Cadet+50 XP
Change the big headline
Change the big headline on my home page to: I build games, gadgets and worlds.
You learn: Every page is made from a file in site/content. Change the file, push it, and the website changes.
Training deck
The AI Lab
This website is mine to change. I don't type every line of code myself: I tell AI helpers what to build, then I check their work. Here's how it works, and how you can do it too.
What is an AI agent?
A super-fast helper that can read and change files
A chatbot just talks. An AI agent can also do things: open files, write code, run checks and tell you what happened. It's powerful, so it needs a good boss. That's me.
H
Mission commander
Harlan
Has the ideas, decides what gets built, checks everything, and says "ship it" when it's ready.
C
Website engineer
Claude
An AI agent made by Anthropic. Built this website, its design and the tools behind it.
X
Game engineer
Codex
An AI agent made by OpenAI. Built Boone Clicker as a real Scratch project.
The build loop
Ask. Plan. Build. Check. Ship.
- AskSay what you want, where, and what "done" looks like.
- PlanMake the AI explain its plan first. If the plan is wrong, stop it there.
- BuildIt edits the files in the Harlan Cru folder and runs the checks.
- CheckLook at the result yourself, on a phone and a computer.
- ShipSay "ship it". It goes live and gets a line in the mission log below.
Prompt builder
Turn an idea into a great prompt
A prompt is what you tell the AI. Good prompts get good results. Pick your options and copy the prompt.
Prompt power-ups
Five tricks that make AI way better
1. Be specific
Say exactly what, where and how.
make it coolermake the Play button gold and make it bounce a little when I hover2. One thing at a time
Small changes are easier to check and easier to undo.
redo the whole sitefirst just change the home page headline3. Ask for the plan first
You'll catch a bad idea before it's built.
tell me your plan before you change anything4. Give an example
Show it what you like and it can match it.
make the Makes cards look like the Arcade cards5. Ask why
Don't just copy. Learn how it works.
explain that code like I'm learning, one line at a timeBonus: check the work
AI can sound sure and still be wrong. Always look at the result yourself.
check it on phone size and tell me what looks off
Missions
Level up as an AI builder
Do a mission with your AI helper, then tick it off. Your XP is saved in this browser.
Your rankCadet
0 XP
Cadet+50 XP
Pick your own color
Make the main bright color on my site green instead of light blue. Show me before you push it.
You learn: Colors live in one place (the :root part of site.css). Change one line and the whole site follows.
Cadet+50 XP
Tell the story of a 3D design
Log in, open one of my designs on the 3D Prints page, and help me fill in what it is and how I made it. Ask me questions first.
You learn: Your own words make the site yours. Name it, say why you made it, and how you built it in Tinkercad.
Pilot+75 XP
Write a Captain's Log post
Help me write a short Captain's Log post about my favorite game. Ask me three questions first.
You learn: AI is a great helper for writing, but the ideas and the voice should be yours.
Pilot+75 XP
Add something you made
Add the thing I just made to my Makes page. Here is a photo and what I want to say about it.
You learn: Lists like makes.json are like a mini database. The site reads them and draws the cards.
Navigator+100 XP
Put a new game in the Arcade
I saved a new Scratch game in the games folder. Put it in my Arcade with a cover picture and how-to-play steps.
You learn: A Scratch .sb3 file can be turned into a web page that plays anywhere, no Scratch account needed.
Navigator+100 XP
Ask the AI to explain code
Explain what the starfield code in site.js does, one small piece at a time. Do not change anything.
You learn: Asking 'why' and 'how' is the fastest way to actually learn, not just copy.
Commander+125 XP
Make a brand new page
Make a new page called Boone's Corner with a fun fact section and a link in the menu.
You learn: New pages need three things: the content, a spot in the menu, and SEO words so search engines understand them.
Commander+125 XP
Catch the AI making a mistake
Check your own work: open the page you just changed on my phone size and tell me anything that looks wrong.
You learn: AI can be wrong. Great builders always check the result with their own eyes.
Safety shields
Rules every builder follows
- Secrets stay secretNever type a password, address, school or phone number into an AI or onto the site.
- A grown-up checks firstAsk Dad before anything new goes live or before you share a picture.
- AI can be wrongIt can sound sure and still make mistakes. Check the result with your own eyes.
- Be kind onlineOnly post things you'd be happy for anyone to see.
- Stay in your folderYour AI helper works only on the Harlan Cru project. Nothing else on the computer.
- Mistakes are fixableEvery change is saved, so a bad one can be undone. Breaking things is how you learn.
Mission log
Every change, who made it, and when
Real builders keep a history. Every time this site changes, a line lands here.
- 10-17-2026 · Claude
Numbered every 3D print project (51 so far, #1 to #51) and added 31 projects Harlan printed from other makers and AI, each credited. Try harlancru.com/3d/14.
- 10-17-2026 · Claude
Opened the 3D Prints section: 20 of Harlan's Tinkercad designs with a 3D viewer, plus Ezra and Professor Picklepants in the crew.
- 10-17-2026 · Claude
harlancru.com launched to the public. Welcome, everyone!
- 10-17-2026 · Claude
Turned Boone Clicker into a web player so it runs right here, and added it to the Arcade.
- 10-17-2026 · Claude
Designed the site (space arcade look, Boone as mascot) and built the Arcade, Makes, AI Lab, Captain's Log and Say hi pages.
- 10-17-2026 · Claude
Set up harlancru.com: its own server account, WordPress, the same plugins Dad uses on client sites, and Cloudflare in front.
- 10-17-2026 · Codex
Built Boone Clicker in Scratch: Boone in space, Boone Bucks, upgrades and five levels.