Notes from the workbench.

Research, devlogs, and experiments we document along the way.

CreativeNovember 8, 20263 min read
White Space in Design: Why Empty Space Matters
Discover why white space makes designs clearer and more readable, the difference between micro and macro space, and practical spacing tips you can use today.
SoftwareNovember 8, 20263 min read
HTTP Caching Explained: Make Repeat Visits Instant
Learn how HTTP caching works, what Cache-Control, ETag, and 304 responses do, and the simple header setup that makes repeat visits to your site load fast.
AINovember 8, 20263 min read
AI Embeddings Explained: How Machines Grasp Meaning
Learn what AI embeddings are, how they turn words into vectors that capture meaning, and how they power semantic search, RAG, and smart recommendations.
GamesNovember 7, 20263 min read
Easing Functions: Make Game Motion Feel Alive
What are easing functions? Learn ease-in, ease-out, and overshoot curves, when to use each in games and UI, and how to avoid the classic frame-rate lerp bug.
CreativeNovember 7, 20263 min read
Gestalt Principles: How People Group What They See
Proximity, similarity, closure, and common region explained with practical tips to make layouts, interfaces, and posters clearer without extra lines or labels.
SoftwareNovember 7, 20263 min read
Debounce vs Throttle: Tame Noisy Events in JavaScript
Learn the difference between debounce and throttle, when to use each for search, scroll, and resize, and how a few lines of JavaScript keep your UI responsive.
AINovember 6, 20263 min read
AI Temperature Explained: Control Creativity vs Accuracy
What does temperature do in AI models? Learn how it changes randomness, how it differs from top-p, and which settings work best for code, facts, and writing.
GamesNovember 6, 20263 min read
Coyote Time & Input Buffering: Fairer Platformer Jumps
Coyote time and input buffering make platformer jumps feel fair. Learn how these hidden game feel tricks work, ideal timing values, and how to code them.
CreativeNovember 6, 20263 min read
The 60-30-10 Color Rule: Balanced Palettes Made Easy
The 60-30-10 color rule splits a palette into dominant, secondary, and accent colors. Learn how to apply it to websites, UI, and graphics with practical tips.
SoftwareNovember 5, 20263 min read
Environment Variables: Keep API Keys Out of Your Code
Hardcoded API keys leak fast. Learn how environment variables, .env files, secret scanning, and key rotation keep credentials out of your code and Git history.
AINovember 5, 20263 min read
What Is RAG? How AI Answers From Your Own Documents
What is RAG? Learn how retrieval-augmented generation lets AI answer from your own documents, reduces hallucinations, and how to build a reliable RAG system.
GamesNovember 5, 20263 min read
Delta Time: Keep Game Speed Consistent at Any FPS
Learn how delta time and fixed timesteps keep game movement and physics consistent at 30, 60, or 144 FPS, with practical tips for Unity and Godot developers.
CreativeNovember 4, 20263 min read
Visual Composition Tips: Rule of Thirds and Beyond
Master visual composition with the rule of thirds, leading lines, negative space, and balance. Practical tips for designers, illustrators, and game artists.
SoftwareNovember 4, 20263 min read
Semantic Versioning Explained: What 2.4.1 Means
What do the numbers in 2.4.1 mean? A clear guide to Semantic Versioning: MAJOR, MINOR, PATCH, pre-releases, npm ranges, and tips for versioning your own apps.
AINovember 4, 20263 min read
AI Hallucinations: Why Chatbots Make Things Up
Why do AI chatbots state false facts so confidently? Learn what AI hallucinations are, why they happen, and seven practical ways to spot and reduce them.
CreativeNovember 3, 20262 min read
Font Pairing Tips: Combine Typefaces Like a Pro
Practical font pairing tips: limit your typefaces, pair contrast with harmony, match x-heights, use superfamilies, and set readable line length and spacing.
GamesNovember 3, 20263 min read
Level Design Lessons: Teach Players Without Tutorials
How great games teach without tutorials: lessons from World 1-1, the four-step level structure, safe practice spaces, and visual signposts any designer can use.
SoftwareNovember 3, 20263 min read
How to Write Git Commit Messages Your Team Will Love
Learn to write clear Git commit messages: the 50/72 rule, imperative mood, Conventional Commits, and simple habits that keep your project history readable.
GamesNovember 2, 20262 min read
Playtesting Tips: Get Honest Feedback on Your Game
Seven practical playtesting tips for indie developers: test early, stay silent, use think-aloud, watch behavior over opinions, and fix what matters most.
AINovember 2, 20262 min read
AI Tokens Explained: How Language Models Read Text
What a token is, why 1 token is roughly 4 characters of English, how context windows and pricing depend on it, and tips to use fewer tokens in prompts.
CreativeNovember 2, 20262 min read
Color Contrast Rules Every Designer Should Know
Learn the WCAG contrast ratios, the 60-30-10 rule, and simple tests that keep your designs readable for everyone, including people with color blindness.
SoftwareNovember 2, 20262 min read
Core Web Vitals in plain language: 3 numbers that decide how fast your site feels
LCP, INP, and CLS explained without jargon, with the thresholds Google treats as good and practical fixes you can ship this week.
AINovember 2, 20262 min read
Better AI answers start with better prompts: context, format, and examples
Five habits that turn vague AI requests into useful, reliable output, with before-and-after prompts you can copy.
GamesNovember 2, 20262 min read
Game feel: the small effects that make a game satisfying to play
Hit stop, coyote time, input buffering, and squash and stretch: practical tricks indie developers use to make controls feel great.
CreativeOctober 28, 20264 min read
Making clay out of a shader
How we made the 3D lump on our homepage feel soft enough to squeeze.
GamesOctober 21, 20266 min read
Mochi Island devlog #1: soft physics
Notes from week one of making islands wobble without making players dizzy.
AIOctober 9, 20265 min read
Small AI agents that are actually useful
Why we prefer narrow agents with one clear job over do-everything assistants.

Notes from the workbench.

White Space in Design: Why Empty Space Matters

HTTP Caching Explained: Make Repeat Visits Instant

AI Embeddings Explained: How Machines Grasp Meaning

Easing Functions: Make Game Motion Feel Alive

Gestalt Principles: How People Group What They See

Debounce vs Throttle: Tame Noisy Events in JavaScript

AI Temperature Explained: Control Creativity vs Accuracy

Coyote Time & Input Buffering: Fairer Platformer Jumps

The 60-30-10 Color Rule: Balanced Palettes Made Easy

Environment Variables: Keep API Keys Out of Your Code

What Is RAG? How AI Answers From Your Own Documents

Delta Time: Keep Game Speed Consistent at Any FPS

Visual Composition Tips: Rule of Thirds and Beyond

Semantic Versioning Explained: What 2.4.1 Means

AI Hallucinations: Why Chatbots Make Things Up

Font Pairing Tips: Combine Typefaces Like a Pro

Level Design Lessons: Teach Players Without Tutorials

How to Write Git Commit Messages Your Team Will Love

Playtesting Tips: Get Honest Feedback on Your Game

AI Tokens Explained: How Language Models Read Text

Color Contrast Rules Every Designer Should Know

Core Web Vitals in plain language: 3 numbers that decide how fast your site feels

Better AI answers start with better prompts: context, format, and examples

Game feel: the small effects that make a game satisfying to play

Making clay out of a shader

Mochi Island devlog #1: soft physics

Small AI agents that are actually useful

Notes from the workbench.

White Space in Design: Why Empty Space Matters

HTTP Caching Explained: Make Repeat Visits Instant

AI Embeddings Explained: How Machines Grasp Meaning

Easing Functions: Make Game Motion Feel Alive

Gestalt Principles: How People Group What They See

Debounce vs Throttle: Tame Noisy Events in JavaScript

AI Temperature Explained: Control Creativity vs Accuracy

Coyote Time & Input Buffering: Fairer Platformer Jumps

The 60-30-10 Color Rule: Balanced Palettes Made Easy

Environment Variables: Keep API Keys Out of Your Code

What Is RAG? How AI Answers From Your Own Documents

Delta Time: Keep Game Speed Consistent at Any FPS

Visual Composition Tips: Rule of Thirds and Beyond

Semantic Versioning Explained: What 2.4.1 Means

AI Hallucinations: Why Chatbots Make Things Up

Font Pairing Tips: Combine Typefaces Like a Pro

Level Design Lessons: Teach Players Without Tutorials

How to Write Git Commit Messages Your Team Will Love

Playtesting Tips: Get Honest Feedback on Your Game

AI Tokens Explained: How Language Models Read Text

Color Contrast Rules Every Designer Should Know

Core Web Vitals in plain language: 3 numbers that decide how fast your site feels

Better AI answers start with better prompts: context, format, and examples

Game feel: the small effects that make a game satisfying to play

Making clay out of a shader

Mochi Island devlog #1: soft physics

Small AI agents that are actually useful