Live
Thinglet Marketing
The marketing company. Campaigns, advertising, SEO and media buying for Coachella Valley businesses.
Thinglet division
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thinglet
We build
things.
Technology, software, experiments and ventures, built in Palm Desert, California by people who like solving problems.
Every project on this site is a node in the map above. Drag to turn it, or pick one to jump straight to it.
What is Thinglet, exactly?
Thinglet is an independent technology and innovation company in Palm Desert, California. We build software, experiments, digital experiences and businesses, and we are interested in what happens when an idea becomes real.
Some become products. Some become companies. Some teach us what not to do. The point is to build, test and learn.
Right now
What has our attention this quarter.
Live
Thinglet A.I.
The AI company. Software, consulting and training that puts artificial intelligence on real tasks.
Thinglet division
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Live
fakeserver
A platform that sells pre-built AI agents to small businesses, ready to run rather than ready to configure.
Built by Thinglet
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Live
Recon Report
A free audit built to answer one question: how does a business actually show up online?
Built by Thinglet
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Building
ObserviSec
Monitoring and security visibility for people who run their own servers.
Built by Thinglet
Updated August 2026
Building
Desktop publishing tool
A replacement for Microsoft Publisher, timed to its end of life in October 2026.
Built by Thinglet
Updated August 2026
One company. A lot of things.
Thinglet is the company. These are the parts of it that have their own front door.
The lab
This is where ideas get messy. We prototype technologies, test assumptions and publish what we learn.
Some of it works. A useful amount of it does not, and that turns out to be the part worth writing down.
We test things.
We would rather measure a real experiment than repeat somebody else's opinion.
Research here means running something on live systems with real numbers attached, then publishing the result whichever way it lands.
Which ideas became businesses?
Products and companies Thinglet developed, owns or operates. Some ideas become businesses; these did.
Live
Thinglet Marketing
The marketing company. Campaigns, advertising, SEO and media buying for Coachella Valley businesses.
Thinglet division
Visit site
Live
Thinglet A.I.
The AI company. Software, consulting and training that puts artificial intelligence on real tasks.
Thinglet division
Visit site
Live
Frothier Media
A news operation with AI anchors reading the day's stories from six studio desks.
Built by Thinglet
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Venture
DebtFree Path
Compares debt relief options and connects people to the one that fits.
Built by Thinglet
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Useful beats hype.
Build useful things
If it does not save someone time, money or aggravation, it is a demo, not a product. We try to be honest with ourselves about which one we are holding.
Keep the human in charge
Automation should hand people better decisions, not take the decision away. Every system we build has somewhere a person can step in.
Publish what we learn
The failures are more instructive than the wins and almost nobody writes them down. We do, including the ones that make us look slow.
Who runs Thinglet?
Patrick Albert founded Thinglet in Palm Desert in August 2011. Before that came the Navy, two decades of hospitality ownership, and a habit of taking apart anything with a manual.
He writes the code, runs the servers, publishes books under his own imprint, and speaks locally on AI and emerging technology. The work on this site is mostly his, which is either the appeal or the caveat depending on what you need.
Questions people ask first
The narrow ones, asked right before someone picks up the phone.
What does Thinglet actually do?
Thinglet is a small independent technology studio in Palm Desert, California. We build software, run experiments on live systems, and turn the ones that work into businesses. Thinglet Marketing, Thinglet A.I. and fakeserver all started here.
Is Thinglet the same company as Thinglet Marketing?
Thinglet is the parent. Thinglet Marketing is the outsourced marketing department for small businesses, and Thinglet A.I. sells the AI software and websites. Same founder, same office at 77564 Country Club Dr. Suite 220 in Palm Desert, different front doors depending on what you need.
Can Thinglet build custom software for my business?
Yes. Custom builds are how most things on this site began. Tell us what you are trying to build, fix or automate and we will tell you whether it should be a product, an experiment, or a ten minute answer. The first conversation costs nothing.
Do you only work with businesses in the Coachella Valley?
No. The office is in Palm Desert and a lot of our clients are local, but the software, the marketing plans and the AI tools are delivered remotely to small businesses anywhere in the United States.
Who is behind Thinglet?
Patrick Albert founded Thinglet in August 2011. He is a U.S. Navy veteran, owned restaurants for twenty years, has been building on the internet since 1999, and still writes the code and runs the servers. He also publishes books on practical AI for small business.
What happens if I just have an idea and no budget?
Send it anyway. Some ideas belong in the lab as an experiment before anyone spends money on them, and we publish what we learn either way. If it needs a real build we will say so and tell you what it would take.
Have an idea?
Maybe it should be a product. Maybe it should be an experiment. Maybe it should simply work better.
Tell us what you are trying to build, fix or figure out, and we will tell you where it belongs. Sometimes that is with us. Sometimes it is a ten minute answer and you are on your way.