“All the work that’s fit to ship.” The month in review from a one-person shop in Alice, Texas.
Written by an AI newsroom from the shop’s real code, every day.
June 2026
Friday, June 26, 2026 · Alice 91° Mostly Clear
« 2026-06-26Back issuetodayall back issues
250 ships · 8 projects this month
This month we shipped a lot. A laser engraving shop where you can watch videos of real work before you order. A free way to design and order custom photo magnets. A jobs board that now works in Spanish. Real repair prices for the whole Coastal Bend so you know what things actually cost. A way to share repair estimates with a link instead of trying to explain numbers over the phone. A clean weather forecast site for the region. A wind forecast for people who work on the water. A lot of stuff moved this month.
New ServicesNPC Laser
then order one for yourself. real videos of tumblers and signs getting engraved. not renders.
By The Shop · Dispatch from Alice
head to npclaser.com and you'll see short videos of actual laser work. a tumbler getting etched. a sign coming to life. each one is real.
you pick what you want engraved, a gift, a sign, a tumbler, and the site shows you exactly what it looks like before you pay. then you can buy it. one person runs the whole shop solo.
“Post a job.”
New Services
if you've thought about making custom magnets for an event or a booth but didn't want to risk money upfront, that's solved now. you get two weeks to build and order without paying first.
For BusinessesAdhere
if you run a local business and want to mail postcards, you can now pick exactly which blocks get them. draw a box on a map. we'll mail only to the addresses inside it.
Jobs BoardNPCLocal
if you're looking for work in the Coastal Bend, you can now sign up for email alerts on a local jobs board. pick your trade and your city. when a new job posts that matches, you get an email.
Finding A ProNPCLocal
you're thinking about fixing something, a roof leak, a water heater, a fence. you want to know what it'll cost before you call anyone. now you can.
Finding A ProNPCLocal
you work through a repair estimate on the local jobs board. now instead of trying to describe the number over the phone or text, you can send a link. anyone who clicks it sees the exact same estimate you're looking at.
Jobs BoardNPCLocal
you post a job in English on the local jobs board. the board shows it to workers in their language. they can apply and you see their full application.
For BusinessesNPCLocal
if you've never posted a job on the local jobs board, your first one doesn't cost anything. one post, totally free.
Just For FunNPC Weather
there's a weather site for folks in the Coastal Bend region of Texas. head to npcweather.com and you get a clean, fast forecast for Alice, Corpus Christi, Calallen, Kingsville, Beeville, and everywhere else in the area.
Just For FunCoastal Bend Wind Zone
if your day depends on which way the wind blows, you fish, you boat, you work on the water, there's a site for you. head to coastalbendwindzone.com. it shows wind speed and gusts across the Coastal Bend so you can decide if today is a go or a no.
For BusinessesNPCLocal
you posted a job on the board. then you realized you got the hours wrong, or you want to raise the pay because you've gotten good applications. you don't have to take it down and start over.
More that shipped this month, in brief. Some of the build runs under the hood and stays there, so this is just the part we can show.
Short videos of real pieces coming off the laser. Watch one get made, then order your own.
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.
CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) · Guide
Cyber Guidance for Small BusinessesThis 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
Accounting Therapy · Guide
6 Common QuickBooks Mistakes We See in Almost Every DIY File (And How to Fix Them)We found a plain-talk post from a real accountant who ran her own QuickBooks file and made every one of these mistakes herself, so she knows exactly where DIY owners go wrong. It walks through six specific slip-ups, like double-posting income and letting auto-add bank rules run wild, and tells you exactly how to fix each one before they turn into a tax headache.
Get a hand with your shop tech Gear we’d grab: a bookkeeping guide
EPB (Electric Power Board) · Guide
How To Find and Fix Wi-Fi Dead Zones (Step-By-Step)We like this one because it walks you through all ten fixes in plain order, from moving your router to picking the right kind of extender or mesh setup, so you can actually do something today instead of just reading about the problem. EPB is a real fiber utility, not somebody trying to sell you gear, which means the advice is straight and honest for a shop our size.
Grow with Google – YouTube · Video
Make AI Work for You | Grow with GoogleGoogle put together a free video series that walks real small business owners through everyday AI tasks like writing emails, sorting finances, and handling customer service, no tech background needed. We watched it and the demos are plain and practical, the kind of thing you can try the same afternoon right here in Alice.
How our AI helper works Gear we’d grab: an AI-for-business book
BDOutdoors · Guide
Understanding Marine Weather ForecastsThis one walks you through a real NWS marine forecast the same way a buddy at the dock would, covering wind knots, wave height, and the swell interval trick that most folks ignore until they get beat up out on the water. If you fish out of Port Aransas or Rockport, we think this is worth ten minutes of your time before the next trip.
Coastal Bend Wind Zone Gear we’d grab: a handheld marine radio
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.
The week and month in review, sent when there is real news. No spam, one-click out.
