Decentralization as natural selection Expensive adaptations (large brains) don’t evolve w/o survival pressure from environment. Popular decentralized systems evolve when governments want to install filters: copyright (BitTorrent), anti-money laundering (Bitcoin), content (Tor)
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“Decentralization as natural selection” tests if decentralization is necessary: are centralized species extinct/endangered? US AML killed e-gold. Mint/DoJ killed Liberty dollar. Napster/Limewire/Kazaa compelled to install filters. VPNs subpoenad. Lavabit gag order. Server raids
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Human brains may have evolved this far b/c we compete to outsmart other humans. Runaway evolution compared to adapting to hunt animals where there is an end. Likewise, peak decentralization would emerge in the most adversarial government conditions. Tech vs tech. True cyberpunk
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John Backus Retweeted John Backus
Real hacking is months of research. Boring to watch, not flashy. Likewise, “lowlife and high tech” IRL is more cypherpunk than cyberpunk. Ambitious experts building resilient systems for years. Average Joes reading reddit tutorials on how to buy BTC, install Tor browser, use PGPhttps://twitter.com/backus/status/1016163344678453248 …
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