Matt C. A. Smith
@mattcasmith.net
💻🔑 By day, I stop cyber attacks. 🗒️✍️ In between, I write sporadic field notes from the intersection of technology, design, and life. Personal posts.
mattcasmith.net
mattcasmith.net
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Self-driving cars are here, but the friction is in the sale | MattCASmith
On a recent trip to Austin, Texas, I was tempted to take one of the Waymos or Robotaxis that so casually roam the streets. One day, I was even offered one as an alternative to waiting 11 minutes for a...
mattcasmith.net
The tech industry is drawn to ambitious "moonshots" like self-driving cars, but there are less glamorous problems to solve - like the buying process.
Reading a thread full of people who use Kindle page turners to read while on the treadmill, and genuinely amazed anybody has the stability or coordination to read while running.
December 2, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Reading a thread full of people who use Kindle page turners to read while on the treadmill, and genuinely amazed anybody has the stability or coordination to read while running.
The tech industry is drawn to ambitious "moonshots" like self-driving cars, but there are less glamorous problems to solve - like the buying process.
Self-driving cars are here, but the friction is in the sale | MattCASmith
On a recent trip to Austin, Texas, I was tempted to take one of the Waymos or Robotaxis that so casually roam the streets. One day, I was even offered one as an alternative to waiting 11 minutes for a...
mattcasmith.net
December 1, 2025 at 8:06 AM
The tech industry is drawn to ambitious "moonshots" like self-driving cars, but there are less glamorous problems to solve - like the buying process.
Finally arrived today! Better get reading quick at the speed this industry moves…
November 12, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Finally arrived today! Better get reading quick at the speed this industry moves…
It’s getting difficult to tell whether posts were written using AI or if their authors mimicked AI’s “professional” tone to try to sound authoritative.
November 11, 2025 at 1:42 PM
It’s getting difficult to tell whether posts were written using AI or if their authors mimicked AI’s “professional” tone to try to sound authoritative.
Took my wife to the viewing platform at 22 Bishopsgate yesterday. Fantastic views as far as Wembley in one direction and past Canary Wharf in the other.
November 9, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Took my wife to the viewing platform at 22 Bishopsgate yesterday. Fantastic views as far as Wembley in one direction and past Canary Wharf in the other.
Just uploaded my latest newsletter to the blog, with a round-up of all the tech news, articles, and podcasts I found interesting this month.
Field Notes 5 // ChatGPT Atlas and the Claude café | MattCASmith
I'm feeling bullish on technology in a way I haven't since the mid-2010s. I'm still not fully convinced on the AI non(?)-bubble, but it feels like the sector has regained some of its soul recently. At...
mattcasmith.net
November 9, 2025 at 9:11 AM
Just uploaded my latest newsletter to the blog, with a round-up of all the tech news, articles, and podcasts I found interesting this month.
Visited a startup website so flashy and clever that it immediately crashed my browser. At that point, plain HTML would have been superior.
November 7, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Visited a startup website so flashy and clever that it immediately crashed my browser. At that point, plain HTML would have been superior.
OpenAI says its ChatGPT Atlas web browser will change how we use the internet - and it will. But positioning AI as a gatekeeper to the internet will have broader, more concerning effects. 🧵 [1/7]
November 5, 2025 at 2:05 PM
OpenAI says its ChatGPT Atlas web browser will change how we use the internet - and it will. But positioning AI as a gatekeeper to the internet will have broader, more concerning effects. 🧵 [1/7]
AI browsers like ChatGPT Atlas offer convenience, but it comes at a cost. Positioning AI as a filter between the user and the web is risky, and further erodes the serendipity and chaos that made the early internet great.
ChatGPT Atlas positions AI as the internet's gatekeeper | MattCASmith
We’re shoehorning AI into everything else, so why not your web browser? That was presumably the thinking when OpenAI launched ChatGPT Atlas, an AI-augmented browser that it says will change the way we...
mattcasmith.net
November 2, 2025 at 8:33 AM
AI browsers like ChatGPT Atlas offer convenience, but it comes at a cost. Positioning AI as a filter between the user and the web is risky, and further erodes the serendipity and chaos that made the early internet great.
Saturday morning trip to F1 Arcade - lucky Seat 13 and they gave me an Alpine, but still won every race. 😎
November 1, 2025 at 11:13 AM
Saturday morning trip to F1 Arcade - lucky Seat 13 and they gave me an Alpine, but still won every race. 😎
Apparently Microsoft and OpenAI previously agreed that the definition of AGI is an AI system that generates at least $100 billion in profit, which is both a bizarre way of measuring intelligence and something we’re a long way off.
October 28, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Apparently Microsoft and OpenAI previously agreed that the definition of AGI is an AI system that generates at least $100 billion in profit, which is both a bizarre way of measuring intelligence and something we’re a long way off.
When threat actors host malware on the blockchain, traditional takedowns are no longer an option. EtherHiding's "bulletproof hosting" presents new challenges, but also opportunities to track malicious campaigns.
EtherHiding: When good blockchains turn bad | MattCASmith
With AI stealing the limelight over the last few years, it’s been a while since it was fashionable to talk about the blockchain. But it’s still out there, most famously used to track cryptocurrency tr...
mattcasmith.net
October 26, 2025 at 10:53 AM
When threat actors host malware on the blockchain, traditional takedowns are no longer an option. EtherHiding's "bulletproof hosting" presents new challenges, but also opportunities to track malicious campaigns.
AI has an image problem.
My dad visited today and he’s only heard negative stories about it: unreliable output, workforce replacement, lawsuits, and so on.
That’s how AI looks in mainstream news if you’re outside the tech bubble and don’t use an LLM every day.
My dad visited today and he’s only heard negative stories about it: unreliable output, workforce replacement, lawsuits, and so on.
That’s how AI looks in mainstream news if you’re outside the tech bubble and don’t use an LLM every day.
October 25, 2025 at 1:29 PM
AI has an image problem.
My dad visited today and he’s only heard negative stories about it: unreliable output, workforce replacement, lawsuits, and so on.
That’s how AI looks in mainstream news if you’re outside the tech bubble and don’t use an LLM every day.
My dad visited today and he’s only heard negative stories about it: unreliable output, workforce replacement, lawsuits, and so on.
That’s how AI looks in mainstream news if you’re outside the tech bubble and don’t use an LLM every day.
A rare Friday afternoon in the City. Looking forward to resting and writing this weekend!
October 24, 2025 at 4:47 PM
A rare Friday afternoon in the City. Looking forward to resting and writing this weekend!
Every so often there’s a day where every article you read and every podcast you listen to reminds you there’s a world out there full of untapped potential and possibilities you’ve never considered.
October 21, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Every so often there’s a day where every article you read and every podcast you listen to reminds you there’s a world out there full of untapped potential and possibilities you’ve never considered.
Anthropic's AWS spend hit $2.66bn between January and September this year against revenues of $2.55bn, reports @edzitron.com - that's $1.04 spent for every $1.00 earned, without even considering other costs.
October 21, 2025 at 7:57 AM
Anthropic's AWS spend hit $2.66bn between January and September this year against revenues of $2.55bn, reports @edzitron.com - that's $1.04 spent for every $1.00 earned, without even considering other costs.
Remember when tech felt mechanical? When you could actually hear the PS1 straining to read the data from the disc? So much personality lost.
October 20, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Remember when tech felt mechanical? When you could actually hear the PS1 straining to read the data from the disc? So much personality lost.
"Ship it. You're overthinking at this point (I say this with love - you've asked me to review this like six times now)."
I love how action-oriented Claude is sometimes.
I love how action-oriented Claude is sometimes.
October 19, 2025 at 11:30 AM
"Ship it. You're overthinking at this point (I say this with love - you've asked me to review this like six times now)."
I love how action-oriented Claude is sometimes.
I love how action-oriented Claude is sometimes.
The next frontier for AI in security operations is to move past detection metadata and assist investigation across massive log datasets. Research and benchmark tests show promise, but questions remain over real-world efficacy and cost. The fully autonomous SOC is a long way off.
The untapped potential of AI for security operations | MattCASmith
In August 2025, Anthropic announced it had caught a threat actor using Claude in a series of cyber attacks. The large language model (LLM) helped the attacker in their reconnaissance and network compr...
mattcasmith.net
October 19, 2025 at 11:15 AM
The next frontier for AI in security operations is to move past detection metadata and assist investigation across massive log datasets. Research and benchmark tests show promise, but questions remain over real-world efficacy and cost. The fully autonomous SOC is a long way off.
There are lessons in preparation to be learnt from Chelsea performances like this. It’s like they go in assuming it’ll be a cakewalk, then panic when it’s not. You can have all the talent in the world, but if you assume it’ll be easy, you’ll get caught out.
October 18, 2025 at 12:23 PM
There are lessons in preparation to be learnt from Chelsea performances like this. It’s like they go in assuming it’ll be a cakewalk, then panic when it’s not. You can have all the talent in the world, but if you assume it’ll be easy, you’ll get caught out.
Saw a tweet starting, “The key to stop procrastinating is…” and then the feed refreshed. I’m doomed.
October 14, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Saw a tweet starting, “The key to stop procrastinating is…” and then the feed refreshed. I’m doomed.
Nike Run Club app stopped tracking my run unannounced so it could prompt me for more permissions the next time I looked at my Apple Watch. This is the state of software in 2025.
October 14, 2025 at 6:02 AM
Nike Run Club app stopped tracking my run unannounced so it could prompt me for more permissions the next time I looked at my Apple Watch. This is the state of software in 2025.
The Substack model tries to turn my email inbox into a makeshift feed reader, but that doesn’t really work when articles sit alongside my personal messages and bills. There’s still no worthy RSS replacement.
October 13, 2025 at 7:53 AM
The Substack model tries to turn my email inbox into a makeshift feed reader, but that doesn’t really work when articles sit alongside my personal messages and bills. There’s still no worthy RSS replacement.
The pressure was on, grilling British wagyu for my wife (she’s Japanese, so the wagyu bar was set high). But I think I did it justice.
October 12, 2025 at 6:10 PM
The pressure was on, grilling British wagyu for my wife (she’s Japanese, so the wagyu bar was set high). But I think I did it justice.
Posted my latest newsletter to my blog. The content will only get better from here - I'm taking a million more notes each week than ever before. mattcasmith.net/2025/10/11/f...
Field Notes 4 // New York, note taking, and Blindr | MattCASmith
Welcome back to Field Notes. The eagle-eyed might have noticed that it is October, and not August. The end of July into September was a testing period for me. I was often exhausted to the point that I...
mattcasmith.net
October 11, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Posted my latest newsletter to my blog. The content will only get better from here - I'm taking a million more notes each week than ever before. mattcasmith.net/2025/10/11/f...