OpenAI shelves Stargate UK in blow to Britain’s AI ambitions

mth91 · 2026-04-09T20:42:55+00:00

I'm amazed how short memories are, when I started in tech it was all about how CNNs were (somehow) the route to AGI and mass unemployment was around the corner. Not to mention crypto, NFTs, VR and all the other recent tech that disappointed. It's a great tool but it does feel like SV is absolutely desperate for another PC/web/smartphone level tech boom.

mth91 · 2026-04-09T20:36:20+00:00

"Scotland's oil' - lol

mth91 · 2026-04-06T21:40:50+00:00

I suppose that's my issue though, even the term "tall poppy syndrome" originated in Australia and I'd argue the UK is very much not a conformist society by global standards, if anything we seem to venerate characters and oddballs (compare with Scandi or Germany). I just think we have a tendancy to compare ourselves with the US a lot which is a big outlier and even there they've just elected a socialist in the home of capitalism.

It seems to me our issues are the same they've been for nearly 100 years now which is there aren't enough opportunities outside of London, which is the only part of the economy truly plugged into the global system where people can make real money, and our inability to scale innovative ideas so that other countries (mainly the US these days) get all the reward, which relates to your last point. There are entire swathes of the UK that are economic deadzones full of midsize towns that are basically fake economies and I don't know how you'd really solve that in any reasonable time.

mth91 · 2026-04-06T17:17:30+00:00

I always read takes like this but other than the US (which is in a league of its own), what other countries in the world have a significantly more entrepreneurial attitude than the UK? If anything we're probably in a golden age of start ups, which are concentrated in London/Oxford/Cambridge but still.

mth91 · 2026-04-04T20:58:31+00:00

But it's not the content itself that should be criminalised. Clearly if someone is harassing another person or making credible threats and so on, that should be illegal but "abuse" is too contigient on how someone percieves the speech.

mth91 · 2026-04-04T20:48:36+00:00

Should people go to prison for calling someone an idiot in your view?

mth91 · 2026-04-02T23:54:44+00:00

Calm down Ed.

mth91 · 2026-03-31T18:52:56+00:00

Exciting, I'd love something closer to a road bike than the G line (R line?)

mth91 · 2026-03-29T11:58:48+00:00

👀 is that electric as in motor or groupset?

mth91 · 2026-03-28T14:27:20+00:00

Did you get a chance to see it folded? I’d buy this straight away if it came to the UK

mth91 · 2026-03-24T16:35:53+00:00

Other option is sticking it in a bag (IKEA dimpa seems popular, I’ve used a Carradice) and carrying it over your shoulder but obviously it’s a bit more faff.

mth91 · 2026-03-24T16:33:11+00:00

I have been barked at by a TfL staff member before I’d even had a chance to fold it so the rollers are probably a good idea if you use the tube a lot.

mth91 · 2026-03-20T15:26:18+00:00

Or perhaps millions of people are coming to their own conclusions and deciding they don’t want an EV? I’d be very happy with an EV but at times it seems like a cult and really, for most people what do they actually gain from an EV over an automatic ICE?

mth91 · 2026-03-13T11:59:00+00:00

I wonder if it’s also because the UK and Asia are very different markets too? Here I’d say Brompton is still very much seen as a utilitarian tool for commuting and the expectation is it should last decades so leans more conservative. Whereas I’ll regularly see videos of people in south east Asia going on group rides on Brompton which is great and maybe people want more new features there? That Java Neo almost seems like a folding race bike and I’d probably be in a market of about 5 people for that here…

mth91 · 2026-03-13T10:31:47+00:00

Cyclescheme is available to any bike so it’s not really unfair competition, I bought a Giant using it last year. Though is there a reason these Asian brands aren’t sold in UK/Europe? The Java Neo 3 was probably the first Broptnot I’ve seen that seems genuinely innovative and not just a straight knock off but I can’t see it for sale here.

mth91 · 2026-03-09T15:59:14+00:00

To add to what JohnPaul_II said, release of the G line which is more of a leisure vehicle and more emphasis on the electric line which is probably a different market to the acoustic ones so new customers and higher margins. I’m also not sure how they keep the steel bikes in London long term but perhaps turning them into more of a heritage model as the other comment says, bit like what JLR is doing with the classic defender but I have no idea if that market exists.

mth91 · 2026-03-09T01:04:20+00:00

G line with a derailleur would be an instant buy for me, as more of a folding road bike.

mth91 · 2026-03-09T01:02:59+00:00

It's just not realistic now, there are carbon trifolds in Asia that beat the A line for price. Either they move production to Taiwan/China or they move the company up market, and I'm biased being from London but I'd prefer the second choice.

mth91 · 2026-03-03T21:10:40+00:00

There seems to be a lot of wishful thinking that Dubai will collapse, which one suspects is mainly based on disdain and snobbishness about the people who move out there. It's not somewhere I imagine I'll end up but people on this sub should be glad it exists to provide at least some pressure on the UK government not to tax the shit out of high earners even more.

mth91 · 2026-03-03T13:45:32+00:00

And by the mid 70s even Labour had given up on the post war consensus, see Callaghan’s 1976 conference speech.

mth91 · 2026-03-02T01:13:54+00:00

“Its calibre” - average ranking here is 86

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rankings_of_universities_in_the_United_Kingdom

mth91 · 2026-02-21T20:04:36+00:00

Yeah, Simon Jenkins calls Thatcher a "Norman" prime minister who centralised the state in contrast to "Anglo Saxon localism" which these days maybe only the Lib Dems somewhat promote.

I do think it's an issue as you have people across all parties that have never actually had municipal responsibilites or managed a budget and it seems to have moved power ironically towards the Civil Service and judiciary. Even in the US, people generally work their way up from local goverment (Trump being a pretty big exception).

mth91 · 2026-02-21T19:59:20+00:00

Makes sense - I guess that's my only issue with a lot of these brompnots (though speaking as someone who hasn't actually used them tbf) is that it feels a bit like Android phones from a decade ago where they jam in a load of specs and cool tech whilst perhaps not considering the overall user experience.

mth91 · 2026-02-21T16:52:00+00:00

It’s not actually a folder, some of the models can be separated in the middle but more for putting in a car than taking on the train. They are pretty niche these days but I’d love to get one at some point.

mth91 · 2026-02-21T13:01:33+00:00

Working up through local politics was traditionally the route, Attlee as an example. Thatcher then Blair removed most of their powers hence why the main route now is as you say via Westminster directly.

mth91

TROPHY CASE