The Morning Note — Dynamic Relationships of a Blockchain System
A morning bulletin offering fresh news, pithy opinions and pioneering insights cultivated straight from the heart of blockchain ideology and technology.
— Brought to you by the Keynote team.
22 August 2018
Dynamic Relationships of a Blockchain System
One cannot be human by oneself. There is no selfhood where there is no community. We do not relate to others as the persons we are; we are who we are in relating to others. — JAMES CARSE
Yesterday, we looked at the divergent parts of a living system— the individual parts that make distinct, divergent contributions to the greater whole. We also explored how this relates to three key diversity inputs for blockchain— diverse thinking, diverse industries & value chains and diverse application.
Today we will explore the next vital element of a living system: dynamic relationships.
This is what happens when divergent parts are connected to both each other and to a particular context. They begin to form dynamic relationships with one another. It’s the moment when things get interesting.
For example:
In our human bodies — these dynamic relationships exist as ‘interdependent systems that regulate circulation, digestion and temperature regulation, as well as the supportive skeletal structure.’
In organizations — it’s the patterns and infrastructure of knowledge transfer, decision-making, productivity, systems and processes, the office environment, brand values and organizational vision.
In blockchains — it’s the underpinning design principles of intrinsic integrity, distributed power, value as incentive, security and privacy and diversity and inclusion. All underpinned by a distributed peer-to-peer network.
Blockchain is a relational technology at heart. Because blockchains only exist if peer-to-peer networks exist, it means dynamic relationships are at the core of the whole system.
This conversation is layered and runs deep.
The idea we are most interested in at the moment, is what the relational technology of blockchain might enable in the human world. Here are three stellar examples:
1. Provneance: We Live in the World We Buy Into
Every day we buy products that impact our planet. Opaque supply chains are devastating environments and compromising the wellbeing of people, animals and communities. Every product and business is different, but rarely do we have the information we need to make positive choices about what to buy.
Provenance is a blockchain platform that empowers brands to take steps toward greater transparency by tracing the origins and histories of products. With this technology, you can easily gather and verify stories, keep them connected to physical things and embed them anywhere online.
2. Plastic Bank: Gather together, Reveal Value & Love People.
Plastic Bank stops ocean plastic while reducing poverty. It‘s their mission to stop ocean plastic by gathering a billion people together to monetize waste while improving lives.
The Plastic Bank is a root cause solution to prevent the flow of plastic into our oceans.
3. Tykn: The Future of Resilient Identity — Turning Invisible Children into Invincible Ones
Identity is a fundamental human right, yet it is still centralised and controlled by seperate institutions. Its paper base also makes it inherently fallible.
Tykn believe this should change. Blockchain has been their solution.
The Morning Note
We are always on the look out for the hearty stories and pithy ideas underpinning the future of blockchain. If there is something you’d like us to include in The Morning Note, please email clare@keynote.ae and we will be sure to take a look.
