Apologies for being quiet over the last few months. Normal service has resumed.
QFM{72,76,80,84,88,92,96,100} Irresponsible AI Reading Lists 202506-January 202601: Everything I found interesting about the irresponsible use of AI over the last 8 months
matthewsinclair.medium.com/qfm-72-76-80...
Apologies for being a bit quiet over the last few months. Normal service has resumed.
QFM{71,75,79,83,87,91,95,99} Engineering Leadership Reading Lists 202506 — 202601: Everything I found interesting about Engineering Leadership over the last 8 months
matthewsinclair.medium.com/qfm-71-75-79...
Apologies for being a bit quiet with QFM posts recently. Normal service has resumed:
QFM{70,74,78,82,86,90,94,98} Elixir Reading Lists 202506 — 202601: Everything I found interesting about the Elixir programming ecosystem over the last 8 months
matthewsinclair.medium.com/qfm-70-74-78...
Apologies for being a bit quiet with QFM posts recently. Normal service has resumed:
QFM{69,73,77,81,85,89,93,97} Machine Intelligence Reading Lists 202501-202601: Everything I found interesting about machines behaving intelligently over the last 8 months
matthewsinclair.medium.com/qfm-69-73-77...
Well, this is quite the read:
“Something big is happening”
shumer.dev/something-bi...
A picture of a very well-organised workshop tool bench with all of the tools arranged in a set of hanging brackets behind the bench.
I've been a bit quiet on the blogging front for a few months, so this is a quick catch-up post: what I've been doing, what I've shipped, and where things are headed.
Blog #0187: A Few Things I've Been Working On
matthewsinclair.com/blog/0187-a-...
A path in the woods with a fork in the road, one direction has two tracks as if vehicles of some kind have gone down it, the other path is just a single walking trail.
Here's a simple framework for thinking about where we draw the line on AI autonomy, from spreadsheets to self-driving cars
Blog #0186: What We Let Machines Do
matthewsinclair.com/blog/0186-wh...
The year "2025" rendered in a gold-ish translucent 3D font.
Over the year, I try to find something interesting to read and digest each week related to or at least adjacent to what I am currently working on. Here's the list for 2025.
Blog #0185: (Almost) 52 Things I Learned in 2025
matthewsinclair.com/blog/0185-al...
A photo of the grounds of Nottingham Castle, UK with a large lit up hashtag saying #itsinnottingham.
Apparently, #itsinnottingham.
I’m a software engineer ~ what next? S01E19 is live! “From DevOps to Novels: Richard Bown on Humane Engineering & Career Loops”
#whatnext #podcast
whatnext.dev/episodes/s01...
I’m a software engineer ~ what next? S01E18 is live! “From Engineering Bootcamps & Founding Startups to GitHub with Kate Catlin”
#whatnext #podcast
whatnext.dev/episodes/s01...
I’m a software engineer ~ what next? S01E17 is live! “Speaking Like a Human with Stew Bewley”
#whatnext #podcast
whatnext.dev/episodes/s01...
This is a wall installation of 180 CDs from the 90s and 00s (which was about the last time I bought a physical CD).
Here’s a wall of 90s and 00s CDs. My wife decided that they were talking up space in the basement and so something had to be done about it!
🎙️ new @overcommitted.dev ep with @matthewsinclair.com! we talked elixir, ai-assisted dev, and why leadership is fundamentally about storytelling
overcommitted.dev/ep-34-the-ar...
"Phoenix Creator Argues Elixir Is AI’s Best Language"
thenewstack.io/phoenix-crea...
#elixir #ai
I made a thing:
“Introducing Utilz: A Simple Script Framework for macOS”
matthewsinclair.com/blog/0184
Utilz is a simple Bash-dispatcher to organise personal ~/bin scripts with consistent help, tests, shared libs and easy machine portability.
This was a great chat with Alexandros Pouroullis. We've previously spoken to great older folks with years of experience, but here, James and I spoke to someone at the other end of their career. Alé has managed to achieve SO MUCH so soon! I'm sure you'll love our latest #WhatNext! https://whatnext.dev/feed
This was a great chat with Alexandros Pouroullis. We've previously spoken to great older folks with years of experience, but here, James and I spoke to someone at the other end of their career. Alé has managed to achieve SO MUCH so soon! I'm sure you'll love our latest #WhatNext! whatnext.dev/feed
Logo image for "I'm a software engineer ~ what next?" A weekly podcast where James Wilson and Matthew Sinclair chew the fat on what software engineers can do at their next career crossroads. https://whatnext.dev
Well, look who has a shiny new website! And not a dodgy AI-generated pirate anywhere to be seen! Check it out at: whatnext.dev
A stylised image of a vile of magic purple elixir. I am sick and tired of having to justify “Why Elixir?” so I decided to write down all of the reasons why in one spot! #0181: Why Elixir? A Rebuttal to Common Misconceptions Why Elixir is not just a good platform for modern development, but a great one!
I am tired of having to justify “Why Elixir?” so I decided to compile all the reasons in one place.
"#0181: Why Elixir? A Rebuttal to Common Misconceptions
Why Elixir is not just a good platform for modern development, but a great one!"
matthewsinclair.com/blog/0181-wh...
Matt and James with the title "Is AI helping software engineers or making it worse?" In our fourth "Summer Shorts" post for the What Next podcast, James Wilson and I chat about a very hot topic; Is AI making things better or worse for software engineers? 🎧 25 minutes. Zero fluff. Tune in now.
In our fourth "Summer Shorts" post for the What Next podcast, James and @matthewsinclair.com chat about a very hot topic: Is AI making things better or worse for software engineers?
🎧 25 minutes. Zero fluff. Tune in now.
#whatnext #summershorts
open.spotify.com/episode/5KCl...
**QUANTUM FAX MACHINE** **Spring/Summer Double Issue: 8 Reading Lists Published** I was so busy in April and May that I ran way behind publishing the April and May editions of the Quantum Fax Machine reading lists. Here they are, better late than never! **Machine Intelligence:** - AI agents prioritise reliability over capability. Novel prompt injection techniques bypass major LLM guardrails. Claude Code and Model Context Protocol reshape development workflows. Human judgement remains the bottleneck as AI accelerates output production. **Elixir:** - New RAG library demonstrates Elixir's fault-tolerance advantages for AI systems. Tidewave embeds MCP servers into Phoenix apps, enabling AI agents to interact with live applications. WYSIWYG editors in LiveView with S3 integration showcase practical Phoenix development. **Engineering Leadership:** - VPs must take full responsibility for plan outcomes rather than hide behind group consensus. AI tools function as capability amplifiers requiring human oversight. Post-developer era confirms human guidance remains crucial despite AI advancement. **Irresponsible AI:** - Recent model progress delivers minimal practical economic value despite marketing claims. North Korean agents use generative AI for fake LinkedIn profiles. AI-generated code creates phantom package dependencies, enabling supply-chain attacks. Each post curates 10-15 articles with analysis across technology trends, practical implementations, and industry implications.
QUANTUM FAX MACHINE: Spring/Summer Double Issue: 8 Reading Lists Published!
Check out the reading lists here: quantumfaxmachine.com
An AI-generated example screenshot of an Emacs-like editor editing a Markdown file. Today's #braingasm post explains how to make Emacs appear in macOS Finder’s “Open With” menu for .md files by manually associating file types using duti.
Today's #braingasm post explains how to make Emacs appear in macOS Finder’s “Open With” menu for .md files by manually associating file types using duti.
#0180: Making Emacs Appear in macOS Finder's Open With Menu for Markdown Files
matthewsinclair.com/blog/0180-ma...
In our third #summershorts post for the #whatnext podcast, James and I chat about The Title Trap: rethinking titles and career progression in tech.
🎧 16 minutes. Zero fluff. Tune in now.
www.linkedin.com/posts/james-...
In our second #summershorts post for the #whatnext podcast, James and I discuss a recent (controversial?) post he made on engineers tying themselves too tightly to a particular tech stack.
🎧 15 minutes. Zero fluff. Tune in now.
www.linkedin.com/posts/matthe...
I'm a software engineer ~ what next?
"Crafting culture in startups, CEO's role"
www.youtube.com/shorts/9RD9I...
I'm a software engineer ~ what next?
"Strong vs weak cultures in startups"
www.youtube.com/shorts/9u6hq...
I'm a software engineer ~ what next?
"Hiring for values over technology in early-stage startups"
www.youtube.com/shorts/uFWBv...
People climbing a grey, rocky mountain looking upwards towards the sky. 📚 QUANTUM FAX MACHINE: MARCH 2025 READING LIST! 🚀 🚀 Engineering Leadership Challenging conventional wisdom with pieces dismantling the '10x engineer' myth, exploring what it really means to be a tech leader in 2025, and examining the identity crisis facing software engineers in an AI-augmented world. 👉 https://quantumfaxmachine.com/blog/qfm059-engineering-leadership-reading-list-march-202
📚 QUANTUM FAX MACHINE: MARCH 2025 READING LIST! 🚀
🚀 Engineering Leadership
Challenging conventional wisdom by dismantling the '10x engineer' myth and exploring what it means to be a tech leader in 2025.
👉 quantumfaxmachine.com/blog/qfm059-...
Shot of programmers computer over the top of a keyboard looking at two monitors in a darkened office/desk. 📚 QUANTUM FAX MACHINE: MARCH 2025 READING LIST! 🚀 ⚡ Elixir Deep dive into the evolving Elixir ecosystem with highlights on Women in BEAM, new UI libraries for Phoenix LiveView, and Sean Moriarity's keynote on designing LLM-native systems with Elixir. 👉 https://quantumfaxmachine.com/blog/qfm058-elixir-reading-list-march-2025
📚 QUANTUM FAX MACHINE: MARCH 2025 READING LIST! 🚀
⚡ Elixir
Deep dive into the evolving Elixir ecosystem with highlights on Women in BEAM, new UI libraries for Phoenix LiveView, and Sean Moriarity's keynote on designing LLM-native systems with Elixir.
👉 quantumfaxmachine.com/blog/qfm058-...
Closeup of a women's left eye. 📚 QUANTUM FAX MACHINE: MARCH 2025 READING LIST! 🚀 ## 🤖 Machine Intelligence Exploring the philosophical foundations of AI, economic implications, and practical applications. Featuring discussions on "gradual disempowerment" and Mayo Clinic's innovative approach to combating hallucinations. 👉 https://quantumfaxmachine.com/blog/qfm057-machine-intelligence-reading-list-march-2025
📚 QUANTUM FAX MACHINE: MARCH 2025 READING LIST! 🚀
🤖 Machine Intelligence
Exploring philosophical foundations of AI, economic implications, and practical applications. Featuring "gradual disempowerment" and Mayo Clinic's approach to combating hallucinations.
👉 quantumfaxmachine.com/blog/qfm057-...
