Rest in piece Skype. It’s unlikely that you’ll be missed.
Hits in the headlines #89
After missing the post last week, the posts are back!
Cast your mind back to the start of the pandemic. It was a scary time, and the changes to our lives could have not been predicted. Among those big changes was the spread of online meetings. As we know now, this was a change that would stick with us, long after the masks and self-isolations were abandoned. If you told someone in the 2010s that this would happen, they would expect that Skype would be the big name in the business – and that it’s probably a good time to invest in Microsoft. Despite these expectations, Skype was practically nowhere to be seen during this time. With the rise of multiple other platforms, Skype has disappeared from the memory of many people. Now, in 2025, Microsoft have announced that they will be shutting Skype down. Will it be missed? It’s hard to say. Clearly there were not enough people using it in the first place. What went wrong? What’s next?
Second: Dating apps might have become the go-to place for online dating, and have even helped to shape dating habits for entire generations. But, there is another place that people may look to find love online – hobbies. It’s obvious that finding people with shared interests leads to stronger connections, but as online dating and socialising has become more common, meeting people in real-life has seemed more and more strange
The video this week is about “super-commuters” – people who travel long distances or many hours as part of their regular commute to work. It is not as though this type of commuting is common (at least, not yet), but you can easily find stories of people travelling hundreds of kilometres, crossing borders, and in the case of this video, flying. One worker found that the best balance for her life was to take a flight, to and from her workplace. To me, this seems ridiculous, but there are many factors that might influence someone’s decision to be a super-commuter. For me, and I’m sure for many others, the job couldn’t be worth it if the commute was too long or too far. However, as long distance, high-speed travel becomes more accessible, this style of commuting might become the new norm. What would it take for you to become a super-commuter?
Why not use this as a chance to learn some new language?
Try to note some new language that you see or hear in the articles or video and bring it to the class.
Remember, I always encourage you to send in your interesting articles, videos, or podcasts. You can message me directly, or email me here.
Have a great week.
See you in class!