The Daily Valet. - 8/3/23, Thursday
✔️ Those Old Bulbs are Officially Banned
Thursday, August 3rd Edition
By Cory Ohlendorf, Valet. Editor
Dumb phones are all well and good … until you want to read your favorite newsletter on it.
Today’s Big Story
Incandescent Bulbs Officially Banned
After more than a century in the spotlight, Edison’s filament bulbs are a thing of the past (mostly)
Did you hear about the lightbulb ban? It quietly went into effect this week, but it was a long time in the making. Congress established the first national light bulb efficiency standards in 2007, which was signed into law by President Bush. It was rolled back by the Trump administration, and then updated last year by the Biden administration—and as of August 1, those “normal” lightbulbs are really, truly banned from sale in the United States.According to the Associated Press, the rules establish strict new efficiency standards for bulbs used in homes and businesses and bans the manufacture and sale of those that don't meet those requirements. Practical incandescent bulbs, which trace their origin to an 1880 Edison patent, can't meet those standards. Neither can halogen bulbs. The rules also ban imports of less efficient bulbs.The Department of Energy estimates that Americans will collectively save over $3 billion on utility bills thanks to incandescent bulbs' retirement. The new standards are also expected to reduce U.S. carbon emissions by as much as 222 million metric tons over the next three decades—almost as much as 28 million homes generate every year.Of course, there are a few exceptions to the new rule—mainly for items such as bug lights, ovens and other home appliances. And really, at this point, the phaseout is more symbolic than anything else. When was the last time you used one of those old, delicate incandescent bulbs? As the New York Times points out, most manufacturers and retailers have been cutting inefficient products for years in anticipation of the new efficiency standards. And LED bulbs have become a whole lot more popular as their prices drop.Between 2015 and 2020, for instance, the percentage of American households that reported using LED bulbs for most or all of their lighting jumped more than tenfold — from 4% to 47%, according to the Energy Information Administration, an independent federal statistics agency.
FYI:
Traditional incandescent lights produce 15 lumens per watt, CNN reports, citing light bulb maker Philips. Most LED bulbs get you at least 75 lumens per watt.
Sports Memorabilia Is a Booming Business
Items once went for mere thousands at auction. Now you need seven figures to play this game and win.
Signed one-of-a-kind memorabilia has long been valuable. The chance of unearthing some long-lost baseball card and cashing in is a thrill we all know, right? But it seems to be getting a little out of hand lately. For instance, Sotheby's expects Wilt Chamberlain's 1972 NBA Finals jersey to sell for more than $4 million in an upcoming auction. Four. Million. Dollars.Robb Report investigates deeper and dives into the math by breaking down Michael Jordan's infamous “flu game” sneakers. Gifted to a former ball boy after the game, they were eventually sold in 2013 for $104,765. The figure garnered headlines back then, long before the spectacular rise in sports-memorabilia prices that would follow the onset of the pandemic. Had the money been invested in the S&P 500 in 2013, it would now be worth $351,000. Instead, the Jordans were auctioned again in June ... for $1.38 million. The collector that went out on a limb and dropped $50K on a Mickey Mantle card in 1991? He sold it last August for $12.6 million—a record not just for baseball cards but any sports memorabilia.Once associated with basement hobbyists, sports memorabilia is emerging as an industry akin to the art market, fueled by splashy auctions and hours-long bidding wars. Just how big it gets, no one knows. But the consulting group Market Decipher estimated the valuation of sports memorabilia globally at $26.1 billion in 2021, while predicting it will reach $227.2 billion by 2032.
Dig Deeper:
The docuseries, King of Collectibles, follows Ken Goldin as he jets around the U.S. dealing in boxing gloves and baseball cards, even a blood-stained flannel baseball jersey.
The Sriracha Shortage Continues
Huy Fong Foods is having production issues for the second year in a row
Just when you think it's safe to spice up your foods, Huy Fong, maker of the most popular Sriracha, is facing production issues for the second year in a row. The company blames “a shortage of raw material” and has “no estimations of when supply will increase.” Already, botles of the beloved rooster sauce have vanished from store shelves and restaurant tables.In the meantime, a vast and uncomfortably expensive underground Sriracha market has emerged. One writer documented her recent search for expired bottles from various (and often dubious) online sources. “Sellers are trying to hock them for as much as $100 on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist,” she says. “And until climate conditions improve, this may be the new normal for chumps like me.”Though Huy Fong resumed “limited production” in July, the company has not provided an estimate of when it believes suppliers will be able to deliver an adequate number of peppers. Louisiana Pepper Exchange founder Chris White speculates that Huy Fung uses non-fermented peppers that are processed just before they are made into hot sauce, which is why the dwindling supply of fresh red jalapeños has caused the company so much trouble. “It's a seasonal product ... not a lot of flexibility to pivot quickly to increase supply,” he tells InsideHook. “There's no pepper factory where you're turning up the dial for more pepper or a way to run a double shift.”
Alternative:
If you're looking for something that has the same punch of heat with a subtle sweetness, try Weak Knees Gochujang Sriracha that uses a Korean pepper paste.
Nokia Is Back With More Dumb Phones
The throwback feature phones devoid of anything that could be distracting—except Snake
The '90s really are coming back strong, huh? It seems like every new phone people are talking about is a flip phone and there's plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest that more and more young people are ditching their smartphones in favor of “dumb” feature phones, according to CNN and other media reports.Nokia, one of leading names in cell phones back in the day, is back with a pair of feature phones that Gizmodo says are ideal updates for those looking to steer clear of distractions or are in need of a secondary phone but want to avoid towing around another smartphone.Of course, if they look suspiciously familiar, you're right—the Nokia 150 isn't actually a new model. It was first announced in 2016 and received another glow-up in 2020. Now it's back for 2023, with a slightly more angular look and a few new features—if being a more environmentally conscious build and still not being a smartphone count as features. The other model, the Nokia 130 leaves out the camera and replaces it with a substantial speaker grille that the company says is for “long calls and loud audio” ... just don't think you're streaming Spotify to it.
FYI:
The phones' 1,450 mAh battery promises to offer up to 20 hours of talk time or up to 30 days of standby time.
In Other News
The Canadian Prime Minister has been married for 18 years.
Have you heard about ...
Pick the Proper Deodorant
Our summer survival series CONTINUES with ways to stay dry and smell fresh, despite the heat
Most guys don’t put too much thought into buying deodorant. Breezing through the expansive aisle at the big box store, they grab a familiar brand or the most striking packaging.But all those different formulas? They were essentially created to achieve different results. Which means you could be a lot less sweaty and smelly if you stock your bathroom with the right stick for you. We consulted a few medical experts and tried a handful of options ourselves to bring the best ones for your needs.
Get Started:
Shopping
What We’re Buying
A woven rattan lamp
Sometimes, a lamp provides more than just light. This new lamp from West Elm looks like something you might've unearthed in some far-flung vintage shop. And that's a good attribute for accent pieces like this. On a side table or a nightstand, maybe tucked into an entryway, it not only provides a subtle glow of warm light, but the all-over woven rattan also adds a textural and sculptural energy to any room. It's at once incredibly modern and yet feels natural and old school, too.
Get It:
Woven rattan lamp, $249 by West Elm
Morning Motto
Mind your manners.
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