Tag: technology

Categories
YCO

253% Increase!

It’s been a few weeks, since I shared that I was on the local Gurdwara (Sikh Temple) committee, as the Youth and Community Officer. I’ll still be honest, not something I wanted to do, but once I said yes… it was full steam ahead. And I’ll be sharing my progress here – I’ll put it under the category YCO!

So… with the mindset I have, I asked the sangat (folk who attend the Gurdwara), if they had any ideas to increase community engagement and/or help with the youth who attend. Lots of great ideas… but also, comments and ‘things’ they want fixed.

It’s great – looking forward, but sometimes, you need to fix what you have before you can move forward.

Let me give you an example. There’s a projector and screen in the main hall. And it’s not worked for several years. Many want it to work. They want to read the hymns. It’s these small things. So, I enquired. It’s all run from a laptop (so this is on my list of ‘things to do’ – get the laptop running, make sure the screen works and hook it all back up!)

BAU – Business As Usual. (in the below Horizon 1)

Mapping innovation across the three horizons – Paul4innovating's Innovation Views

(Yes – I did have to put a technology spin on this).

So whilst we are on the Horizon 1 (BAU), there’s an element of the Horizon 2 and 3 – looking to the future, and more importantly being aware of the disruption points.

And bringing this back to the Gurdwara.

So I’ve started doing some basics… such as, taking over their social media.

I started an Instagram Account and started to post more on their Facebook account.

The results…

253% Increase in Post Reach!

189% Increase in Post engagements.

19% Increase in New Page Likes.

It’s all about the engagement. More photo’s. More videos.

Instagram is growing also – with 182 accounts reached in the past 30 days!

You have to start somewhere.

Next up… (my recommendations) are… a website. Whilst I face many challenges to digitise the ways of working – we are definitely headed in the right direction. I’d also like to say Thank You – to all those who reached out to me, supported me, offered me advice and shared contacts of those who’ve been on a similar journey. It’s much appreciated.

So in summary, there’s 2 things…

  1. Get Started – I took over the social media and had an impact. It’s great talking… it’s better doing!
  2. Remember the 3 Horizons… and make sure you’re not on the H1 Trajectory for a long time, because H2 and H3 will take over…. It’s important to fix the basics but then move onto more innovative solutions, where possible.
Categories
RSN

The only way is up…

I don’t really share a lot on here, what else I do… Well, I kind of do with the football – but this blog mainly focuses on technology, new things that can help in life and a few motivational quotes to get you thinking about life.

So, I’m going to do something here – which may, or may not work. I’m going to share, (on a regular basis), success (however limited it may be), within a new volunteer role I’ve recently accepted.

The local Sikh Temple, had some ‘openings’ for local volunteers… so they could be part of the ‘management committee’. Every two years, the Sikh Temple holds elections – but this time, they had enough people to go ahead without elections. One of those people, who had their name put forward… was me! So, cut long story short… I’m the Youth and Community Liaison Officer for the Ramgarhia Sikh Temple, Nottingham.

Now… let’s be honest. Many of you will go to Google, and type it in to understand a bit more about what Bal has got himself into…

And so… you’ll quickly notice, they have a presence on Facebook… (who doesn’t!), and a few other websites share some information. But no website of their own….

Online presence is so important. For an organization. To communicate.

And I’ll be honest, there is soooooo much to communicate. In addition, your website provides the organisation with so much more….

6 Reasons Why a Website is Important for your Business - Web Developist

So… as I mentioned as the start of this blog post, I’ll be sharing more on this journey of mine with you. First things first, is to understand the current landscape and the Sikh Temple’s Online presence. Then it’s about enhancing those channels and communicating more, providing options and most importantly… being clear what the Sikh Temple provides.

We often do over look the basics. Because we don’t know how to go about it. Because we don’t know where to start. Because we don’t understand the importance of it. Because…. there’s so many reasons. But the key thing here is, this is a journey and we are all going to be on it – yes, you included! As you’re reading this… I’ll ask you to be part of the journey!

So, I’m armed with my 30/60/90 Day plan.

And I’ll keep you updated!

(Once I’ve shared my plan with the Management Committee – I’ll for sure share it back here, and share the feedback I get!)

Categories
Old Tech

Bye Bye BlackBerry

Who remembers the BlackBerry phone?

My earliest memory of it was, when I newly into a role… and the manager (GM) had a blackberry. We were on the shop floor (manufacturing company) and he asked me if I’d seen a particular note from another senior person. I said, no. He instantly, pulled his blackberry out – and said, it’s in your inbox, have a look and walked off.

Wow. The power in his hands at that moment!

I rushed up a flight of stairs, to the office, and put the laptop on and had a look for the email – and rightly so, it was there! Read the email and replied and knew what was happening.

It was rather ground-breaking.

Having the power to do your emails on the go. Not having to get to the laptop. Not having to run up a flight of stairs. Nope… none of that. In the palm of your hands – you could be quicker, simpler and empowered (to a certain extent) to make decisions and get work done!

What was your first memory of the BlackBerry phone? (if you’re old enough to remember them!)

But… we know what happened to the trusted BlackBerry device. Don’t we?

What Happened to BlackBerry | Toptal

You’ll have heard, it’s the End of the Road for them.

Sales have been plummeting for a while. Every since Apple and other devices didn’t use physical buttons, every since other devices had better integrations with other applications and then the whole eco-system between devices (laptops, phones, tablets, etc…)

BlackBerry stuck with their unique selling point – the physical buttons. And to be honest, there were some die-hard fans that loved them. But the problem was, technology moved on so much… that honestly, there were other features that were more important than having the physical buttons. And on top of that, we all got used to the simplicity.

Simplicity of the screen.

Unfortunately, BlackBerry didn’t advance. They didn’t innovate. They stayed as they are.

And the other strand to this is… people aren’t sending as many emails as they used to previously.

We have more chat functionality. (Yes you had that on blackberry – but it was limited).

We have MS Teams. We have Slack. We have Whatsapp. We have all the social media platforms – Facebook Messenger, Snapchat, etc…

Let’s be honest, who has the time today to read long emails. It’s quicker and easier to send a quick message.

I think this only proves one point. It’s not the strongest of the species that survive…

Blackberry/RIM’s revenue from fiscal year 2004 to 2021 (in million U.S. dollars)

… it’s those, who are most adaptable to change.

Unfortunately, BlackBerry, like Blockbuster, like Kodak… just didn’t adapt to the change. Didn’t innovate. We know companies like Apple have that innovative spirit built within…

iPhone sales by year | Statista

Look at the two graphs from 2011 to 2013. Blackberry’s huge decline and Apple’s huge increase in sales.

I’m sure there’ll be many who are emotional about BlackBerry being no more… and I’m sure they’ll tweet/share their sorrows via their Apple or Android device. Basically, their non-BlackBerry device.

Categories
Week in Review

Week 45… 2021!

In the middle of November and someone told me, Christmas is nearly upon us!! Wow… have to admit, this year has gone super quick!

Not to dribble on about what’s been happening this year for me (I’ll save that for another day), but here’s my Top Two Tech Stories from this Week!

  1. First up… AI in Greece!!

Ancient Olympia is to be digitally preserved, in a new deal between the Greek government and Microsoft.

The collaboration uses artificial intelligence to map the site, and augmented reality to help restore the original home of the Olympic Games.

It will allow viewers to explore the area as it stood more than 2,000 years ago.

Microsoft has ambitions to rival Facebook with its own plans for the so-called metaverse.

It recently announced Microsoft Teams metaverse for meetings and is keen to transform Minecraft and other games it owns into more immersive 3D worlds.

Its tie-up with the Greek government means people can tour the site remotely or in person with an augmented-reality mobile app. At the Olympic Museum in Athens they can use HoloLens headsets to overlay a digital version of the site.

Microsoft’s augmented reality smart glasses HoloLens use multiple sensors, advanced optics, and holograms, to display information, blend with the real world or simulate a virtual world.

Among the 27 monuments to be preserved are the original Olympic Stadium, the temples of Zeus and Hera, and the workshop of the renowned sculptor Phidias.

The buildings are as close as possible to their original forms and include historical timelines of the site’s changes over time, and depictions of artefacts from each period.

Through its AI for Cultural Heritage initiative, Microsoft partnered technology company Iconem, which specializes in digitising historic sites in 3D.

Using on-the-ground cameras and drones to take hundreds of thousands of images of the site, Microsoft AI then processed the pictures to create models.

AI being used to view Olympia

“The cultural implications of this technology are endless. For the first time, visitors from around the world can virtually visit the birthplace of democracy, the ancient site of Olympia, and experience history first hand,” said the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Brad Smith, the president of Microsoft said: “The project to digitally preserve Ancient Olympia is a stunning achievement in cultural heritage, bringing together humanity and cutting-edge technology to benefit the world, and empower coming generations with new ways to explore our past.”

2. Up next… Beware and watch out for those scams!

A grandfather has told of how he lost money saved for Christmas presents after his family were duped by fraudsters on WhatsApp.

The 75-year-old, who wished to remain anonymous, said they had been tricked by criminals posing as his grand-daughter on the messaging service.

He transferred £1,550 to the con-artists, for an emergency medical bill that was a fake.

WhatsApp and trading standards officers are warning others of the scam.

Fraudsters posing as the young student sent a message to her father, saying she had a case of haemorrhoids that she was embarrassed to talk about.

Subsequent messages suggested that she needed money for private medical care and asked for the money to be transferred directly.

The correct spelling of her unusual name helped convince the family it was genuine, and her grandfather agreed to pay the supposed bill.

Attempts to contact her directly failed, as the calls went straight to an answerphone.

Only after the money was paid did they get through to her, and realised they had been tricked.

“You feel such a fool,” her grandfather said. “I was angry that I was able to be duped.

“You get used to these scam calls, but they are getting quite clever. I used to run my own business, so if they can fool people like me, a lot of very vulnerable people will be in trouble.”

He is trying to get the money refunded from his bank, but so far they have said their fraud checks were sufficient and have refused to reimburse him.

Surveys have suggested that 59% of those asked had received a message-based scam attempt in the last year.

Younger age groups, who were more likely to text than call, were said to be more exposed to these kinds of scams.

So stay careful – and if it doesn’t seem to be right, or if you haven’t spoken to the person – double/triple check, what you’re doing is the right thing.

There you go… my Top Two Tech Stories of the week…. AI is preserving Ancient Olympia and Whatsapp Scams getting more clever!

Categories
Week in Review

Week 42… 2021!

Another busy week on the ol’ tech front! – but let’s not hang around and dive straight into my Top Two Tech Stories of the week!

  1. First up – starting and selling companies!

British entrepreneur Nick D’Aloisio, who sold the mobile app Summly to Yahoo for $30m (£21.73m) at the age of 17, has sold his latest company to Twitter.

The Sphere group chat app was founded by Mr D’Aloisio and Tomas Halgas.

Sphere, which connects strangers interested in common topics, has been sold for an undisclosed amount and will close in November.

Its 20 or so staff will join Twitter to integrate their community features into the social network.

The company started as a question and answer app that allowed users to instantly chat to paid experts. At the end of 2018, almost 500,000 people were using that version of the platform.

However, Mr D’Aloisio said he found himself drawn to the community aspect of the app which brought strangers interested in the same topics together.

“What was interesting was that people were talking so often throughout the day, and it wasn’t just talking to their friend on Facebook, but someone they had not met before about something they were interested in,” he told the BBC.

As a result, the app slowly pivoted toward a focus on group chats.

Sphere’s features include the ability to:

  • create multiple chats for a single group
  • send highlighted announcements so no-one in a group misses anything
  • send notifications to individuals or just those yet to read a message

“A lot of the messenger apps that exist are catered toward groups that already know each other, but with Sphere, the aim was to unlock new dynamics and bring together people around the world with shared interests.”

Mr D’Aloisio said he was struck by the toxicity on platforms like Reddit, Facebook, Twitch and Twitter, which has been widely criticised about its handling of harassment and trolling.

2. Most shops going till-less!

The Tesco Express on High Holborn looks identical to thousands of others across the country. But inside there are no tills and no self-checkout machines. Instead you scan a QR code on your phone to gain entry, and a complex system of cameras and weighted shelves figures out what you have picked up. Once you’re done you just walk out and your phone (eventually) buzzes to tell you how much you’ve spent.

Yes – we’ve been here before – with the Amazon shop that was opened, but looks like Tesco are using the new technology and many more will be doing so too!

“It creates like an exoskeleton image of you and follows you around and knows what products you have bought,” Bilal explains – the store assistant. “But don’t worry, it’s not recording you and we don’t know who you are.”

Big retailers around the world reckon the technology in use at this Tesco GetGo store on High Holborn will revolutionise shopping and could account for $400bn (£290bn) of transactions within five years, according to analysts at Juniper Research.

The Holborn shop is new but Tesco has been trialling the technology at an Express outlet at its headquarters in Welwyn Garden City since 2019. That was two years before Amazon launched the first of its similar “till-less” stores in the UK.

Aldi is preparing to open its first checkout-free store in Greenwich. Morrisons is testing its own vision of the technology, codenamed Project Sarah, at its Bradford headquarters and has plans to quickly roll out dozens of small stores at busy locations.

So get ready to see no tills, just walk in – get what you want and walk out. This is the future.

So there you go… from an alternative to the usual social media platforms to till-less shopping!

Categories
Week in Review

Week 41… 2021!

Not as much in the news this week – as previous weeks, but still alot going on in the world – and there’s some top tech stories that hit the news locally! So if you’re reading from outside the UK – these are two top tech stories mainly in the UK – however, I’m sure there’s elements of these you can relate to in one form or another…

So first up, we’re talking about stranded passengers at the Airport!

  1. NHS Covid Vaccine App Stops working!

The NHS Covid Pass, used to show a person’s vaccine status for travel and events, stopped working on Wednesday.

The feature, contained in the NHS smartphone app, usually allows users to access a barcode or text records about which vaccine doses they have had.

Instead, users received error messages or a notice saying that high traffic volumes are “limiting access to the service”.

Normal access to vaccine records was restored after more than three hours.

“The NHS Covid Pass service was temporarily unavailable between 11:45 and 15:15 today as a result of a technical issue with a global service provider that affected many different organisations,” NHS Digital said in a statement.

Online, many travellers expressed concern that they might not be able to prove their vaccinated status at airports or other departure points without the app.

Some claimed they missed their flight because of the problem, while others reported being “stranded” at an airport unable to fly.

We rely on technology so much – I recall, when I used to fly (pre-pandemic), my tickets were on my phone. I’d just flip up my phone (and if I was holding things/couldn’t get the phone out, I’d use my smart watch), and scan the barcode. Job done. No papers, etc… But this technology has to be reliable. I even recall, when we could use phones for tickets, I’d print a copy out – just in case! I suppose, I still take screenshots of barcodes, or used to, again, just in case something happened with the app.

2. Contactless Pay now upto £100!

The contactless card payment limit has increased from £45 to £100 on Friday 15th October, a move which has raised concerns about the risk of fraud.

Age UK warned that raising the limit could increase the potential for fraud, putting some older people off using bank cards to pay for goods and services.

“As the banks and some shops try to encourage people to use less cash, it’s important that they take proactive steps to help to boost people’s confidence to use cards as an alternative and to tackle fraud,” Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said.

“Both shop and bank employees should be trained to watch out for signs of coercion or abuse, such as unusual spending patterns, and be prepared to sensitively raise the issue with their customers when they believe it’s the right thing to do.”

Several banks will also allow account holders to set a contactless limit of less than £100 or turn it off altogether. And I think this is a good idea.

Despite the increased limit, many retailers’ terminals will need to be updated so for some the option will not be available immediately.

It may take “days, weeks, or even months” for some retailers to make the necessary changes, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC), so for the time being customers will need to check with individual stores.

Remember the old days of cold hard cash? – You stood in a shop – looked at the cash you had in your hand, and you knew, that’s all you had to spend. You didn’t have any more. With the increase to £100, it’s now even easier to tap and spend. For some, it won’t be an issue as the funds will be in their account. For some, who are living on credit – I just hope, they are careful. Technology is great – allows flexibility and freedom, but we’ve noticed in our stories today, a) it’s not always reliable and b) you still have to stay in control!

Categories
Week in Review

Week 30… 2021!

The Olympics continue – and (yes, I’m being biased) the GB team continue to pick up more and more medals which is fantastic! Also, as more and more folks are getting their vaccinations, there seems to be a sense of ‘normality’ in the air – not saying at all that the virus has gone, but more people are visiting the physical shops and more are now meeting up more frequently with family and friends. I would like to point out – we should continue to be careful.

So, my Top Two Tech Stories of the week….

  1. First up… the trusted old kindle might not work!

Some older Kindle e-readers will soon no longer be able to connect to the internet to download new books, Amazon has said.

First- and second-generation Kindles did not come with wi-fi functions included, using mobile internet only.

But the slower technology used at the time – 2G and 3G internet – is being discontinued in some places, particularly the United States.

Several other models will also be restricted to wi-fi only.

“Starting in 2021, some prior generation Kindle e-readers will not be able to connect to the internet using cellular connection through 2G or 3G networks,” Amazon told its US customers this week.

The switch-off is outside of Amazon’s control, as mobile networks repurpose the older parts of their radio spectrum for faster, more modern standards.

The same situation applies in other countries on varying timescales – in the UK, for example, operator BT has announced it plans to phase out 3G support by 2023.

Other British operators have yet to announce their plans.

The switch-off affects all sorts of older devices, such as 3G-only smartphones.

But such devices tend to be replaced every few years, unlike an e-reader, which may be replaced only once it is completely broken.

2. Facebook Smart glasses!

At Facebook’s recent earnings call, Mark Zuckerberg confirmed what we had already expected: The company’s first pair of smart glasses are the next product, coming this year. 

Facebook discussed its glasses, which are made in a partnership with glasses-maker Essilor Luxottica under the Ray-Ban brand, last year during a virtual Facebook Connect conference.

Facebook’s head of AR/VR hardware, Andrew Bosworth, confirmed a few things previously: “We’re being careful not to call them augmented reality glasses. When you’re overlaying digital artifacts onto the world, that’s really augmented reality. These aren’t augmented reality glasses. However, they do a lot of the concepts we think will eventually be critical for augmented reality glasses. It’s all components that people have seen before, but never all in one place. I’m being very coy about the feature set, as you can tell — that’s intentional, I’m not going to answer specifically what features it has. But I will say, one of the things that we’re looking at for all of AR, starting with our smart glasses, is how can they help you be more present.”

He also added that “I think they’re going to help people stay connected to each other, and never feel like they’re out of touch with somebody else. And also just be useful.” Bosworth didn’t sound interested in the glasses serving up notifications, however, and didn’t confirm whether or not they’d have displays. 

Facebook has said the glasses won’t have their own displays. Audio, then, would be what Facebook leans on. Much like Amazon’s Echo Frames, Bose Frames or Razer’s Anzu glasses, these will probably focus on audio as the immersive tech of the moment. Facebook recently created its own live audio rooms and spaces, matching similar efforts from Twitter and apps like Clubhouse. Facebook Reality Labs, which is pursuing a more advanced true augmented reality headset, sees spatial audio as a key piece of the puzzle in smart glasses. Audio is also a more achievable step in the short term. Facebook could experiment with assistant features and use the glasses to connect to audio spaces.

So there you go… time to upgrade that old kindle of yours and soon you’ll have glasses from RayBan that share your aunty’s Facebook notifications, most probably liking that recent photo of you on the beach.

Categories
Week in Review

Week 24… 2021!

Middle of June already – Group stages of the Euro’s (Football) is well under way and wow, what surprises have cropped up already! – (Germany beating Portugal, France draw with Hungary…. and a few more)…. and much more happening, I bring to you, the Top Two Tech Stories that caught my eye this week.

  1. So First up… It’s all about Benedetto Vigna!

Who’s he?! – Well, the man who helped the iPhone sense it’s been titled sideways – is taking over as CEO of Ferrari.

In a statement issued by Ferrari on Wednesday, it was announced that Vigna, 52, would be joining as chief executive officer effective 1 September.

Ferrari said that Vigna’s “unique knowledge gained over 26 years working at the heart of the semiconductor industry that is rapidly transforming the automotive sector” could help “accelerate Ferrari’s ability to pioneer the application of next generation technologies.”

“We’re delighted to welcome Benedetto Vigna as our new Ferrari CEO,” said Elkann.

“His deep understanding of the technologies driving much of the change in our industry, and his proven innovation, business-building and leadership skills, will further strengthen Ferrari and its unique story of passion and performance, in the exciting era ahead.”

2. Next up… be careful and check if your Bluetooth speaker is connected correctly!

Comedian Tawny Platis – noticed some of her ‘adult content’ she was watching was not playing on her speakers.

Volume went up and down, trying to figure out how it all works, what’s going wrong – Tawny was on the verge of giving up when she realised that it was actually, somehow, connected to her neighbours Bluetooth Speaker!

Now whilst you all laugh… (and I did too when I first heard this!) – check your connections. We’re in a world where majority of things are wirelessly connected – and bluetooth speakers are not new… however, can (on first hand experience) be difficult sometimes to pair! – so always check when pairing your speakers and equipment!

So there’s my top two stories! – Yes, there were many… but for an individual to transition from a technology company (Apple) to the automotive sector (Ferrari) speaks volumes! – and talking about volume, always check your Bluetooth pairing 🙂

Categories
Uncategorized

5G? – Yes…but what about 6G!?!

Most of us…. are on 4G. That’s right, check your phone, and we’re usually connected (if we’re not living rural) on 4G. This means a quick connection and higher download speeds than the old 3G connectivity.

But there’s a need for speed!

We’re consuming more and more data! And for that data to be consumed, we’re running out of patience. We need it to be quicker. Faster.

Whilst the UK has embarked on 5G connectivity….

That’s right folks…. the government of South Korea has confirmed plans to carry out a 6G trial in 2026, according to a report by Business Korea. The South Korean government is anticipating the service to be commercially available as soon as 2028 or 2030.

The country is expected to spend approximately $169m over the course of five years to develop this technology.

But Bal… how fast will that be?!

The trial aims to achieve 1Tbps in data transmission speeds, which amounts to roughly five times faster than 5G and latency reduction to one-tenth of current 5G services.

FIVE TIMES FASTER THAN 5G!

To put this into context. 5G is to be 10 to 20 times faster than 4G. In theory, 5G is likely to reach speeds that are 20 times faster than 4G. 4G has a peak speed of 1GB per second; 5G could theoretically achieve speeds of 20GB per second.

Ok… here’s an example of speed;

So…. you can only imagine how quick it’ll be on 6G.

So be ready… get everything connected…. because speed won’t be an issue.

Categories
Social Media

Take a break, Have a…

I tweeted this morning. I’ve been spending alot of time recently on video conference calls.

Yesterday, I was on my first one at 8am… then several others throughout the day, in between doing emails, etc… and then one in the evening and wrapped up around 8:30pm. Then again, this morning – back on it again… 8am start… it’s got me thinking, there’s got to be a correlation between screen time and staying indoors/pandemic.

It’s natural – the more we are at home, the more we’ll be on our devices and therefore, more ‘screen time’. But what can we do?

Honestly – take a break.

Put the device down.

Walk away.

Look out of the window.

Read a book

Get some paint and decorate.

Obviously, if you’re working from home – then make sure you schedule in plenty of breaks. Take time out of your diary to go and do something else and move away from the screen. It’s not good for the eyes. It’s not good for your mind. It’s not good for your health.

We can limit ourselves – on our devices!

I know a few people on Twitter that could do with this! LOL!

Honestly, devices have built in screen time calculators – shows you which app, how long, etc… you’ve been spending on your phone/device. But action is needed.

Pick the phone up and talk to someone, rather than text/message.

And remember – if you are suffering from body or mental health, please reach out to someone.