After ten years, it's time to stop weekly videos.

I’ve been throwing stuff at the internet since 1999. And for many, many years, that stuff went almost nowhere. I had occasional bits of success, but could never make any of them last long-term. I remember thinking, so many times during all those years…will any of this stuff I’m making ever work?

Well, this did.

2024 started off as the end of an era. After a decade of weekly videos, Tom Scott is on sabbatical.

I've been watching Tom for about eight of those years, on and off, stepping into regularity about six years ago. His videos always informed and delighted me. I'd share them with friends and family. His work embodies curiosity, education, and joy.

Watching Tom's goodbye video filled me with more emotion than I expected.

There’s been a few guest videos, of course, and occasionally some blatant filler. One time I just uploaded two and a half hours of unedited footage of garlic bread flying to the edge of space, and that turned into one of the most viewed videos I’ve ever had.

Classic Internet. Funny enough, when grabbing the video link for above, the start of the video shows a Twitter poll asking the people if Tom should skip a week or upload 2 1/2 hours of unedited garlic bread. Thank goodness the people chose garlic bread so Tom didn't break the streak.

Also, how was the garlic bread space video five years ago?

Sometimes a video would be a day or two early or late for one reason or another. But to my own satisfaction, which is ultimately the only thing that I’m counting, there’s been a video a week for ten years. I never broke the streak...

...So now it’s time to take a breather. I can’t keep this up. This is my dream job, and I have a lot of fun doing it. I know I’m incredibly lucky. But a dream job is still a job. And it’s a job that keeps getting bigger and more complicated and I am so tired! There’s nothing in my life right now except work.

That old adage about work your dream job and you'll never work a day in your life is bologna. I've believed that for over a decade. Tom spells it out plain and clear, "a dream job is still a job."

I could do less, and be happier.

Thanks for all your hard work Tom. Enjoy your sabbatical. You've earned it.