Brad Gosse » Life

Mercedes Benz SLS AMG Review

Brad Gosse — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 16:07:06 +0000

Being a blogger has it’s privileges.

I had a chance to review the Mercedes Benz SLS AMG. This car is SEXY and FAST. My only complaint was the handling. I expected it to hug corners better.

I took some pics in my driveway during a quick lunch stopover.

Driving the SLS is an experience in speed, loud noises and glances from everyone you pass.

Since I am not much of a car reviewer I am hoping the pictures tell the story.

Enjoy

Never let em see you sweat. How to be Skype elite.

Brad Gosse — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 20:09:49 +0000

Okay so this is a dead simple skype setting I don’t see anyone using.

Go into your messaging preferences and uncheck “Show when I am typing”. Otherwise people can see how long it takes you to work on and edit your responses.

2011 Audi R8 Review

Brad Gosse — Sun, 22 May 2011 16:12:58 +0000

If you want to know what it feels like to be a rock star, you have two choices. The first involves spandex, perms and lots of hip gyration.

I opted for the second. Drive a 2011 Audi R8 for a few days.

The journey started when my friend Dave and I drove to Audi public relations in Ajax Ontario to pick up the car for a weekend review.

On the way back we tested everything. The speed and acceleration were unlike almost any car I have driven. This car is a work of art, from design to engineering everything is flawless.

The Rock Star Factor
The reality is with this car you are not the rock star, the car is. Everywhere you go people want to chat you up, take pictures of the car and ask questions. I imagine it gets old FAST. Unless you like the attention

Chick magnet?
I say yes.

Performance?
The acceleration was unprecedented. The car has 2 modes automatic and manual shift with the option of both stick and paddle shifters. A quick experiment had me using auto shift in sport mode. The automatic shifting was so fast and gave you that traditional jerking feeling on each gear change that you expect in a fast car with pure manual shifts at high RPMs. It shifted gears better than I would have so I let it do it’s thing.

Corners have always been more fun than speeding for me because you can take a corner fast but not go over the speed limit. Speeding in Canada over 50KM carries a $10k fine AND the seizure of your vehicle. So I had more fun taking fast corners. It handled better than I even expected.

Looks?
Not many cars rival this in terms of beauty. Sure there are flashier cars but the Audi R8 has a subtlety that makes it extra cool in my book. You know it’s a kick ass car but it doesn’t have to have scissor doors or some crazy spoiler. In fact the spoiler on this car only makes itself visible at high speed.

The carbon fibre side blades look badass. No other way to explain it. And the engine compartment at the back is visible through a glass window that lights up at night with LED lights.

Interior
The Audi R8 interior is fairly simple, everything is limited to 2 main gauges and a small LED display between them. Everything I need to know is in front of me. Speed, RPM and whats on the radio

The steering wheel has controls for volume and channel/track switching on the audio system. Behind the nav screen is a DVD/CD player and slots for 2 SD memory cards that you can fill with MP3 music. Additionally an iPod dock was at the back of the car allowing easy sync with the on board control system.

Being a 6’5″ man, sports cars are often a bit of a joke for me. Even this one looks pretty small with me standing next to it but it surprisingly gave me enough leg room to be comfortable.

Conclusion
If you like German cars in this category you are fairly limited with your choices. I suppose the next car I would like to review is the Mercedes SLS AMG just to have a comparison. Can you hear me Mercedes?

Taking time to enjoy nature

Brad Gosse — Sat, 14 May 2011 12:15:14 +0000

Most of my blog entries are about business. I want to change that a little today.

My home is on 10 acres of land with a 1 acre pond that has a big island in the middle of it. Every year the same 2 geese return to this island to have their babies. The island is untouched by us. We leave it for them to use.

The mother goose hatched her babies this week and wound up with 7 cute little fluff balls.

I try to get shots of them every year so I thought you might enjoy them. It was foggy and wet today so lighting was not the best. Enjoy

Boosting Productivity With Evernote

Brad Gosse — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 15:23:57 +0000

Evernote is free and it’s a great way to keep your data, ideas, documents, images and notes synced between all your devices. I use this app every day and the more I use it the better it becomes.

Try it out and share your experience below!

Do you really need a plan laid out for you?

Brad Gosse — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 15:54:37 +0000

I wanted to take a minute to talk about plans. Many people want every step laid out and defined before they walk out the front door. I prefer to stay fluid and be willing to see changes and trends, moving toward them and off the beaten path.

If you are someone who likes to stick to the plan I encourage you to watch this video and try another approach if it’s not working for you

The best entrepreneurs blaze their own trail. They lay the road that plans are built on top of. Do you want to follow or lead?

Embrace Your Down Time

Brad Gosse — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 14:34:07 +0000

We all know it’s important to take time off. But many of us are overworked trying to “build” something. I get that.

But consider this. The answers you seek often creep in when you are NOT focused on work.

I am giving you permission to not only take time off but to enjoy it. You are not allowed to even think about work.

Here are some suggestions for your down time.

Go on vacation
Go to a bar
Go out with friends
Go visit family
Go for a drive
Go meditate
Go read a book
Go fuck yourself
Go do some yoga

No matter what you do with your downtime you will probably benefit from it more than you realize. We were not meant to work so hard. We should be working to live not living to work

Are you afraid of success?

Brad Gosse — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 15:00:37 +0000

Often people talk about fear of failure. But we rarely address the fear of success. On the surface it may seem silly but when you dig down you realize what the fear really is.

People who fear success don’t fear the good part of the success, they fear the added pressure and ridicule. I use the term they lightly. I don’t like ridicule myself.

I make reference to my mastermind group in this video. You should join already.

Do you let people disrespect your time?

Brad Gosse — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 00:08:41 +0000

How do you manage your time? Do people take advantage of it?

If you’re an entrepreneur chances are some people don’t necessarily respect your time. Whether it’s because you work at home or because you own your own business, some people assume that it’s okay to ask for your time.

Obviously you have to judge who you do and don’t give your time to and attach priority as such. But in many cases the things you do for people during normal work hours would not be acceptable to a boss paying you very little money.

If you are struggling you might want to consider blocking yourself off during work hours.

Are you fear’s bitch?

Brad Gosse — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 10:23:59 +0000

Fear can be a good and bad motivator.

Sometimes when your back is to the wall, fear will kick you into action.

The problem is however many people today let fear guide their choices. I might suggest you try the opposite like George Costanza on Seinfeld. Instead of spending the day making choices to avoid pain, try making them to seek pleasure or maybe even to head right into the eye of your fear.

I remember the first time I wanted to film a blog video. I was SO scared. Scared of judgement. ridicule, criticism and more. Then I realized that you get way more kudos than criticism for putting yourself out there. The best part is the critics tend to be dealing with their own fears, and you recognize that if they do show up.

Don’t be so damn scared. You are safe, start making choices like someone who has choices.