Line 'em up

Good morning Staker! Here’s what’s cookin’ today. Tourism is booming in some pretty unlikely places, how’d you like to drive a 3D printed car, first ever YouTube video is heading to a museum, and Geddy and Alex say yes to more tour dates🤘  

Let’s get into it!

Global tourism grew 4% last year, with 1.5 billion people travelling internationally, according to UN Tourism’s World Tourism Barometer.

The average annual growth rate between 2009 and 2019 was 5%, suggesting 2026 could be the year the world fully returns to its usual wanderlusting ways.

While 800 million of last year’s 1.5 billion travellers visited European destinations, giving the continent an annual growth rate of 6%, the strongest growth was seen in some unlikely places, including Brazil (37%), Egypt (20%), Ethiopia (15%), Bhutan (30%), and the Seychelles (13%).

Brazil’s world-leading growth rate was particularly impressive, prompting travel industry watchers to wonder just how the Land of the Palms did it.

Part of the boom is thanks to logistics. Stakeholders in Brazilian tourism have made strides in getting more direct flights to major cities; with the demand already there, the supply just needed to catch up.

Showcasing the country’s culture in major events like the Olympics, World Cup, and the Sao Paolo Grand Prix has also resonated with global travellers, who’ve taken an increasingly bigger interest in paying Brazil a visit.

"There is a more segmented, thoughtful and qualified approach within the industry, focused on promoting and selling destinations and experiences more consciously,” said Gisele Abrahao, founder and CEO of Global Vision Access and Brasil DNA Initiative.

You can read on here for how the other big growth nations have led the way.

MIT scientists are known for pushing the limits of human ingenuity, and their latest magic trick could disrupt the auto manufacturing industry in a way rarely seen since the first Model T rolled off the line.

3D printing has fallen by the wayside as a paradigm-shifting technology due to the rapidly-advancing capabilities of AI. However, by 3D-printing a functional linear motor in just three hours, the MIT team has potentially proven the concept of 3D printing an entire car.

The work was published in the journal Virtual and Physical Prototyping, and included details of how the motor was printed with all the relevant extruders required to fabricate an actual functioning motor.

Perhaps the most important detail of the product is its materials costs, which came in at an eye popping $0.50. If such a methodology is scaled for mass-production, it could cost countless jobs in the auto industry, significantly reduce input costs, and lower prices for consumers.

The motor is by no means as complex as an internal combustion engine, which is likely still many years from being 3D printed in an effective, road-safe, and mass-commercial way.

When YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim uploaded Me at the zoo to the platform on April 23, 2005, he probably wasn’t aware that he was taking the digital version of Neil Armstrong’s first step on the Moon.

Nearly 21 years later, the human experience itself is arguably split evenly between the physical and the digital, and Karim’s 19-second clip is but one of between 14 and 15 billion on the now Google-owned platform.

The clip has 383 million views, which doesn’t scratch the surface of the top-viewed content on YouTube, but it will always be the first-viewed video.

Because of its importance, the Victoria and Albert museum in London has purchased the rights to a refurbished version of the video that omits the leftover noise and choppy quality typical of web 2.0 video content filmed on an early digital camera.

Still, the video page was made in coordination with YouTube’s User Experience team to reconstruct the look of the platform from Dec. 8, 2006—the oldest version of the website available on The Internet Archive.

"This snapshot of YouTube during the early days of web 2.0 marks an important moment in history of the internet and digital design,” said Corinna Gardner, Senior Curator of Design and Digital, V&A.

“The acquisition opens new storytelling opportunities for us to showcase and explore the ways in which the internet has shaped our world, from the birth of mainstream video sharing platforms through to today’s hyper visual world and the media and creator economy that go with it.”

Rush is extending their Fifty Something tour, with 25 new dates added starting in January next year in Buenos Aires and wrapping up in Helsinki on Apr. 10.

Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and virtuoso drummer Anika Nilles (filling in for the late great Neil Peart) made the announcement through a video released on social media the other day, while also revealing they’ve added keyboardist Loren Gold, who’s played with The Who and Roger Daltrey’s solo act.

"We can't wait to get back to all these cities we haven't played in so long, as well as hitting some new places we've yet to play," said Lee. "Both Alex and I are loving the hours of rehearsal time we're spending with Anika and now Loren, learning around 40 songs which will enable us to keep the shows evolving, playing some different songs on different nights.

"We are thrilled that many of our longstanding crew have come back to help us design the kind of Rush show that fans have grown accustomed to expect from us. We dearly hope you will come along and help us celebrate 50-plus years of Rush music, while giving Neil the long overdue tribute he so richly deserves."

The tour is expected to be one of Rush’s biggest and most ambitious in the band’s 50-plus year history, with the group playing at least 40 songs each night.

Now that’s odd

Time for another game of Odd TV out, with today’s trivia. Complete the game and earn a shot at a $25 eGift Card ;)

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