Narrative Arc
A Summary of Current Goals and Work.
This document is a continually description of my work at the Filecoin Foundation (and FFDW), at Almanack, and at home with Liz Henry and my family. I aim to update it every day (I last updated it on 2024-04-03). I post it for others to read at http://danny.spesh.com/now/narrative-arc.html. I format it in org-mode, including bits of executable code that generate some parts of the text. I started writing it on . Its name comes from the idea that I am trying to impose structure on my life that is comprehensible in a single document, rather than an anarchic pile of random impulses. Underlined sentences have an associated confidence level that show how likely I think they are to be true – you can touch or mouse over them to see this number, which is between 0 and 1.
I am 55 years old, and in good health.
Goals
In the world: Redecentralizing the Internet
I am working to create and make permanent a global, distributed, peer-to-peer computing network. This is because I believe that everyone benefits when tools maximize autonomy and when power is evenly distributedℙ=0.70.
How to achieve this?
- Build a secure, private, interoperable set of open protocols, applications and hardware, freely available for all
We’re so close! My work the Filecoin Foundation and Filecoin Foundation for the Decentralized Web concentrates on one set of protocols, aimed at fixing some of the centralizing issues of previous generations, but I’m not fussy. There’s a lot of possibilities.
- Resilient institutions, incentives, and cultural norms that can maintain and evolve these protocols, applications and hardware without concentrating power
I spend a lot of time thinking about this. If you have thoughts, mail me.
- Communicate the ideas and enthuse large numbers of smart people about this future
Current Bets
- Making the IPFS/LibP2P/Filecoin stack usable, stable and interoperable as a core toolkit
This is my dayjob at FF. The solution to redecentralizing the Internet could emerge from thisℙ=0.20 and it's a good place to learn lessonsℙ=0.80 and to do my work.
- Growing a capability-based hardware and software stack that works for decentralized communities
After talking to people far smarter than me, this ambitious work would provide a level of security and privacy that can exceed the current weak compromises in the centralized model.
- Revisiting and revitalizing the insights of the free software and free culture movements
After an understandable period of self-criticism and reconsideration, as well as some assumption that open systems would “just win” (or pessimism that they were always doomed to minority place), I think it’s the right time to grow communities and institutions that can use those genuine insights to build an infrastructure suitable for any open culture.
For instance: I believe that being able to observeℙ= learn, that enables the flourishing of other values, and that the perimeter of that ability should be drawn around our digital devices and storage, not just our mental processes or bodily freedoms. See my 2023 essay, Terminal Values, Cognitive Liberty.
Personal: Continuous resource growth for me, my culture, and everyone else
Despite the appeal in ramping down human action in the face of multiple global challenges arising from our expansionism, I believe in growth over degrowth or stasis. I am optimistic about the survival chances of a growing civilizationℙ=0.90. I concentrate on non-zero-sum growth, because growing your own resources at the expense of someone else’s usage increases the chances someone will seize them (back), costing both to do so.
Filecoin Foundation
I’m dealing with a couple of tricky, soft challenges in the Filecoin Universe.
Filecoin spaces
We profoundly underestimate the amount of effort required to create convivial spaces that let individuals co-operate and do good work online, without being constantly spiked with adrenalin and distractions. I’m working on making it easier to work together in this decentralized ecosystem.
A Long-term Role for the Filecoin Foundation
What does it mean for an organization to steward a decentralized network over the long-term? How do we determine strategy? Who should we take our lead from?
Filecoin Foundation for the Decentralized Web
Interoperability grants
Ever since I first joined FF/FFDW, I’ve wanted to do more to support interoperability from many emerging new protocols and platforms (too many to list here). My hope is to set up a mini-granting system for this in 2024. Don’t send me applications yet!
DWeb Community support
Almanack
Initial web design
Ongoing Projects PROJECT
Meta Narrative Arc work. NARRATIVEARC
DONE Make this page publish to http://danny.spesh.com/now/narrative-arc.html
I added a hook that is local to this buffer which saves the file to my danny.spesh.com document directory.
DONE Add probabilities to HTML output
I’ve always wanted some way to qualify what I’m claiming with my actual level of belief, so I put something together with org macros.
Contact details
| Homepage | https://danny.spesh.com/ |
| Status | https://danny.spesh.com/now |
| mailto:danny@spesh.com | |
| Mastodon | https://mastodon.spesh.com |
| X | https://x.com/mala |
| Github | https://github.com/dannyob |
| Blog | https://www.oblomovka.com/ |