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Matt C. A. Smith

@mattcasmith.net
40 followers 40 following 546 posts

Cyber security professional writing about technology, business, and culture. mattcasmith.net

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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 4h
I usually avoid politics, but this is an awful take. British PM ready to sacrifice the integrity of the national sport for investment. The closest you can get to literally selling our country’s soul.
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 5h
If the cold caller hangs up when I ask them what organisation they’re calling from, that’s probably a bad sign, right?
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 28/09/2026
Quality and care nurtures trust between a business and its customers. Punishing customers for their mistakes to boost short-term revenue undoes all that hard work. mattcasmith.net/2026/09/27/f...
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 27/09/2026
Dark patterns like auto-renewing free trials turn the relationship between a business and its customers adversarial. Genuine care builds real trust.
mattcasmith.net
The hidden cost of punishing customers for mistakes | MattCASmith
Free trials are all the rage, but paid auto-renewals pose real risks to users' relationship with your brand. Is the short-term revenue boost worth giving customers a negative feeling that could last m...
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Reposted by Matt C. A. Smith
Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 25/09/2026
In September's edition of Field Notes, I learn that the frontier AI models are no good at identifying cars from photos. mattcasmith.net/2026/09/20/f...
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 25/09/2026
Ate at a seafood restaurant with the most nautically themed bathroom stairwell I’ve ever seen. The photo doesn’t do justice to the atmosphere.
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 25/09/2026
In September's edition of Field Notes, I learn that the frontier AI models are no good at identifying cars from photos. mattcasmith.net/2026/09/20/f...
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 23/09/2026
Really enjoyed Arthur Brooks’ conversation with Simon Sinek about optimism, what constitutes a vision, and how to bring others on the journey.
youtu.be
How to Be More Optimistic with Simon Sinek
YouTube video by Dr. Arthur Brooks
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 22/09/2026
Highlighting all the paragraphs in the Kindle business book that I agree with so my clippings consist of pure confirmation bias.
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 22/09/2026
It’s only been a day since I last posted on X and it’s already firing “recent post” notifications.
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 20/09/2026
📥 September's Field Notes explores luck, empathy, and gratitude as a means of pushing through when bad things happen. October's edition is coming soon, so sign up now to get it first at the turn of the month.
mattcasmith.net
Field Notes 14 // Hospitals, grindset cafés, and Weezer | MattCASmith
We can't stop bad things from happening to us, but we can change how we react. This month: Hospital visits, LLMs that struggle to identify a car, London's new 24/7 grindset café, and a new Weezer albu...
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 19/09/2026
The pasta at this restaurant is so good it’s almost dangerous. I hear the local Italian restaurants have banded together to slow the pace of pasta development and observe each other’s kitchens to make sure things don’t get out of control.
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 19/09/2026
In a cruel twist of irony, I realised I’ve lost one of my AirTags.
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 18/09/2026
An evening out in the City.
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Reposted by Matt C. A. Smith
Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 17/09/2026
Recent AI "misalignments" were the result of improper supervision and isolation, not super-advanced agents set on destroying the world. But in some ways, that's just as concerning. mattcasmith.net/2026/09/13/a...
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 18/09/2026
Commuting to the office on a Friday in London is so much less stressful. This must be what it feels like to live in a reasonably sized city.
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 17/09/2026
Recent AI "misalignments" were the result of improper supervision and isolation, not super-advanced agents set on destroying the world. But in some ways, that's just as concerning. mattcasmith.net/2026/09/13/a...
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 17/09/2026
As soon as a YouTuber starts bragging about how many followers they have or how much money they've made, it's an immediate signal to tune out.
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 17/09/2026
A (loosely translated) quote that resonated from culture writer Asami Saisho: "Local luxury is not just about making luxury hotels or expensive tours for the wealthy. It is a real luxury in itself that such truly valuable things are passed on to the local people with pride."
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 14/09/2026
Introducing my wife to the Dark Knight trilogy and my new Blu-ray copies ditch the letterbox to show the IMAX sequences in full screen. It’s glorious.
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 14/09/2026
A bill has been introduced in the House of Lords that would make it an imprisonable offence to run a social media platform available to UK users without a licence granted by Ofcom. We are literally becoming the meme. bills.parliament.uk/bills/4285
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 14/09/2026
For all the amazing things we can now do very quickly with AI, some of my most satisfying workdays are still those where I get hands-on with code. Those two things are difficult to reconcile.
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 14/09/2026
It's impossible to know what to make of the AI safety push when the incentives are so skewed. In AI, events that would be an existential threat to most companies are seen as indicators of progress. mattcasmith.net/2026/09/13/a...
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 13/09/2026
Whatever happens, the main take away from this match is that VAR and/or the offside rule are still broken. Looking forward to the official explanation as to how the goal could stand when Fernandez was so blatantly offside and prevented a clearance. #MUNMCI
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 13/09/2026
I hate these modern F1 circuits that are just a strip of tarmac with walls an inch away on either side. No character, usually bad for racing, and never seem especially safe, either. #SpanishGP #F1
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 13/09/2026
Just as the AI industry has tried to soften its image, tone down its doomer messaging, and widen appeal, a string of incidents involving out-of-control agents have damaged trust. AI has entered the age of the contradiction.
mattcasmith.net
AI labs make their case to humanity as agents run amok | MattCASmith
AI has entered the age of the contradiction. Just as the major labs dropped their doomer takes to focus on human-agent coexistence, a string of incidents caused by out-of-control models have damaged t...
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 12/09/2026
The game is Microlandia, and the ransomware attack was a nice little touch. The encryption rendered large parts of the UI unusable, hiding city data and scrambling the text in the menus. Seemed to be a temporary inconvenience, though – nothing happened when I refused to pay.
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 12/09/2026
Can't escape the day job even when I'm trying to chill out.
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 11/09/2026
From 2028, PlayStation game discs will no longer be manufactured. But Sony is adamant players don't own their digital games – meaning your PlayStation 6 collection will only ever be temporary. mattcasmith.net/2026/09/06/s...
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 10/09/2026
The iPhone Duo looks like the premium product you’d expect from Apple. I love the fold animation. But I don’t have a day-to-day use for such a big screen. I’ll also be interested to see what the fold, hinge, and edges look/feel like once people have been using them for a while.
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 10/09/2026
I feel like TfL haven’t given me a smooth journey to the office in a month. Today my main line was down, my backup was suspended, and my third choice had severe delays. What’s going on?
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 09/09/2026
The half-time substitutions have all made a big difference, but Cole Palmer is on another level tonight. Rapidly gaining hope he’s back to his best. #CHELEE #CFC
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 08/09/2026
I’m monotasking as far as possible to try to nurture my focus and attention span. This basically means no earphones unless I’m on the train. It sounds crazy, but it’s amazing how many everyday sounds (weather, cooking, etc.) suddenly sound brand new.
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Reposted by Matt C. A. Smith
Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 06/09/2026
PlayStation fans face a hard decision when the PS6 arrives. As Sony drops discs and locks in the idea of digital games as temporary licences, is a console that supports only a transient game library worth the investment?
mattcasmith.net
You will never own another PlayStation game again | MattCASmith
Sony already doubled down on its unpopular decision to end the production of PlayStation game discs – now it's locking in the concept of digital games as temporary licences, with no real ownership for...
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 06/09/2026
Going so defensive on a one-goal lead felt like a rerun of England v Argentina. There was no way Chelsea’s fragile defence could absorb so much pressure. But we responded quite well to going 2-1 down. Still a lot of positives to take from the first few games. #ARSCHE #CFC
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 06/09/2026
You can get a red card for winning the ball in a tackle if your follow-through connects with the opponent’s leg in the wrong way. But missing the ball entirely and recklessly kicking the opponent in the head is apparently fine. #ARSCHE #CFC
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 06/09/2026
I don’t buy the “tactical slingshot” theory. This feels like Russell and Antonelli going for it with the championship fight in mind. Excellent entertainment. #ItalianGP #F1
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 06/09/2026
PlayStation fans face a hard decision when the PS6 arrives. As Sony drops discs and locks in the idea of digital games as temporary licences, is a console that supports only a transient game library worth the investment?
mattcasmith.net
You will never own another PlayStation game again | MattCASmith
Sony already doubled down on its unpopular decision to end the production of PlayStation game discs – now it's locking in the concept of digital games as temporary licences, with no real ownership for...
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 05/09/2026
Your level of post-Costco regret hinges on your ability to accurately estimate how much room you have in your home to store all those bargains.
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 04/09/2026
New blog post coming this weekend – but first, one more run-out for this rational argument for optimism. This seems to have struck a chord with people this week. mattcasmith.net/2026/08/30/r...
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 03/09/2026
I know my last blog post was a hit because the spammers are using its title in their email subject lines.
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 03/09/2026
I wonder if a cool name like Astra makes the model seem more intelligent, like how the age of a bottle of wine changes people’s perception of its taste.
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 02/09/2026
Google Pics looks useful, but that's a terrible name. It sounds like a photo manager, not a creative design suite.
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Reposted by Matt C. A. Smith
Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 30/08/2026
Some thoughts about optimism, and why relentless self-belief is usually more beneficial than worry or caution – even if you have to force it.
mattcasmith.net
Optimism isn't naive – pessimism is just the easy option | MattCASmith
As long as you've prepared for the challenge ahead, try to be relentlessly optimistic about your chances of success. There's no downside to absolute belief in yourself, and worry can become a self-ful...
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 01/09/2026
Played RDR2 yesterday to get into the mood for GTA VI, and boy our attention spans are more messed up than we know. I was shocked how hard I had to force myself to stick with the game’s slow pace. Immediately afterwards I went and sat in silence with a book to start the healing.
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 31/08/2026
An underrated quality of a great album is songs with fun chord progressions that sound good played acoustically on a single guitar.
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 30/08/2026
Some thoughts about optimism, and why relentless self-belief is usually more beneficial than worry or caution – even if you have to force it.
mattcasmith.net
Optimism isn't naive – pessimism is just the easy option | MattCASmith
As long as you've prepared for the challenge ahead, try to be relentlessly optimistic about your chances of success. There's no downside to absolute belief in yourself, and worry can become a self-ful...
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 29/08/2026
Shabu-shabu. Ordered way too much, but we made it.
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 29/08/2026
I see so many complaints about the city on here, but a morning walk around Fitzrovia and a chat with my barber and I’m suddenly all-in on London again.
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Matt C. A. Smith @mattcasmith.net · 27/08/2026
The gameplay didn’t look like anything we haven’t seen in past GTAs, with a sprinkling of Red Dead Redemption 2. I’m more interested in taking a stroll around the city to see what little details Rockstar has dropped in. #GTAVI
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