Hi, I’m Dylan Richard.

Technologist, dad, car nerd, Quaker, dome steward. French, grew up in Philadelphia, lives in Chicago. Tries things — some of them work, some of them become half-finished car projects.

I care about solving real problems for real people, appropriate technology, and empathetic team building. I’m influenced by E.F. Schumacher’s “Small Is Beautiful” in ways that affect how I think about technology, economics, and building things.

What is this site?

This is my personal archive — a collection of posts pulled together from across the internet. Notes from Twitter, photos from Instagram, updates from Facebook, and original blog posts all live here in one place. Think of it as a scrapbook of my digital life, going back to 2007.

The “sources” you see (like @detour.cars or @thedomeontherock) are the social media accounts these posts were originally published on.

What I’m into

  • Cars — VWs especially. Watercooled, diesels, G60s and TDIs, wrenching, shows, road trips. I run @detour.cars on Instagram. I always have about half a dozen planned builds.
  • Technology — building things, leading teams, thinking about how tech should serve people. If you’re building something and you’re stuck, I’d genuinely like to hear about it.
  • The dome — I have a geodesic dome as a weekend place. That’s the “dome steward” part.
  • Quakerism — I’m a Quaker. It informs how I think about community, decisions, and silence.
  • Punk & hardcore — grew up in the Philly scene. Still here for it.
  • Kids — proud papa. Raising weirdos.

Get in touch

Always down to talk about volkswagens, geodesic domes, EV conversions, appropriate technology, Quaker schools, community building, punk & hardcore, conference speaking, or whatever strikes your fancy.