Cover photo for Philip I. Thomas

Philip I. Thomas

I work on Contraption Company making tools for online work such as Booklet, FRCTNL, and Postcard, and Flyx Labs - a VC-backed AI studio. I'm based in NYC, but often explore other cities. I'm interested in coffee, craftsmanship, fermentation, and urbanism.

Instead of social media, I share my updates here through a monthly newsletter. Subscribe below if you want to stay in touch.

Contact me at mail@philipithomas.com. You can also find me on LinkedIn,
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What I’m up to - May 2024

Here's my monthly newsletter about what I'm up to, which I send in place of social media. What I did in April • Cat's out of the bag - the "Shenanigans" I referenced in March and April are revealed. I eloped and got married in a small village in Mexico about six weeks ago. Text or email me for photos and more details.  • Took some French lessons at the FIAF in NYC. It was a fun experiment, but I unfortunately don't think I have the time or headspace to continue them. Pronunciation was more subtle than I expected.  • I've been leaning into more intentionally analog habits, with single-purpose notebooks a at the core. Instead of doing most of my daily writing + notes in Day One or Obsidian, I'm mostly just carrying a stack of these Leuchtturm1927 notebooks. • Waited four hours to go to a Noma pop-up in NYC. I enjoyed chatting with their head of production about how they apply koji techniques to make vegan garums. • Rewrote Booklet's docs and overhauled its member management tools.  • Started a three-month experiment in eating a plant-based diet. It's been surprisingly easy and enjoyable. I've been eating a lot of Bottas-inspired porridge, Rancho Gordo beans, rices, lacto-fermented vegetables (I had made a lot of fermented daikon), and Noma's vegan xo sauce and other projects. Things to share • Articles: We need to rewild the internet. Adulting fast and slow. LARPing your job. Bicycle use now exceeds car use in Paris. Mechanics of a water fountain button. • Music: Promises. Various sets at Aimé Leon Dore. • Podcasts: How I Write - Founder of Levels on building a writing culture was fantastic. Just a spec. • Videos: Thom Browne on the Business of Fashion.  • Trends: I've been interested in wind-powered shipping since reading Silo's cookbook, and it seems to be going more mainstream. I think the Apple Vision Pro is going to lead to an increase in lasik surgeries. Plans for May • I have a couple of podcasts coming out - get updated by subscribing at podcast.contraption.co • Building out Booklet's API and adding more functionality there Where I'll be  • NYC
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