Stuff I Find

Memories like the corners of my mind

Hi all,

1.Guy Ritchie seems to have hit a strong seam recently. Clearly he has an obsession with gangsters but let’s not hold that against him. Mobland is one of his latest creations and has attracted the likes of Tom Hardy, Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan and rightly so. It’s the usual plot of two mob families at war, but it’s the richness of the tapestry which Ritchie weaves that makes Mobland worth the watch. We all know that the TV series gives writers the opportunity to develop plot and character and Ritchie is clearly enjoying himself in this one, with many tangents and sub plots along the way which make Mobland a fascinating watch. Tom Hardy’s performance in particular is outstanding. He’s one of those actors who seems to play a similar character in his films but still manages to bring nuance every time.

2.I’ve mentioned Greg Isenberg in passing before. Last time I mentioned him I referred to him as a blogger but his empire has grown. Greg writes about startups (and increasingly AI) in a very accessible way. He’s worth following on LinkedIn where he tends to post lists of trends and often startups ideas which are just waiting for someone to build. He also has a podcast where he interviews startup founders who he thinks have something different to say. What I love about his stuff is that there is a consistency to his philosophy and yet he’s constantly developing it in the context of the changing AI landscape and what that actually means for everyone and how much easier building companies is becoming with the AI platforms which are improving every week. If you have any interest or ambition to build something whether it’s a side hustle or something more substantial, Greg is a must.

3.Something small but interesting happened in the world of AI and LLMs over the last week. Both OpenAI and Claude launched a feature whereby you can connect the AI to your Google Drive. OpenAI has also much improved the memory of ChatGPT so it can remember the details of the previous chats you’ve had. This radically improves the experience from the previous feeling of talking to someone who lives purely in the moment of that chat you’re having, to something which not only remembers the chats you’ve had but can also call on work you’ve done outside of any chat with AI and bring it in at the relevant time even if you’ve forgotten all about it. I can see how some will find this creepy, which is why users can switch it on or off, but for people like me who use AI like a team in my work, its a huge step forward.

Look after yourself,

Ben