reed labs.
The Honest Log
LAB OPEN
Welcome to Reed Labs
The Honest Log

reed labs.

What we’re building, testing, and calling BS on — in the open. No hype.

Research

Is AI quoting your business?

Over half of Google searches now end without a click. What AI looks for, and what we changed on our own site first.

Read the test →
Learning

You’re prompting AI the hard way

One line to AI gets you a form letter. We gave it the same job twice and pasted both answers. Five things to tell it, in plain words.

Read the test →
Scam Alert

The phishing email that knows your name

AI now writes the scam email in your tone and clones the login page behind it. Why a once-a-year test is not enough.

Read the breakdown →
Scam Alert

R2.4 billion gone. The bank was never hacked.

Not one rand came from breaking into a bank. How the fake “fraud department” call works, and the one rule that stops it.

Read the breakdown →
Scam Alert

The worst hack of 2026, broken down

You did nothing wrong and still got hacked. What happened, in plain English, and three things a normal business can do.

Read the breakdown →
Myth-Busted

We’re done with the AI hype too

Not doomsday, not magic. What AI actually does for a small business, what it can’t, and a one-minute film.

Read the reality check →
Experiments

You changed the password. Your camera’s still exposed.

On a cheap cloud camera the weak spot isn’t the password — it’s the cloud. Three holes it won’t close, and the fix.

Read the experiment →
Myth-Busted

The “$50 → $50,000” Polymarket hype, tested

Everyone’s selling an AI bot that 100×’s your money overnight. We put $50 on the line to find out. Here’s the real number.

Read the experiment →
Learning

Can AI actually teach kids better?

We’re building AI learning games for kids — and testing whether it genuinely helps them learn faster, or if it’s just a gimmick.

Coming soon →
Monthly scam watch
One scam to watch for, once a month.

Starting soon: a short email with the scam doing the rounds in South Africa that month, and how to spot it. No sales pitch.

We store only your email address and when you signed up, and use it only for what you asked for. Unsubscribe any time by replying “stop”.