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Insights · Field notes from the workshop

Notes from the workshop.

Plain writing on deliberate AI adoption, software ownership, and the craft of building things that last — from the bench where the work gets done.

Featured AI

Securing the Lab: Why Custom AI Research Tools Are the Standard in 2026

The Growing Privacy Gap in University Research In 2026, the adoption of generative AI in higher education has reached a critical juncture. While general-purpose tools like ChatGPT and Claude have become ubiquitous for drafting and ideation, they present significant risks when introduced into the research pipeline. University labs manage sensitive information, including participant data, unpublished […]

Miles BassettJuly 20264 min read
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11 essays
AI

How Custom AI Research Tools Are Solving the Truth Crisis in University Labs in 2026

University labs and founders in mid-2026 face a new bottleneck. While generic Large Language Models (LLMs) lowered the barrier to generating code and summarizing text, they…

July 20264 min
AI

Why Agentic Architecture is the Real AI ROI for Startups in 2026

The honeymoon phase of generative AI is over. For university labs and startup founders, the novelty of chatbots has been replaced by a pressing question: How…

July 20265 min
AI in practice

The Rise of Custom AI Applications in University Research Labs: 2026 Trends

The Landscape of Digital Media in 2026 Artificial intelligence is moving faster than predicted. University research labs are at the center of this change. While large…

July 20264 min
AI in practice

Deliberate AI adoption for small institutions

A field guide to deliberate AI adoption for small institutions: how a lab, clinic, or family business gets the upside of AI without betting the organization…

April 20265 min
Craft

Measured twice: writing down “done” before we start

Why a written definition of done is the most important document in a software project, and how a fixed scope protects your budget, your timeline, and…

March 20264 min
Ownership

Own your software: a plain-English guide to handover

A plain-English guide to what real software ownership includes, the five things you should hold, and how to avoid vendor lock-in from the first day of…

March 20264 min
Honest counsel

Sometimes the best advice is to not build anything

The most valuable half-hour with a client is often the one where we talk them out of the build. Why honest counsel means saying no before…

February 20263 min
Craft

The hidden joints: quality no one will ever see

Error handling, logging, the code behind the wall. Why the software quality no one sees is the quality that keeps your system standing when it is…

February 20264 min
Platform

When the right answer is a stack you host yourself

We take no referral fees, so we can tell you the truth: sometimes the right answer is open-source software you host yourself. A plain look at…

January 20264 min