America has almost doubled—about two-thirds of the country now owns a pet, writes Mark Cushing in his new book, Pet Nation.

Cushing traces the revolution back to 1998. The the annual amount that Americans spent on their pets ballooned from $23 billion to $90.5 billion (in inflation-adjusted terms). That's a staggering 293% increase. And then the pandemic hit, causing spending rocketed even higher. Last year, Americans spent a record $103.6 billion on their furry friends (as well as non-furry reptiles, birds and fish).

↦ Buy: From beds to toys, these are the pet products our team swears by.

In Vaxx News ...

Here’s the latest

Federal regulators are expected to authorize a third shot of coronavirus vaccine as early as today for certain people with weakened immune systems, an effort to better protect them as the highly contagious Delta variant sweeps the nation.

Meanwhile, pregnant women should be vaccinated against COVID-19, based on a new analysis that did not show increased risk for miscarriage, the CDC said on Wednesday.

And California just became the first state to require coronavirus vaccine or testing for teachers and school staff.

Think Kids Eat Too Much Junk Food?

A new study confirms, you’re probably right

Warning: This story may make you want Oreos. A new study has found that kids and teens in the U.S. get the majority of their calories from ultra-processed foods like frozen pizza, microwavable meals, chips and cookies.

The research, published in the medical journal JAMA, analyzed the diets of nearly 35,000 American youths age two to 19 (from all over the country). It found that two-thirds of the calories consumed by young people in 2018 came from ultra-processed foods, a jump from just 61% in 1999.

The study noted the “overall poorer nutrient profile” of the ultra-processed foods and found that the education levels of parents or family income didn't affect consumption of junk foods—which speaks to just how common these types of items are in many households.

But the responsibility for tackling this problem shouldn't fall only on parents, reports NPR. This widespread reliance on junk food is an increasing public health concern, as the obesity rate has been rising steadily among U.S. youths for the past two decades.

↦ FYI: From chips to candy, these are the most sought-after snack foods in each of the 50 states.

Samsung Makes Us Want a Flip Phone

The newest foldable phone looks both stylish and versatile

Look, I love my iPhone. I really do, but there's no denying that satisfying snap of shutting a flip phone. Remember that? And phones have gotten so big—perhaps too big—and folding them in half seems like a viable solution.

Especially when they're this well designed. On Wednesday, Samsung announced a couple of new products during its Unpacked event. But the star was definitely the Galaxy Z Flip3. The redesigned clamshell-style phone starts at $1,000, putting it in line with the Galaxy S21 Plus and the iPhone 12 Pro.

The biggest and most welcome change is that its display is now 80% stronger than prior generations of the foldable, and it's finally, mercifully, water resistant. It also added a larger, more usable, front-facing display.

One of the more interesting aspects is the Flex Mode, which lets you use the top half of the screen to display content, and the bottom half to control it. Think watching a movie on the top half, and having the playback controls on the bottom.

↦ Dig Deeper: The Verge breaks down how Samsung beefed up the new folding phones ... with metal, tape and a dab of goo.

In Other News

↦ It’s Double ‘Jeopardy!’: Mike Richards and Mayim Bialik Will Be New Hosts

↦ Siberia’s Wildfires Are Bigger Than All the World’s Other Blazes … Combined

↦ Emirates Airlines Had a Woman Stand on the Very Top of the Burj Khalifa for an Ad. Here’s How They Pulled It Off

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

Exercising for four seconds

COVID fees

Hackers

Want Your Cologne to Last Longer?

These fragrances keep the compliments rolling

You put on cologne for one very good reason, right? You want to smell good. But tell us if this sounds familiar: you spritz on your favorite scent and soon, you can't smell it—and no one else can either. Thus, it's not doing its job.

Turns out, not all bottles of cologne are created equally. Fragrances can all but evaporate when they have a lower perfume oil concentration.

The less actual perfume oil you have, the more alcohol in the formula, which leads to evaporation. Then there are more artisanal brands, which tend to use higher quality oils and essences that will result in a longer-wearing scent. Often, it takes some trial and error. But that's what you have the Valet. team for ... we tested plenty to find you the best ones to buy right now.

↦ BUY: Grab one of our favorite bottles and smell great ll day long.