The Daily Valet. - 9/22/21, Wednesday

✔️ The Case for Waiting

Wednesday, September 22nd Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

Would you be open to drinking lab-grown coffee?

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s Big Story

Apple’s iOS 15 Update Is Here

There’s a lot that’s new, but you might want to wait just a bit to install it

Whether you’ve already ordered a new iPhone 13 or are holding onto a six-year-old iPhone 6S, Apple’s iOS 15 is now available to download. The new version of iOS was in public beta for months undergoing a variety of tweaks leading to the final release.

It turns out, there are a slew of new features to check out, some of which might just change the way you use your iPhone. Gizmodo points to the new Focus mode. It’s like Do Not Disturb, but you can set up multiple scenarios—like home, work, or vacation—and set custom notification rules for each one. You can also setup separation alerts, which are exactly what they sound like: alerts that sound when you leave your iPhone behind.

According to several reviews, the update’s small tricks make a big difference, no matter what phone you’re using. For instance, your camera will get smarter—there are FaceTime improvements and you can now scan text. Point the camera at some words—say, a newspaper headline or a store sign—and it will automatically convert it to text you can copy and edit.

One of the flagship new features in iOS 15 is the web browser. While some aren’t crazy about the redesigned Safari, it is compatible with more powerful, Mac-like browser extensions. And there are plenty of extensions hitting the App Store, so 9to5 Mac put together a list of the best ones to try out.

And if you’re an iPhone user, you’re probably excited to FaceTime Android owners, store your driver’s license in your digital wallet and play around with some major Apple Maps upgrades. But CNET warns that you may want to wait a little bit.

Why? There are always a few bugs that slip through to the launch version. But you don’t have to wait long. They say most problems are fixed within a week. So maybe use this weekend to clean out your phone and then download sometime next week.

↦ BTW: The first betas of iOS 15.1 suggests we could see SharePlay soon.

House Passes Bill to Avert Shutdown

A familiar standoff that could have big economic consequences

The House of Representatives voted to pass legislation on Tuesday to prevent a government shutdown at the end of the month and suspend the nation's borrowing limit, but the legislation faces grim prospects in Senate.

Government funding is set to expire on September 30, but this stopgap bill would extend funding and keep the government open through December 3. In addition, the measure includes a debt limit suspension through December 16, 2022. It would also provide $28.6 billion in disaster relief funding and $6.3 billion to assist Afghanistan evacuees.

According to the Washington Post, no recent fight in the halls of Congress has quite carried the same stakes as this one, coming at a time when Washington continues to grapple with rising coronavirus infections and the deadly consequences of a fast-warming planet. Biden himself has warned about the “catastrophic” effects of inaction with key deadlines looming.

The bill now faces an uphill battle in the Senate. By attaching the debt limit suspension to the must-pass funding bill, Democrats are essentially daring Republicans to vote no and spark a shutdown. But NPR reports that so far, Republicans are showing no signs of budging.

↦ Dig Deeper: Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen called on Congress to raise the debt ceiling in a Wall Street Journal op-ed, warning that if America defaults on its debt, it “could trigger a spike in interest rates and a steep drop in stock prices.”

NASA Chose a Sweet Spot to Land Its Lunar Rover

The rover is heading for one of the coldest areas in our solar system to look for water

NASA's Artemis program isn't just about getting humans back to the moon. It's also about sending machines—including a sophisticated water-hunting lunar rover—up there.

After much deliberation, NASA has selected an intriguing spot for the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (dubbed VIPER): the rugged edge of an impact crater near the Moon's South Pole. It will map the area and look for water at the surface and below.

This ancient crater is a very dark, cold and shadowy place, which allows for the preservation of frozen water. NASA describes it as “one of the coldest areas in our solar system.” VIPER will drill and collect samples over the course of its 100-day mission, scheduled for November 2023.

NASA is particularly interested in ice deposits on the moon since water is difficult and expensive to transport through space. So they're looking at ways to access resources that are already there on the moon and, eventually, Mars.

↦ Sound Familiar? This is similar to the plot of the Apple TV+ show, For All Mankind. Have you seen it? I definitely recommend it.

Lab-Grown Coffee?

A biotech caffeine alternative in the face of climate change

We can grow meat in a lab. Breast milk too. So why not coffee?

Given how climate change and deforestation have negatively impacted coffee crops worldwide, alternatives to traditional farming methods may be needed in the near future to sustain our ever-growing thirst for coffee morning, noon and night.

Just in time, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has successfully produced coffee cells in a bioreactor through cellular agriculture. The innovation can help to make the production of coffee more sustainable. And the first batches produced by the lab smell and taste exactly like conventional coffee.

According to InsideHook, we likely won't see lab-grown coffee as a commercially viable product for another four years or so. Meanwhile, other companies like Atomo are taking a different approach—they're creating “coffee” without using any coffee beans—instead they use upcycled plant-based ingredients with similar compounds to coffee beans.

↦ FYI: Making good coffee is all about the ritual. Here's our plan for the ultimate home coffee setup.

In Other News

↦ Gabby Petito’s Remains Confirmed, and Manner of Death Was Homicide, Coroner Determines

↦ TikTokers Are Trading Stocks by Copying What Members of Congress Do

↦ Tesla Drivers Become Less Attentive When Using Autopilot, Study Finds

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

The James Bond curse

Long live the Mad Men

The scent of gasoline

Fiber Isn’t Sexy. But It’s Important.

And most of us don’t get enough

We gotta talk about fiber—just for a minute. Because ensuring that your diet is rounded out with enough fiber is the key to being slimmer, stronger and generally healthier. Of course, when you're thinking about your diet in terms of looking and feeling good, fiber doesn't really come to mind.

You're typically thinking about boosting your protein or cutting your sugar, right? Well that needs to change, because there's a high probability that you're not getting enough fiber.

When we feel crunched for time, many of us rely on seemingly convenient on-the-go options like fast food, juices or processed and packaged snacks. But many of those foods have been stripped of their beneficial fiber. According to the FDA, most Americans are not getting their recommended dose. How much is recommended? Anywhere between 30 and 42 grams of fiber, depending on your age and your level of physical activity. And only 4% of all men and 13% of women in the United States have a fiber intake above the recommended amount.

This is a problem, because a lack of fiber has been linked to all sorts of serious health outcomes, from a higher risk of heart disease to obesity and even certain cancers. We spoke with experts for their advice to help you get your fill of daily fiber. Do it and you'll start to notice a slew of health benefits.

↦ Read: Why you want to increase your fiber today.

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