This broke my brain (a little)
Hey—it’s Matt.
There’s a weird tension I keep bumping into lately.
You want to stay sharp, keep up, and tap the bleeding edge of AI tools, automation, and workflows.
But then you catch yourself relying on them a little too much—outsourcing the work your brain used to do on its own.
It feels productive in the moment, and honestly, it might be. But there are trade-offs: thinking less, trusting your gut less, and forgetting how to wrestle with/work through hard problems.
It’s something I’ve noticed in my own work. How about yours?
Most Interesting
LLMs Are Making Me Dumber
If you’ve felt your creative instincts softening lately, this piece will land. Vincent writes about how the overuse of AI tools starts to offload the very things that make us human—taste, judgment, memory, grit. I’ve felt this too. Staying current without becoming passive is a real balance. Read it →
Also related:
Stack Overflow Is Almost Dead
Dev forums used to be battlegrounds for real thinking. Now we get autocomplete for entire feature sets. Wild. Dangerous. Read it →
Weekly Build
A Smarter Pro Dashboard + Embed Flow
Jasin’s UI is growing up fast. Here’s what changed:
- Google OAuth login flow now buttery smooth
- Context-aware upgrade modal: shows the why, not just the price
- Product color, loading states, and dashboard visuals all cleaned up
- Embed system refactored with Radix + Google Fonts
- Animated product carousel now live for previewing Pro embeds
If you’re interested in playing around with it when I launch the beta, I’d love to have you sign up!
Tools & Finds
Clipmate → clipmate.aiAI that repackages long videos into short, shareable clips. Haven’t used it yet, but it’s high on the list for content workflows.
CodeRabbit → coderabbit.aiAutomated code reviews with useful summaries and inline suggestions. Still needs human judgment, but solid for early passes.
CTA Gallery → cta.galleryCurated inspiration for creative technologists. Experimental, visual, and just weird enough to be useful.
WannaThis Freebies → wannathis.one/freebiesFree UI kits, 3D mockups, and illustrations. High quality, low commitment. Good for fast visuals.
Tangerine → tropicaltype.com/products/tangerineA bold retro typeface with wide curves. Not subtle—but perfect when you want the text to punch through the screen.
Anatomy of the Letterform → pangrampangram.com/blogs/journal/anatomy-of-the-letterformDeep dive on typography from Pangram Pangram. Useful if you’re brushing up on type fundamentals or just need new reference points.
FieldStation42 → github.com/shane-mason/FieldStation42A Raspberry Pi rig that simulates old-school broadcast TV—complete with static, sign-offs, and live channel flipping. Pure digital nostalgia.
Internet Artifacts → neal.fun/internet-artifactsA museum of weird, wonderful early web junk. Prepare to lose your weekend in a scroll hole.
Closing Thought
AI tools are like interns with unlimited energy but zero taste. They’ll do whatever you say, but they won’t stop you from losing your edge.
So stay sharp. Stay weird. And keep a little friction in your process—it’s the only way to make sure you’re growing along side your tools.
Until next time,
Matt Downey
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My Stack
These are the tools that help me run my business every day. I happily pay for each of them—they’re worth every penny. I hope you find them useful, too.
- Beehiiv → How I send this newsletter every week. 10/10 would recommend.
- Brain.fm → How I kickstart my productivity and find flow-state.
- Figma → How I quickly go from idea to design to product.
- Mercury → The best business banking I’ve ever used.
- Screen Studio → How I record engaging videos.
- Typefully → How I post content to my socials.
- Kick → My bookkeeping on auto-pilot.