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Award winning truth cuts through the haze,

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confronts the darkness
in these end times days.

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A single match struck against the fear,
hope ignites drawing redemption near.

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Can you feel the trembling in the ground?

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A buried heartbeat making sound.

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We all live in Dead America, but the
dawn’s creeping across the Panorama.

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This dead awakens, change

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begins, from broken places hope

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unpins.

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Yeah, we all live in Dead America,
one healing spark starts the pyre,

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burning brighter, taking it higher.

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Today we are speaking with Gabor Kadas, he
is the CEO and founder of friending.com.

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Gabor, could you please
introduce yourself?

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Let people know just a little
more about you, please.

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Yes.

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First of all, thank you for having me.

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Um, my name is Gabor and basically
I’m the co-founder of Friending.

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Um, it was started with a friend of mine.

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And basically it is an app that
tries to solve the problem of the

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day, which is sixty million people
being, I guess, lonely or, or,

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or not having too many friends.

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And that’s the official statistics.

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And, um, so basically as I, um, moved
around the world through my life, I was

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born in Central Europe in Hungary, and
lived most of my childhood in the UK.

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After university, I moved to Canada and
I’ve been in the states for thirty years.

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I have experienced
loneliness firsthand so, um,

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and when I, uh, basically met up with
my friend Zsolt, who’s the co-founder,

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he was doing this app already.

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And I said, Well, that’s a great app
because I, I can see the need for

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that from a personal perspective.

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Um, because basically working from home,
um, I’m moving around so much I really

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understand what it is to, to be alone.

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So, um, it derived from a personal
need and from a personal experience.

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There’s a lot to unpack with
this, there’s, there’s a lot

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of suspicion, there’s a lot
of, uh, pointing the fingers.

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And this is something unique because
what it does is it allows the anonymous

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web to really be held accountable.

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And I find that very interesting
what the app is doing, but I’m really

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interested how, how receptive are the
people to giving their identification

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in order to get on the app?

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Let’s start with that.

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Okay.

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Uh, first of all, the uh, full
version of that will launch in March.

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Um, at the moment it’s in a sort of MVP
beta stage available on the app store.

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And, um, yes, people are, I think, are
okay to, to give their identity because

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they are frustrated with the fact that on
other apps, maybe twenty, thirty percent

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of the users are fake, um, or are bought.

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Imagine a situation where you, let’s
say you’re a guy and you’ve been, um,

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exchanging messages with somebody,
over a month perhaps, and you have

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not met but you build up some sort
of expectation in your head, oh, she

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would look like this based on the
picture and what she’s describing.

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And when you push for a
meeting that never happens,

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and then she ghosts you.

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So it’s an emotional thing as well,
because you have some expectation.

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You built up a picture of that person,
that person turns out to be non-existent,

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but nonetheless, in, in your mind
at that stage, there was somebody.

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So I think people are, are fed up with
the frustration caused by fake app

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or fake, um, profiles and, um, bots.

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And what we’re doing is, yes, we are
asking people to verify themselves in

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a very strict way in the sense that you
need a driver’s license, and that means

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that at least you exist as a person.

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And just to be clear for your
listeners, we are not the ones doing the

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verification as I could understand the
hesitation for people not giving their

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identity, whatever, to a brand new app.

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But the actual verification is done
by a third party app called Persona.

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That will happen from March, it
doesn’t happen at the moment.

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So basically, Persona is the
one doing the verification.

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Think of this as you are giving your
credit card to the merchant in, in a

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shop, but this is not the, the merchant
who is doing the actual verification.

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You put your card in, go through a system,
and all the merchant says is a yes or no.

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Meaning, should I accept, you know,
the card has been accepted or not.

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And the same thing goes for us, all we
get back from Persona is saying, Yes,

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this is a valid ID, a valid person.

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So, um, there may be some, I
guess, hassle, but think of it

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the other way around, you know,
that all the other people on the

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platform has also been verified.

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So, um, I, I, I think that’s the
comfortable feeling to know that

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you’re not going to get ghosted.

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Um, that person is real, um,
and, and he or she exists and

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this is how he or she looks like.

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So yes, there is some inconvenience
perhaps, if that’s the word you want

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to use, but there’s a huge benefit
because you know that everybody

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else went through the same process.

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So, um, you know, they all
decided that they really want to

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solve this issue for themselves.

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They’re interested in meeting somebody in
their neighborhood with the same interest

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who is real and don’t want to go through
the disappointment that I spent a month

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exchanging, um, text messages, whatever,
with somebody who is non-existent.

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And I don’t understand people,
um, not solving this issue before

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because all it takes is verification.

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I guess the real problem for a
competitive platform is that they

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have a lot of users, we do not.

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So this is the benefit in this
respect because we can say to

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everybody, Hey, in order to join the
platform, you have to get verified.

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If you look at an existing brand,
they’re not going to, um, tell

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their whatever number of users that,
Hey, you need to get verified or

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you’re going to lose the platform.

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Um, they don’t really care,
but we do because we look at it

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from a different perspective.

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A, we are in a position to do that.

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B, we are in a position to say to people,
Hey, these people on this platform exist.

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So I think that’s going to be the
driving force, that’s going to be the

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magnet to pull people to the platform.

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Yeah.

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I, I, I see a trend amongst the social
media to have that verified badge, and

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that means something because that tells
us that even the bigger guys in the

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playing field recognize this bot issue.

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And if, if you’re on the internet,
you understand that discomfort

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from dealing with all of that.

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You don’t know if it’s real or not
and it tends to be getting worse

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as we go on with the internet.

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But people are starting
to address these issues.

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And from the very beginning of
the internet, I, I was always

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wondering, Why aren’t you needing to
be verified to be on the internet?

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Because it, it’s a safer
playground, if you will.

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So what do you feel that is
the major factor that keeps

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people from being verified?

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Uh, in some respects, they’re
afraid to reveal their identity.

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I think they use the internet as
a place to hide because you don’t

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have to have your own picture there.

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You can say whatever you want, nobody
can say that, you know, this is not true.

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You can say you are an eighteen-year-old
blonde when you’re a sixty-year-old

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guy, um, you know, you can project
a persona of whatever you want.

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And, um, you may have fun on the other
side of this, Hey, this guy really

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likes me so he may get a kick out of it.

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Um, there was a movie which came
out, I don’t know, it was made a few

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years ago, called, um, Clickbait.

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It was talking about exactly
the same thing, that basically

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a, what problem it caused.

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And, and it’s a very interesting film and
I think it was trying to bring this issue

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of, um, false, um, um, I guess, profiles
to, to the general public’s attention

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and made a very good movie out of it.

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So it’s nothing new it’s just
that it’s not in the interest of

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many other sites to, to have this.

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The type of verification they do is,
submit a photo perhaps when you’re

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touching your nose or, or whatever.

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That’s the extent of the
verification, um, which they can

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be done by AI or, or whatever.

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We actually match your ID and your face.

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So yes, you can mislead people
by saying you are the best tennis

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player and you haven’t touched a
tennis racket but at least you exist.

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At least that’s how you
look like, et cetera.

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So there is obviously a limit, but
I think that people who are willing

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to take this extra step do not
want to mislead people because they

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don’t want to be misled themselves.

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So they, they, they are looking to be
truthful, and I think that will create

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a whole different vibe on the platform
because they can, they know that they

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can trust other people on the platform.

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So I think that is the biggest
differentiating feature and

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the reasoning that, um, people
will come to our platform.

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Yeah, I, I found it interesting that
one of the features that you offer on

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this app is locked to that verification.

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Your, what is it?

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Profile picture has to be the same as your
verified photo and it can’t be changed.

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Why did you choose to do that?

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Um, because I don’t, if you can change it,
then you lost the essence of verification.

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Because if you put, if you can
replace your picture with the

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eighteen-year-old blonde, then, then,
then you’re misleading the potential

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people looking at your profile.

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So you are allowed to
put, how should I put it?

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More fun pictures up there where
you’re playing, I don’t know, tennis,

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whatever, you know, but your ID
type picture is, it is what it is.

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I mean, in a driver’s license or a
passport, you don’t have a fun picture,

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you just have a plain old picture,
you know, showing how you look.

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And that’s what we are sticking to
in the, um, profile, initial picture.

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So when you open the profile, you
have an idea how the person looks.

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And as you delve into the profile
itself, you see what he or she does in

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other activities or environment, you
know, depending on what type of picture

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is put up together with your profile.

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But I think the most important part
is to make sure that that’s how the

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picture, that the picture up there
represents you and that is how you look.

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Yeah.

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Uh, another great thing about it is
the interesting features that you

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have associated with the app, uh,
gatherings and things like that.

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Could you go over some of
those exciting features for us?

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Yes.

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Um, basically, um, what we have is
what is called the AreYouIn cards.

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Meaning, are you into that activity?

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So basically you say, I enjoy tennis,
volleyball, baseball, whatever it

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happens to be, this is where I live
and I’m looking for somebody within

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fifty miles of the, my location.

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Because I’m assuming that, um,
people will not travel more than

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fifty miles to meet somebody.

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So basically, there’s common
interest to start with.

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Because let’s say you both like to
play tennis and, but if there is an

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activity that’s not listed, you are
free to, um, create an activity in the

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next version coming up in a few weeks.

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Um, you can also create
real time activity.

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Let’s say you’re running and you decide
you want to have a running partner.

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In two or three clicks you can
say you’re running and looking

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for a, um, running partner now.

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So anybody who may be running in the
neighborhood, you know, you can, um, join

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them and basically, um, run together.

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So that’s sort of real time.

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We’d also be able to do something
that, hey, I am planning to

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go for a run tomorrow evening,
perhaps, is anybody interested?

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So you can, um, sort of plan, you can
do real time, that’s what I’m doing now.

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And you can just say, This is my
general interest and, uh, I don’t

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have any specific plan, but if
anybody’s interested in grabbing

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a coffee, you know, let me know.

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And one of the other things that
we’ll introduce in, in, I would say

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in the next six months, is a safety
feature that, although everybody

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has been verified, you may feel
uncomfortable at your first time meeting.

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Let’s say a tennis partner or
whatever, especially if you’re female.

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And, um, what we’ll do is that you can
actually tap the screen three times and

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that will actually, um, alert either
the police, a friend, or anybody in

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the neighborhood with the, um, not just
the friending app for this to work, it

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is a Bluetooth connection to a device.

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So you would need to have perhaps
a key chain that you can buy

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optionally or a bracelet because,
um, that’s the way iPhone works.

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Once the app is closed, there is no
way to, to, to deduct the orders.

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You are tapping on the screen so
we, you have to have Bluetooth for

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00:16:04,095 –> 00:16:09,105
some other communication that’s
constantly on, um, to do that.

214
00:16:09,105 –> 00:16:14,205
So, um, but we do value safety
and it’s our top priority.

215
00:16:14,205 –> 00:16:18,115
So I, you know, selling this
additional item for, I don’t

216
00:16:18,115 –> 00:16:19,115
know, ten dollars or whatever.

217
00:16:19,305 –> 00:16:25,095
We still need to do research in terms
of, uh, costs involved in something.

218
00:16:25,095 –> 00:16:30,060
Again, prove that we value
safety above anything else.

219
00:16:30,120 –> 00:16:31,920
That is why we verify people.

220
00:16:31,920 –> 00:16:35,760
But verification only means
that this is how you look like

221
00:16:35,760 –> 00:16:36,930
and that’s what your name is.

222
00:16:37,140 –> 00:16:41,310
It doesn’t verify you as a
person in terms of intent.

223
00:16:43,890 –> 00:16:48,300
So really it’s not like
a traditional dating app.

224
00:16:48,660 –> 00:16:55,245
It’s kind of a combination of a dating
app and a community building app at

225
00:16:55,245 –> 00:16:58,395
the same time, is that what it is?

226
00:16:59,670 –> 00:17:03,990
In some respect it is, but it’s a
friending app because I believe that all

227
00:17:04,230 –> 00:17:08,370
more intimate relationships starts off
with being friends in the first place.

228
00:17:08,579 –> 00:17:14,160
So if that friendship turns
into a more intimate, romantic

229
00:17:14,160 –> 00:17:16,050
relationship, all the better.

230
00:17:16,050 –> 00:17:20,160
But I think people are more
comfortable with less pressure.

231
00:17:20,160 –> 00:17:23,790
Meaning let’s, let’s meet
for a date, well, not for a

232
00:17:23,790 –> 00:17:25,200
date, but for a coffee date.

233
00:17:25,200 –> 00:17:26,340
Not a date, date.

234
00:17:26,700 –> 00:17:31,680
And then sort of what happens, it’s less
pressure and people are thinking I’m

235
00:17:31,680 –> 00:17:36,915
more open to do that because they are,
it’s not a question of being rejected

236
00:17:36,915 –> 00:17:39,135
as in a, in a traditional date sense.

237
00:17:39,315 –> 00:17:43,004
All we are doing is playing tennis,
having coffee, going for a walk,

238
00:17:43,274 –> 00:17:44,774
you know, whatever it happens to be.

239
00:17:44,955 –> 00:17:48,945
So, um, more people will be
open to that because they are

240
00:17:48,945 –> 00:17:50,264
less afraid of being rejected.

241
00:17:51,065 –> 00:17:52,355
Uh, I like that a lot.

242
00:17:52,355 –> 00:17:55,265
That, that’s a good intent.

243
00:17:55,655 –> 00:18:02,375
And, you know, not everybody’s looking
for a date, they just want a friend.

244
00:18:02,795 –> 00:18:06,035
And, uh, I think I find that very unique.

245
00:18:06,395 –> 00:18:10,175
Uh, is there anything else
unique about what it offers?

246
00:18:13,035 –> 00:18:17,895
Yes, I, I think we, we
really mean friendship.

247
00:18:17,895 –> 00:18:21,735
And let’s say you want to go fishing,
which is a whole day activity.

248
00:18:22,470 –> 00:18:26,070
And what we’ll do is we will
offer free one month credit.

249
00:18:26,070 –> 00:18:30,390
It’s eventually, it’ll be subscription
based, but we will offer free one month

250
00:18:30,390 –> 00:18:34,770
credit to the person if that person in
your fishing trip stays over at your

251
00:18:34,770 –> 00:18:40,770
place, stays overnight because that
also enhances friendship and whatever.

252
00:18:40,770 –> 00:18:45,480
So our real aim is to build a community
and, uh, we’re, we’re not doing

253
00:18:45,510 –> 00:18:48,750
Airbnb, or couch surfing, or whatever.

254
00:18:48,990 –> 00:18:55,050
This is not for money, this is just
for you and him to enjoy the evening at

255
00:18:55,050 –> 00:18:59,610
whatever so they don’t have to drive back
or they can have a drink or, or whatever.

256
00:18:59,610 –> 00:19:05,220
And if both of you verify that this
happens, then, um, basically the host

257
00:19:05,490 –> 00:19:11,850
will get one month free, uh, once it is
a paid, subscription based app, which

258
00:19:11,850 –> 00:19:13,735
won’t happen until there are more users.

259
00:19:14,310 –> 00:19:20,005
And even that, it, it’s a minor charge,
anything from five to ten dollars,

260
00:19:20,025 –> 00:19:25,455
depending on what kind of services you
want to, um, take advantage of per month.

261
00:19:25,665 –> 00:19:28,185
You know, fifty bucks or a
hundred dollars per year.

262
00:19:28,515 –> 00:19:33,525
And even that, uh, eventually we
plan to partner with various, I

263
00:19:33,525 –> 00:19:37,725
don’t know, let’s say coffee shops
where if you are a Friending member,

264
00:19:37,725 –> 00:19:39,285
you get a ten percent discount.

265
00:19:39,495 –> 00:19:46,530
So, um, we plan to build a community,
involve other retailers to, to

266
00:19:46,535 –> 00:19:52,365
promote the app in some respects, and
realizing that you’re not going to

267
00:19:52,395 –> 00:19:54,105
be looking for a friend every month.

268
00:19:54,135 –> 00:19:58,125
Although we would like to keep you on the
app and, you know, we want to give you

269
00:19:58,125 –> 00:20:00,555
something for your five dollars a month.

270
00:20:00,585 –> 00:20:06,285
Even in those months where you don’t
actually find that friend, or looking

271
00:20:06,285 –> 00:20:10,995
for a friend, but at least you can,
you know, by, by just buying coffee

272
00:20:10,995 –> 00:20:15,495
in a coffee shop, you probably
save your five dollars back anyway.

273
00:20:15,645 –> 00:20:20,385
So it is a real community thing and
we are really doing anything that we

274
00:20:20,385 –> 00:20:25,155
can to solve the loneliness issue,
and we’re open for suggestions.

275
00:20:25,514 –> 00:20:30,135
You can always email
us@podcastatfriending.com if

276
00:20:30,135 –> 00:20:32,774
you have ideas or, or whatever.

277
00:20:33,254 –> 00:20:39,345
Um, what we’re also considering doing
in the background is that you can rate

278
00:20:39,465 –> 00:20:46,304
the other individual, but it is not
going to be a public rating system.

279
00:20:46,304 –> 00:20:50,895
It’s just that when we have a lot of users
that’s, uh, in a neighborhood, we have

280
00:20:50,895 –> 00:20:57,780
a, I don’t know, a hundred users, then
we’re trying to, um, give you the list of

281
00:20:57,780 –> 00:21:01,650
people who I think will be the best match.

282
00:21:01,800 –> 00:21:07,470
So, you know, if you are, um, ignorant,
or rude, or whatever, and many people

283
00:21:08,760 –> 00:21:12,660
tell us the same thing, then you
will be lower than, on the, on the

284
00:21:12,660 –> 00:21:15,555
suggestion list for, for friends.

285
00:21:15,785 –> 00:21:18,465
It’s not a, it’s not a public rating.

286
00:21:18,645 –> 00:21:22,185
You have no idea as a user,
it’s just the algorithm.

287
00:21:22,245 –> 00:21:27,615
Eventually, once we have enough
users, we’ll use it to determine who

288
00:21:27,625 –> 00:21:30,614
we think is the best match for you.

289
00:21:31,695 –> 00:21:36,705
That, that’s really a good security
feature within itself because

290
00:21:36,705 –> 00:21:41,864
it, it lowers that creepo meter,
uh, aspect of the internet.

291
00:21:41,925 –> 00:21:48,900
And a lot of individuals
nowadays, they’re gonna like that.

292
00:21:49,520 –> 00:21:57,840
You know, we’re around the same age, I
believe, I, I just turned sixty, so you

293
00:21:57,840 –> 00:22:05,310
remember back when we hung out at the
park and families would just be everywhere

294
00:22:05,310 –> 00:22:08,520
in the parks playing and gathering.

295
00:22:08,520 –> 00:22:15,990
And they used to have, you know,
at my, uh, local park, they had

296
00:22:16,210 –> 00:22:22,169
an arts and crafts center where
everybody could come and gather

297
00:22:22,169 –> 00:22:24,360
and do arts and crafts together.

298
00:22:24,810 –> 00:22:31,950
And nobody needed prompting to do that,
it was just a natural community thing

299
00:22:31,950 –> 00:22:39,360
that everybody really enjoyed themselves
and it’s a big different world now.

300
00:22:40,139 –> 00:22:48,450
So what you are doing with this app is
kind of creating that same environment,

301
00:22:48,870 –> 00:22:57,000
to invite people into that reminiscing
of the old days the way they were when

302
00:22:57,000 –> 00:23:00,045
everybody could talk to each other.

303
00:23:02,010 –> 00:23:03,030
Yes, absolutely.

304
00:23:03,030 –> 00:23:04,500
Two points in that regards.

305
00:23:04,770 –> 00:23:09,630
If you go to a restaurant today or
diner, whatever, you see a family just

306
00:23:09,630 –> 00:23:14,400
sitting at the table and everybody
is busy with their respected screen.

307
00:23:14,730 –> 00:23:18,960
So, um, you know, why, what, why go
out in the first place is my comment.

308
00:23:19,230 –> 00:23:23,970
Second comment is that when I was a
young kid and, you know, um, I got

309
00:23:24,030 –> 00:23:29,745
grounded for doing something bad and
I couldn’t use my bike, let’s say

310
00:23:29,745 –> 00:23:36,375
for a week or whatever, um, today the
whole world is turned upside down.

311
00:23:36,555 –> 00:23:41,865
You are sent out to use your
bike to get off from your app

312
00:23:42,135 –> 00:23:43,815
or you get off from your screen.

313
00:23:44,055 –> 00:23:52,275
So what used to be a penalty or, or
whatever, for me, it is now something

314
00:23:52,275 –> 00:23:59,385
that other kids are forced to do in
order to not be inside all the time.

315
00:23:59,595 –> 00:24:04,515
So, you know, in my mind, because of
my age, I grant you, that the world

316
00:24:04,575 –> 00:24:07,275
is in a totally wrong direction.

317
00:24:07,275 –> 00:24:11,955
And it’s not just me, projections
say that two thirds of the people

318
00:24:11,955 –> 00:24:17,685
living in the US in the next
five to ten years will be alone.

319
00:24:18,975 –> 00:24:19,395
Yeah.

320
00:24:19,725 –> 00:24:21,145
That’s alarming, you know?

321
00:24:21,145 –> 00:24:27,810
And that, you talked about in
your information sheet, the

322
00:24:27,840 –> 00:24:35,970
loneliness epidemic, and that is
incredible when you think about it.

323
00:24:37,440 –> 00:24:44,879
The, the quickness that this crept
into our lives is incredible.

324
00:24:44,910 –> 00:24:52,815
I, I would say it happened within
fifteen to twenty years and do

325
00:24:52,815 –> 00:24:59,085
you think the internet is one of
the leading factors causing that?

326
00:25:00,465 –> 00:25:01,335
Yes and no.

327
00:25:01,395 –> 00:25:06,780
Um, uh, when I moved to North
America, to Canada in, in the

328
00:25:06,780 –> 00:25:11,010
nineties, I could only afford to call
my parents in Europe once a week.

329
00:25:11,100 –> 00:25:13,980
So I called them every Saturday
because Saturday was the cheapest.

330
00:25:14,370 –> 00:25:20,400
Um, today, um, you know, you can FaceTime,
talk to them for hours at no cost.

331
00:25:20,820 –> 00:25:25,950
So technology has improved over the
last twenty years or twenty-five years.

332
00:25:26,340 –> 00:25:32,535
Yet the downside of technology caused
this issue, but is the technology

333
00:25:32,535 –> 00:25:34,605
at fault or is it how we use it?

334
00:25:34,785 –> 00:25:37,065
So the technology itself is great.

335
00:25:37,305 –> 00:25:42,645
Look, we can talk, you can see each other,
you know, we can do podcasts, whatever.

336
00:25:43,064 –> 00:25:44,955
So is it the technology to blame?

337
00:25:45,014 –> 00:25:47,564
No, I, I think it’s how you use it.

338
00:25:47,715 –> 00:25:52,514
Like if you have a gun, it’s not the
gun that is to blame for, if something

339
00:25:52,514 –> 00:25:55,455
happens, it’s how or who used it.

340
00:25:55,665 –> 00:25:59,955
So technology is wonderful because it
allows us to do what we’re doing now.

341
00:26:00,435 –> 00:26:07,185
It’s just people are, are, are not
trained or whatever when they grow up.

342
00:26:07,185 –> 00:26:12,570
I mean, I have a teenage daughter that,
but, um, even when she was a toddler, I

343
00:26:12,570 –> 00:26:18,510
would see people going to restaurant and
putting an Iphone or a tablet in front

344
00:26:18,510 –> 00:26:24,600
of their young kid to watch cartoons or
whatever instead of engaging the person.

345
00:26:24,600 –> 00:26:29,580
I remember, um, you know, we would,
brought coloring books, whatever.

346
00:26:29,610 –> 00:26:35,159
We would never Just ignore and
give something to the kid to do

347
00:26:35,159 –> 00:26:38,850
while we’re there or probably on
our phone actually, or whatever,

348
00:26:39,060 –> 00:26:40,919
giving it to the typical parents.

349
00:26:40,919 –> 00:26:47,760
So it is how the kids are brought up
today and, which causes this whole issue.

350
00:26:49,050 –> 00:26:54,594
And also I think, um, COVID has
a lot to do with it, although

351
00:26:55,514 –> 00:26:58,004
it’s not spreading as a virus.

352
00:26:58,034 –> 00:27:00,735
It’s a fact, it’s still around today.

353
00:27:00,975 –> 00:27:05,445
A lot of people are working from
home unwillingly in the sense

354
00:27:05,445 –> 00:27:09,885
that they work from home because
there’s nowhere to go in to work.

355
00:27:10,125 –> 00:27:16,110
And even if you only spend ten minutes
with your coworkers in a social

356
00:27:16,110 –> 00:27:20,430
environment a day for coffee or whatever,
at least you met up with people.

357
00:27:20,639 –> 00:27:24,930
I always work from home, so I’m
psychologically prepared to do that.

358
00:27:25,080 –> 00:27:29,700
But if, if you worked in a, um,
office environment, in the traditional

359
00:27:29,700 –> 00:27:32,129
sense, you were surrounded by people.

360
00:27:32,220 –> 00:27:35,700
And now today, you are at
home in front of the screen.

361
00:27:36,330 –> 00:27:41,100
And you may be in an uncomfortable
situation because you may have a toddler

362
00:27:41,100 –> 00:27:46,169
screaming next door in the, the different
bedroom, your wife may be also at home.

363
00:27:46,409 –> 00:27:51,570
So, and there may be, um, physical
constraints in terms of rooms or whatever.

364
00:27:52,050 –> 00:27:56,490
So people are forced into situation
where they don’t feel comfortable

365
00:27:56,490 –> 00:27:58,919
to be in because of the pandemic.

366
00:27:59,250 –> 00:28:05,850
And, um, because it’s not a virus,
you don’t see people psychologically

367
00:28:05,850 –> 00:28:09,495
being ill in the same sense as you
would see that they have COVID.

368
00:28:10,350 –> 00:28:18,000
So people are ignoring this because
it is not an apparent visual effect

369
00:28:18,000 –> 00:28:22,840
saying, Hey, this guy is sick because
he looks just as healthy as I or you.

370
00:28:23,100 –> 00:28:29,010
But in terms of blood pressure,
psyche, extreme cases, suicide,

371
00:28:29,460 –> 00:28:31,500
all of this has an effect.

372
00:28:31,770 –> 00:28:37,650
And what’s even also surprising is
your blood pressure and all that, your

373
00:28:37,740 –> 00:28:41,400
sugar, um, blood sugar has an effect.

374
00:28:41,400 –> 00:28:47,130
So it’s not just mental, it’s a physical
and less importantly, but the economy

375
00:28:47,130 –> 00:28:51,540
loses about one hundred and fifty
billion dollars a year because of

376
00:28:51,560 –> 00:28:54,000
people are not doing their best at work.

377
00:28:54,510 –> 00:28:54,780
Yeah.

378
00:28:54,840 –> 00:29:02,834
That, that’s a big factor of the
technology, and I, I really like that you

379
00:29:02,834 –> 00:29:06,554
point out that we don’t use it properly.

380
00:29:07,094 –> 00:29:14,864
And I, I think that we’re still in the
infancy stage of this internet, but

381
00:29:14,864 –> 00:29:21,120
at the same time, you know, how long,
how long did it take before we started

382
00:29:21,720 –> 00:29:28,410
issuing driver’s licenses and whatnot when
the technology of automobiles came on?

383
00:29:29,115 –> 00:29:36,540
It, it, it’s kind of interesting
that we don’t regulate the internet

384
00:29:36,600 –> 00:29:39,600
as much as we probably should.

385
00:29:40,860 –> 00:29:47,070
I think people live in a false, in a
false dream in the sense that they have

386
00:29:47,070 –> 00:29:51,660
friends because they have a thousand
people on Facebook that they’ve never met.

387
00:29:51,870 –> 00:29:57,450
And it is going to get worse because
with robots, AI, you may actually have

388
00:29:57,810 –> 00:30:04,379
a physical, quote unquote, being in,
in the room with you, um, there, I

389
00:30:04,379 –> 00:30:06,240
don’t know, Neo, whatever it’s called.

390
00:30:06,240 –> 00:30:10,200
You can get a robot for ten
thousand dollars, which today is

391
00:30:10,200 –> 00:30:14,040
ten thousand, in two years time
it’ll be one thousand dollars.

392
00:30:14,475 –> 00:30:18,795
So, um, that will generate
even bigger falsehood because,

393
00:30:18,795 –> 00:30:20,505
Hey, I have somebody here.

394
00:30:20,775 –> 00:30:27,675
And, you know, um, and always nice to me,
I never argue, that’s what I ask, the, the

395
00:30:27,675 –> 00:30:30,075
best thing you can want in some respect.

396
00:30:30,255 –> 00:30:35,055
But it’s just like drugs, you know,
you are high all the time and you

397
00:30:35,055 –> 00:30:36,705
are not in the real, real world.

398
00:30:37,545 –> 00:30:43,360
And human beings, um, since the Stone
Age, were designed to be in groups.

399
00:30:44,220 –> 00:30:48,930
So, you know, with real people, I know
there were no robots at the time, but

400
00:30:48,930 –> 00:30:55,200
I’m saying that your inner genes is coded
to be with real people and technology

401
00:30:55,200 –> 00:30:56,940
will never be able to replace that.

402
00:30:58,530 –> 00:30:59,940
Yeah, that’s interesting.

403
00:30:59,940 –> 00:31:08,129
You know, that, that herd mentality,
uh, it’s, it’s evolving, if you

404
00:31:08,129 –> 00:31:16,485
will, into a different subset
of cultural ideas, if you will.

405
00:31:16,875 –> 00:31:22,425
And that is kind of alarming when
you sit down and start thinking

406
00:31:22,425 –> 00:31:30,105
about the psychological aspects of
all of this, because it does lead

407
00:31:30,105 –> 00:31:33,135
into the physiology in your world.

408
00:31:33,570 –> 00:31:41,340
And I know if I don’t get up and do
something other than just sit here

409
00:31:41,400 –> 00:31:48,510
in the studio and play all day on
the internet, I, I tend to feel that.

410
00:31:48,960 –> 00:31:51,240
And I, I can measure that.

411
00:31:51,660 –> 00:32:00,510
So we need to find identifiers to help
us navigate through the new world that

412
00:32:00,510 –> 00:32:06,210
we’re living in because we are living in
this new ordered and structured world.

413
00:32:06,990 –> 00:32:07,980
I totally agree.

414
00:32:07,980 –> 00:32:17,010
And I think it is up to us as individuals
to, um, make sure that you set events

415
00:32:17,070 –> 00:32:22,379
every day or a few times a week that
you go out and meet with people, because

416
00:32:22,379 –> 00:32:26,730
otherwise you’re just going to be
isolated both mentally and physically.

417
00:32:26,970 –> 00:32:31,920
So you need to get out of your
comfort zone, um, and I think most

418
00:32:31,920 –> 00:32:35,850
people don’t need others because
they’re just comfortable, uh,

419
00:32:35,879 –> 00:32:38,040
in sitting in front of a screen.

420
00:32:38,745 –> 00:32:44,925
And you need to really go out and, and,
you know, whether it’s through Friending

421
00:32:44,955 –> 00:32:50,895
or otherwise, you need to go out and
meet people in the real physical world.

422
00:32:52,725 –> 00:32:54,135
Yeah, I agree with that.

423
00:32:54,555 –> 00:33:01,095
You know, I, I myself find it harder
and harder to go associate with people

424
00:33:01,095 –> 00:33:03,405
because everybody’s withdrawing.

425
00:33:04,004 –> 00:33:13,514
And we have to remember the difference
is what helped us grow to this great

426
00:33:13,514 –> 00:33:19,665
capacity here in the United States
and it spread around the world

427
00:33:19,665 –> 00:33:27,405
for quite a few years, and we have
to start getting grips on that.

428
00:33:28,095 –> 00:33:31,845
Is there anything else you
would like to discuss today?

429
00:33:33,344 –> 00:33:37,050
Um, basically I would like to
encourage everybody to sign up

430
00:33:37,050 –> 00:33:38,680
for Friending at the moment.

431
00:33:38,740 –> 00:33:40,770
It’s free, it’s on friending.com.

432
00:33:41,010 –> 00:33:43,139
It’s iOS only at the moment.

433
00:33:43,469 –> 00:33:47,189
And we also have, which I haven’t
mentioned, um, as I said, we are

434
00:33:47,189 –> 00:33:49,439
really into friendships and gifting.

435
00:33:49,740 –> 00:33:55,949
We have an interesting coffee that you can
buy on our, on our web store, on our site.

436
00:33:55,949 –> 00:34:00,405
And what’s interesting, other than
the unique packaging, most of it is

437
00:34:00,405 –> 00:34:05,085
various cities with famous landmarks
that perhaps you have a friend you

438
00:34:05,085 –> 00:34:06,975
want to visit there or you live there.

439
00:34:06,975 –> 00:34:11,415
But, uh, other than those landmarks,
we have birthday versions and

440
00:34:11,565 –> 00:34:13,425
St. Patrick’s day’s coming up.

441
00:34:13,634 –> 00:34:18,404
But the neat thing about it is when you
buy the coffee, it’s usually as a gift,

442
00:34:18,795 –> 00:34:23,384
so you would type in a message, you could
say, Hey, thank you for the podcast.

443
00:34:23,654 –> 00:34:28,755
You type it in and when the recipient
gets that coffee, there’s a QR code.

444
00:34:29,069 –> 00:34:33,810
They download the app and read
their message, which is in, in,

445
00:34:33,870 –> 00:34:35,909
you know, embedded in the QR code.

446
00:34:36,090 –> 00:34:39,900
So we are using really, coffee other
than it’s, great coffee and nice

447
00:34:39,900 –> 00:34:44,850
packaging as a marketing tool to,
uh, have people download the app.

448
00:34:44,909 –> 00:34:47,819
You don’t need to register,
but you need to download it.

449
00:34:47,819 –> 00:34:53,025
And it says there’s a button there
saying read QR code and basically

450
00:34:53,085 –> 00:34:54,465
that’s how you get your message.

451
00:34:54,645 –> 00:35:01,455
I can actually, I don’t know, that’s the,
um, back of the packaging and that’s the

452
00:35:01,455 –> 00:35:05,835
San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge version
of the coffee, but there are others.

453
00:35:05,835 –> 00:35:11,685
As I said, the most important part is this
because you need to, um, read the QR code.

454
00:35:11,985 –> 00:35:16,335
So, um, it’s, it, it’s really neat
and you don’t need to send a gift card

455
00:35:16,335 –> 00:35:17,865
with it, so you save on the gift card.

456
00:35:18,540 –> 00:35:21,660
And it’s, it’s something
unique and it’s private because

457
00:35:21,660 –> 00:35:23,820
all they see is the QR code.

458
00:35:24,660 –> 00:35:27,810
So it’s not, it’s not printed
on the packaging, I mean.

459
00:35:29,760 –> 00:35:35,670
That is definitely going to
evolve into other products, uh,

460
00:35:35,670 –> 00:35:38,730
I can just see that being a hit.

461
00:35:39,390 –> 00:35:43,595
Uh, a unique thank you,
that, that’s kind of awesome.

462
00:35:45,705 –> 00:35:52,185
Well, Gabor, I have enjoyed speaking
to you about the app and some of

463
00:35:52,185 –> 00:35:54,375
the things going on in our world.

464
00:35:54,825 –> 00:35:59,685
Could you let people know how to get
involved with you and reach out to you?

465
00:36:00,955 –> 00:36:01,205
Yeah.

466
00:36:01,465 –> 00:36:06,405
The easiest way is if you just send
a message, um, podcast@friending.com

467
00:36:06,765 –> 00:36:11,055
or you can go to our website and
use the, uh, email address there,

468
00:36:11,055 –> 00:36:13,755
which is hello@friending.com.

469
00:36:14,115 –> 00:36:19,245
Um, the podcast will tell me that
you heard about the app on the

470
00:36:19,275 –> 00:36:23,745
podcast, but you’re welcome to
use, um, either email address.

471
00:36:24,195 –> 00:36:27,825
Feel free to suggest, feel free to
let me know what you think doesn’t

472
00:36:27,825 –> 00:36:31,214
work, feel free to know what
you think we should have and do.

473
00:36:31,515 –> 00:36:33,585
And thank you very much for having me.

474
00:36:34,694 –> 00:36:35,775
It’s been a pleasure.

475
00:36:35,775 –> 00:36:36,855
Thank you for being here.

476
00:36:37,694 –> 00:36:38,535
Thank you so much.

477
00:36:50,335 –> 00:36:53,925
Budapest Airport, winter ’94.

478
00:36:55,395 –> 00:37:00,154
Snowflakes melting on the tarmac,
a final glance at the Chain Bridge.

479
00:37:00,735 –> 00:37:06,195
One leather suitcase cracked at the edges,
stuffed with paprika and faded photos.

480
00:37:06,375 –> 00:37:10,115
Golden State billboards scream
in neon English, his dictionary

481
00:37:10,345 –> 00:37:11,870
worn thin by midnight.

482
00:37:13,009 –> 00:37:16,910
Christmas lights flicker on his
studio wall, reflections dancing in

483
00:37:16,910 –> 00:37:21,950
his coffee while Budapest’s laughter
echoes through the tiny screen.

484
00:37:21,950 –> 00:37:26,270
His mother’s wrinkled hands, dawn
spills on mechanical keyboards.

485
00:37:26,270 –> 00:37:30,049
The blue glow etching shadows under
his eyes, building connections

486
00:37:30,049 –> 00:37:31,910
one algorithm at a time.

487
00:37:31,910 –> 00:37:37,129
Digital stitches across the ocean from
the Danube’s bend where willows weep,

488
00:37:37,189 –> 00:37:39,790
to the Pacific’s endless concrete sweep.

489
00:37:40,310 –> 00:37:43,790
A lifetime spent translating
dreams into code, knocking

490
00:37:43,790 –> 00:37:45,759
on servers instead of doors.

491
00:37:47,439 –> 00:37:52,180
Hungary to California roam,
thirty years of airport

492
00:37:52,230 –> 00:37:52,649
chrome.

493
00:37:52,649 –> 00:37:56,000
Still tasting goulash in Silicon air.

494
00:37:56,000 –> 00:38:00,695
Gabor builds bridges through the
screen, fifty million blinking green.

495
00:38:01,005 –> 00:38:01,935
Friending finds what

496
00:38:07,035 –> 00:38:20,815
lonely hearts need, a glowing web of
light where lonely hearts entwine.

497
00:38:20,815 –> 00:38:24,060
Midnight oil burning in mountain
view cubes, debugging the

498
00:38:24,060 –> 00:38:27,900
loneliness in hexadecimal hues.

499
00:38:30,030 –> 00:38:35,480
Each line of code like a
fisherman’s net, casting wide

500
00:38:35,480 –> 00:38:38,320
across time zones, hauling in faces.

501
00:38:38,470 –> 00:38:38,660
From tiny flats

502
00:38:42,060 –> 00:38:45,979
with laundry on chairs, smelling
of paprika and diesel air.

503
00:38:46,209 –> 00:38:46,329
To

504
00:38:46,329 –> 00:38:51,100
data centers humming like hives,
where every packet carries lives.

505
00:38:51,100 –> 00:38:56,290
That 3:00 AM call across fourteen hours,
bridges the distance with silicon flowers.

506
00:39:02,010 –> 00:39:02,940
Hungary

507
00:39:02,950 –> 00:39:07,310
to California roam, thirty
years of airport chrome.

508
00:39:07,310 –> 00:39:09,720
Still tasting goulash in Silicon air.

509
00:39:10,510 –> 00:39:15,500
Gabor builds bridges through the
screen, fifty million blinking green.

510
00:39:15,550 –> 00:39:20,490
Friending finds what lonely hearts
need, a glowing web of light

511
00:39:21,300 –> 00:39:23,370
where lonely hearts entwine.

512
00:39:23,995 –> 00:39:28,880
A new connection, Budapest dawn, a
notification, his childhood lawn.

513
00:39:29,200 –> 00:39:30,250
Through constellations

514
00:39:30,250 –> 00:39:34,930
Of human desperation
and digital salvation.

515
00:39:34,930 –> 00:39:39,730
Silicon Valley, servers hum lullabies,
the Danube whispers old goodbyes.

516
00:39:39,730 –> 00:39:39,790
Two

517
00:39:39,790 –> 00:39:46,915
distant shores where the lonely hearts
go, not quite home, not quite alone.

518
00:39:48,680 –> 00:39:55,520
Through fiber optic veins and
satellite bones, a new world grows

519
00:39:58,740 –> 00:40:00,829
in the space between phones.