Olivier Usher
@ojusher.com
Technology | Innovation prizes | Director of Research & Design at Challenge Works, a @nestauk.bsky.social enterprise | ojusher.com
We could, as it were, Switch to a different card payment system www.theguardian.com/business/202...
UK bank bosses plan to set up Visa and Mastercard alternative amid Trump fears
Exclusive: First meeting to be held over domestic payments system aimed at reducing reliance on US networks
www.theguardian.com
February 16, 2026 at 7:53 PM
We could, as it were, Switch to a different card payment system www.theguardian.com/business/202...
It’s all particularly silly because it’s not even about *entering* the UK: British citizens have unqualified right to be here regardless of paperwork. It’s about *right to board planes or ferries travelling here*, for which the state outsources its administrative overreach to transport operators.
One can make the case for requiring either a UK passport or some further documentation for dual British nationals to enter the country (this is true for eg the US). But making this change rapidly and getting a certificate so expensive is yet another Home Office cockup. Why always so draconian?
Gabrielle was all set for a routine trip from Australia to the UK. Then the rules for dual citizens suddenly changed
From 25 February all dual citizens visiting the UK must use their British passport, leaving many scrambling to get their documents in order
www.theguardian.com
February 13, 2026 at 9:41 PM
It’s all particularly silly because it’s not even about *entering* the UK: British citizens have unqualified right to be here regardless of paperwork. It’s about *right to board planes or ferries travelling here*, for which the state outsources its administrative overreach to transport operators.
More seriously: I would have a kinetic energy limit for cars on roads, rather than a speed limit. The heavier the car, the slower it has to go.
What’s a policy that you would genuinely support but would be the most suicidally unpopular. Mine is road pricing including no free parking *anywhere*.
www.gov.uk/government/n...
www.gov.uk/government/n...
New local powers to keep pavements clear for those who rely on them most
Local councils will be given the power to crack down on problem pavement parking.
www.gov.uk
January 28, 2026 at 3:00 PM
More seriously: I would have a kinetic energy limit for cars on roads, rather than a speed limit. The heavier the car, the slower it has to go.
NotebookLM is also the one AI tool I’ve tried that I’ve been impressed with.
I think because it’s a specialised tool designed for a clear use case - which is not what chatbots are.
I think because it’s a specialised tool designed for a clear use case - which is not what chatbots are.
I do not come here to hype things, let along big tech products, but honestly right now am wondering if NotebookLM is the greatest software I have ever used, maybe after Excel
January 22, 2026 at 4:38 PM
NotebookLM is also the one AI tool I’ve tried that I’ve been impressed with.
I think because it’s a specialised tool designed for a clear use case - which is not what chatbots are.
I think because it’s a specialised tool designed for a clear use case - which is not what chatbots are.
Reposted by Olivier Usher
"Those 18-year-olds – the first guinea pigs, the class who matriculated in 2012 – are now turning 31. And belatedly, the impact of the loans they were assured were a rock-solid investment in their futures is becoming apparent."
Some thoughts on student loans
www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...
Some thoughts on student loans
www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...
Britain's youth are living in Nick Clegg's shadow
All except the richest graduates since 2012 face a bespoke additional tax. No wonder they're radicalised
www.newstatesman.com
January 20, 2026 at 10:08 AM
"Those 18-year-olds – the first guinea pigs, the class who matriculated in 2012 – are now turning 31. And belatedly, the impact of the loans they were assured were a rock-solid investment in their futures is becoming apparent."
Some thoughts on student loans
www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...
Some thoughts on student loans
www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...
Reposted by Olivier Usher
Everybody thinks 'https://' stands for 'hypertext transfer protocol secure' but it actually stands for 'head to this place, sucka' followed by a colon and two laser sounds
January 13, 2026 at 8:17 PM
Everybody thinks 'https://' stands for 'hypertext transfer protocol secure' but it actually stands for 'head to this place, sucka' followed by a colon and two laser sounds
Serious suggestion: the tech industry should get to do this; in return we legalise circumventing DRM and shorten copyright terms
“I just don’t know how you go around, asking everyone first. I just don’t see how that would work.”
From May 2025: www.theverge.com/news/674366/...
From May 2025: www.theverge.com/news/674366/...
January 14, 2026 at 1:00 PM
Serious suggestion: the tech industry should get to do this; in return we legalise circumventing DRM and shorten copyright terms
Britain has had more general elections since WW2 than Italy.
Ok folks: what is your favorite fact that you share with people (maybe a bit too) eagerly?
January 9, 2026 at 1:03 PM
Britain has had more general elections since WW2 than Italy.
Is it just me or do people rave about the opening lines of books, but about the ends of tv series?
Wonder why that is?
Wonder why that is?
Given that apparently the Stranger Things finale was meh (idk, didn't watch it, just the scuttlebutt) and we're not that far removed from the disastrous GOT finale that retroactively made everyone have never cared about the show:
What's the *best* ending to a show you've ever seen? Quote/reply etc
What's the *best* ending to a show you've ever seen? Quote/reply etc
January 7, 2026 at 9:31 AM
Is it just me or do people rave about the opening lines of books, but about the ends of tv series?
Wonder why that is?
Wonder why that is?
Broke a finger playing chess. Sliced open a finger on a can of corned beef.
Both at primary school.
(Both the same finger too.)
Both at primary school.
(Both the same finger too.)
What's the most ridiculous way you ever hurt yourself? I got out of the tub, skidded in water and tripped over the toilet. Ankle sprain.
😅
😅
January 6, 2026 at 12:05 PM
Broke a finger playing chess. Sliced open a finger on a can of corned beef.
Both at primary school.
(Both the same finger too.)
Both at primary school.
(Both the same finger too.)
Reposted by Olivier Usher
I'd really like to see some
granularity around this claim that "AI and related digital technologies [are] the new productivity frontier" because it could, frankly, mean anything giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
granularity around this claim that "AI and related digital technologies [are] the new productivity frontier" because it could, frankly, mean anything giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
US to extend productivity lead on back of AI boom, say economists
FT survey shows America’s dominance in areas such as technology is not expected to reverse soon
giftarticle.ft.com
January 4, 2026 at 8:53 AM
I'd really like to see some
granularity around this claim that "AI and related digital technologies [are] the new productivity frontier" because it could, frankly, mean anything giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
granularity around this claim that "AI and related digital technologies [are] the new productivity frontier" because it could, frankly, mean anything giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
Reposted by Olivier Usher
It’s a dark night when you look at the news and are forced to admit that you no longer believe in the power of the FIFA peace prize
January 3, 2026 at 7:06 AM
It’s a dark night when you look at the news and are forced to admit that you no longer believe in the power of the FIFA peace prize
Reposted by Olivier Usher
I’m sorry, but if ‘other people have views, and they’re annoying’ is news to you in govt, then you have not properly prepared for government www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
Alaa Abd el-Fattah has shown supremacy of the Stakeholder State
My time working in No 10 showed me how much time and energy is sapped by people obsessed with fringe issues. It doesn’t have to be this way
www.thetimes.com
January 2, 2026 at 8:18 AM
I’m sorry, but if ‘other people have views, and they’re annoying’ is news to you in govt, then you have not properly prepared for government www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
It seems worth saying that if Alaa Abd el-Fattah had been born after 1983, or if it was his dad rather than his mum who was British, he would have been a UK citizen from birth.
Britain’s Byzantine and discriminatory nationality rules strike again.
Britain’s Byzantine and discriminatory nationality rules strike again.
December 31, 2025 at 10:54 AM
It seems worth saying that if Alaa Abd el-Fattah had been born after 1983, or if it was his dad rather than his mum who was British, he would have been a UK citizen from birth.
Britain’s Byzantine and discriminatory nationality rules strike again.
Britain’s Byzantine and discriminatory nationality rules strike again.
Reposted by Olivier Usher
Calls to strip pro-democracy activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah of his British citizenship pile torment on top of torture.
New piece by me on a dangerous and manufactured storm:
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
New piece by me on a dangerous and manufactured storm:
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Alaa Abd el-Fattah’s tweets were wrong, but he is no ‘anti-white Islamist’. Why does the British right want you to believe he is? | Naomi Klein
I have no interest in defending his social media posts, but calls to strip the newly freed activist of British citizenship pile torment on top of torture, says Naomi Klein, Guardian US columnist and c...
www.theguardian.com
December 31, 2025 at 7:37 AM
Calls to strip pro-democracy activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah of his British citizenship pile torment on top of torture.
New piece by me on a dangerous and manufactured storm:
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
New piece by me on a dangerous and manufactured storm:
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
This is … not my experience at all. I get spoken at in English in France despite being (sort of) French, whereas my passable-but-not-fluent Italian gets me no end of compliments and superhuman patience in Italy.
nah Italians are the same as the French I'm afraid, spent two months there and whenever I tried to speak (admittedly minimal/shaky) Italian people would look at me like I'd spat on their nonna
I’m convinced that this map is reflecting reality perfectly.
December 18, 2025 at 4:23 PM
This is … not my experience at all. I get spoken at in English in France despite being (sort of) French, whereas my passable-but-not-fluent Italian gets me no end of compliments and superhuman patience in Italy.
Reposted by Olivier Usher
Plenty of tech adoption, with huge economic impacts, is nice-to-haves that suddenly get much cheaper/more feasible.
We use a lot more light and heat than 150 years ago, we do far more discretionary travel, we use telecoms for much more than just urgent telegrams, etc. These were all nice-to-haves.
We use a lot more light and heat than 150 years ago, we do far more discretionary travel, we use telecoms for much more than just urgent telegrams, etc. These were all nice-to-haves.
December 10, 2025 at 9:23 AM
Plenty of tech adoption, with huge economic impacts, is nice-to-haves that suddenly get much cheaper/more feasible.
We use a lot more light and heat than 150 years ago, we do far more discretionary travel, we use telecoms for much more than just urgent telegrams, etc. These were all nice-to-haves.
We use a lot more light and heat than 150 years ago, we do far more discretionary travel, we use telecoms for much more than just urgent telegrams, etc. These were all nice-to-haves.
December 7, 2025 at 8:52 AM
Reform will make bullying kids a large part of their election campaign, got it.
December 4, 2025 at 9:32 AM
Reform will make bullying kids a large part of their election campaign, got it.
Reposted by Olivier Usher
This blog post by Helen Toner (well-known by some for a stint on the OpenAI board) is *really really* interesting because it is the first thing I've read by someone in Frontier AI that starts to get to grips with sociotechnical concerns open.substack.com/pub/helenton...
Taking Jaggedness Seriously
Why we should expect AI capabilities to keep being extremely uneven, and why that matters
open.substack.com
November 29, 2025 at 6:32 AM
This blog post by Helen Toner (well-known by some for a stint on the OpenAI board) is *really really* interesting because it is the first thing I've read by someone in Frontier AI that starts to get to grips with sociotechnical concerns open.substack.com/pub/helenton...
Since Scottish football is in the news, this seems as good a time as any to reshare my favourite Scottish football video youtu.be/3DOVxhwQuUk?...
Walter Smith: Fans remember legendary interview with Chick Young
YouTube video by The Scottish Sun
youtu.be
November 19, 2025 at 7:37 AM
Since Scottish football is in the news, this seems as good a time as any to reshare my favourite Scottish football video youtu.be/3DOVxhwQuUk?...
Reposted by Olivier Usher
basically believe that this mostly depends on when you got Properly Online - before a certain cut-off your normal internet experience was high agency/high effort, but it eventually became low agency/low effort, and it's impossible to create a social media experience that caters to both groups
yes I think @youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com has talked about this, it's deeply alienating to find out that the vast majority of people do not want the curated timeline / engagement / discussion version of social media that I find to be the only good version of the experience
November 12, 2025 at 3:31 PM
basically believe that this mostly depends on when you got Properly Online - before a certain cut-off your normal internet experience was high agency/high effort, but it eventually became low agency/low effort, and it's impossible to create a social media experience that caters to both groups
👀 Em-dash. Did his holiness use ChatGPT?
I wanna invite Pope Leo to my Intro to Science and Technology Studies class
November 8, 2025 at 9:52 PM
👀 Em-dash. Did his holiness use ChatGPT?
Just realised that in about 2045 there is obviously going to be an ironic revival of vintage “slopcore” 2020s-style AI aesthetics. Makes me sad.
November 7, 2025 at 11:42 AM
Just realised that in about 2045 there is obviously going to be an ironic revival of vintage “slopcore” 2020s-style AI aesthetics. Makes me sad.