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Recent blog posts

Your new feature is clever — but does it work in real life?
Your new feature is clever — but does it work in real life?
 -  Great products are built for users – not to chase new trends, save a few extra pennies, or restrict customer choice. Sometimes what seem like good ideas to executives and designers simply don’t stand up in real life.
Muse's The Wow! Signal is an unexpected resurgence
Muse's The Wow! Signal is an unexpected resurgence
 -  After two recent albums that felt like pale imitations, Muse have returned to their space rock roots with something raw, coherent, and genuinely emotional. A track-by-track review from a long-haul flight.
Field Notes 11 // Trailblazers, Totoro, and dolls' houses
Field Notes 11 // Trailblazers, Totoro, and dolls' houses
 -  This month's Field Notes flows from Formula 1 commentary to a Studio Ghibli stage adaptation to an elaborate royal dolls' house. What connects them all is craft, care, and people who refuse to cut corners.
Alternatives to the UK government’s social media ban
Alternatives to the UK government’s social media ban
 -  The UK government wants to ban social media for under-16s. The goal is reasonable, but there are more effective alternatives that don't require sacrificing privacy and anonymity for the rest of the population.
The UK government is quietly eroding online anonymity
The UK government is quietly eroding online anonymity
 -  The Online Safety Act brought age checks to websites. Now the government wants them built into your devices – removing anonymity that protects whistleblowers, dissidents, and honest personal writing.
AI costs are rising, but proving value is still a challenge
AI costs are rising, but proving value is still a challenge
 -  As AI prices rise, companies' unchecked spending is coming under scrutiny. AI has removed speed constraints from development, but faster code doesn't automatically translate to revenue or business value.
Care about what you do — even when nobody's watching
Care about what you do — even when nobody's watching
 -  I've spent years writing about technology without identifying the thread connecting it all. Then I realised: I'm obsessed with people who care about the things they do – and frustrated by those who don't.
Google's AI push could break the information economy
Google's AI push could break the information economy
 -  If Google's new AI features stop traffic flowing to websites, fewer people will bother running them. That could disrupt the entire online information economy – and deprive AI models of the data they use to learn.
Mixtape is unique, but nowhere near a perfect game
Mixtape is unique, but nowhere near a perfect game
 -  IGN's perfect review score for Mixtape sparked a debate about gameplay, interactivity, and what a video game actually is. Having finished it, I think a ten out of ten is hard to justify no matter which definition you use.
Coinbase restructure is a huge bet on AI productivity
Coinbase restructure is a huge bet on AI productivity
 -  Brian Armstrong is bracing against market volatility with a flatter org chart, hands-on managers, and fleets of AI agents. But Coinbase's pivot comes with its own contradictions – and exposes it to new risks.
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