My Friday Thought today… knowing when to pick up the pen and when to pick up the sword. Art of War… winning without fighting.
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Bal’s Friday Thought…
Author: Bal Bansal
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Christmas Gifts 2023
Well, a fair few folk have been asking me, Bal – what’s the best present to get loved ones this Christmas?
Well there’s so much to choose from these days! Honestly, there were lots I recommended last year which would be still valid for this year – but nevertheless, since you’ve asked, I will share my Top Five Christmas Gift Ideas for 2023/
First up for the body..
We’re sitting down alot these days – and with that, our backs are not what they used to be. We’re not stretching and whilst most of us are members of the local gym, how much do you actually use it and how many of you actually stretch?
With this back massager – it sits on your chair and helps soothe those back muscles. Now you can get some that add heat – which is a good idea during this time of the year!
Next up, for the mind… (well, more the brain)
Our brains need exercising! And whilst we can look after our bodies, what about our minds? well, there’s alot of mind exercises and meditation you can do… however, remember the brain training on the old Nintendo Wii?! Well, there was a reason why it was so popular! It was because we need to exercise our brains! Otherwise… you know what happens when you don’t exercise!
You can download them onto your phone or tablet, and/or even better still – there’s a fair few on youtube (you will have to pause whilst you work answers out). You might be thinking.. Bal, how’s a link on youtube for brain games a gift? – well it is if you pay for an annual subscription for youtube!
Next up… exercise the brain but learn something new!
Reading – it’s important. We want to read, and some like physical books some e-books. Either way, great christmas presents – you can buy the latest inspirational book or a great fiction book. Either works… as long as it’s something they like.
You could go one better… and get a kindle for someone who loves to read all the time – with that, you often get some free books they can read.
Next up… get some good aroma’s around your home
Smells are important.
They can help you ease, relax and/or concentrate (depends what you’re doing). These can come in the form of oils, candles, bath salts, etc…
I’ve been using particular candles I got from Camden market – which are really good! You can buy different oils that help you with different things… relaxing, concentration, etc…
And onto my last gift idea.
This one’s different.
It’s the gift of time.
Now being honest, we’re so busy… do we really have time for friends and family. Whilst you’ll spend it with them, hows about doing something in particular with them. You can search on Etsy for ideas and cards with things to do with friends. But honestly, make a list of things you’d like to do with who and do it.
Sounds a little crazy, but say you want to do a carvery with a good friend… buy a carvery gift card for them, and tell them you want to have an evening out with them. Alternatively if you want to go cinema with someone. Buy a cinema gift card for them – and tell them, you want to go with them. The actual date you can work out later…but the thought of spending time with them is there.
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Bal’s Friday Thought…
There’s a lot going on around the world. This Friday thought is not tech related – but moreso about our human nature. We should be more considerate to those around us and those who are being effected by the events that are taking place in a number of areas around the world.
And then there’s people locally to us, who may be going through struggles that may not be as evident to us.
We just need to be kind to others.
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Bal’s Friday Thought…
Sometimes you ask, why me?!
There’ll always be a reason why. At that time, the chimp part of our brain won’t listen. It’ll bang on about why me, why not them, what’s happening, etc…
This is why think about the journey.
Think about the process.
And keep going – stay on track and believe in yourself.
You are your own strength and supporter.
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Time to switch off?
Who’d have thought. As a technology advocate, I’d be suggesting you switch your tech off for a while?
Well… I am.
Bal… are you going crazy?
No, not in the slightest. I am noticing that we are ever so becoming more and more dependent on technology – and yes, we’re surrounded by it. But I’ve written/blogged about it before. We should always take a break from it. And there’s some method behind the madness (of what I’m suggesting!)
Firstly, when you take a break from the tech – you’ll appreciate it more when you come back to it.
Secondly, when you take a break from tech – and when you come back, you can be more focussed on what you need that tech to do or what you want from it. Make it work for you.
Thirdly, when you take a break from tech – you’ll notice other things. What I mean about this is – you won’t be scrolling and seeing a device – when you look up you may notice something different, something unique, something that then gives you an idea! (you may need to return to tech to then progress – but take that break).
We now have smart cars, smart homes, smart tv’s, smart watches, smart… well, everything is becoming smart! And that’s with the advancement of technology. Which is great. Because it’s meant to be quicker and easier to do things. That’s what smart means, right? – the smarter something is, the quicker or easier it is to do something.
But I’ve noticed that whilst there’s alot of talk about AI (Artificial Technology) – we’re very reliant on technology to do the basics for us or become, dare I say it… lazy (er).
I’m sat at my macbook writing this blog. I’ve not written for a long time. Yesterday, I met a friend of mine – Craig. We had a coffee. No device in sight. For an hour. It was great. We had lots of ideas and things we want to do. The great thing then was, we picked up our phones, made notes. Productivity. On your mobile phone, you can see what you have used your phone for… productivity, social media, etc… Have a look at the data – and what it’s telling you.
Data-led decisions can then enable you to be more productive.
Data-led decisions can then help you be more adventurous.
So, maybe it is time to switch off for a while – take a break and look out the window for inspiration.
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Bal’s Friday Thought…
Saw this wonderful quote on a poster, and thought it’s too good not to share with you.
There’s so much to digest… but for me, the last line is soooo important and the one that hits hard.
I was recently watching some videos on Instagram. And there’s one that I’ve watched many times – and I love it. I usually refer to it on many occasions when I’m talking to others.
I’ve even written the first part of it, on my chalk board at home!
There’s so many takeaways you can have from the simple message. I take away that no matter what you’re planning, looking to, etc… focus on today. It’s similar to the book – The Power of Now. Focus on the now, the here and enjoy it. What you do today will help you in the future… that’s why enjoy the present moment.
And if you’re thinking… Bal, that’s great – but what is the rest of it?
Well, here you go… Enjoy!
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Sunday (Tech) Summary
I thought this morning – there’s alot going on in the world of Technology and I haven’t had the opportunity for a while to share with you all what’s going on, how it’s all going… and most importantly, which bit of tech that really matters to you! So here we go…
First up, the new iPhone 15
Now, there’s been alot of hype over the iPhone 15 but in all honesty, I’m not seeing the huge leap that I was expecting.
Yes, it’s got a quicker processor.
Yes, the camera technology has improved.
Yes, the operating has some new cool features.
Yes, the charging port has changed to USB C.
Yes, it’s the new iPhone with an improved dynamic island user interface.
But should you upgrade?
Well, depends what you have now. The camera tech, to be fair has improved considerably. So if you’re rocking an 11 or 12, then yes! I would say definitely upgrade. If you’ve got a 13 or 14… depends if you need the speed (new processor makes it faster than before) and images (if you want a much better camera) then yes, upgrade. If you’re on the fence on these items… then you could wait or think about what other tech you could get.
Next up, what if you’ve got a Samsung?
The new Samsung Galaxy S23 has been accidently leaked in an image.
The leak comes from an image posted on the Galaxy Buds FE page found on Samsung Argentina’s website. Eagled-eyed Samsung watchers have spotted the date of Wednesday, October 4th in the notifications bar of the Tab S9 FE
Unfortunately, I don’t know much more at this time… but will share more as and when there’s more information shared. But for the Samsungers amongst us, this would be interesting for sure…
And finally, (not phone related)… AI Alexa!
Amazon has announced plans to incorporate Generative AI into its Alexa digital assistant.
Alexa is arguably the most popular virtual assistant. Still, like Siri, it uses natural language processing (NLP), a branch of AI that helps systems understand and naturally respond to human speech. However, these assistants are limited and trained to respond to patterns with pre-determined scripts or replies that need to be processed. That is, until now.
Currently, Alexa can recite a bedtime story for your kids. With the addition of Gen AI, Alexa would be able to produce unique stories each time, complete with your kids’ names for the characters and genres.
Essentially, generative AI would make Alexa smarter. This also means that Alexa would be able to answer open-ended questions without resorting to an internet search or an “Alexa answers contributor”.
Personally, I think that’s quite awesome – but also scary on the other hand because what you feed into GenAI helps it build it’s knowledge so becareful with any sensitive information you may be talking about!
So that’s a wrap folks! A quick Sunday (Tech) Summary of a few tech bits from the past week or so.
I’ll share some more in a few weeks… And like always, if you have any questions, you can always reach out to me on my socials or via this blog!
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Bal’s Friday Thought…
Think like a farmer.
Why… because everything a farmer does for their farm, you should think about doing (if not already) for your workplace.
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Bal’s Friday Thought…
All about making memories.
Facebook is great at showing what happened on this day many years ago… on mine, up came an old memory. Wonderful! It’s those moments I will remember forever.
The people, well….
