Weekly · Free · English

Level up with AI, one Side Quest a week.

Sourced news on AI agents, vibe coding, games, money and AI art, plus one small build you can finish in under an hour. Made for hobbyist builders who think like gamers and investors.

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Play · games & mini-builds Compound · money & small wins Gallery · AI art

Every issue, same loop

Short enough to read with a coffee. Useful enough that you actually build something. Every claim links to its source.

01

4–5 sourced headlines

What actually changed in AI agents, vibe coding, games, finance and AI art this week. Primary sources first, no hype, no copy-pasted press releases.

02

One Side Quest

A finishable build with a copy-paste prompt, step-by-step instructions, an expected result and troubleshooting. Under an hour, no prior dev skills required.

03

Three lenses

A quick take through each lens, so the news turns into something you can use and not just something you read.

Play

Think like a gamer

Scope small, ship a playable loop, iterate on feedback. Mini-games, game-jam planning and what AI changes in game dev.

Compound

Think like an investor

Small wins that stack. Personal-finance tools, notes from money books turned into agents. Always educational, never financial advice.

Gallery

Think like a curator

AI art workflows, prompt style guides and tiny gallery sites to show your work.

A taste of a Side Quest

An example of the format. Real issues have more detail, a tested prompt and a troubleshooting list.

⏱ ~45 min Lens: Play × Compound Level: beginner

Compound Quest: an idle game that teaches compounding

Build a one-file browser game where your coins earn interest on interest, and watch the curve bend upward.

  1. Open any AI coding tool you already use (a chat model, a vibe-coding app or an agent in your editor).
  2. Paste the prompt below.
  3. Save the result as compound-quest.html and double-click it.
  4. Tweak: ask for one change at a time (a new upgrade, new colors, a sound).
Build a single-file browser game, compound-quest.html (HTML+CSS+JS, no libraries).
Idea: an idle game about compound growth. Start with 100 coins. Every second the
balance grows by an interest rate. Show the balance, the rate and a simple line
chart of balance over time next to a flat line showing "no compounding".
Add 3 upgrades that raise the rate or add a monthly deposit, each costing coins.
Save progress in localStorage. Dark theme, big readable numbers, mobile friendly.
Explain in one sentence at the bottom why the curve bends. This is a toy for learning,
not financial advice.

Expected result: a playable game in one file, under 200 lines. Sample only. The first real Side Quest ships with the first issue.

Coming soon: the Starter Vault

24 templates for builders who want a head start. Each one will list the tool, model and date it was tested on.

  • FoundationsProject rules, PRD prompt, debug loop
  • AgentsResearch, review, triage (draft-only)
  • GamesArcade kit, text adventure, jam planner
  • MoneyBudget dashboard, calculators, journal
  • AI ArtGallery site, style guide, portfolio
  • DeployDeploy checklist, landing + email capture
Early-reader launch offer
$19 launch · then $29
  • One-time purchase, no subscription
  • Free updates for v1.x
  • Educational; no income or investment promises

Vault waitlist opens with the newsletter.

Quick answers

Do I need to know how to code?

No. Side Quests are written for people who can follow instructions and paste a prompt. If you can code, you can go further.

Is this financial advice?

No. The Compound lens is educational. We never recommend securities and never promise returns.

How often does it come out?

Weekly.

Who writes it?

See the note in the footer: we are open about how it is produced.