Photo: An old Bedford van parked in an empty lot Ealing, West London, UK 5 January 2025—photo by the author.
Bonjour and hello INTEROPERABLE-ians!
2025 is off to a bit of a false start. It's taken me this whole week to regain even the slightest head of steam and feel like I have some legs under me. I hope you are well and are slicing bravely into the mystery meat that is the new year. Bon appetite, bottoms up, and split the bill:
And surely you'll buy your pint cup! And surely I'll buy mine! And we'll take a cup o' kindness yet, for auld lang syne.
This edition of INTEROPERABLE returns to a familiar format, some media-consumption recommendations from me with some consolidated advice:
Advice For Young Artists (Book) and Advice For Young Artists (Video) Photographer Alec Soth's latest book and a lovely talk given by Soth on his YouTube channel. (I would recommend reading the book first, then watching the video)
Bill Hader - What's In My Bag? - What's In My Bag? is easily one of my favourite series on YouTube. Amoeba Records highlights what different bands and actors would purchase from their palatial Hollywood, CA store. This format, combined with SNL alum Barry co-creator and overall uproarious mensch Bill Hader, is a golden nugget.
David Malawey - YouTube channel focusing on multidisciplinary education; David, a former Toyota engineer turned educator, shares his expertise in engineering and design. (Skip this if you’re not a super nerd.)
Jason Segel Breaks Down His Most Iconic Characters I've been watching Segel's excellent show Shrinking (two seasons, Apple TV+). I've been a fan as far back as watching torrented episodes of Freaks and Geeks. I find these career retrospectives insightful and heartening.
Anti-pro tip, 12v Tools:
Buy tools you see good contractors using (usually Bosch, Dewalt, Makita, or Milwaukee ); the tip is to buy the "lower end" 12v tools. They're less expensive, lighter, and therefore usually have better ergonomics. They have plenty of power for 99% of at-home tasks, especially with modern battery chemistry. If you need to blast a 2-inch hole through a concrete wall, you're better off renting! (Source)
Buy tools you see good contractors using (usually Bosch, Dewalt, Makita, or Milwaukee ); the tip is to buy the "lower end" 12v tools. They're less expensive, lighter, and therefore usually have better ergonomics. They have plenty of power for 99% of at-home tasks, especially with modern battery chemistry. If you need to blast a 2-inch hole through a concrete wall, you're better off renting! (Source)
TYLERDICKEY.COM News:
I started preliminary work on a new project: a Syllabus loosely based on Cristina Jerney's project, A Syllabus for Generalists. Updates will be posted to INTEROPERABLE. Please subscribe and follow along!
New Section, Poetry Corner:
Winter Trees
All the complicated details
of the attiring and
the disattiring are completed!
A liquid moon
moves gently among
the long branches.
Thus having prepared their buds
against a sure winter
the wise trees
stand sleeping in the cold.
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I'm Tyler Dickey, and this is my newsletter, INTEROPERABLE. Where I celebrate my never-ending love for reliable, available, and maintainable systems like RSS and telephony. I write about topics that interest me: art, reading, making things, and technology. Please consider subscribing or following me elsewhere on the internet: Website | Instagram
This publication will:
- always be free of charge.
- always be informational/educational by nature.
- always credit and link to sources to the best of my ability.
- never be auto-generated or contain AI (LLM) generated content.
- never contain any form of advertisements or undisclosed affiliate links.
- remain wise and stand sleeping in the cold.
MMXXV Vol. 1