Vol. I · No. 206Saturday, July 25, 2026Alice 79° · Clear· Forecast →

The North Point Daily

“All the work that’s fit to ship.” A plain-English daily from a one-person shop in Alice, Texas.

Written by an AI newsroom from the shop’s real code, every day.

Saturday, July 25, 2026 · Alice 79° Clear

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96 ships · 12 projects this stretch

Tree with hanging moss in a grassy field near a water tower under a cloudy sky.

Finding A ProNPCLocalFri, Jul 24

Find local pros ranked by who your neighbors actually call.

The ones at the top are the ones getting real business. Not just website visits.

NPCLocal is our local-services site that connects Coastal Bend folks with local pros, plus a jobs board.

By The Shop · Dispatch from Alice

When you search for a roofer or plumber in the Coastal Bend area of Texas, the old way showed whoever got the most website traffic. That's backwards. We changed it. Now the pros at the top are the ones your neighbors actually picked up the phone and hired.

This matters because a lot of website visits don't mean anything. A pro could get hundreds of people looking at their page and zero actual jobs. When someone calls and books them, that's real. Your neighbors did the work for you. They looked, they called, they hired someone. That's what we rank by.

Read the full story Find your pro

“Custom photo magnets.”

On Just For Fun

Latest Dispatches

New ServicesNPCLocalThu, Jul 23

NPCLocal is our local-services site that connects Coastal Bend folks with local pros, plus a jobs board.

Cost calculators for common home and business jobs.

You can answer a few questions and get a rough cost for several kinds of work. Water heater replacement. Septic repair. Moving day. Installing an EV charger. Cleaning up water damage. Setting up software for your small business.

Read the full story

More TownsConstellationSat, Jul 25

Specialized websites for different trades in the Coastal Bend.

We launched websites for roofing, hearing aids, land clearing, auto body, and other trades. One website per trade. Each one is its own site and talks about what matters in your area. Salt wind from the coast. Ranch land. Flood risk. Insurance deductibles.

Read the full story

New ServicesConstellationThu, Jul 23

Corpuslights.com helps you plan outdoor LED lights.

Corpuslights.com is a new website for outdoor lighting in the Coastal Bend area. It covers permanent LED trim on your house, holiday decorations, and lighting for ranch gates and rural property.

Read the full story

For BusinessesAdhereSat, Jul 25

Adhere is our shared direct-mail postcard program for Coastal Bend businesses, one local pro per trade.

Free setup for direct-mail postcards.

If you're a local pro and you want to set up a postcard to mail to your customers, the setup is free. You only pay when you order the actual postcards.

Read the full story

Just For FunSat, Jul 25

Custom photo magnets.

We make photo magnets from any picture you send. You pick the size, we print it on a magnet, and we mail it to you. It's simple but we take care to do it right.

Read the full story

Just For FunNPC LaserSat, Jul 25

NPC Laser is our shop for custom laser-engraved gifts, signs, and tumblers.

Custom gifts and signs.

We use a laser to engrave custom gifts and signs. Tumblers with your name. Wood signs for your ranch or business. Awards. Plaques. You pick what you want and we cut it.

Read the full story

Off The Wire

More that shipped this stretch, in brief. Some of the build runs under the hood and stays there, so this is just the part we can show.

Free activation for direct-mail postcards to local customers.
Cost estimators for water heaters, septic, movers, and EV chargers.
Local pros ranked by who your neighbors actually call.
Custom photo magnets and laser-engraved gifts.
Jobs board for the Coastal Bend area.

From The Workshop

Short videos of real pieces coming off the laser. Watch one get made, then order your own.

NPC Laser

11MM SOCKET

NPC Laser

UTILITY KEY

NPC Laser

NPCLOCAL.COM BUSINESS CARD

NPC Laser

USB DRIVE

See all the videos Order one of your own

From The Web

Worth your time, from around the web. We follow this stuff so you don’t have to, then point you to what’s good and how it touches the Coastal Bend.

Some gear links below are Amazon affiliate links. If you buy through them, we earn a small cut at no extra cost to you.

Federal Trade Commission (FTC) · Guide
Cybersecurity for Small Business
We like this one because it comes straight from the FTC and covers all three threats in plain language, from spotting phishing emails to backing up files and what to do right after an attack hits. No login, no paywall, no fluff, just a solid checklist any Coastal Bend shop owner can read in one sitting and actually use.
Lock down your shop’s tech Gear we’d grab: a hardware security key
Fit Small Business · Guide
59 Free QuickBooks Tutorials: Learn QuickBooks Fast (+Video)
We found a full free course, 59 step-by-step lessons with videos, written by certified QuickBooks ProAdvisors, that walks you through setup, invoicing, expenses, bank reconciliation, and reporting from scratch. No sign-up, no paywall, just sit down with your QuickBooks account open and follow along at your own pace.
Get a hand with your shop tech Gear we’d grab: a bookkeeping guide
No Dead Zones (no-dead-zones.com) · Guide
How to fix Wi‑Fi dead zones and dead spots fast
We like this one because it tells you to run a quick walk test first so you know whether your problem is weak coverage or a bad hop between nodes, and that keeps you from buying gear you do not need. It is written plain, covers small offices just like homes, and points you toward wired backhaul fixes before it ever suggests spending more money.
We fix business networks Gear we’d grab: a mesh wifi system
iFixit Answers (community forum) · Discussion
How do I get started with device repair?
We bookmarked this one because real repair folks share exactly where to start when you want to fix your own phone or laptop instead of paying someone else to do it. Out here in the Coastal Bend where the nearest big-box repair shop can be a long drive away, knowing how to swap a battery or crack open a screen yourself is just plain useful.
See what repairs cost near you Gear we’d grab: a repair tool kit
CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) · Guide
Cyber Guidance for Small Businesses
This is the free, no-sales-pitch playbook straight from the federal agency whose whole job is keeping businesses safe from ransomware, phishing, and hackers. We like it because it skips the outdated advice and tells you exactly what to turn on first, starting with multi-factor authentication on every account.
Lock down your shop’s tech Gear we’d grab: a hardware security key
iFeeltech IT Blog · Guide
3-2-1 Backup Rule Explained: Implementation Guide for Small Business (2026)
We like this one because it skips the jargon and walks you straight through what the 3-2-1 rule actually means for a small shop, including real tool picks and a cost example you can steal right now. It also clears up the big trap most folks fall into: your Dropbox or Google Drive sync is not a backup, and this guide explains exactly why that matters when ransomware shows up.
Talk to us about backups Gear we’d grab: a solid backup drive

The bigger storyHow one person ships like a crew of nine

Browse by topic

New Services For Hire More Towns Just For Fun For Businesses For The Pros Jobs Board Finding A Pro Straight Talk Your Calls In The Mail

The Shop Directory

The rest of what this one shop builds and runs across the Coastal Bend.

NPCLocal

A local-services site for the Coastal Bend that helps people find the right pro fast.

NPC Laser

Custom laser-engraved gifts and signs, with short videos that show each one being made.

Adhere

Coastal Bend direct mail: one shared postcard to 5,000 homes, one local business per kind of work.

All Brands STX

Repairs for commercial kitchen and restaurant equipment across the Coastal Bend.

brandstx

Websites, software, and branding for Coastal Bend businesses, built in public.

Boothpress

Custom photo magnets and event photo products for other shops to sell.

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