Often, we are found in a circle of ‘just doing’. Be it, tasks at home, moving from meeting to meeting, days just disappear into a blur….
But how much are you investing in yourself?
I’ve started reading more and more recently. But also, listening to podcasts!
Whatever you do – Invest in yourself.
So… I’ve decided. My next car will be all electric.
That’s right – I’ll most probably move away from my hybrid BMW – which I’d like to add, I absolutely love. But I feel, there’s alot of all-electric vehicles available – and their ‘miles range’ is getting better.
You’ve got your trendsetters such as Tesla – yes, very much on the cards.
Then there’s the i8 and i3 from BMW. Neither do it for me, I need more space.
Mercedes have plenty of hybrids and an electric one coming out in 2019 called EQC.
But… I’ve always had a soft spot for Audi. And noticed, they have the mighty named e-tron coming out in 2019.
Lovely looking motor. With an impressive 248 miles… you can’t really go wrong. Or can you….?
Yes you can. When you price it quite high!
£70k starting?! seriously?!!
Sorry – but that’s expensive! – I don’t want to be paying that much… I’ll be honest – rather have the Tesla!
But Bal… you said there’s a few electric cars out there, what else is there?
Well… good question. In addition to the above, you’ve got the Nissan Leaf – phenomenal EV! (electric vehicle)
There’s the Porsche Taycan which is coming out – or should be out now.
Mini are releasing an all electric Mini this year – but the other one that caught my eye which i’m interested in, is the Volvo XC40.
Last I heard – it’s around the £50k mark and will do around 150-170 miles. Coming early 2020.
So there’s a few cars to chose from… and it looks like the choice is only getting better…. AND i’m noticing more charging points. Only the other day I was at the local tennis centre, and noticed they had recently installed 2 new charging points!
We’re heading in the right direction for EV’s – and sales are increasing also.
Diesel sales have drastically dropped!
So there you go… EV is the future, and it’s happening quicker than what we thought! – and the above graph only shows it to 2016…. 2017… 2018… had even bigger sales!!
So, you’re probably wondering – which is the most popular car?
More blue’s will appear on the chart in due course….
I often find – people asking me, Bal – how much money do I need to start a business, Bal – what tools do I need to purchase to make it happen…
More often than not – I explain to people, chances are high you have the tools to get started! – Use what you have – and try the idea out. If the idea gains momentum and you’re on to something big… then you know, you’ve got the grounds to invest.
You may recall…. that recently, I wrote and shared about Samsung’s folding phone.
Well.. guess what. That’s right, Huawei have released their folding phone!
After 3 years of development, they presented the Huawei Mate X
Now… the interesting thing is – it’s better than the Samsung!
How’s that Bal? –
Well, firstly – it closes completely flat. Something the Samsung doesn’t.. (Mate X is 11mm compared to Samsung’s 17mm)
Secondly, it’s slightly bigger than the Samsung phone… 8inches when unfolded and 6.8in when closed (that’s the larger model).
Thirdly – it’s 5G ready.
So… who else will be developing foldable phones?
I’m sure Apple, Google and other makers will be looking at how customers react. The biggest issue at the moment (in my opinion) is the cost.
They’re not cheap.
In fact. They’re expensive. Mate X is around £2,000 – and will go on sale in the middle of this year.
There will be people who buy this – and why not. It’s a tablet. It’s a phone. It potentially replaces two of your devices into one. And I think it could catch on. I can see, in the future, this technology being more readily available and most importantly, more people buying it.
Would I buy one? – only if you could flip it out like the old Motorola Flip phones! – don’t know what they are… I’ll let you google it.
We all know what FOMO is, right? – the Fear of Missing Out!
We don’t want to miss out. We want to be involved. We want to know what’s happening – in our interested subjects, be it people – be it cars – be it anything we want to know about. We have to stay involved. And companies know this! They know it only too well…..
Now, rather than me talk about it – I was recently introduced to a podcast by Brian Fanzo….
If you’ve not had the chance to listen to him – I strongly recommend you do.
He talks about some great subjects… providing some insights, providing some analysis and more importantly, providing you with a ‘call to action’ to do something!
Now whilst my podcast is doing ok – (and if you haven’t heard it, it’s called Think Lean, Get Digital)…. you should really check FOMOFanz out.
Not only his podcast – he’s got several videos on YouTube. And he records a video of him doing his podcast!
Before I recommend anyone to you guys – I want to ensure the person is good. They’ve got the right credentials. They know what they’re talking about. They’ve built a bit of a following and/or they are super talented on their subject of choice.
Here’s Brian’s social media stats….
Oui – impressive!
So there you go people – need some Monday Motivation? – well, go check Brian out and you’ll be super motivated!
It’s been a crazy few years – mainly at work, but also with Bal’s Kitchen (also known as Samosalicious on various social media platforms).
It’s funny to think… starting off… may people don’t know you, or aren’t aware of your capabilities. Then slowly they see…. they watch… they listen… they realise…. they appreciate.
I’ll be honest. I thought, I’ll record a few podcasts – not many people will listen and I’ll park the experience.
Fortunately… I’ve had some listeners! 49 plays on my last podcast!!! – Whilst it’s not setting the world on fire, I feel we can continue to grow – and see where this takes us.
So, Ladies and Gentlemen… my 4th Podcast is available from all your favourite podcast apps and places you go to listen to podcasts! – Search for ‘Think Lean Get Digital’ on your Apple Podcast app, Spotify, Google, etc… and SUBSCRIBE! – it makes life so much easier for you… honest 🙂
M&M’s Bal? – Yes… we talk (at the end of the podcast so you have to listen to all of it) about M&M’s….
Leave a review – and let us know what you think! – and oh, that’s Kat and I in the photo above… with some M&M’s!
When I started this blog, it was very much to make it a two-way interactive type of blog…. what I mean by that is, I share my thoughts, and then readers would have questions, comments, views and thoughts.
Whilst most times, that’s worked – I feel there could be more ‘inter-activeness’.
I’m sure when you read this blog – be it any topic from Smart Homes to Folding Phones…. it would generate some thinking, some thoughts and hopefully get you thinking.
The purpose of this blog is to break down some of the latest technological advancements and share they in simple terms. Also discuss, do we really need some of this tech? Also how technology is impacting our every day lives, for example – let’s take the High Street – we know that on-line shopping is only increasing, do we need physical shops? – The answer I think is yes… we need a hybrid model of physical and on-line shopping.
Companies are working on a lot more – and offering us a lot more… in terms of technology, and especially how we relate and connect with them.
It’s not just a matter of having a break – it’s now share some details, look at some content, watch a video, interact with what i’m being told, etc…
Life is getting busy in certain areas. But technology is also enabling us save time – in certain areas.
One thing we must keep doing is understanding where technology is heading.
The last thing is, you don’t want to be left behind…
Therefore – happy to take questions, both on this blog (you can reply below), you can tweet me – there’s several ways to contact. But let’s have some more conversations…
There’s also the podcast! – new one out this week!!! – Had some great feedback – and happy to listen and take on board more feedback to make it better. Make it useful for you. And make it more beneficial to you.
It’s not just for me to moan – (well… that is an element of it), but to turn that moan around and look at opportunities and what can be done. And isn’t it great – when we all can look at opportunities and discuss together.
People Talk. People Moan. People Criticise.
Problem is… we don’t have many People who Do.
Which one are you?
I’ll be honest. I wasn’t expecting that much feedback on the ‘Smart Dining Table’! – it was phenomenal!!
“Bal – really? You don’t need a table to be smart. Just be practical!”
“How’s about not having devices on the table – as per the news headlines.”
But my favourite was from my old friend, Hugh… who said “Sensors to detect food and keep plates warm would be progress. However, the purpose of a dining table is to not only enjoy your food, but hopefully engage in conversation with good company. Rather than a wireless charger, perhaps a Faraday layer to block the use of phones?”
That is very true, Hugh. The purpose of the dining table is indeed, to enjoy your food – however, no issue with it being a little smart, right?
So, on Sunday morning – when I was up, I was kindly asked to open the blinds. With a slight roll of the eyes… I did as I was told. I opened the blinds.
Which then got me thinking… Why haven’t I got Smart Blinds?
Is there such a thing, Bal?
YES! – There is!! Ikea!!! They have introduced Smart Blinds… watch the video below… it explains it…
That’s right – you can pop down to your local Ikea. Not only pick up a hotdog… but either the Kadrilj or the Fyrtur Smart Blind!
How awesome is that! – Runs on batteries, connects to your Alexa or Google Home… and you’re up and running!
Now, I will talk more about how Ikea is becoming ‘Smart’ about their home offerings in another blog post.
Back to the blinds. So, this got me thinking… they got to be expensive, right? – Well… not really….
Now… the problem is… I’ve already got blinds fitted.
Do I have to really change all the blinds in the house?
Well.. the answer is No!
That’s right Ladies and Gentlemen… you can retro-fit a device that’ll make your current blinds… SMART!
I know right – I should become a Smart Home Expert!
Manually pulling that string to open or close your blinds will be a thing of the past….
You can buy a device… which has a battery (which lasts for 2 months, and can be charged for a short period of time – or you can leave the charger in – or you can use a solar panel to charge it)… it connects to your phone… it connects to your Alexa or Google Home… and will open and close your blinds for you!
How awesome is this! All the blinds in my home.. can now be Smart!
The only problem is…. some of these devices are new and expensive. The one in the above photo is £130 per device.. but you can buy 2 for £180 and there’s various other promotions on. The more you buy, the cheaper it is…
So there you go… Bal helping your home become smarter. Hugh, what do you think now hey?! 🙂