The Daily Valet. - 9/27/22, Tuesday

✔️ The Crash We Were Expecting.

September 27, 2022

Tuesday, September 27th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

I think we need a better name for mini-cocktails. Any suggestions?

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s Big Story

NASA Smashes Into an Asteroid

The spacecraft is gone, but the science is just beginning

A NASA spacecraft slammed into the surface of a distant asteroid at 7:14 p.m. ET on Monday night. The crash was intentional—the climax of the agency’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test.

The DART mission launched back in November, and then the vending machine-sized spacecraft raced around the sun for 10 months as it pursued its target—a small space rock, Dimorphos, seven million miles from Earth. The goal was to see whether the technology could one day be used to defend Earth from hazardous asteroids or comets by deflecting them off their collision course with the planet. (I think we’ve all seen that scenario in a movie or two, right?)

“For the first time, humanity has demonstrated the ability to autonomously target and alter the orbit of a celestial object,” Ralph Semmel, director of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, said during a news conference after the crash. The lab managed the mission for NASA.

To be clear, Dimorphos doesn’t pose any danger to Earth. No known asteroids do—at the moment. But NASA is playing a long game. “We are showing that planetary defense is a global endeavor, and it is very possible to save our planet,” NASA administrator Bill Nelson said.

The option that DART is testing is one of the most direct; if we slam something into an asteroid, will it change how that asteroid moves? Because Dimorphos’ orbit takes it between another asteroid (Didymos) and Earth, researchers will soon have an answer to that question. According to The Verge, it will likely take a few months to get a full answer of how much the mission changed Dimorphos’ orbit, but some images and data will likely start coming out in the next few days and weeks from sources all around the solar system.

In its last moments, the space craft sent back a series of photographs of the egg-shaped asteroid (which is about the size of a football stadium) as it approached at more than 14,000 miles per hour. A smaller satellite, the Italian-built LICIACube, followed DART on its way to its doom. It took additional photos and video of the crash and the aftermath, which will be sent back to researchers on Earth so they can study the impact of, uh, the DART’s impact.

↦ Dig Deeper: Physicist Don Lincoln explains to CNN that “Earth sits in a cosmic shooting gallery,” which is why this technology is so important.

Traffic Returns to U.S. Downtowns

Traffic jams are now approaching pre-pandemic levels

Downtown traffic congestion in major American cities has risen significantly since the early days of the pandemic, according to a new analysis from traffic data firm StreetLight.

Road congestion—as measured by the amount of time vehicles spend in traffic compared to the time such travel would take in free-flow conditions—is still down about 27% (on average) across major U.S. cities' downtowns compared to pre-pandemic levels. But it's quickly rising.

And that matters because the pandemic was seen as an opportunity for cities to rethink their approach to car traffic. And don't think that just because a city is smaller in size, its traffic is better than the big guys. According to the 2021 Urban Mobility Report, commuters in San Diego averaged 24 hours of delays annually, while Little Rock saw about 33.

StreetLight's report noted that the resurgence in downtown traffic “may signal good news for the economy, but it's bad news for overall emissions and quality of life.” Which is why New York City is moving forward with “congestion pricing”—essentially a toll for downtown-bound drivers, to reduce the number of cars on the road. Traffic experts also say more flexible schedules would continue to help, since only half of Americans work in major cities.

↦ FYI: Here’s how much gas you waste if you live in a city with bad traffic. (It’s more than you think.)

All Eyes on TikTok

It’s seemingly the new king of social media, but being on the top isn’t all that easy

One way to understand the past five years of social media, is as “a race to see who can copy TikTok the fastest and with the least dignity,” reports Intelligencer. Instagram (Reels), YouTube (Shorts), and most recently Facebook (Suggested for You) have all undergone covetous and occasionally disastrous renovations inspired by the video-sharing service.

Last year, Tiktok.com was the most popular domain on the internet, outranking Google and Facebook, according to Cloudfare. It's now Gen Z's preferred search engine. And the app's popularity has pushed it onto the radar of big tech companies including Apple, Microsoft and Google in hopes of getting closer to their consumers.

But that doesn't mean it's easy for TikTok. On the surface, it's now attempting a copycat of its own, with a daily prompt to capture authentic content that's clearly chasing BeReal, the French photo-sharing app that rocketed to popularity this year.

And this is all happening with the U.S. government continually questioning the political hazards inherent in TikTok's corporate situation. On Monday, the company said it had a draft agreement in place with the U.S. that would allow it to continue operating in the country while retaining Chinese ownership. However, the agreement may take months more to finalize, reports Deadline, with a top DOJ official and the Treasury both having reservations on whether it's tough enough on China.

↦ FYI: TikTok is expected to net around $11 billion in U.S. ad revenues by 2024, outpacing YouTube.

Mini Cocktails Are Big Right Now

The tiny tipple has gone from bartender handshake to menu mainstay

I have to say I'm excited about this trend. Because I've always been a sucker for small bites, hors d'oeuvres and party nibbles. Maybe it's my natural curiosity or the sheer novelty of tiny things, but they always seem so much more pleasurable—snacking on a bunch of little things rather than one huge, whopping meal.

The idea is now coming to a bar near you. At local watering holes and high-end cocktail lounges, one menu category has been appearing more and more frequently—mini cocktails. According to Food & Wine, they're generally one- or two-ounce servings of a drink, these are just the right size to get a little nip of something to start or end your night.

The most common tiny cocktail is a snaquiri—the diminutive daiquiri that's long been a bartender favorite (both for drinking themselves and for shaking up for regular customers). As one bartender explains, “shots are not for everybody, but you can order a round of little cocktails for the table and that's fun.”

Keeping a handle on intoxication is certainly one impetus for the growing trend. Punch reports that this not only makes it easier to enjoy a drink with lunch (and return to work clearheaded), but it also allows guests to enjoy cocktails at a lower price point. It sounds nice, right? And I'm guessing it's good for business.

↦ Meanwhile: Mushroom cocktails (and even non-alcoholic drinks) are popping up all over too.

In Other News

↦ Hurricane Ian on Path to Strike Florida As a Major Storm

↦ Russia Gives Citizenship to Ex-NSA Contractor Edward Snowden

↦ It’s Official: Ted Lasso, AFC Richmond and the Uncanny Valley Are Coming to FIFA 23

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

Robert Downey Jr.’s wild Malibu home

Bachelor pad design mistake

The fastest-growing fast food chains

Beware of Productivity Myths

A few of these will surprise you

Everyone's trying to get ahead and be as productive as possible, right? We've got too much to do and never enough time. But there are a lot of dirty tricks and widely-accepted fabrications that pass as good advice out there.

Can you tell the difference between fantasy and solid tactics? In order to help you out, we spoke to some productivity experts, life coaches and dove into the science behind some of the most popular myths.

For instance, did you know that procrastination isn't such a bad thing? Or that knocking out the easy stuff first doesn't always set you on the right path? Yeah, the results of our research might switch up your game plan. But you'll be better off because of it.

↦ Read: Six dangerous productivity myths and what you really need to know to get stuff done.

What We’re Buying

This 64-ounce growler is ideal for a weekend of football because it stays cold for several hours thanks to a dual-wall insulation. The handsome hand-finished metal finish? That’s a bonus.

↦ Get It: $60 / $45 by RBT