Do you ever get the feeling that Facebook is listening to what you’re saying? You’re talking to a friend about something for instance, and then you open Facebook and you get an ad about exactly the thing you were talking about? I get that a lot. Sometimes I even get ads about something I’m thinking about, and not even out loud! Well as it turns out, mind reading is not that far off, as Facebook is getting closer to letting you type with your mind. *GASPS*

More than two years ago, Facebook announced it was working on a silent speech project that would allow to type 100 words per minute straight from the brain, which is 5 times faster than typing from a phone.

A study published on Tuesday July 30, 2019 in the journal Nature Communications shows researchers are getting closer to decoding what the mind is thinking. They are working on developing a wearable device that lets people type with their minds by testing epilepsy patients who had electrodes implanted in their brains. Facebook Vice President Andrew Boz tweeted the following message:

Facebook says this technology won’t be available to customers anytime soon though. It is also not the only company interested in linking the human brain to a computer, so one does wonder where we’re going with all of this and what the future holds in terms of technology.

Lebanese Frenchies have their own culture. It’s more of a subculture actually, with many unique characteristics that make its people recognizable within miles away. So whether you’re a Lebanese Frenchie or not, you’ll enjoy this article from your own point of view!

Here’s a bunch of tips to recognize Lebanese Frenchies:

1- They live in Achghafiyeh or Ghabieh

2- Faghaya and Faqgha are their headquarters in summer

3- They have their own vocabulary

« Bro tu vas au BO?”

« Man de quoi tu parles »

4- They punctuate their sentences with Lebanese words

Yaané… éno… hayété…chédd 7alak/chéddé 7alik… bchil/ma bchil

5- Whenever you ask them about their outfits: “c’est pas du Liban”

They are international people of course.

6- Their casual outfit consists of Hollister or Abercrombie & Fitch sweatpants

UGGs are out though (so 2015!)

7- They know the lyrics to all the French songs

From Joe Dassin’s “Oooh Champs Elysées” to Kyo’s “Dernière danse” and Céline Dion’s « Pour que tu m’aimes encore ». You name it. They’ll sing it.

8- Occasional French Night is a thing

They go to French Night every once in a while just for the heck of it (Did anyone else spend his Wednesdays in Métisse a few years back or is it just me??)

9- Annual trip to Paris is also a thing

They go to Paris at least once a year. It’s like a pilgrimage of theirs.

10- Listening to them talk feels like watching TF1 if you’re not a Frenchie yourself

Concentration level: maximal

11- They have very strong opinions about French politics

Even if they’re not actually French.

12- They say “Klété” instead of “tlété” for number three

Not all of them though…

13- They move in packs

Wherever they are, they tend to stick to each other. If you’re an AUB alumni, you know “AUB Frenchies” is a thing.

14- Yet, they get offended if you refer to them as “Frenchie”

Moi ? Jamais !

Like really offended

Hey if you enjoyed this, check out 10 Annoying Things Lebanese People Do When They Travel. You won’t regret it!

If you’re a real F.R.I.E.N.D.S fan, you probably already know all the friends memes out there, but nevertheless, I took the liberty of gathering a few of the things I learned from the series. F.R.I.E.N.D.S is not just about the sarcasm and the laughs. It taught us a lifetime’s worth of lessons about friendship, love, relationships and family.

1- It’s ok not to have a plan

2- It’s also ok to watch TV in a wedding dress

3- Y-O-U-apostrophe-R-E means “you are”. Y-O-U-R means “your”

4- “We were on a break” is never an excuse

5- Friendship can turn into love

6- Love doesn’t always work out the way we expect

7- A chick and a duck make good pets

8- Always say the right name at your wedding

9- Everybody has a lobster

10- Divorced men are not bad men

11- Love can be complicated sometimes

12- How to take advantage of your hotel during vacations

13- How to flirt

14- We all make dating mistakes

15- If you’re passionate about something, go for it

16- Sometimes friends turn into family

If you liked this article, check out 7 lessons I learned from Phoebe Buffay  for a few more laughs 🙂

There’s this whole “blogger” extravaganza that’s been going on for a while now and it’s really confusing for people like me to wrap my head around it. See, Instagram used to be a simple picture and video-sharing platform destined to the average Joe (“Monsieur tout le monde” in French), but it’s transformed into this virtual high-end red carpet-worthy space for people to flaunt movie-like pictures that *seem* so perfect they make you question your mundane existence that looks so plain in comparison.

You can’t post anything on Instagram anymore without thoroughly thinking it through. A few years back, we used to be able to just show up on Instagram with our casual pictures, you know, just like you dress up to go somewhere really familiar. We used to just capture moments, add a filter and post the picture. Smooth.

It’s not the case anymore! Posting on Instagram today feels more like going to a wedding: you need to exhaustively think about every single detail beforehand, it takes a whole day to get dressed and ready, it’s exhausting and most of the time, it’s not even worth the trouble.

Anyway, here’s an obvious sign you’re not a blogger, just an Instagram enthusiast:

You don’t have a blog

You should have a blog.

A blogger is someone who writes on a blog. If you want to call yourself a blogger, you should have a blog. See, just like a surfer needs to have a surf board, a blogger needs to have a blog. If you don’t, then you’re not a “blogger”, just an Instagram enthusiast. Baby you can even call yourself “socialite” or “influencer”. Whatever floats your boat. But blogger’s not it.

I don’t mean to be a hater. It’s just that Instagram has become too much effort. Everyone is trying way too much to look perfect, myself among them. And for what? What’s the point? Sometimes I look at my Instagram profile and wish my life were as cool as it looks online.

We should be able to post pictures of the sky or the waves or our pet or just spontaneous pictures of moments that made us feel happy to be alive.

When was the last time you took a picture, thought it was cute, and just posted it spontaneously?

A few years back I guess. Let’s go back to this, people. Let’s go back to simpler times. Just…let’s…

Did you know Instagram hid the number of “Likes” in several countries to remove pressure? Check out the article. I’d really like to know what people think about all of this…

Former president of Mexico Adolfo López Mateo once said: “Anyone who does not have a Lebanese friend must look for one”. And it’s true! Lebanese are truly awesome people. You won’t find their joie de vivre anywhere else in the world (at least, not in the same way). But, like everybody else, they do have their annoying little habits. Like when they travel for instance. So this article is a bit of a caricature just to put a smile on your face 🙂 Don’t take it too literally!

1- They take a picture of their passport and post it on Instagram

As if the whole country doesn’t already know they’re travelling this week.

You’ve been telling us all about it for weeks, NOUR. 

2- They check in at the VIP lounge

Literally anyone can access the VIP lounge at the airport. It doesn’t cost anything. Please let us all stop pretending we’re fancier than we are because we have access to the VIP lounge. It’s for the average Joe, so can we all get over this together?

3- They brag about their trip before, during, and after

No one cares that you’re travelling to Cyprus, NOUR. It’s not like you’re going to the moon. Been there done that. Build a bridge, and get over it 🙂

4- They post a guided tour of their hotel room

For some reason, you get a detailed guided video tour of their hotel room on their Instagram story. -It’s just too bad music is unavailable in our region otherwise we would have gotten background music to go with the video, you know, for dramatic effect.

5- They also post stories about everything

Literally.

And on all social media platforms no less!

Do you think people want to see your story on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat AND WhatsApp, NOUR? Are you afraid someone might miss it if you don’t broadcast your existence through every means possible?

6- They will broadcast their return

Once they’re back in town, you will know, as will everyone else (obviously).

7- And then come the Throwback Thursdays

You’d expect people to get over themselves once they’re back in town but noooo. They will hit you with the #ThrowbackThursdays like you’ve never been hit before, and they will #MissThis (add sad face emoji) for a very long while. This whole throwback charade will go on for at least a year to come. I’m not sure if it’s until their next trip or until they’ve posted all the pictures they think are “Instagram Material”.

8- They will talk about their shopping sprees

And they’ll tell you all about how everything is cheaper abroad, and how they never go shopping in Lebanon anymore and so on.

You also get a special overdramatic reaction if you tell them you’ve been to Paris but never to Val d’Europe.

9- They will update you on their weight status

This one can go both ways: It’s either they gained weight, or they didn’t because “ akalna w chrebna bass ktiiiir mchina”.

And then they’ll comment on your weight even if they’d seen you the week before, you know, just for the heck of it, and also because why miss an opportunity to be intrusive à la Libanaise!

10- They will consult you on the “Instagramability” of their pictures

“Bnazzela”?

Whatever your answer, they probably already made up their mind on posting it anyway.

Check out 14 Tips to recognize a Lebanese Frenchie for a few more laughs!