The Daily Valet. - 9/8/23, Friday
✔️ Digital Passports Are Here
Friday, September 8th Edition
By Cory Ohlendorf, Valet. Editor
Let's all do our part and drink some wine this weekend.
Today’s Big Story
Digital Passports Are Here
At least, they’re in Europe, where Finland is testing them out to speed up travel
I love my passport. I appreciate the old timey design and the rugged and rumpled corners on the navy blue book. But it's already less charming than it was in the past. Few countries give you stamps anymore—these days, you're likely to get a nondescript sticker printed with a QR code. But what we lack in charm, we're making up for in speed and ease when going through immigration at the airport.And the next step is digital passports. Like plane tickets and subway passes, the passport is moving onto your personal devices. According to Afar, Finland has just become the first country to introduce digital passports. Now, thanks to a pilot program, passengers on select flights can pass through border control using “Digital Travel Credentials (DTC),” which allows them to scan an app on their phone at designated checkpoints in lieu of having their passports checked by the Border Guard.The pilot (ahem) program is running until the end of February 2024, and hopes to make the cumbersome process of border security checks a much simpler and faster part of international travel. Forbes reports that the European Union wants at least 80% of citizens in the 27-country bloc to be using such digital IDs by 2030.Of course, the advantages here are numerous, the most obvious being that you never have to worry about forgetting your passport at home, or worse—losing it while you're traveling. It's estimated that hundreds of thousands of people lose or damage their passports while traveling and need emergency travel documents issued. While inconvenient and stressful, it's also expensive; in one year, it cost British tourists abroad £5 million (US$6.2 million) to have temporary documents issued.Inside Hook also points out that it will make it harder for passports to be falsified and/or tampered with, thus reducing the risk of both identity fraud and unauthorized access. It stands to reason that other countries will follow suit in the very near future.
FYI:
The terminology surrounding electronic credentials can be confusing. Europe’s DTC is not the same as a biometric passport (also known as an e-passport).
France Dumps 80 Million Gallons of Wine
The country Has So Much Extra Wine, It's Actually Paying Farmers To Destroy It
This one is painful to write, because good French wine is expensive. And that's if you want to drink it ... who knew it could be more expensive to destroy it? But that's what is happening. Due to a current glut of wine and a number of economic factors, France is destroying the excess inventory. And according to the Washington Post, it will cost about $216 million to do it.But it's not as simple as dumping it down the drain. To destroy the wine, producers will have to distill it down to pure alcohol to be used for products like perfume, cleaning supplies, or even hand sanitizer. That's why the government is paying farmers.This is not the first time the government has instituted such a buy-back program as the overproduction of vino has driven prices of some wines down by as much as 20%—French wine market expert Elizabeth Carter told Forbes that France has for years struggled with more wine than is consumed and limiting quantity should help prop up prices. So please, everyone drink up.
FYI:
The Guardian reported France was leading the way in alcohol-free drinking, with a slew of alcohol-free spirits, wines, cocktails and beers.
New Words Drop
‘Nepo Baby’ Among 500 New Words Added to the Dictionary
Thursday could've been a Blursday until we found out “Blursday” officially made it into the dictionary. The slang term, if you haven't heard it before, means a “a day not easily distinguished from other days, or the phenomenon of days running together.” And it joins 565 other words that were just added to Dictionary.com for the fall of 2023.Some were familiar and technological, such as “generative AI,” “chatbot” and “algo”. Others were more cultural, like “depo baby”. As The Hollywood Reporter points out, the fact that this touchy term already has its own dictionary entry is surely a testament to how quickly and widely social media can spread language.We also have social media to thank for popularizing “shower orange”, which is exactly what it sounds like: You peel and eat an orange in the shower, where the steam supposedly “enhances the orange's citrusy fragrance and creates a soothing experience” for you. But it's not all technology and apps. Certain terms are more likely to pop up in books than on TikTok—like “agelast”, which describes someone who never laughs or lacks a sense of humor.
Dig Deeper:
How much do words matter? A scholar of medieval literature believes that words used in the past can empower us in the present.
The MoonSwatch’s Sequel
An affordable version of the most iconic dive watch of all time
The MoonSwatch's much anticipated sequel is finally here: the Blancpain x Swatch Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms, a Swatchified version of a luxury dive watch from a historic and high-end brand in the Swatch Group.According to British GQ, the journey started 12 months ago, amid a heightened hunger for MoonSwatch watches that few people within Swatch Group—or anywhere else in the world really—could have possibly imagined. Marc Hayek, who has been the person in charge at Blancpain since 2002, saw an opportunity ripe for the taking. Conversations were had between Marc and CEO of Swatch Group, Nick Hayek Jr., about two icons—Swatch's Scuba dive watch and Blancpain's diving OG, the Fifty Fathoms. The result was Swatch and Blancpain pressing ‘go’ on a collab for 2023, which makes total sense as this year is the 70th anniversary of the Fifty Fathoms.Five ocean-themed Scuba Fiftys will be released on September 9th at select locations, in five distinct colors. It'll cost you about $400 and it appears that the purchasing situation will be similar to the MoonSwatch with availability only in person, at least initially.
In Other News
Restaurants and tour companies are laying off workers and unemployment is surging.
Have you heard about ...
A Weekend Pairing
‘Never Let Him Go’ + an Australian Shiraz
If you like true crime podcasts, this docu-series from Hulu will definitely scratch you right where you itch. Never Let Him Go is a four-parter that examines how Steve Johnson spent over 30 years insisting that his younger brother Scott—whose naked body was found at the bottom of a cliff near Sydney in 1988—was murdered. The death was ruled a suicide, but his brother's tenacity led to the truth.Steve couldn't understand why his brother, a brilliant PhD student with a bright future in mathematics, would take his own life? He had a feeling something more sinister was at play. But it took decades to fund further investigations and put the puzzle pieces together in order to prove that his brother was killed—likely due to his sexual orientation. Both Collider and Decider say it's a can't-miss show. As one review says, the series is multiple things at once: “a critique of culturally ingrained bigotry and the way in which it informs public and law-enforcement attitudes and actions toward marginalized members of society; a lament for a promising life cut tragically short; and a rousing tribute to a brother whose unwavering devotion knew no bounds.”
Pair It With
Settle in for a wild ride and pour yourself a glass of red wine. Australia is known for their Shiraz and the Penfolds Bin 28 is a well-reviewed bottle with a full-bodied, velvety texture and flavors of dark berries, vanilla and candied ginger.
Also Worth a Watch:
Shopping
What We’re Buying
Herringbone cargo pants
These rugged cargo pants from Everlane have streamlined pockets and are cut from vintage-looking herringbone cotton. And they're a steal at 50% off.
Get It:
Herringbone cotton cargo pant, $128 / $64 by Everlane
Morning Motto
Never give up.
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