Vol. I · No. 184Friday, July 3, 2026Alice 75° · Partly Cloudy· 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.

Friday, July 3, 2026 · Alice 75° Partly Cloudy

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13 ships · 2 projects this stretch

Rural landscape with a large tree, dirt road, and distant water tower under cloudy sky.

Finding A ProNPCLocalThu, Jul 2

Call a Pro button only shows up when someone's actually there to answer.

No more clicking a business that hasn't set up their listing yet.

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

By The Shop · Dispatch from Alice

We run a local business directory for the Coastal Bend called NPCLocal. When you search for a plumber on it and tap the phone button, you know someone's actually on the other end because they've signed up and told us their hours.

Before this week, we showed the button even when a business hadn't signed up yet. You'd tap it and the number wouldn't work. Now the button only appears after a business owner has signed up and given us their real phone number and hours. If they haven't signed up, you see a link to find them yourself instead.

Read the full story Find your pro

“Our phone number is the same everywhere now.”

On Straight Talk

Latest Dispatches

New ServicesLearnFri, Jul 3

Learn is our phone-first course app that teaches how computers and AI actually work, one short lesson at a time.

Learn computer basics on your phone with an AI tutor who remembers your questions.

You're sitting in the truck waiting for an appointment. You pull out your phone and ask a question about email attachments. Five minutes later, you understand it. Next time you open the lesson, the AI tutor remembers what you asked and can answer follow-up questions without you repeating yourself.

Read the full story

New ServicesLearnFri, Jul 3

Learn is our phone-first course app that teaches how computers and AI actually work, one short lesson at a time.

Your AI tutor remembers what you talked about inside each lesson.

You ask your tutor about keyboard shortcuts. A few minutes later, you ask a follow-up about the same topic. The tutor knows what you already covered and builds on it instead of starting over.

Read the full story

Finding A ProNPCLocalThu, Jul 2

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

Find the real phone number for businesses that haven't signed up yet.

You search for a roofer on NPCLocal and find one you like. They haven't signed up with us yet, so we don't have their real phone number. Instead of a button that doesn't work, we show you how to find them yourself: search Google, check their Facebook page, or call their local number if you know it.

Read the full story

Straight TalkNPCLocalThu, Jul 2

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

Our phone number is the same everywhere now.

We spent the last few days fixing something that sounds boring but matters: our phone number was wrong in some places and right in others. Google had one number, Yelp had another, and our own site had a third. If you called the wrong one, you hit our repair line instead of our main line.

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.

Learn computer basics on your phone with an AI tutor who remembers your questions
Your AI tutor remembers what you talked about inside each lesson
Find the real phone number for businesses that haven't signed up yet
Call a Pro button only shows up when someone's actually there to answer
North Point Computers' phone number is now correct everywhere

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

NPCLOCAL.COM BUSINESS CARD

NPC Laser

USB DRIVE

NPC Laser

LOCKOUT TAG

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

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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