The Daily Valet. - 8/21/23, Monday
✔️ Can You Smell That?
Monday, August 21st Edition
By Cory Ohlendorf, Valet. Editor
If you see a robot delivering food this week, just let it do its job, ok?
Today’s Big Story
Tennis, Anyone?
The racquet sport is having a moment ... not just in fashion, but in the scent space
Call it the tennaissance. Because the racquet sport is clearly having a moment in stylish circles. There's Copenhagen-based tennis imprint Palmes partnering with bicoastal podcast How Long Gone, cool brands like New York's Bageled making a splash on and off the court and the fact that tournaments have become the place to see and been seen getting a fit off.But as much as the style of the sport is enjoying its time in the sun, it seems like the scent of the sport is what's really taking off. And if there was ever a sport to smell, it's got to be tennis, right? Even those of us who don't play certainly know that distinctive, chemically smell of cracking open a fresh can of balls. (Do any other balls come in cans?)Just in time for the U.S. Open, cult fragrance brand D.S. & Durga is serving up a new scent inspired by the trappings of the sport. Part of the brand's limited-edition “Studio Juice” collection, the fragrance is pure fun, from its cheeky name, Crush Balls, to its unexpected notes. Instead of mimicking the smell of, say, tennis balls, D.S. & Durga co-founder and perfumer David Seth Moltz tells HighSnobiety that he set out to capture “the vibe of tennis.” Hints of rubber and glue immediately recall a new can of Wilsons, yes, but the fragrance ventures beyond the immediately recognizable. Newly mown grass, rosemary, and a whisper of white florals create a crisp, citrusy effect, while a woody, ambery note Moltz dubs “hard court” softens the fragrance's sharp opening.Which is to say it takes a more abstract approach than other tennis-inspired scents on the market—of which there are quite a few. According to The Coveteur, there's the Lacoste Limited-Edition Roland-Garros fragrance, Carner Barcelona's Tennis Club perfume, Demeter's Fuzzy Balls and the classic Soft Lawn by Imaginary Authors, just to name a few.You might assume that the increase in the popularity of tennis and the fragrance is tied to nostalgia. “Prince made their mark in the '70s and it still has that nostalgic feel,” says Snif's cofounder Phil Riportella on the brand's recent decision to collaborate with the old-school American tennis brand. Prince also worked with Vacation on a tall Ball Boy candle that evokes an open ball can. Light it up and you get not just a whiff of freshly uncanned tennis balls, but notes of the brand's signature sunscreen scent, along with cotton sweatbands, and even some classy courtside cucumber sandwiches. Why play the sport when you can smell like the sport?
Ever Wonder Why ...
Tennis balls are pressurized in a can? It keeps as much air in the ball as possible. The more air inside of a ball, the less it will compress when it makes contact with the court—resulting in higher bouncing and faster airspeed.
Managing the Maui Fallout
Water Rights, A presidential Visit and a Pink Glue stopping toxic substances from running off into the ocean
As the president prepares to visit Maui today to survey the damage from the wildfires and console distraught residents, the Washington Post reports that both his government's response and his personal reaction to the disaster are under intense scrutiny. Meanwhile, the fire prompted a series of moves from Governor Josh Green's administration in recent days to break what he called an “impasse” over water allocation, temporarily loosening regulations on key streams on the island of Maui and petitioning the state Supreme Court to expand access to others to raise the amount of water available to fight wildfires.While there was concern that speculators could snap up destroyed land, Green insisted over the weekend that the years-long undertaking of rebuilding Maui's historic Lahaina community will prioritize residents' desires over those of property developers. The western Maui community—once a lively economic and cultural hub—was among the hardest hit. Many of the at least 114 people killed in the fires were from the area, which has seen entire neighborhoods and irreplaceable historic landmarks reduced to ash.And speaking of the burn zone, that sad, charred black earth and ash will soon turn pink as a “water-based glue” is applied to prevent winds and rain from kicking it up and running off into the ocean. Workers for the EPA's incident response team will begin applying the biodegradable, nontoxic material, known as a “soil tackifier,” in the coming days, using water trucks that will spray the material from hoses, an agency official said.
FYI:
Over 1,000 people remain missing nearly two weeks after Hawaii's historic wildfires, as state officials warn the death toll will continue to climb while search and recovery efforts continue.
People Are Robbing Delivery Robots
Like modern-day pirates, they're swiping food deliveries and grocery runs from the tiny mobile boxes
Robotics are no doubt our future. And the future is now. They're already parking our cars, cleaning our floors, and several areas now have delivery box bots shuttling food and groceries in cities across America. But if we're to succeed in this new robotic society, we need to learn to live with our autonomous friends—not beat them up and steal their packages.But that's what is happening to those little, sweet Wall-E like robots. And honestly, I'm disappointed in people. When these first came to my neighborhood in Los Angeles, people would stand back in awe, giving the little rovers space to move and simply marvel at them ... like a mechanical dog, out delivering Panda Express. But now, autonomous delivery vehicles are taking a beating, and several viral videos showing people kicking the robots over, and stealing the products inside. This is why we can't have nice things! According to Autoweek, businesses from California to North Carolina have reported a slew of thefts from their delivery bots. Several robots have been found flipped upside down and others have even been discovered in a creek. Brutal. Still, while the spate of robberies appears to be spreading, robot operators across the country told Jalopnik that their little worker bots are still managing to hit a 99.9% delivery completion rate.
Meanwhile:
A new robo-delivery company is going public, but Quartz says it needs to raise a lot of capital to fulfill deploying 2,000 robots with Uber Eats.
Don’t Shell Out for Blue Light Glasses
They might not have the beneficial effects you're expecting
Blue light glasses blew up over the past few years thanks to their promise of protecting our eyes against screen usage. But a new analysis shows they might not be as beneficial to our eye health as previously hoped.The study, published in the Cochrane Database of Systemic Reviews, compared evidence from 17 clinical trials in which these types of glasses were tested against their counterparts that weren't designed to filter blue light. Their conclusion? “This systematic review found that blue‐light filtering spectacle lenses may not attenuate symptoms of eye strain with computer use, over a short‐term follow‐up period, compared to non‐blue‐light filtering lenses,” the study's authors wrote. The review also found “little or no effect” with blue-light filtering lenses on visual performance and daytime alertness.That means nothing conclusive can be said about the benefits of blue-light-blocking glasses on overall eye health, sleep quality or visual performance. This is despite the fact that there are a range of advertising claims regarding these very benefits, and that such lenses are often prescribed (with an upsell for the blue light blockers) based on that alleged efficacy. But as Live Science points out, this study isn't the first time experts have been skeptical of the benefits of blue light-filtering glasses. She also writes that no studies show any evidence that these types of glasses have adverse effects—so if you happen to enjoy wearing them, no need to stop now.
FYI:
Most blue-light filtering lenses typically filter out about 10-25% of blue light.
In Other News
It dumped a year’s worth of moisture onto the dry streets of desert cities.
Have you heard about ...
Worth a Listen
The New York Times' best podcast
It's not the only podcast that the New York Times does well, of course, but it might be the best one. And that's thanks to music critic Jon Caramanica grappling with the ever-changing youth cultures of the pop-music world despite his own climbing age. (Raise your hand if you can relate.) The podcast routinely delivers smart conversations about a slice of whatever's happening in the music world at any given moment—from Lizzo's backlash and the Barbie soundtrack to questioning if there's even songs of the summer anymore.
Listen:
Shopping
What We’re Buying
An all-weather jacket
As we head into fall, it's time to start thinking about your jacket arsenal. And if you want to find some deals, it's better to buy early before the good stuff sells out. And menswear insiders are currently buzzing about this Barbour dupe from UNIQLO ($79.90). Cut in a boxy fit from a crisp all-weather cotton and finished with a corduroy collar and a checked lining, it's definitely got all the hallmarks of the famed British heritage label. Except it's a little more understated and modern ... plus, it costs less than 80 bucks, rather than around $400.
Want more?
The five stylish items you should be buying this week.
Morning Motto
It’s not always easy, but trust that it will work out.
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