Vol. I · No. 198Friday, July 17, 2026Alice 80° · Mostly Sunny· Forecast →

The North Point Daily

“All the work that’s fit to ship.” The week in review from a one-person shop in Alice, Texas.

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

Week of July 11 to 17, 2026

Friday, July 17, 2026 · Alice 80° Mostly Sunny

« 2026-07-11Back issuetoday all back issues

18 ships · 2 projects this week

This week we shipped the biggest refresh to a game we make called Extension Quest. You can now see a map of your neighborhood with real local shops drawn on it in the game's art style. The creatures you collect in the game got completely redrawn with new backstories. On the other side, we also made it easier for people to find our local service listings when they search Google for a plumber or roofer in their town.

Heron stands in marshland with windmill and sunrise in the background.

Just For FunExtension Quest V2Sat, Jul 11

The creatures you collect now have better art and real stories.

We redrew every creature and wrote backstories so your collection actually feels worth keeping.

By The Shop · Dispatch from Alice

Extension Quest is a game where you explore and collect creatures. If you've played it, you might notice the creatures look different now. We redrew them from scratch and wrote actual backstories for each one.

The game plays the same way it always did. But now when you look at what you caught, there's something real to read. The drawings are sharper and each creature has a reason to exist, not just a generic description.

Read the full story Visit NPCLocal

“You can see real shops on the game map now.”

On Just For Fun

This Week

Just For FunExtension Quest V2Sat, Jul 11

You can see real shops on the game map now.

Extension Quest is a game where you explore a map. We added a zoom level that shows your actual neighborhood. When you zoom in, you see real shops and businesses that exist in the Coastal Bend, drawn in the game's art style.

Read the full story

Finding A ProNPCLocalFri, Jul 17

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

Our local service listings show up higher in Google search now.

We run a website that helps people find local services like plumbers and roofers in towns across the Coastal Bend. When someone searches Google for a plumber in Corpus Christi, Google needs to know what the search is about and whether our page answers it.

Read the full story

Just For FunExtension Quest V2Sat, Jul 11

The Corpus Christi map in the game got completely redrawn.

Extension Quest is a game where you explore a map of Corpus Christi. We redrew the entire map. Every shop and neighborhood detail got new art that fits the game's style and makes the city feel like a place you actually want to walk around in.

Read the full story

Off The Wire

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

Local service listings rank better in Google search now
Game map now shows real shops in your neighborhood
Creatures in your collection have better artwork and stories

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