The Daily Valet. - 9/16/21, Thursday

✔️ About Those Boosters

Thursday, September 16th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

And we’re back baby!

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s Big Story

U.S. Booster Policy Is in Flux

Are they necessary? Who gets them? And when?

You’ll be hearing about boosters a lot over the coming days. On Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration offered the first public look at Pfizer’s application for a booster coronavirus shot—just before an outside advisory committee of experts meets on Friday to recommend whether or not the agency should approve the company’s request.

On the same day, Moderna said its own vaccine trial shows that the protection it offers wanes over time, supporting the case for booster doses. (Earlier this month, Moderna submitted an application to the FDA seeking authorization for a booster shot.)

The Biden administration had targeted next week to start widely distributing the extra shots to counter contagious variants such as Delta and bolster signs of waning immunity among the vaccinated. The additional shots could reduce virus transmission—a goal officials have been less explicit about—and speed up America’s recovery.

“It is not the primary reason (for boosters), but it could actually be a very positive offshoot,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease doctor told Reuters. But evidence supporting the need for an extra dose, at least in the general public, hasn’t exactly been conclusive.

A series of dueling reviews this week illustrated the fierce argument among scientists about whether boosters are needed, and if so, for whom. What comes next depends on meetings of expert advisory committees to both the FDA (which is responsible for authorizing vaccines) and the CDC (which typically has the final word on vaccination policies).

In a recent op-ed, renowned scientist William Haseltine wrote that many of the vaccines that are part of our routine immunization schedule in the U.S. are three-dose regimens, or more. “Despite the novel delivery system of the mRNA Covid vaccines, it is now clear that their potency wanes over time, as it does for more conventional vaccines,” he wrote. “So the fact that our understanding of vaccine-induced COVID immunity has led me to the conclusion that we need a third dose, should come as no surprise.”

↦ Meanwhile: The country’s first COVID-sniffing dog pilot program is underway at Miami International Airport.

SpaceX Launches All-Tourist Crew

The first all-civilian, all-private mission to orbit Earth takes off

SpaceX’s first private flight streaked into orbit Wednesday night with two contest winners, a health care worker and their rich sponsor, the most ambitious leap yet in space tourism.

According to CNN, The four tourists aboard Inspiration4 have every hour planned over the next three days in space—from conducting experiments to communicating with teams back here on the ground.

The Dragon capsule will be cruising around the planet from an unusually high orbit—100 miles (160 kilometers) higher than the International Space Station—before splashing down off the Florida coast this weekend.

The four have trained intensely, of course, but none of them are professional astronauts. According to NPR, there's some crossover with how astronauts themselves train. But it's also worth mentioning that SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft largely functions on its own and doesn't require much human input to operate.

The Downside of a Plant-Based Diet

Vegan men fart way more than non-vegans, study finds

I hope you're not eating breakfast while reading this. But according to a new study published in the journal Nutrients, men fart on average seven more times a day while observing a plant-based diet.

If you're wondering how researchers tracked such a thing, they recorded the, uh, output by feeding the subjects stewed beans, attaching balloons to their rectums and monitoring the output. All in the name of science.

Of course, going plant-based has been linked to a reduced risk of cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's and heart disease, as well as trimmer waistlines, a boost in athletic performance, sharpened day-to-day focus, better sleep and even an increased libido.

And while an increase in gas sounds problematic, as the authors of the study explain, it's actually a tell-tale sign of a healthy gut. “Our Western idea that farting is a sign of something being wrong is totally false,” Rosemary Stanton, from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, told Men's Health. “Farting is a sign of a healthy diet and a healthy colon.”

Can TVs Get Too Big?

Because LG is now making a 325-inch 8K monster TV

If you've ever looked at your TV and thought, “There's too much wall around this thing,” you're in luck. Because LG has just unveiled its new lineup of Direct View LED (DVLED) Extreme Home Cinema sets—the largest of which measures a mind-blowing 325 inches diagonally.

Of course, this isn't the only wall-sized TV on the market—there's also the Samsung Wall and Sony's Crystal LED. But according to Robb Report, LG's does make use of the brand's unique LED-as-pixel display technology. Most LED TVs actually use an LCD layer to create pixels, but this one uses the LED diodes alone (three for each pixel) to do this.

Getting LEDs small enough, and efficient enough, has been a goal for all the major TV brands, not to mention dozens of competing smaller companies you've never heard of. That's because LEDs require significantly more electricity than any other part of the TV, reports CNET.

As for this big boy? The top-of-the-line DVLED model packs 33 million LED diodes into its 23.6 feet by 13.3 feet frame and tips the scales at an equally jaw-dropping 2,222 pounds. Just imagine the heat this thing would put off! But what's a little warmth when you've got your own mini-IMAX in your living room?

↦ FYI: The theater-sized TV comes with a complimentary five-year customer service package which the brand values at $30,000.

In Other News

↦ The Disappearance of "Van Life" YouTuber Gabrielle Petito Has Deepened After Her Partner Was Named a Person of Interest

↦ Olympians Simone Biles, Aly Raisman Among Gymnasts Who Say the FBI Badly Mishandled the Larry Nassar Investigation

↦ Airline Launches Solution for Passengers Who Don’t Want to Sit Near Kids

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

iPhone camera improvements

Ballgate

This ‘Friends’ LEGO set

Road Testing Workout Shorts

We put the best two-in-one shorts through the paces

Efficiency. Whether it's finding the time to squeeze in a 30 minute workout in your busy schedule or getting faster and stronger in the workout you're doing, there's always something that can be more efficient. So why not in the clothes you're wearing? More specifically, combining your workout shorts and compression underwear. Stick with me on this ...

Recently, more and more brands have been refining the two-in-one workout short. One part short, one part compression liner, they are no longer two items that have to be bought and dealt with separately. These tight-fitting liners are a serious step up from standard performance gear, offering the sweat-wicking, anti-chafing properties you won't get in your regular underwear.

The ability to grab a pair of these shorts, a performance tee and then be on your way out the door in the morning, having everything you need to sneak in a quick workout at lunch or on your way home from work? Nothing can beat that efficiency.

Our own Ethan Thomas recently tested a handful of shorts in the gym and we've put together a list of the best ones for your money.

↦ Buy: The best two-in-one shorts for your workouts.