Pet project

Good morning Staker! Here’s what’s cookin’ today. 30-year Treasury yield at 19-year high as Iran ceasefire expires; Cultural immersion a top travel priority; and why outer space is so dark, despite the universe being full of stars.

Let’s get into it!

According to travel research firm Skift, cultural immersion has become a top priority in terms of experiences people are looking for when they travel.

The Skift State of Travel 2026 report found 50% of those travelling to Asia viewed cultural immersion as their goal this year, while 32% said they were looking for adventure, and 30% were looking for luxurious experiences (respondents weren’t limited to one answer).

The proverbial “when in Rome” option was chosen more than any other potential goal for those heading pretty much anywhere in the world, including the Middle East, North Africa, and North America, where 42%, 39%, and 36% prioritized cultural immersion, respectively.

Additionally, travel firms are highlighting this year as the “year of intelligence,” specifically referring to how AI has become a tool travellers rely on for help planning their trips.

“Traveller behavior is evolving, marked by rising demand for AI-driven personalization and a shift toward more sustainable choices,” said Jean-Jacques Morin, group deputy CEO at French hospitality firm Accor.

“[This is] exemplified by the popularity of ‘dupe destinations’ (less crowded, more affordable alternatives to popular hotspots) and ‘coolcations’ (vacations in cooler climates as travelers seek to avoid extreme heat).”

Companies are continuing to pivot their business towards the massive and rapid adoption of GLP-1 medications, which dramatically impact the amount and types of food consumers eat.

Nestle is the latest to announce such plans, but may be the biggest to also reveal it won’t just alter recipes and portions, but manufacture brand new products aimed at GLP-1 users.

The company is counting on its own brand to do the heavy lifting in this case, whereas in previous cases, it’s simply altered the recipes or portion sizes of its existing subsidiary products, relying on their existing brand strength to compete for the highly-valued business of GLP-1 users.

According to Reuters, Nestle Chief Technology Officer Stefan Palzer said the company will be leveraging technology to pinpoint the exact optimal ingredient and portion combinations for the new products.

“We are well positioned with the portfolio. It’s a huge opportunity for our company,” he said. “...a big part of weight loss is that people lose lean muscle mass.

“We found a combination of two micronutrients which we industrialized that stimulate the growth of muscle tissue. On one hand you provide protein, on the other hand you stimulate the muscle tissue to grow back faster.”

 

The ability to pivot is a superpower that most people lack, and most of those who possess it don’t realize it’s a superpower.

Like the mechanical advantage of a compound pulley system, adaptable people distribute the weight of their goals across different stress points, creating the metaphorical appearance of being able to move mountains.

Stewart Butterfield was a developer who spent years unsuccessfully trying to build computer games. Before giving up entirely on gaming, he pivoted to software and created messaging platform Slack, which grew immensely popular in the build-up to the pandemic.

On Dec. 1, 2020, it was sold to Salesforce for $27.7 billion.

According to Psychology Today’s executive editor, Lybl Ma, this is an example of the Chinese philosophical concept “tongbian,” which means “continuity through change.”

Put another way, it refers to the ability to maintain one’s heading in a storm—to adapt to a changing environment while keeping an even keel.

It’s the opposite of rigidity as a personality trait, in which one is governed by emotions and easily flapped by the winds of change, getting knocked off course and potentially tipped over.

Most successful people exemplify tongbian traits. How do they do it? You can read on here.

Later this week, Stake will feature a story on the five-year study that produced the most comprehensive map of the universe ever assembled. It features trillions of galaxies captured by DESI, a space instrument designed to illuminate the mysterious phenomena known as dark matter and dark energy.

We initially assumed these phenomena had something to do with why outer space is so dark, despite the fact that there are so many stars out there. Shouldn’t it be impossible to look at any single pixel of night sky and see darkness?

It turns out the explanation is much simpler.

The universe is about 13.8 billion years old, meaning when we observe the few galaxies and sources of light we’re aware of that formed just after the Big Bang, we’re seeing what they looked like 13.8 billion years ago.

On top of that, the universe has been expanding that whole time, and astronomers are pretty sure it now has a radius of 46.5 billion lightyears.

In other words, the vast majority of the technically observable universe isn’t actually visible to modern astronomical tools; it is beyond the cosmic horizon, still making its way to the retinal sensors of telescopes and humanity alike.

It’s correct to assume there are so many galaxies that no vantage point should contain any absence of light. Timing is everything, though, and those big bright dots are moving as fast as they can.

On the edge of your seat

When it comes to TV cliffhangers, it doesn’t get much bigger than “Who shot J.R.?”, but there were others. We’ll be quizzin’ you on classic TV cliffhangers and wait-for-it type moments with today’s trivia 😏