Summer of Protocols

Hey,

I wanted to share the summer of protocols with folks -
https://summerofprotocols.com

It is a research program initiated by the Ethereum Foundation and led by
Venkatesh Rao that brought together a group of researchers to consider
protocols as a first-class concept for thinking about the world.

The outputs are not Ethereum centric but rather focus on a wide set of
domains where protocols are present including standards, the built
environment and memory.

I have been enjoying the outputs and find the concepts very aligned with
the CCG and general identity space. After all, protocols are intertwined
with the technical work we do, and these technical protocols are nested
within broader contextual, human protocols that use and require credentials
in the real world.

In particular I have enjoyed the concept of hardness
<https://stark.mirror.xyz/n2UpRqwdf7yjuiPKVICPpGoUNeDhlWxGqjulrlpyYi0>:

"Fixed, hard points across time that let us make the world more
predictable."

And the design goal of protocols to realise, construct, maintain hardness
within specific contexts.

Credentials, whether digital or physical, and the protocols that use and
require them can be viewed as mechanisms to achieve hardness.

Anyway, Venkatesh has agreed to present on the Summer of Protocols outputs
and its intersections with identity to the CCG on the 9th of April. Just
flagging this in advance in case anyone wants to dive into any of the
material beforehand.

This is a nice introduction to the program -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ne7Dxj4KvQ4


Hoping others will find this as interesting as I have,

Cheers,
Will