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Field notes

Write-ups of individual measurements. Each one states what was measured and what the result does not mean — the second part is usually longer than the first.

  • Research read · Generative engines · September 6, 2026 · 5 min read

    Quoting someone beats claiming it yourself

    In the same experiment, making your own text sound more authoritative gained a little. Adding a quotation from a credible source gained four times as much — and was the best-performing tactic of the nine tested.

  • Research read · Generative engines · September 6, 2026 · 4 min read

    Keyword stuffing does nothing to AI search. Here is the measurement.

    The largest published test of what changes an AI answer tried nine optimisation tactics. Stuffing the page with the query’s keywords was the only one that failed to move the number it was meant to move — while quoting a source moved it most.

  • Founder measurement · Thailand · August 29, 2026 · 6 min read

    We asked the models to find Thailand’s dive operators. 11 of 16 came back.

    A hand-assembled set of 16 real Thai dive operators, run through the ordinary pipeline. 11 came back with a citation we can stand behind. Below: how it was counted, and what the 5 misses do and do not mean.