This week's guest talk (April 10th, 1PM ET) is with Lisa Neigut A.K.A. niftynei. Lisa is a next-gen dev educator and runs Core Lightning. Visit the forum for pre-readings and the streaming link for her upcoming talk, Scaling Bitcoin: The Rise of the Lightning Network.
Information about the last stretch
The next phase of the process is about to kick off. There are 62 PIG RFCs posted so far. Many ignited good forum discussions. And PILLs keep trickling in, with 23 RFCs.
PIG applications will officially close on Midnight, Eastern Time, on Friday, April 12th. Submission drafts received before Midnight, Eastern Time, on Sunday, April 14th can use the weekend to polish their applications.
Interested in applying, but don't have a big idea? Some projects are seeking teammates:
Recent talks to catch up on
The previous protocol townhall was with the CEO of Bluesky, Jay Graber and Bluesky Protocol Architect, Daniel Holmgren. This Q&A covered topics like architecting distributed social media, the design of suitable moderation mechanisms and custom feeds. Recording on YouTube.
Also, Tim and Venkat took over Bankless Podcast last week:
They talked about SoP's history and future, and interviewed three of last summer's researchers. Sarah talked about life & death, Timber talked about safety & evolution, and Nahee talked about a synthesis of death, memory, and addressable space.
Research Spotlight
Three new SoP essays were released today, featuring themes of morality and risk.
Dangerous Protocols by Nadia Asparouhova: "Protocols are frequently touted as the liberating alternative to walled technological gardens, but the historical purpose of protocols has always been to simplify decision-making and reduce human agency. How do we reconcile these two narratives?"
A Phenomenology of Protocols by Janna Tay: "Deciding whether to implement a protocol and how to do it becomes, therefore, a moral question – one that is not answerable merely by reference to a protocol’s effectiveness and efficiency in moving towards its immediate goal, but requires taking into account the effect on the individual participant. The hope is that we will design and wield our protocols with greater purpose: as a means to an end and, perhaps, as an end in themselves."
Dangerous Dating Protocols by Shreeda Segan: "Throughout the centuries, successful dating and coupling has always relied on protocols, from arranged marriage to courtship to swiping on dating apps. These protocols have evolved along with technology and culture. In the West, however, swipe-based dating app protocols now occupy a 'protocol monopoly.' Why has this protocol monopoly come to dominate the market? What might alternative, perhaps decentralized, dating protocols look like?"
Protocol Science Lectures on YouTube
The snowballing library of video content on protocols was getting unwieldy, so we organized it into playlists. They're easier to jump in and out of, and make following your curiosity a bit more fluid.
Protocol watch
Plenty of protocol-ish stuff in the news lately, including: naming protocols, interoperability, restaurant reservations, medical techniques, and next-generation table saws. If you've seen any protocols in the wild, drop an account of your sighting here.
