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BMW i4 EV

That’s right! – There’s another new electric vehicle on it’s way… fully electric…. fully affordable… and will rival the new Tesla Model 3.

Bal, why you so excited by this?

Because… this is the future! We’re in an era of hybrids. I have a hybrid. Hybrid sales are on the increase. And there’s more and more folk moving to electric/PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles).

But… what we’re seeing here is the move to fully electric!

The i4 is claimed to have a range of over 373 miles, a 0-62mph time of 4.0sec and a top speed of more than 124mph. 

Now for me, that’s not bad! Not bad at all.

Various spy shots of the vehicle have been taken whilst BMW have been out testing it in various weather conditions.

But the whole point of this is – that car manufacturers see the trend. They understand the trend and are working to provide what customers want.

We’re still a little way away from the self-driving cars – though they are coming! – but we’re definitely moving to fully electric vehicles.

And premium brands, such as BMW, Mercedes, etc… are working aggressively to bring some of their most sold models, in an electric form to the market.

Will we see more and more electric vehicles?

YES! – we definitely will. As the battery range becomes better, more local garages are able to service them and more charging points are available… then yes.

I was in Lands End the other day… and even they had electric charging points in their car park!

We’re are now fully entering the i range… started with i3 and i8… we’ll have the i4…. i everything. And other manufacturers will do the same.

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Christmas idea’s already?

Bal – Why on Earth, are you talking about Christmas when it’s August!!!!

Because I saw this the other day, and I’ll be honest – got quite excited!

Taken from UniLad, that’s right – Aldi are announcing their Christmas Menu…. and mini Yorkshire puddings with stuffing and pig in blankets sound awesome! – So much so…. people are suggesting that it’ll be sold out before you know it!

Great marketing? – Yes

But isn’t that what you need?! – Get people talking about it before it happens…. it’s all in the psychology!

You see, when it’s Christmas time, people are so busy – there’s so much to think about and do…

However – this is now registered in your mind. It’s not at the front, it’s near the back – but the important thing is….it’s in there!

Which means – when it does come around to Christmas… you’ll remember, you’ll say – oh yes!, I remember… and more importantly, others will remind you!!!!

Also – from Aldi’s Point of view – it helps them gauge interest. Remember Lean Thinking principle? – when you have an idea, go make it – test it and look at the results.

Exactly what they’ve done. They’ve had an idea. Testing it right now – seems to be working and there’s hype about it – so now, they’ll put it into production to meet demand! – With all of that…. it’s a very Merry Christmas!

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Yes – upload that Video!

It’s Monday. For many of you – back to work… for me, well… my Out Of Office is ON!! – Yes, that’s right – I’m taking the week of work…

However, I wanted to share a blog post and say to you, Yes! – Upload that video.

Bal, which video?

You know… that video, of you talking about a subject that you really enjoy. That subject that you really love. That subject that brings a smile to your face.

Bal, but why?

Well – recently there was a great article on BBC News…

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/business-49207532/i-get-so-much-recognition-from-youtube

It’s about the Dairy Farmer – who has over 2 million subscribers on YouTube – which allows him to a) make some serious money and b) get recognized – which he can monetize at some point!

His YouTube channel is phenomenal –

So why am I sharing this with you?

Because anyone can do this! – that’s right… even you! – all you need to do is, start recording videos of your interest and upload them. Sounds so simple, right?

Because it is! – and then grow your audience.

As you know – some of my passions are digital, technology… and food! – which got me thinking…. Bal’s Food Tour?

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FaceApp… good or bad?

Let’s be honest – when a new craze hit’s the streets, we are want to be part of it!

Recently – you would have noticed the FaceApp that makes you look older than what you are. It’s all a bit of fun – you share a photo/camera roll with the app, then choose a photo and hey presto – it’s uploaded to their servers and their ‘AI’ (Artificial Intelligence) works it’s magic and you have a photo that’s increased your age and make you look old!

All the stars and celebs are doing it.

I’m sure your friends are doing it.

The kids for sure are doing it.

And because of FOMO – Fear of Missing Out – you’ve probably downloaded it and going to play around with it.

If you haven’t or are going to – there’s concerns about the Russian based company who’s responsible for the app, and what the data might be used for.

Breaking it down – they take your photo’s and place it on their server. This means, they have access and use your photos.

How do you feel sharing your photos with them? – maybe you’re ok with that… but the concerns are, what they can do with them. They can also – find you on all social media accounts, find out all sorts of information about you – and then, well… it all depends, they could do all sorts. You’ve probably heard about ‘deepfakes’. If not – I’ll share more in another blog post but it’s when they can take an image or video, place it on something else and make a video look so realistic that you wouldn’t believe it’s not true.

So the company has come out and said they delete the images from their server – and do not keep them. Which is nice to know.

The concerns raised were that the company is in Russia and may have links with the Russian Government. However, they’ve come out saying there are no such links. And all photo’s are deleted (as mentioned).

FaceApp is run by a company called Wireless Lab OOO.

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Super Hot!

Weekend gone- we saw temperatures soar!!! High… and break records!

That’s right – In Paris, it was hitting record temperatures never seen before – and in England, we have 30 degrees Celsius!!

Now – how can you keep cool? There’s a few advances that can help you..

  1. Ice Cooling Vest – That’s right! You can get a vest, that takes ice packs and will keep you cool!! That’s right – replaceable, cooling and awesome!

2. Secondly – if you haven’t got air conditioning in your house, why not have a portable simple air con unit?

That’s right – your very own personal air con unit to keep you cool! – there’s plenty available on amazon and other shopping sites, just search for the size you’d like and keep your cool….

3. Now, if you’re like me – and drive a lot, you need to ensure you have the right drinks, snacks etc… in your car at a good temperature. The best way to do this is to have an in-car cooler!

That’s right! – plugs straight into your cigarette lighter and keeps your drinks and snacks cold! Exactly what’s needed if you’re going on a long journey or if your car doesn’t have already an in-built fridge!

Summary –

These are tech items I thought would be useful – obviously, take care in the heat, follow your local government/council recommendations (usually they say stay indoors) and most importantly – stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water.

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Who needs air anyway?

Recently, I’ve noticed – there’s been a lot of innovation around vehicles.

There’s the self-driving cars which I’ve spoken about before, there’s also the flying cars which are coming soon… and yes, we have the fully electric cars which are getting better and better.

But there’s so much to a vehicle which can be improved – and why is it we think in traditional manners?

Take the tyre for example.

Take Michelin for example. Started in 1889. Has much changed with their tyres? – same old rubber and air. Yes, there’s been new and improved designs.. but anything radical?

Now – don’t get me wrong, Michelin are a great company with some great history and delivering some great products.

But you know… everything is being disrupted.

And why not better – for Michelin, to team up with a car manufacturer, to work on something that would be ‘ground-breaking’.

How brilliant is this?! – Safety first.

No air. Simply design. Less rubber. Potential reduction in CO2.

So… who needs air, anyway?

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Bal’s Friday Thought…

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Media… Social Media!

Another blog post about Social Media, Bal? – I’m using the tools, I post… I share… and I wait for likes.

Whilst that is great – you should be doing more on Social Media. Just having the tool is one thing – using it effectively is another.

Yes – I know, there’s a lot of tools out there. I know that it can be time consuming and that there’s so much information being generated and shared – however, you have to a) keep consistent and b) have a goal!

There’ll be a reason for you to use social media – to make some noise and let people know about who you are and what you do. You’re probably trying to sell something – and Instagram being soooooooo huge, is the perfect platform for you.

What tools you use – is up to you. Facebook is the biggest in the world. Followed by some of the other popular one such as YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Whatsapp, etc…

Just posting an update or sharing an image isn’t enough these days. Because everyone is doing that.

It comes down to collaboration.

How many posts and photo’s do you comment – engage – build a conversation on? How many times have you shared some of your knowledge on someone else’s media platform?

It works both ways. The more you actively share and collaborate – the more others will with you! And that’s where the value is.

Your reach will increase – and you’ll gather more followers and customers.

The other point was having a goal. What do you want your audience to know or do? When they land on your page – is it clear what you are about and what the ask is. Is there an ask?!

Having these clear simple steps will take your social media game up a notch and for you to really leverage the power of social media and build on what you’ve started….

Side note – apologies for the lateness of my podcast! – All will be explained when Kat and I get a chance to record the next one… which I’m hoping won’t be too long.

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iPhone 11…

Seriously Bal? – another new iPhone? – seems like only yesterday the X, XS and XL was released.

Indeed. Not that long ago – but in this rapidly evolving world we live in, and the trillions that is in the bank of Apple, you didn’t think they’d just sit there and not do anything?

That’s right folks – there’ll be a new iPhone coming out later this year!

So what do we know – and how do we know it?

Well… the folks who make the protective cases for Apple leaked some images – and these have then been rendered!

So what do we know? – Firstly… it has 3 cameras!!!

That’s right – 3 cameras. We seen what some of the Chinese phone manufacturers are doing with their phones and their cameras – and let’s be honest, the picture quality is fabulous! – Even Samsung have serioulsy upped their game. So only time for Apple to do the same…

Admittedly- I’m taking more photos on my phone than my DSLR!

In addition to the 3 cameras – there’ll be a faster processor… more memory and a better battery! There’ll also be phone to phone (and other device like AirPods, etc…) charging.

We’ll no doubt receive more leaks (information and photos) over the next month or two – and as always, will happily keep you updated!

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Everyone starts with zero

Saw a great quote from Gary Vaynerchuk the other day –

Now, if you don’t know Gary – I suggest you go and google him, watch some of his videos, check him out on social media. He’s a great guy – and he’s sharing some brilliant and very simple advice!

In fact, this is one of my favourite videos… (taken from his fan page!)

https://youtu.be/LxcH0YaUePM

Now… there’s various folk whom I talk to, and they’ve either started their journey (this could be anything) or have always thought about it but never got going.

In this blog post- I’m going to focus on social media for a moment.

We all know the dividends that social media pays. It’s HUGE!!!!

If you, your business, your organisation – is not on social media, you’re missing out BIG TIME!

On top of that – you might be on it, but not using it effectively. Post now and again…. and then wonder, why you are not getting followers, why you are not getting engagement, why you are not growing!

It’s not all about you.

It’s all about others. The more you engage with others, the more others will engage with you!

Have a clear focus also. What is it you are using social media for?

Is it to gain more followers?

Is it to gain a following which you can interact with and therefore translate into profits?

Is it to increase awareness of your brand?

Like any good strategy, work out your Goals and Objectives and work accordingly.

I’ve been helping a number of folk out recently – and most recently, I took over the twitter account for a local charity.

We went from zero to 65 followers in a few weeks. The objective is to increase awareness and have more volunteers. This all links with the overall marketing strategy of the charity. More volunteers means more help which means more hands which results in more getting done in the same time (time is a variable that can’t be changed!)

And lastly… if you do want to learn more – I’ll be interviewing The Coopers, who’ll share a few secrets about their Instagram page!

They went from a couple of hundred followers to over 4,700 followers in a short space of time! All genuine followers – so what’s the secret?! – well… you can find out soon…. (by the way, if you can’t wait for my blog post with The Coopers, go follow them on Instagram – search for Coopers New Build)