Decide what to be and go be it.

Newsletter

Weekly thoughts on software, business, and life.

Jun 2026This week at Try Hard Studios - June 5, 2026Well, my friends, after about a two-month hiatus, I am back.So if you have forgotten who I am, this is Aaron Francis from Try Hard Studios. And first, I have to beg a thousand apologies for letting the newsletter slip for so long. The last two months have been kind of insane, and I want to catch you...
Mar 2026This week at Try Hard Studios - March 13, 2026Hello friends,I hope you're all doing quite well. It's been another week in the Token Factory over here, ripping Codex and Claude all day, every day, making a lot of progress, which feels good! I believe I've talked about the difference between making progress privately and making it publicly, and i...
Mar 2026This week at Try Hard Studios - March 6, 2026Hello, my friends. I am back from a whirlwind trip to Europe where I went to Laracon EU, and my podcast co-host and I threw a party the first night for all the conference-goers that wanted to attend. It was an absolute blast to see people and meet people in person, many of whom I don't see terribly...
Feb 2026This week at Try Hard Studios - February 27, 2026We're back!We're so back. It was so over, but we are so back.That's how it feels every day around here. You'll have to forgive me for not sending an email for a few weeks. It's been a bit of a wild ride.A couple of weeks ago, I launched a desktop application called Solo. The original intention for S...
Jan 2026This week at Try Hard Studios - January 30, 2026My friends,This week was crazy because we were snowed in! In Dallas!My kids had Monday through Thursday off of school, which means I wasn't able to get a lot of work done, but I was able to have a lot of fun. Even if sometimes they were bouncing off the walls... It was all in all a lot of fun.We wen...
Jan 2026This week at Try Hard Studios - January 23, 2026My friends, hello.Life sped up a lot over Thanksgiving, and unfortunately it hasn't slowed down yet. Last week I was in San Francisco, meeting with some people and seeing some friends. I can totally see why people move out there! I get it. The energy out there is insane. It really does feel like the...
Jan 2026What we do in the age of AIMy perspective on AI has changed dramatically. Here's what I think it means for technical education and what we do next.
Jan 2026What we do in the age of AIMy perspective on AI has changed dramatically. Here's what I think it means for technical education and what we do next.
Dec 2025Advent of SQL and finding our placeDoing Advent of SQL, got strep throat, and thinking deeply about where humans fit in the AI equation.
Dec 2025Database School is officially launched!We did it! DatabaseSchool.com is live with four courses. Plus my many thoughts on AI getting incredibly good.
Nov 2025Are you serious?Database School launches Monday. Plus thoughts on what it means to actually be serious about what you want in life.
Nov 2025Things change all at onceIntro to Postgres is done and Database School launches soon. Reflecting on two years since getting laid off.
Nov 2025The best book I've ever readDoing the work decreases anxiety. Intro to Postgres nearly done. And The Intellectual Life might be the best book I've ever read.
Oct 2025From prison to software engineerRecording Intro to Postgres. Plus a podcast with Preston Thorpe, who's working as a full-time engineer while still in prison.
Oct 2025Behind the scenes of the apartment studioHow I built out the studio in my tiny apartment, a great new musician discovery, and reading Digital Minimalism.
Oct 2025I bought a chalkboard and built a classroomUnveiling Database School! I bought a custom chalkboard and built a classroom in my apartment living room.
Oct 2025Reclaiming my focusThe Vision Quest worked. I've been blocking my phone until noon and getting more done in 4 hours than I used to all day.
Oct 2025My Vision QuestI spent two days staring at trees in an East Texas cabin. My ability to focus deeply is basically gone.
Sep 2025Two new YouTube channelsStarting the Database School podcast and YouTube channel. First guest: PlanetScale CEO Sam Lambert.
Sep 2025Can I do art and business?Working on a secret physical project for Database School. Wondering if I can make things beautiful AND profitable.
Sep 2025Building playgrounds and thinking about beautyBuilding an in-browser database playground for Database School. Finally staying up late to work on something again.
Aug 2025I made a live action video!Went to Boise to shoot a video with a crew and a professional actor. Turns out I'm not an actor, but I did my best.
Aug 2025Kids started school (and so did Database School)Our four-year-olds started pre-K. I'm designing the Database School brand with a collegiate, analog aesthetic.
Aug 2025Laracon and Big Sky Dev Con recapEmceed Laracon in Denver and Big Sky Dev Con in Bozeman. Stayed up until 3am for the first time in a decade.
Jul 2025A parenting win before LaraconNext week is Laracon! But first, a parenting win: big strong kids use their hands for helping, not hurting.
Jul 2025My server texts me when it needs helpI'm automating the fiddly little tasks. My server can text me questions, I reply, and it keeps working.
Jul 2025Honor and duty in the Texas floodsA hard week for Texans. Thinking about the Camp Mystic tragedy and the incredible stories of heroism.
Jul 2025Honor and duty in the Texas floodsA hard week for Texans. Thinking about the Camp Mystic tragedy and the incredible stories of heroism.
Jul 2025Things feel accomplishableThe ups and downs continue, but this week was mostly up. Started working on the curriculum for a Redis course.
Jun 2025Steve's leaving and I'm going all-in on databasesBig news: Steve is moving on from Try Hard Studios. I'm buying DatabaseSchool.com and focusing there.
Jun 2025Doing your duty wellLaying groundwork for database content. Thinking about why doing your job well is both morally correct and strategically optimal.
Jun 2025Happy Father's Day (to me)I've been gifted a Saturday morning of freedom! Might go see a movie or sit at Barnes and Noble by myself.
Jun 2025The launch failed, but the product isn't deadScreencasting.com launch didn't work out, but I got so much helpful feedback. Refocusing on databases for now.
May 2025Has anyone had success with affiliates?Genuine question: my affiliates sell like one or two courses each. What am I doing wrong?
May 2025Chick-fil-A with my daughterHad a 102° fever but still took my four-year-old to lunch one-on-one. Totally worth running a few hours behind.
May 2025I built a rock climbing wall for my kidsI want my kids to see me working. So we built a rock climbing wall together with ear protection and little tool belts.
Apr 2025Reducing my inputsBack from React Miami feeling overwhelmed. Blocked Twitter on my phone and my focus went way up.
Apr 2025I killed FusionLots of people hated Fusion, no one loved it. So I'm letting it go. The price of admission is possible failure.
Apr 2025Getting screencasting.com ready for relaunchBack in the office with one mission. Also, our au pair's visa ran out and we're on our own with four kids.
Mar 2025Practical strategies for successGave my Epic Web Conference talk on increasing the odds of success. Warning: this week's tweets are super touchy-feely.
Mar 2025The Hourglass Method for building SaaSJordan Gal joined Mostly Technical to discuss his Hourglass Method for feature development. Amazing episode.
Mar 2025My new Exploit/Explore scheduleRecorded 30-40 videos this week. New schedule: mornings for guaranteed progress, afternoons for tinkering.
Mar 2025Steve was right (I'm starting a newsletter)Steve convinced me to start this newsletter format. Thinking about balancing production, marketing, and exploration.
Mar 2025Steve was right (I'm starting a newsletter)Steve convinced me to start this newsletter format. Thinking about balancing production, marketing, and exploration.