Essays, build notes, and deep dives on indie app development, game design, weather engines, physics simulations, and more.
June 12, 2026 · by Michael Morrison
The Stalefish Labs founding manifesto. The front porch died and family interaction went with it, but the cure was never nostalgia. Technology isn't the enemy — the only question is when and where it actually brings people closer. Games are one of the best tools we have for that, and that's why we make them.
May 25, 2026 · by Michael Morrison
The CDB's source strategy is deliberately diverse across the political spectrum, carefully structured around editorial perspectives, and fully disclosed. Every editorial choice in the source list is a statement about what kind of information product this is.
May 14, 2026 · by Michael Morrison
Article 3 of 3 in Tall Tales Retrospective
The two letters I mailed to my brother in early 2002 are the closest thing to a design diary Tall Tales has — capturing the moment the game's mechanics actually clicked.
May 12, 2026 · by Michael Morrison
How a five-stage pipeline turns RSS feeds into structured intelligence assessments, and why the distinction between summary and assessment shaped every technical decision.
May 5, 2026 · by Michael Morrison
Article 2 of 3 in Tall Tales Retrospective
Tall Tales debuted at Toy Fair 2003 during a record blizzard. Fox 5 News dubbed it 'the cell phone of games.' Then two scouts from Pixar mentioned a movie about cars.
May 3, 2026 · by Michael Morrison
The President's Daily Brief exists because one person needs assessed information to make consequential decisions. The premise of the Citizen's Daily Brief is that all of us are now in that position.
May 1, 2026 · by Michael Morrison
Article 1 of 3 in Tall Tales Retrospective
How a failed 2002 Starbucks pitch shaped the design of Tall Tales, a card game built around small tables, simple rules, and quiet evenings with my brother.
April 2, 2026 · by Michael Morrison
How circular arc geometry, real-world lumber standards, and an exploded 3D view power a free browser-based ramp design tool.
March 31, 2026 · by Michael Morrison
I hid fantasy picks because that's what apps do. Our group chat game never did, and it was better for it.
March 27, 2026 · by Michael Morrison
Article 6 of 6 in Building a Weather Decision Engine
Why three states beat a percentage, and how a recovery outlook answers the real question: when will it be good?
March 25, 2026 · by Michael Morrison
Article 5 of 6 in Building a Weather Decision Engine
The same engine that tells riders to stay home tells gardeners to grab the hose. Watering is its own problem.
March 23, 2026 · by Michael Morrison
Article 4 of 6 in Building a Weather Decision Engine
Freeze-thaw, snow melt, rain intensity, plant dormancy — the real-world complexity simple weather models miss.
March 20, 2026 · by Michael Morrison
Article 3 of 6 in Building a Weather Decision Engine
Structuring a shared Swift package across three apps with different surfaces, thresholds, and verdicts.
March 17, 2026 · by Michael Morrison
Article 2 of 6 in Building a Weather Decision Engine
How we model surface drying after rain, and why a downpour and a drizzle leave very different trails.
March 13, 2026 · by Michael Morrison
Someone won our F1 fantasy league picking the pole sitter every week. The data showed why, and appification allowed for an elegant fix.
March 12, 2026 · by Michael Morrison
Article 1 of 6 in Building a Weather Decision Engine
One decision engine, three audiences: a yes/maybe/no verdict for riders, rec league players, and gardeners.
March 10, 2026 · by Michael Morrison
How projectile physics, air drag, landing geometry, and a 'Dial It In' optimizer power a free browser-based jump design tool for BMX, MTB, and motorcycle riders.
March 9, 2026 · by Michael Morrison
Is picking 'nobody to DNF' the safe move in fantasy F1? We ran the numbers on a decade of retirements to find out.
March 7, 2026 · by Michael Morrison
Skateboarders who ride ramps always ask the same questions. A nutrition label-style sticker gives them the answers without anyone having to repeat themselves.
March 6, 2026 · by Michael Morrison
Moving our F1 fantasy league from a text thread to a real app didn't just make things easier, it made the game better.
March 5, 2026 · by Michael Morrison
Weather apps tell you what the weather is. They don't tell you what last night's rain did to the ground beneath your tires.
June 4, 2025 · by Michael Morrison
A decade building a social app, released three weeks before a pandemic. And still not quitting.
August 19, 2024 · by Michael Morrison
When obsessive problem-solving meets entrepreneurship — and fifteen years on one app starts looking more like art than business.