Back in 1988, the computer game Tetris made its first appearance in the US as a PC Game!
A little history…. the company that released the game was Spectrum Holobyte…. which had a dubious licensing right to the game. So when companies became interested in licensing Tetris for other platforms besides the PC, a series of events kicked off a long legal battle!
In the end…. (you probably know this… or can guess!) the big winner was Nintendo… who used the game Tetris to drive sales of its new Game Boy platform.
Compared to other games – it’s done really well….
Well.. it did very well… until recent times…
For a long time – it remained in the number 1 spot!!
It’s all about gamification. People love games!
Anything you do… if you can… add some gamification and people will be more engaged, they’ll try to get more points, more whatever it is that’s on offer… more points might unlock particular levels, etc…
Tetris was huge – and is still played a lot today.
It was simple. Engaging. Gave points. And the best thing… people talked about it. Which meant more and more people wanted to play it.
Last week, I had to take a flight from Heathrow. I usually park at T5 Pod Parking. It’s quick, easy, simple and I like it.
I have often thought – why aren’t these little bad boy pods on the streets?
So, for those who don’t know… these pods are self driving (obviously programmed for the track they have to take), no humans required, electric (saving a lot of tonnes of fuel that buses would have taken to do the same journey!) and quiet – I mean, I can sit there and do a few emails for those few minutes journey.
Back to my question – I did wonder, why aren’t they on the streets? – I’m sure someone like GM (General Motors), Ford or Toyota would do something with their self driving technology and put it into a pod like this. Where’s Tesla….?! – Here’s an idea for you Tesla!
Oh… hold the press. Someone is working on them and they’ll be coming sooner than we thought!
Cruise – the company, with GM… have designed, built and piloted a self driving pod/vehicle called the Cruise Origin!
So – they say, “When we got rid of all that human-driver stuff, we traded it for something precious: space.
The Cruise Origin looks big. But in fact, it’s no bigger than your average car. It’s just more efficient, making full use of the space it takes up on the road.
The doors don’t hinge outward. They slide open, so bikers are safer.
The entry is low to the ground, and three times larger than that of an average car — wide enough to make room for one person to step in while another person steps out.
Every seat is extra-legroom. And they all face each other, so you can have a conversation with family or friends.”
Very similar to the T5 Pod!
Personally, I think this is awesome!
It’s also, quite safe….
“When human beings drive, we rely on our eyes and ears. But even in simple suburban environments, with 20/20 vision and perfect hearing, we can only look in one direction, and we can only see and hear so much.
The Cruise Origin is powered by a brand-new, all-electric platform built by General Motors. It’s got what’s called redundancy, meaning there are no single points of failure across sensing, compute, networking, or power — because there’s no backup human driver.
Its multi-layered sensor suite is designed to keep track of multiple people and objects — even if they’re far away, in pitch-black, or hidden by rain or fog.”
Cruise Origin is currently in San Fran being tested 24/7 by the Cruise employees…. but they’ll start to invite members of the public and then look to roll it out around the States and me personally…. I can’t wait till it hits the UK!
That’s right – one of these on your street…very soon!
Recently, I’ve been looking and thinking about my social media channels… my Twitter and my Insta, and decided… I need to pay a little more attention to my Insta (@mrbalbansal)
I’ll be honest, my Insta was just for fun… for me. But speaking to a good friend (who has nearly 15,000 followers) reminded me about purpose! What’s the purpose of your Insta…
So with that purpose, I have a little extra passion for my Insta.
Whatever it is you do… have a purpose…. then the passion will come.
Times are changing. And don’t fear change… embrace it! Comments once upon a time, will not be applicable today, or the future… because there can be increase security with the use of technology.
Obviously, above all… use your common sense. Please. 🙂
Every year, the biggest electronics show that takes place in January, in the USA and is written up by yours truly, every year.
But this year – I thought, there’s alot of great reviews – and there’s alot of subjects – such as best tech cars, best tech wearable, etc… so I’d leave it for this year.
Until… someone actually asked me…’Bal, when are you writing your review for CES 2020?’ – wow! someone reads my CES updates! lol – ok, here it is… it’s short, it’s simple… with my top takeaways!
First up…. Cars!
Mercedes stole the show away with their Avatar themed car
The German automaker’s Avatar-inspired concept car, the Vision AVTR, is one of the biggest things at CES.
Outlandish design? Check.
Futuristic tech that doesn’t actually work right now? Check.
Striking a partnership with a popular entertainment company in order to use its intellectual property to help prop up the messaging behind a concept car? Check and check.
Check the below video….
Right – next up, the reverse microwave!
That’s right – it does the opposite to a microwave… it cools! and quickly!
The start-up involved hopes to launch Juno later this year to cool cans and bottles of drink at point of use, meaning they do not need to be stored in refrigerators in advance.
I personally think this will be awesome – I’ve personally seen and tested something similar in the coke labs…. glad this is becoming more mainstream!
Now… the last one – I’m going for the top 3… is around gaming, and no surprise… it’s the PS5
I bet it must have taken ages to design the logo…
Actually – it wasn’t even the console that was shared… it was just the logo! That’s right folks – Sony know they’re at the top of the game (excuse the pun), that they just walked out, announced the logo and dropped the mic.
To be fair – it’s a warning signal to everyone else – watch out… watch out what’s coming… it’s going to be big…. bigger than before.
My Top 3 Moments from CES 2020…. some of the other highlights?
Well… Uber and Hyundai are going to be offering flying taxi rides by 2023.
Nuraloops could be the best headphones. Ever.
A robot that brings you toilet paper when you’ve run out. (We’ve all been there!)
And finally… Samsung is really going to release robotic kitchen arms – that’ll do the cooking for you!
When was the last time you spent quality time with your customer or key stakeholder? – really got to know what they want and what they are really after?
In Lean… everything starts and ends with the customer. Because, at the end of the day – it’s those customers who’ll be parting with their hard earned money….
Firstly, Happy New Year! – Hope you had a great time celebrating and seeing in the New Year.
This year, will see me continue with my Friday Thoughts – however, I will be revamping my blog page – and adding more photos! There’s also the introduction of the Think Lean workshops, and the Get Digital workshops – more details coming soon – I share a little bit about these last year, and will be working on these more – building a community to Think Lean and Get Digital. I’ll be bringing along a friend or two for them to share their thoughts – how they’ve become so successful – and what we can all learn from them!
Now for my Friday Thought – You may have chosen a number of New Years Resolutions…. and right now, you may be overwhelmed or…. you may be doing things and just need to be a little patience or re-adjust your focus. Whatever it may be, remember…. Anything is Possible.
Firstly, hope you all had a lovely Christmas – and are looking forward to 2020!
One thing, I was alerted to recently, was about Windows 10. You may be thinking – what about Windows 10?!
Well – for those who have a computer. And run windows. You must ensure you have upgraded to the latest version of Windows…. which is Windows 10.
This is because Microsoft will stop supporting Windows 7 Operating System on January 14th, 2020.
Now, whilst there’s been a lot of information around this – I’m sure… lots of people may have missed it!
Bal, why should I upgrade?
Explaining more about the end of Windows 7 and why it is no longer offering updates, the US firm said: “Microsoft made a commitment to provide 10 years of product support for Windows 7 when it was released on October 22, 2009. “When this 10-year period ends, Microsoft will discontinue Windows 7 support so that we can focus our investment on supporting newer technologies and great new experiences.
“The specific end of support day for Windows 7 will be January 14, 2020. After that, technical assistance and software updates from Windows Update that help protect your PC will no longer be available for the product.
“Microsoft strongly recommends that you move to Windows 10 sometime before January 2020 to avoid a situation where you need service or support that is no longer available.
“You can continue to use Windows 7, but after support has ended, your PC will become more vulnerable to security risks and viruses.
“Windows will continue to start and run, but you will no longer receive software updates, including security updates, from Microsoft.”
So the key thing is security!!!
The world we live in today isn’t nice – there’s a lot of hackers and people wanting your personal information… so having the latest operating system, the latest security on your computer – will help protect it!
I won’t go through it all – but the basic is physiological, safety, etc… but it just seems to be, that our needs are changing!
What you saying Bal? – we still need the basics of Food, Water, Sleep etc…
We do indeed – but as technology is advancing – so are our needs.
We now rely more on our devices than ever –
That’s right – a bit cheeky, and a bit jokey – but now it’s more about the battery on our phone/device – and then wifi!
Ok, lets be honest – we still need food and water… but talk to alot of young folk, and it’s about where the charging points are, how much battery they have – most will probably plan for the day based on their battery life!
Also – when they go places… it’s very much about the free wifi, or wifi that is available. Connectivity right? – we all want to be connected and online.
But here’s something – do we really have to be connected all the time?
Holidays (Christmas) are coming soon – recommend, if you have a chance, unplug… disconnect… and do something you haven’t done for a while. It’ll help you re-focus… and then you can work your way up the needs!
Now – whilst you’ve got a few books, and are reading and learning – or well, at least the people you’ve given them to – are reading and learning – what other things are there out there you could get?
So… for me, I wanted to share with you some motivational folk that have inspired me – or at least have my attention when i’m listening to them.
First up – Gary!
That’s right – Gary Vee, actually known as Gary Vaynerchuk is a great inspirational person. Not only on all the social media channels – but his quotes and books, are simple, effective and really make you think.
For example – one of the things he says is – you’re young, you got time – to those younger folk who want to achieve success quickly. There’s so many things that Gary has done – it really does make you think about your future.
So for Christmas – head over to his website and have a look at what you could get for a friend or family.
Also – don’t forget to follow him on Twitter, Insta, etc… he’s all over social media!
Next up… Tony Robbins!
There’s so much he offers – all depends on your budget. But maybe start with a live event or training programme first. Then move up to a coaching session perhaps…
Find out more about Tony – read his blog, listen to his podcast or watch a video.
There’s plenty more inspirational folk out there – but these two have built a great foundation – and the amount of material they offer is phenomenal.
So…. with the books, you can truly inspire someone to take themselves to the next level!
