Newsflash: most people are busy thinking about what to eat next, not plotting your downfall. Well isn’t that good to know. I have been in so many situations where I think to myself “Have I said the right things?” “Am I dressed appropriately?” The situation wasn’t uncomfortable but, I was. For some odd reason, I…
It’s 10:30 in the morning somewhere, lunchtime somewhere else, and almost summer in a few hearts. A chorus of “Are we recording?” gives way to the soft crackle of global hellos: a retired professor in London clearing his throat; a teacher-turned–school inspector joining from São Paulo, still catching her breath; a new voice from Strasbourg,…
It’s a sunny morning in France when Frank sits down with Manfred, a 64-year-old software programmer from northern Germany. Outside, autumn leaves swirl in the wind; inside, the conversation is alive with something timeless — not nostalgia, but perspective. Manfred is semi-retired now, working for a Swiss train manufacturer. But when he started, his hands…
Ever wondered what the world would be like without communication? For starters it would be difficult. It would be boring and it will surely be quiet. Imagine we didn’t have languages to communicate with each other, we would have no idea what is happening in the world or even in our lives. What happens when…
Between Bell Rings and Big Dreams The recording light blinks on during a two-week school holiday. Outside, summer is practicing its lines; inside, a teenager warms to the mic — careful at first, then candid, then brave. She speaks of grades and shoes and scouts, of dancing that makes your lungs sting in the best…
On a weekday afternoon in France, with sun streaming through the windows, three squares lit up on a screen. Frank, the host in Alsace, sat between time zones like a friendly air-traffic controller. One tile showed Ismar in western Brazil, coffee in reach and the Paraguayan border not far away. Another framed Ritesh in Bengaluru,…
It’s early morning in Germany, and Alexander sits in his tidy home office — coffee cup within reach, laptop glowing with the faint light of unfinished work. The topic of today’s conversation is everyday life skills — those small, invisible habits that make the world run smoothly: cooking, cleaning, planning, or simply remembering to breathe…
Dear enthusiastic readers, Man, do I have a story for you. The Mayor aka Frank and Fruitloop aka Janita, that would be me, have decided to create an advent calendar for Brida members to do small tasks, all Christmassy. We decided to play around with AI, The Mayor used ChatGPT and I used Gemini. The…
I have learned a lot about myself in the last week. Let me start from the beginning. After a wonderful holiday in the Kruger National Park, I came home with a piece of my heart left behind. Visiting the bush has always been my favourite holiday and coming home and trying to fall back in…
It began like a caffeine rush.A British-American host, five faces in tiny squares, and the unmistakable hum of American networking energy — fast, efficient, transactional. Within minutes, the air was thick with talk of “pain points,” “elevator pitches,” and “value alignment.” It was business at the speed of caffeine, all polish and performance. I was…
