Hi Michael,
Thanks for taking the time to watch the film. Glad you enjoyed its look : )
We wanted to capture the mixed urban flows of people going about their
daily lives in London as this new protocol is getting developed.
Thanks also for bringing up the - /but what is the blockchain?/ -
question. I'm sure that many others who've watched it will feel the same
way.
You are exactly right that our intention is to start a debate - and a
debate across different disciplines and tribes
We do have plans in the pipeline for infographics - but there are some
examples of this out there already- see here
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSP-taqLWPQ>for instance
One reason why its hard to grasp - and I only really understand this now
after gathering 5 hours of interviews on the topic - is that it is still
in its really early stages.
Most people we interviewed for this film said that blockchain
technologies are at the same stage of development as the web in the late
1980s - pre ftp.
There is not yet the ecology of tools and interfaces to allow
non-experts to playtest it. Though these are being developed.
I guess the easiest way to describe blockchains are as databases shared,
updated, verified and maintained across many computers in a way (mostly)
that cannot be jimmied.
So while currently world banks maintain a ledger (or database) of all
transactions, and we rely on them to do this honestly - and it affords
them influence over states, companies and individuals - a blockchain
allows people (or at least those who know how, and who have the
resources) to collectively maintain such a ledger of transactions or
exchanges. And they are rewarded in digital currency to give over their
computer processing power to do this.
This tech has come out of cryptographic anarchist traditions of the 70s
- and is driven by libertarian enthusiasm to do away with intermediaries.
This is a technology that comes from the desire to allow individuals to
control money and its circulation. However, now the major deployments of
blockchains are private blockchains by world banks. This has MASSIVE
political and social implications. The current developments are to
deploy smart contracts across this infrastructure - autonomous software
programmes to control devices (and their people no doubt). Rob Myers
points at the political tensions with hisDAOWO white paper
<http://www.furtherfield.org/artdatamoney/includes/files/daowo.pdf>
which is an important touchstone for our thinking.
At Furtherfield we are currently working with a few people (artists and
techies) to develop more activities, workshops, events and resources to
lure people beyond fintech to come and see what a blockchain might do
(for better or worse) for expression, human and interspecies relations
and governance etc
Ben Vickers and I are going to be running a LARP (Live Action Role Play)
event for /Blockchain Budgetary Bliss /at the upcoming Moneylab
<http://networkcultures.org/moneylab/program-3/> in Amsterdam.
We will be building paper-based Dapps and DAOs (blockchain based apps
and organisations) for a fictional good cause and thinking about all the
asymmetries of power at play- should be fun. We'd love it if NBers
wanted to sign up and participate.
Finally, I just want to be clear. We are NOT blockchain evangelists. I
personally have a bad feeling about this technology. But I also know
that it's here and that more diverse people need to get into the middle
of its development to feel its strangeness and scope.
Cheers!
Ruth
(not a blockchain evangelist)
On 27/10/16 10:57, Michael Szpakowski wrote:
Hi Ruth I wanted to say what a nicely made piece of work this is. It's
a really compelling watch & I hope the launch goes well tonight. By
the bye I do love the kind of hyper territory it creates by seamlessly
melding the South Bank and an unfeasibly sunny Finsbury Park/Seven
Sisters Road.My only reservation is that in all honesty I'm not sure
how much more clued about the blockchain I am at the end of it. I'm
guessing that it is a vehicle for starting a debate. I wonder if there
is a place for an idiot's guide to the blockchain with nice graphics
&c....
Anyway hope it goes great tonight...
michael
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*From:* ruth catlow <[email protected]>
*To:* NetBehaviour for networked distributed creativity
<[email protected]>
*Sent:* Sunday, October 23, 2016 12:41 PM
*Subject:* [NetBehaviour] The Blockchain- Change Everything Forever -
a Furtherfield Film
Hi All,
We have made a short film called /The Blockchain- Change Everything
Forever /about the impact of blockchain technologies. You can read
about it and watch it online here.
<http://www.furtherfield.org/projects/blockchain> The London launch of
the film is this Thursday evening - see below for details and sign up
if you want to come along. We'd love to see you there.
Ruth
Furtherfield logo
<http://crm.furtherfield.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=882&qid=119703>
<http://crm.furtherfield.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=883&qid=119703>
Furtherfield would like to invite you to a Blockchain Meetup on 27
October 6-8pm hosted by Digital Catapult
<http://crm.furtherfield.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=884&qid=119703>
at the Digital Catapult Centre, 101 Euston Road London, NW1 2RA
Register here
<http://crm.furtherfield.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=885&qid=119703>
The meetup will launch the ‘Blockchain: Change Everything Forever’
<http://crm.furtherfield.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=886&qid=119703>
film with drinks and networking for people interested in future
possibilities for blockchain technologies.
During the meetup we’ll look to broaden and engage the discussion
further to understand:
What can a blockchain do?
Who builds this new reality?
How will we rule ourselves?
How will the future be different because of the blockchain?
The Blockchain – Change everything forever
<http://crm.furtherfield.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=883&qid=119703>
is part of Furtherfield's Art Data Money
<http://crm.furtherfield.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=887&qid=119703>
programme which seeks to build a commons for the arts in the network age.
Furtherfield is supported by Arts Council England through the National
Portfolio funding programme, Haringey Council and the generosity of
individual supporters.
<http://crm.furtherfield.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=882&qid=119703>
--
Co-founder Co-director
Furtherfield
www.furtherfield.org <http://www.furtherfield.org/>
+44 (0) 77370 02879
Bitcoin Address 197BBaXa6M9PtHhhNTQkuHh1pVJA8RrJ2i
Furtherfield is the UK's leading organisation for art shows, labs, &
debates
around critical questions in art and technology, since 1997
Furtherfield is a Not-for-Profit Company limited by Guarantee
registered in England and Wales under the Company No.7005205.
Registered business address: Ballard Newman, Apex House, Grand Arcade,
Tally Ho Corner, London N12 0EH.
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http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour
_______________________________________________
NetBehaviour mailing list
[email protected]
http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour
--
Co-founder Co-director
Furtherfield
www.furtherfield.org
+44 (0) 77370 02879
Bitcoin Address 197BBaXa6M9PtHhhNTQkuHh1pVJA8RrJ2i
Furtherfield is the UK's leading organisation for art shows, labs, &
debates
around critical questions in art and technology, since 1997
Furtherfield is a Not-for-Profit Company limited by Guarantee
registered in England and Wales under the Company No.7005205.
Registered business address: Ballard Newman, Apex House, Grand Arcade,
Tally Ho Corner, London N12 0EH.
_______________________________________________
NetBehaviour mailing list
[email protected]
http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour
