I’m a big believer in the idea that simplicity is facilitated by technology. And across the globe, ease of communications is considered technology’s greatest contribution to a more simplified life. So when a company that specializes in bringing people together through smartphones and other state-of-the-art products and services does something that boggles the mind, I can’t help but take notice.

When the U.S. Army shipped me off to Germany after I’d taken a leave of absence from graduate school in the 1960’s—I had majored in economics at Cornell and spent a year and a half at NYU School of Law—I figured that I would continue on this path when I completed my tour of duty.