The Daily Valet. - 9/9/22, Friday

✔️ What Now?

September 09, 2022

Friday, September 9th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

Today marks the third anniversary of The Daily Valet. I sincerely want to thank each and every one of you reading this today.

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s Big Story

The Queen Is Dead

What now? Britain has an intricate plan that maps out the days after the longest-reigning monarch’s passing.

It’s not news that Queen Elizabeth, the United Kingdom’s longest-serving monarch, died Thursday at her Balmoral estate in Scotland. News alerts pinged on phones, Twitter lit up and TV broadcasters interrupted regularly scheduled programming to announce at 96, the queen passed after reigning for 70 years.

But what exactly happens now? The British government dubbed the intricate protocol of handling Elizabeth’s death “Operation London Bridge.” It ranges from succession rules to the process of bringing the queen’s coffin from Balmoral Castle in Scotland to London. Much of it has been planned down to the minute, and some things have already fallen into place. By the time we knew about the queen’s death, her son, the Prince of Wales, had already become King Charles III.

Yesterday became D-Day in palace code. On the first day of national mourning, ceremonial gun salutes are expected at Hyde Park and at Tower Hill, and a national minute’s silence is expected to be held. King Charles would be expected to conduct his first audience with the prime minister. He will also meet the Earl Marshal to officially sign off on the full funeral plans, with the state funeral expected to be held in 10 days’ time. Few alive—anywhere in the world—will have witnessed anything like the carefully orchestrated affair about to happen in her honor.

Of course, tributes started pouring in on Thursday. Everyone from Hollywood dames and knighted British celebrities to U.S. presidents and surprise laudations from the likes of Paris Hilton (who called her the original “girl boss”). But not everyone was as reverential. According to The Root, many on Black Twitter decided to address the complicated history of the British monarchy, which included imperialism, colonialism and slavery.

Meanwhile, a slew of changes to British daily life are expected in the coming weeks to welcome the new monarch—the first king in seven decades. The Guardian says that “after the Queen’s record-breaking reign, unpicking her name, image and iconography from the fabric of national life in the U.K. and across the Commonwealth will take some time.” For instance, the national anthem will again shift back to “God Save the King.” And at the moment, the queen’s portrait appears on British money and postage stamps—those will likely need new designs.

Then there are the flags. From the flags that fly outside police stations across the U.K. to those used on a naval ship when a general is onboard, thousands of flags emblazoned with EIIR will need to be replaced. And most military regiments fly “Queen’s colours”, flags that are studded with a golden embroidered EIIR. That same royal cypher is even emblazoned on the country’s signature red postboxes. However, royal experts say that those are unlikely to be removed. Some with King George VI’s GR cypher remain in use today, 70 years on.

↦ FYI: As the royal line of succession changes, Prince Harry and Meghan’s children will now receive prince and princess titles. But King Charles III could move to scrap the protocols behind the entitlement.

The Power of Kindness

Science proves that a little goes a long way

Here's some good news to close out the week: Simple, kind gestures actually have immense and often underestimated power.

That's what researchers were able to demonstrate in a new study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology. Scientists conducted a series of experiments with different acts of kindness — such as offering someone a ride home or covering the cost of someone's cup of coffee. They found that a random act of kindness “increases happiness in both givers and receivers—but that givers systematically undervalue their positive impact on recipients.”

It calls to mind another recent study that we talked about a few months ago, which came to a similar conclusion about human behavior and showed that we underestimate the power of reaching out to friends, family and colleagues.

The fact that we routinely misjudge the impact of our actions matters for our behavior, Amit Kumar, a psychology professor and one of the authors of the study, told the New York Times. “Not knowing one's positive impact can stand in the way of people engaging in these sorts of acts of kindness in daily life.” So make sure to find one kind thing to do today for someone—anyone, really.

Jeep Introduces Rugged Electric SUVs

Electric is the future, and Jeep isn’t losing any character or capability in the transition

Jeep's got some big things coming down the pipeline, and it's all about electrification. On Thursday, the automaker unveiled its new plans for the next generation of electric SUVs as part of the automaker's 4xe lineup.

No, Jeep's first all-electric vehicle isn't a Wrangler. But it's just as boxy and seemingly just as tough. The Recon is a four-wheel-drive midsize SUV that will rival Ford's gas-powered Bronco Sport.

Make no mistake, Outside assures us that this is a real Jeep. The doors bolt off, the windows detach and the differentials lock. Thanks to that last feature, the company says it'll be capable of tackling challenging overlanding adventures, too. The infotainment system will even include detailed travel guides for notable off-road trails.

Gear Patrol wonders why Jeep gave the Recon very Wrangler-like features, but wouldn't give it the Wrangler name. But they do like how sexy the upcoming electric Wagoner will be when it arrives in 2024. According to The Verge, Jeep aspires to become the number one seller of electric SUVs in the world. “It's a bold plan from a brand that is seen as lagging behind the rest of the auto industry in terms of electrification.”

↦ FYI: EVs aren’t straining the electric grid—in fact, Axios explains how they just might save it.

A Weekend Pairing

‘Cobra Kai’ + Soto Sake

When Cobra Kai debuted on YouTube Red in the summer of 2018, I don't think anyone thought it was going to be as culturally relevant or as entertaining as it has become. It grew an audience, jumped to Netflix and gained critical acclaim. Now it's going into its fifth season, which kicks off today.

Sure the series plays with nostalgia, but it also tries and succeeds at being its own thing. If you revel in the melodrama of the myriad Karate Kid sequels, the fifth season of this series is “an all you can eat buffet of deep cuts, callouts, world-building and karate face-offs literally decades in the making,” says Paste. And critics agree. The Ringer says the show is “punching above its weight” and Collider says this season is bigger, sillier and still a total blast.

↦ Your Pairing:Not unlike this fresh take on a classic film, Soto calls itself a “Japanese sake that's modern on the outside and traditional on the inside.” It's made from polished rice and pristine mountain water. Don't drink it warm, you want it nice and chilled to appreciate the notes of apple, slightly sweet nuttiness and almost creamy mouthfeel.

In Other News

↦ DOJ to Appeal Special Master Ruling, Arguing Classified Documents Aren’t Trump’s ‘Personal Records’

↦ Americans Are Buying More Luxury Cars Than Ever Before—Here’s Why

↦ Meet South Dakota’s New Corn-Bassador, a Boy Who Recently Found Out That Corn Is Real

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

These under-the-radar albums

NFL season predictions

The power of one little pill

Fight Sleep Procrastination

Stop putting off your bedtime and just get some rest already

Look, we all understand that sleep is one of the greatest tools for health. Going to bed early and getting a full, restful night of sleep might be the ultimate act of self-care. So why do so many of us say 'screw it' and stay up?

I, myself, am guilty of this. I don't know if it's genetic or simply a personality quirk, but ever since I was young I've refused to give up the day—preferring to stay up late well past my bedtime, despite the consequences.

With more and more of us working longer hours these days, this phenomenon of prioritizing personal leisure time over sleep after a long day is becoming more common. After all, when you've given so much of yourself throughout the day, a guy's gotta have a little “me time,” right? For your own hobbies and interests or simply to relax and be unproductive. But at what cost?

This practice of stealing time back from your sleep to gain a little leisure time is called “revenge bedtime procrastination.” The name sounds a bit melodramatic, but it makes sense. As journalist Daphne Lee explained in a viral tweet, when people feel they don't have much control over their daytime life, it can make sense—if only temporarily—to give up some shut-eye in order to regain some sense of freedom during late-night hours. So how do we get back on track? Don't worry ... we spoke with experts to get a few helpful tips on how to break the cycle.

↦ Read: How to master your bedtime and fight sleep procrastination.