Tag: technology

Categories
Week in Review

Top Tech Trends

Top UK Technology News: Key Developments You Should Know

In the UK, the tech sector is buzzing with significant developments, from innovations in AI to updates in the gaming and digital infrastructure space. Here’s a roundup of the most important tech news stories that have dominated headlines across the country recently.

1. UK Government Announces £100 Million Funding for AI Research

The UK government has pledged £100 million in funding to accelerate artificial intelligence research and development across the country. The funding will be aimed at AI innovation hubs, universities, and research institutions with a focus on ensuring that the UK remains a global leader in AI technology. The initiative is part of the government’s broader strategy to position the UK at the forefront of the AI and digital economy.

Why it matters: This is a bold move by the UK government to capture a larger share of the rapidly growing global AI market. With this funding, the UK is looking to strengthen its AI ecosystem and attract top talent, positioning itself as a key player in shaping the future of AI. The focus on responsible AI research is also timely, given ongoing concerns about the ethical implications of AI technologies.

2. BT Group’s £15 Billion Investment in UK Digital Infrastructure

BT Group has unveiled a major investment plan, committing £15 billion over the next decade to improve the UK’s digital infrastructure. The plan includes expanding 5G networks, upgrading broadband services, and increasing coverage in rural areas. BT aims to make faster internet services more accessible to underserved communities, helping to bridge the digital divide.

Why it matters: This investment is a major step in the UK’s efforts to improve connectivity across the country, especially in rural and remote regions. With better internet access, businesses and individuals in less connected areas will benefit from faster speeds and more reliable connections, helping to boost productivity and digital inclusion.

3. Apple’s New M3 Chips Now Available in the UK

Apple’s highly anticipated M3 chips have officially launched in the UK, with new MacBook Pro models and the Mac Mini now available for purchase. The M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max chips promise impressive gains in performance, including faster CPU and GPU speeds, improved energy efficiency, and enhanced AI capabilities. The chips are designed to cater to creative professionals, developers, and anyone who needs serious computing power.

Why it matters: The M3 chips mark a new generation of Apple’s ARM-based silicon, offering a more powerful and efficient alternative to Intel’s processors. For UK businesses and consumers, the M3-equipped devices represent a significant leap forward in computing performance, particularly in the creative industries, where speed and power are crucial.

Let us know in the comments which of these stories you found most interesting, or if you’re excited about any new developments coming out of the UK tech scene!

Categories
Car Technology

Which Hybrid Car?

I get asked alot, Bal… which is the best Hybrid car out there? Well, first, this is what a hybrid car is…

As of early 2024, the Toyota Yaris Hybrid remains the best-selling hybrid car in Europe. This compact hatchback has consistently topped sales charts due to its combination of fuel efficiency, affordability, and reliability.

Key reasons for the Yaris Hybrid’s popularity include:

  • Excellent fuel economy: The Yaris Hybrid offers impressive fuel efficiency, making it a cost-effective choice for European drivers.  
  • Compact size: Its small dimensions make it ideal for city driving and parking.  
  • Reliable performance: Toyota is known for producing reliable vehicles, and the Yaris Hybrid is no exception.  
  • Competitive pricing: The Yaris Hybrid is generally priced competitively compared to other hybrid models.

While the Toyota Yaris Hybrid remains a top seller, other popular hybrid models in Europe include:

  • Toyota Corolla Hybrid: A larger, more spacious option with similar fuel efficiency to the Yaris.
  • Peugeot 308 Hybrid: A French-made hybrid offering a stylish design and good performance.
  • Kia Niro Hybrid: A versatile crossover that combines the practicality of an SUV with the fuel efficiency of a hybrid.  

It’s important to note that the best-selling hybrid car can vary depending on specific regions and time periods. However, the Toyota Yaris Hybrid consistently maintains its position as a top choice in the European market.

And I’ll be honest – I do like the new Yaris. It’s sporty, it’s small, it’s compact and the styling is good!

But if you want to go premium..

  1. Lexus RX Hybrid: Known for its reliability and comfort, the Lexus RX Hybrid offers a spacious interior, advanced safety features, and a smooth driving experience.
  2. Mercedes-Benz E-Class Hybrid: The E-Class Hybrid combines luxury, performance, and fuel efficiency. It features a spacious cabin, cutting-edge technology, and a comfortable ride.
  3. BMW 330e Hybrid: The 330e Hybrid offers a sporty driving experience with impressive fuel economy. It features a stylish interior, advanced safety features, and a powerful hybrid system.
  4. Audi A6 Hybrid: The A6 Hybrid combines luxury, technology, and efficiency. It offers a spacious interior, advanced safety features, and a comfortable ride.
  5. Volvo XC90 Recharge: The XC90 Recharge is a luxurious plug-in hybrid SUV that offers a long electric range and a comfortable ride. It features a spacious interior, advanced safety features, and a powerful hybrid system.

Key features to look for in premium hybrid cars:

  • Luxury interior: High-quality materials, comfortable seats, and ample legroom.
  • Advanced technology: Features like advanced driver-assistance systems, premium audio systems, and head-up displays.
  • Powerful hybrid system: A combination of a gasoline engine and electric motor that provides a smooth and efficient driving experience.
  • Long electric range: For plug-in hybrid models, a longer electric range allows for more frequent electric-only driving.

So there you go, you can go for a Yaris or a BMW 330em both excellent cars. Really depends on a number of factors you value.

Categories
Car Technology

Hybrid or Fully Electric?

Hybrid or Electric: Which Car is Right for You?

Deciding between a hybrid and a fully electric car can be a daunting task, especially with the growing number of options available. Both types offer significant environmental benefits and unique driving experiences. To help you make an informed decision, let’s explore the key differences and considerations for each.

Hybrid Cars: A Balanced Approach

Hybrids combine a gasoline engine with an electric motor, offering a seamless blend of power and efficiency. They’re a great choice for those who:

  • Want a familiar driving experience: Hybrids retain the traditional feel of a gasoline car, making the transition to electric driving more comfortable.
  • Need longer range: Hybrids can travel longer distances without needing to recharge, making them ideal for frequent road trips or areas with limited charging infrastructure.
  • Prefer a lower upfront cost: While hybrids are generally more expensive than gasoline-only cars, they often have lower maintenance costs and may qualify for government incentives.

Electric Cars: A Clean and Quiet Future

Electric vehicles (EVs) are powered solely by electricity, offering zero tailpipe emissions and a quieter, smoother ride. They’re a great option for those who:

  • Prioritize environmental sustainability: EVs have a significantly smaller carbon footprint than traditional cars.
  • Enjoy a futuristic driving experience: EVs offer instant torque and regenerative braking, providing a unique and enjoyable driving experience.
  • Have access to charging infrastructure: EVs require regular charging, so it’s important to consider the availability of charging stations in your area.

Factors to Consider

  • Driving habits: If you primarily drive short distances within a city, an electric car may be a good fit. For longer commutes or frequent road trips, a hybrid might be more practical.
  • Budget: Hybrids generally have a lower upfront cost than EVs, but EVs often have lower operating costs due to lower fuel and maintenance expenses.
  • Government incentives: Many governments offer tax credits or rebates for purchasing electric or hybrid vehicles. Research the incentives available in your area.
  • Personal preferences: Consider your preferences for driving style, technology, and overall ownership experience.

Ultimately, the best choice between a hybrid and an electric car depends on your individual needs and circumstances. By carefully considering the factors discussed above, you can make an informed decision that aligns with your lifestyle and environmental goals.

Would you like to know more about specific hybrid or electric car models? Or perhaps you have other questions about making the switch to electric transportation?

Categories
Car Technology

Biofuel’d Cars

Biofuels for Cars: A Greener Drive

Biofuels, derived from renewable biological sources, have emerged as a potential alternative to traditional fossil fuels for powering vehicles. These fuels offer a more environmentally friendly option while reducing our reliance on finite petroleum resources. Let’s delve into the world of biofuels and explore their benefits and challenges.

Types of Biofuels for Cars
  • Ethanol: A common biofuel, ethanol is produced from crops like corn, sugarcane, and switchgrass. It is often blended with gasoline to create E10 (10% ethanol) or E85 (85% ethanol) fuel.
  • Biodiesel: Made from vegetable oils, animal fats, or algae, biodiesel can be used as a direct replacement for diesel fuel.
  • Biogas: Produced from the breakdown of organic matter in anaerobic conditions, biogas can be refined into biomethane and used as a vehicle fuel.
Benefits of Biofuels
  • Reduced Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Biofuels can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional fossil fuels, helping to mitigate climate change.
  • Renewable Resource: Unlike fossil fuels, biofuels are derived from renewable sources, ensuring a steady supply.
  • Improved Air Quality: Burning biofuels can lead to cleaner air, with lower emissions of harmful pollutants like particulate matter and sulfur oxides.
  • Support for Rural Economies: The production of biofuels can create jobs and economic opportunities in rural areas.
Challenges and Considerations
  • Land Use: The cultivation of crops for biofuel production can compete with food production for land, leading to concerns about food security.
  • Water Usage: Growing crops for biofuels can be water-intensive, especially in regions with limited water resources.
  • Indirect Land-Use Change: The expansion of biofuel production can lead to deforestation and habitat loss in other areas, which can offset carbon emissions reductions.
  • Carbon Intensity: The carbon intensity of biofuels can vary depending on the feedstock and production process. Some biofuels, such as those derived from corn or palm oil, can have a higher carbon footprint than fossil fuels when the entire life cycle is considered.
The Future of Biofuels

While biofuels offer a promising alternative to fossil fuels, addressing the challenges and ensuring their sustainability is crucial. By promoting the use of sustainable feedstocks, improving production efficiency, and considering the entire life cycle, biofuels can play a valuable role in a greener transportation future.

What do you think? Are biofuels a viable solution for reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, or do the challenges outweigh the benefits?

Here’s a great video talking about Biofuel

Categories
Apple

Apple Intelligence

This blog post is for those out there that use Apple products (iPhones, iPads, etc…) and those interested to see what Apple are doing.

Last night… was Apple WWDC 2024. (WWDC = Worldwide Developers Conference). And alot was announced!

Here’s my Top 5…

  1. iPhone and Mac will now come equipped with ChatGPT for free. This is huge. Before you would’ve had to go into ChatGPT to do your tasks, now… access it from Siri for questions, share photos with it for suggestions and create images and texts within documents with ChatGPT.
  2. AI powered Siri. There’ll be a new glowing light that when you speak to Siri, lights up and you can talk naturally to it and it’ll understand everything. If you’re like me – I have on occasions been frustrated with Siri in the past but this looks alot promising. It will understand deeper meanings like you, your, your son, your office location, etc..
  3. Auto-fill Forms. We’re just getting lazy now, right? Yes we are. There’ll be a feature that, if a form needs filling out, you can just ask siri to find a personal document of yours, like a passport and auto fill the details for you directly into the form.
  4. AI editing on the Mac. If you’re a mac user, you can generate new text, proof read and edit, but most importantly (I think, which will be brilliant) change the tone (toneGen). This is all done in any text you type – email, doc, etc…
  5. AI powered call transcripts. Let’s be honest, there’s been times I’d wish, whilst on a call I had a pen and paper handy or something to quickly take notes. Not any more… transcribe your calls, turn them into summaries and share them across apps and emails.
AI Powered call transcripts

There were some other announcements which, frankly, didn’t really impress me – such as, you can now have a calculator on the iPad. What really impressed me is the way Apple have shared how they’re going to use AI… but more importantly, how we can use AI.

You can watch a summary video of it below, from our friends at Verge.

Categories
Shopping

Oh Crumbs!

Recently, you might have noticed, a few of our nations favourite retailers have had ‘tech’ problems and had to shut!

McDonalds, Tesco and Sainsburys all had card payment outages…and then this week gone, on Tuesday, Greggs had to shut!

We have moved to a cashless society… and to be honest, that’s ok. However, we need the systems that support this to ensure they’re reliable, secure and most importantly… available for us to purchase our steak bakes from Greggs!

In 2022, card payments made up 90% of retail spending and racked up £1.3 billion in vendor processing fees, according to the British Retail Consortium.

Adam Pilton, a cyber security consultant at CyberSmart, said the IT outages “should act as a reminder to us in our personal lives and within our business lives of the dependence we place upon technology”.

There is no evidence the technical problems in recent days were caused by cyber attacks – McDonald’s said its global outage was caused by a “third-party provider”.

“One of the key takeaways will be to review the robust back-up systems these retailers have got in place,” said Jenni Matthews, head of marketing and insights at MRI Software.

She added that many people no longer use cash and rely on contactless payments for day-to-day shopping.

“We’re in a day and age where we rely on technology so heavily,” she said.

Whilst all this was going on – I was on my way to the dentist the morning that Greggs was shut… and I thought this needs a tweet…

…and off course, the BBC picked up in my tweet –

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68614636

But it wasn’t long before Greggs tweeted…

It’s reminder, how much we use technology… that we should always ensure that a) we’re using it correctly and securely, b) checking that sites and payment methods are secure and finally c) that you do some due diligence on what you’re using and where – for example, do you have old credit cards stored with some retailers, or have you checked your passwords recently and updated them? (Google passwords offer a service where they advice you that a particular password of yours might have been involved in a leak, or used too many times across different platforms, etc…).

So whilst we can all get our sausage rolls again… yes, for the vegans out there, they too are again available…. stay secure.

Categories
Dream Big

Lessons from Ancient Rome – Part 1

Recently, I just completed a certificate program at the Cornell University. The course itself, was called – ‘Lessons from Ancient Rome’. And I’ll be honest, it as fantastic!

There were so many takeaways… my top one, which I’d like to share today was about, knowing when to step down.

Julius Ceasar. Legend. Not only was a salad named after him but a month too! Crazy!

(The salad was a joke – I’ll explain in Part 2 why I made that joke).

So, this guy, in essence ruled for a long time. The problem was, he was great to start with but then… he became so embroiled in his own deamour that he lost the confidence in the people around him. And that ultimately led to his downfall.

Now.. why was this my favourite part? Because over this module, it was explained to me… to know when is the right time to take a step back. When to stop and when to know that it’s time for someone else to take over.

I see it everyday. I see it at my local Gurdwara (Sikh Temple) where some of the older folk are holding onto particular positions on the committee for dear life! (though they don’t have long to live themselves!!)

I see it in politics. I see it at work. I see it everywhere. So I thought to myself, why don’t people let go?

Because of Power.

Power is such a strong element – that when you have it, you don’t want to let go.

Remember the time, you were having your favourite meal – and towards the end, you’d enjoyed it so much but you thought, I could do that all over again, or I could eat more of the same. And if it was offered to you, you probably would continue to eat though it’s bad for your health and you’re just going to get fatter and be so indulgent that you’ll ignore signs from your body to stop.

It’s the same when you’re in a position of power.

Now, not everyone is like this. There are many people who will step away. Many people who know the time is up.

I know most of the folk who read this in the US may not be that overly familiar with the game Snooker.

There’s a chap, Ronnie O’Sullivan, he’s been world champ for a long time.. and for fun, he continues to play in all competitions. He made a very funny remark the other day which made me laugh… but also got me thinking…

This for me – sums it all up. Ronnie is the best. In the World. And he’s open for someone to come and win against him. He’s shared his ailments. Yet he continues, because no one can do better.

This is the same principle, for those in positions of power. Let others have a go and see if they’re better than you. If they can perform as good as you. If their ideas are better than yours. In sports – it can be slightly different to politics – but the principle of knowing when to give up is the same. In snooker, there were many great players who started to get beat and knew time was up.

But in positions of power – when you have it, you fear of getting beat. It’s the fear you need to let go off.

Awesome module this was… about leadership, and knowing when the right time is to leave, quit or move on. So many great examples of people who haven’t… and those who did. Sharing this so that you make the right decisions knowing when to step aside or move on for the betterment of the organisation.

Or if you’re like Ronnie… just carry on until someone can beat you!

Categories
Uncategorized

Start of the End for the Post Office

Following on from the lasat blog post aboutt the Post Office. There’s two parts I wanted to look at… one being, is it really what we need moving forward and secondly, the human cost element.

Today, I’ll focus on the tech side of things.

Bal, what do you mean the tech side of things? – we know it was Horizons.

Yes… we know that the system was at fault. I won’t necessarily go into what could’ve happened and what could’ve been done. But let’s look to the future in the sense, do we still need the Post Office?

The Post Office has seen a downward trend for a while. People not posting letters (rather more folks are emailing), other parcel companies doing a slightly better job and most of all… what is it that we really need from the post office?

Yes, some of the older folks will post christmas & birthday cards to loved ones.

Yes, some folks need the post office to send off letters such as passport renewals etc.. under ‘recorded delivery’.

Yes, some folk need the post office to pick up some stationary, envelopes, etc…

But… looking at the next generation and some of the younger folk – do they send cards or is it all e-cards these days? – but moreso, meeting up. They’d rather go to the person, spend some time with them then return – plenty of statistics show since covid, people want to spend time with loved ones.

To be fair, the gov.uk site is good and clear. Easy to renew your passport online – along with other official documents.

Let’s be honest… when was the last time you bought an envelope or some stationary from a shop? (If I was to guess, it’s probably Amazon!)

So then the question remains… do we actually need the post office?

The Royal Mail will come to your house to pick up any letters (or parcels) you need posting.

Then let’s look at the post office employees… there’s been a downward trend since 2014

Let’s combine everything together…

  1. Decrease (significantly) in the number of employees – some of which were most probably due to the Horizons scandal
  2. Increase in services that the post office offer which are now available directly to your home
  3. Technology has highlighted the fact that most processes (passport renewals etc..) can be easily done on-line

So the question is, do we really need the post office?

Categories
Bal's Friday Thought

Bal’s Friday Thought…

Recently I’ve been watching Mr Bates Vs The Post Office.

This isn’t my normal Friday Thought.

I saw the panorama documentary on BBc1 many years ago – 2015 I think it was. When watching it then, I thought to myself – wow. They haven’t really got to grips with the technology that’s been rolled out. Hope something is done.

It’s the hope that kills us.

January 2024, and there’s an ITV drama about the whole Post Office scandal. And there’s two things I’d like to explore –

  1. Why has it taken a TV drama serialised on true events to wake the nation up to a disgraced organisation and the events that took place?
  2. Why did the technology not be stopped?
Mr Bates Vs The Post Office is available to watch on ITV1

Let’s look at the first one – the TV programme.

We know, that you can read something – but our attention spans are not what they used to be. You can see something, like pictures, videos, documentaries, etc… and alot of it you’ll notice, appreciate and get to know.

It’s when it’s brought to a ‘real-life’ drama, that it sinks in. When you see emotions on the people – that’s when it hits.

Emotions you can’t really get through text.

Emotions you can’t really get through a documentary.

Emotions you can get whilst watching a drama based on true events.

And it’s when these emotions hit us, then there’s outrage. And it’s the outrage that is currently occuring. It shouldn’t have taken a TV drama…

Secondly, there was so much money invested in the computer system – hence they didn’t stop. But… that to oneside, the human element is what took over. Greed.

It’s unbelievable that an organisation such as the Post Office could carry out such behaviours. No one thought to look at the trends, the data and moreso, the people that have served their communities. Instead, each one was told… it’s just you. When it clearly wasn’t.

Everything comes from the top. The behaviours, the attitudes and the way people act. So many homes and families were destroyed.

Not to discuss now, but will be on a future blog… is the Post Office fit to continue?

Categories
Bal's Friday Thought

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.