Decentralized tech is a new frontier that few people are actually building within. I hope KERNEL offers some insight into this new world and potentially what it may take to build things that have a newfound (but powerful) impact.
š The Play of Pattern
Notes
Kernel does not provide concrete answers. We are here to ask better questions.
KERNEL fellows should be able to think in ācomplementary oppositesā ā in simpler words, being able to think beyond dualities (true/false & good/bad) and consider the whole spectrum of possibilities
Additionally, itās not just about āseeing both sidesā, but about contemplating them without necessarily grasping for certainty
Kernel Fellows should have humility. We cannot be sure what the effect of our actions will be, we can only cultivate an acute observational awareness which will guide us toward making the right trade-offs.
Consciously think about tradeoffs (enabled by striving for humility) will enable us to do our best to keep personal biases out of the picture when we have to make tough choices
Those who have positively changed the world did so because they learnt how to negotiate complexity, rather than impose their own will on things. They answered their own questions as honestly and directly as they could.
š” What is the question to which you are the universeās answer?
š” How can you respond most honestly, accurately, and lovingly?
My Thoughts
I think this need for humility and open-ended thought is especially prevalent in the Web3 decentralization space ā we are so early in the potential for this technology, and even as people in a room talking about it (we can never be quite sure how the consequences our actions will play out)
This makes me think to the early days of Web2 companies (Facebook namely)
The first question:
I donāt think Iām necessarily āthe answerā to any particular question, but the question makes me think of how we often search for meaning in our lives ā itās a fundamental motivator and uniquely human to crave it (almost as much as food).
I try to think of my purpose as a bridge of sorts. As a first-generation college grad, raised by a working class family with strong values and now being in the fortunate position that Iām in, I see the disconnect that exists between worlds. I hope to do something about it rather than being like āyou made it, donāt look backā
The second question:
Try to take a step back from your biases and the interdependent nature of ourselves ā our entire collection of experiences (upbringing, personality, fears, ambitions, education, class, etc.) all give us a specific lens by which we see the world. (Perception)
Have a conversation with āthe universeā ā knowing that we have this narrow view inherently, seek ways to get a more accurate picture.
āš¼ Trust
Notes
In order to guarantee trust, we must know all the ways in which and encode what it means to lie.
These clearly defined and encoded rules do not mean we need no longer trust at all. It means that there is an implicit shift from trusting those who own the media by which we transfer value, to those with whom we are actually transacting.
The Bitcoin maxim: Vires in numeris means strength in numbers. It holds an interesting double meaning: (1) using actual numbers/mathematics to create a verifiable record of a shared reality (e.g. āunassailable factsā) and (2) that the power behind any narrative comes from the community that supports it
My Thoughts
the game on game theory (the evolution of trust) was amazing and super interesting
asks the audience if they know/use bitcoin ā itās important to experience using it
historical context of money
we donāt really know how old money is ā we have yet to find a civilization in recorded history without it
the first form of writing were ledgers! money came first
money could even be taught to primates
Money is a form of communication ā itās not value, itās a language. Itās a very important social construct that enables us to form bonds
bitcoin is a invention of money. when did that happen previously? always has some skeptics
bartering
then abstraction away from a physical thing
precious metals ā took thousands of years
paper money ā crazy controversial idea, people knew it didnāt have money, took like 400 years for it to be accepted
plastic cards
bitcoin ā digital, network-based form of money. Not just a payment system
we are in the network centric area. Formerly hierarchical systems that appeal to some authority. With the internet, social institutions learned to be more like platforms ā they have interfaces with the people interacting with them, they have APIs to build with.
Then thereās the protocol ā they exist without reference to an institution. TCP/IP works across the globe and is like the fundamental plumbing that makes a system work.
Bitcoin is the first network-centric, protocol-based form of money
what does peer-to-peer mean? It refers to an architecture of nodes, all are equal there is no client-server nodes
money is also something we donāt talk about ā in almost all countries, money is not a part of the education systems. we donāt discuss money
We donāt discuss money. I think it has to do with the architecture ā¦ you donāt have money in the bank, you have loaned your money to the bank. It represents a form of debt. In other words, you and the bank have a client-server relationship
we donāt have money in the bank. We have debt, banks have control over what they do with that debt. In other words, they are the master, we are the slave in this architecture.
bitcoin is fundamentally different because you donāt owe anyone anything. Itās absolute ownership
āpossession is 9/10th of the lawā in Bitcoin it is 10/10th of the law ā if you donāt have the keys, you donāt have bitcoin
Q & A
Aristotle talks about sound money + intrinsic value = the scarcity of money, do you agree and think its the same for bitcoin?
No. Scarcity has little to do with intrinsic value, we havenāt had money with intrinsic value since money was bananas because we could eat them. Intrinsic value is a very slippery concept. Good currency doesnāt have intrinsic value (because then you might eat it).
I think intrinsic utility is super interesting though ā itās useful, programmable, has a lot of potential to do many things. Itās more than just money for the internet, but rather the internet of money.
Banks are getting into blockchain. what are your thoughts on this? Is is competition?
intranet = internal company network. Not useful, company forces you to use it. Eventually you want to make it more useful, but you need to find ways to connect it to the broader outside world ā i.e. the internet. Banks are trying to adopt ādisruptive technologiesā to make it less disruptive, but still say it had improved.
Biggest threats to the bitcoin ecosystem?
There are many. Itās experimental. I think the design pattern will continue to exist and change the world. Who knows if bitcoin will be the implementation that stands the test of time.
Sometimes efficiency is something worth giving up for freedom. Bitcoin is not efficient, but neither is democracy. Having one person in control is efficient
Is bitcoin a public good? Is a private?
I think blockchain is a public good ā itās a societal construct that can serve as a historical artifact. Itās history that never fades
Have worries about fungibility of bitcoin due to its trackable nature
Yes. Itās something that bitcoin could definitely improve upon
Russia + China are getting gold. Western world is slowly getting rid of gold ā does this mean theyāll shift toward bitcoin?
Bitcoin should not be looking for government endorsement, that completely ignores the point. Govāt is making itself obsolete, centralization is introducing fragility into the system.
My Thoughts
thinking of money as an ancient technology is something I always knew in the back of my mind, but never quite considered as deeply. Oftentimes, there is talk about re-inventing capitalism, but its age pales in comparison to the invention of money itself. Thereās something deeper here to discover
the initial wave of skepticism is an important wake-up call. It does still feel weird to have to manage cryptographic keys as opposed to opening a bank account ā it feels like a high risk activity just sending a transaction (in part because itās an experimental technology, but also because itās such a new way of doing money)
the note on efficiency low-key blew my mind. The tech industry has ingrained in me to think in terms of optimizing existing systems ā better meant faster, more efficient, convenient, etc. But Andreasā point on giving up efficiency for freedom is a fantastic one.
social media is another great example. Sure, our relationships are more efficient via these digital platforms + we get everything on demand, but at what cost? We are breeding a lonely generation that is no longer valuing the skills it takes to create/foster local communities.
The Art of Conversation
Notes
This documentary features Paul Myburgh, author of The Bushmen Winter Has Come, who spent seven years living with the !Gwi Kalahari Bushmen, exploring ancient conversation and being.
No one gives space in conversation anymore. With the bushmen, I was able to speak and continue conversations later or even the next day because others were really listening. In modern conversation, we tend to listen only until we know what we want to say next and itās more of a stacking of opinions.
You can have āhorizontal conversationsā. With modern conversation, the meaning never gets to flow because people arenāt listening, but thinking of what theyāll say. With every addition then, comes a new context. It doesnāt give the space to hear/listen or settle in the minds of the listener ā itās more like a stack of opinions.
The quality of the speaking comes from the quality of the listening ā if I see you listening, Iām compelled to speak more truth and make more sense.
We tend to live incidenally bound as opposed to fundamentally bound.