ETHGlobal · Oct 9, 2024

In this thought-provoking keynote at Pragma Denver 2024, Josh Stark of the Ethereum Foundation explores a bold philosophical framework for understanding blockchains, not just as decentralized technologies—but as a new source of social infrastructure alongside atoms and institutions. By introducing the concept of "hardness"—a unifying property that allows us to build trust and reliability into civilization—Josh connects the dots between Bitcoin, Ethereum, legal systems, and even gold. Learn why blockchains are both trustless and trustworthy, what they share with courts and rocks, and why this new mental model is crucial to unlocking their potential for global coordination, finance, and beyond. 00:00 Welcome & intro from Pragma Denver 00:56 Josh Stark’s role at Ethereum Foundation 02:03 Explaining crypto’s big picture is hard 03:06 Blockchains must be legible, not just reliable 04:18 Claude Shannon and the invention of “information” 06:26 Realizing information as a universal concept 07:31 The contradiction of trustless vs trustworthy 08:35 Comparing blockchains and institutions 10:10 What do rocks, blockchains, and courts share? 11:18 Introducing “hardness” as a unifying framework 12:23 Atoms, institutions, blockchains as building materials 13:28 Hardness helps explain the purpose of blockchains 14:00 Defining “hardness” and “casts” 15:27 Casts: reliable future states secured by hardness 16:54 Why casts need hardness to be trustworthy 18:24 Hardness from atoms, institutions, and blockchains 18:56 Comparing the strengths of each source 19:25 Atom-based hardness: strengths and limits 21:24 When casts break and need to be remade 22:24 Institutional hardness and its wide applications 23:54 Strengths and flaws of institutional power 24:53 Blockchain hardness: a new digital primitive 25:23 Why blockchains are trustless yet trustworthy 26:22 Competing vs novel uses of blockchain hardness 27:22 A broader mission beyond finance 28:35 Smart contracts as tools to change the rules 29:07 Final thoughts: “Only what can change can continue” _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🇺🇸 *Pragma Denver* Pragma Denver 2024 took place at The Arch in Denver on February 28, 2024, and was an in-person summit for builders and leaders in the web3 ecosystem. Pragma is a one-stage conference with founders-only on stage, bringing together a small group of curated attendees and speakers to discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. Watch the full Pragma Denver playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh4lJw0vruQ4prh8iMDUk89i&si=ayJ64Sgcqew1fdFk ETHGlobal's Pragma series takes place in cities around the world, and is designed to be a different kind of event. Ever since we first introduced our new event series, Pragma, in Tokyo in the spring of 2023, we have been fostering a curated, global community of individuals who deeply care about web3. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ *Follow Josh Stark* X: https://x.com/0xstark ✅ *Follow Ethereum Foundation* X: https://x.com/ethereum ✅ *Follow ETHGlobal* X: https://x.com/ETHGlobal​ Warpcast: https://warpcast.com/ethglobal Website: https://ethglobal.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ETHGlobal _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _Are you interested in Ethereum development and entrepreneurship?_ 👉 Sign up for the next ETHGlobal event: https://ethglobal.com/events 🎁 Get exclusive access and perks with ETHGlobal Plus! https://ethglobal.com/plus 📣 Want us to throw an event in your city? Tell us where! https://ethglobal.com/city _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

ETHGlobal · Oct 9, 2024

Auryn Macmillan, founder of Nosa Guild, explores the critical role of modularity in blockchain design at Pragma Sydney 2024. Drawing parallels from basketball to Unix systems, he contrasts open vs closed modular architectures and their impact on Ethereum's evolution. Learn how modular principles enable interoperability, permissionless innovation, and resilience in Web3, with examples from rollups, data availability layers, and Zodiac's account standards. Discover why modular design is key to building adaptable, future-proof systems that avoid vendor lock-in while fostering ecosystem diversity. Essential viewing for developers and architects navigating Ethereum's modular future. 00:00 - Introduction: Auryn's Basketball Analogy 02:10 - Defining Modularity in System Design 04:02 - Real-World Examples of Modularity 04:36 - Monolithic vs Modular Tradeoffs 05:46 - Open vs Closed Modularity Explained 06:26 - Case Study: Apple's Closed Ecosystem 08:13 - How Patents Limit True Modularity 08:54 - Open Modular Principles for Web3 10:06 - 5 Key Benefits of Open Systems 12:18 - Resiliency Through Redundancy 13:25 - Component Replaceability Matters 14:34 - Adapting to Change Like Sports Teams 15:45 - Ethereum's Modular Evolution 16:59 - Rollups & Data Availability Layers 18:11 - Zodiac: Modular Account Standard 19:22 - Ecosystem Growth Through Modules 20:05 - Importance of Open Standards 20:41 - Unix Philosophy for Web3 21:48 - Modular Futures in Blockchain 23:00 - Hackathon Advice on Modular Design _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🇦🇺 *Pragma Sydney* The Sydney edition of Pragma took place at The View by Sydney in May 2024 with a curated series of high-quality talks that sparked thought and discussion. Ever since we first introduced our new event series, Pragma, in Tokyo in the spring of 2023, we have been fostering a curated, global community of individuals who deeply care about web3. Watch the full Pragma Sydney playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh7rvaHBM14peT1TwI3QX38p&si=MzGrEYwYjxSQFiFM ETHGlobal's Pragma series takes place in cities around the world, and is designed to be a different kind of event. Pragma is a one-stage conference with founders-only on stage, bringing together a small group of curated attendees and speakers to discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ *Follow Auryn Macmillan* X: https://x.com/auryn_macmillan ✅ *Follow Gnosis* X: https://x.com/gnosischain ✅ *Follow ETHGlobal* X: https://x.com/ETHGlobal​ Warpcast: https://warpcast.com/ethglobal Website: https://ethglobal.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ETHGlobal _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _Are you interested in Ethereum development and entrepreneurship?_ 👉 Sign up for the next ETHGlobal event: https://ethglobal.com/events 🎁 Get exclusive access and perks with ETHGlobal Plus! https://ethglobal.com/plus 📣 Want us to throw an event in your city? Tell us where! https://ethglobal.com/city _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Simona Pop

Conflux - Web3 UX Unconference · Nov 16, 2023

No description The video features a speaker discussing the human aspects of embracing change, particularly in the context of Web 3 technology. The speaker emphasizes that resistance to change is often rooted in fear of loss and the discomfort of uncertainty. They argue that as creators and designers in the tech industry, it's crucial to be mindful of these human responses and to approach innovation with empathy. The talk explores how the fear associated with change can be transformed into excitement for discovery, stressing the importance of user experience and feedback loops in making transitions smoother for users. The speaker also addresses questions about user resistance and the temptation to replicate familiar experiences instead of innovating. They conclude by highlighting the need for patience and understanding individual differences when introducing new technologies.

Aya Miyaguchi

ETHGlobal · Oct 9, 2023

Aya Miyaguchi, Executive Director of the Ethereum Foundation, joins Pragma Tokyo to explore the mission of growing Ethereum as an “infinite garden.” In this deeply personal and philosophical conversation, Aya reflects on Ethereum's values, Japan’s emerging role in the developer ecosystem, and what it means to coordinate a decentralized movement. From the EF’s support structure and cultural insights to the challenges of maintaining neutrality and scaling open systems, Aya shares how her background as a teacher influences her leadership style and how EF empowers others rather than dictates outcomes. The conversation also touches on Japan’s potential in areas like DAOs, open source culture, and unique approaches to coordination, governance, and identity. If you're curious about Ethereum’s future, EF’s philosophy, or global crypto adoption through cultural lenses, this is a must-watch. 00:00 Intro and welcoming Aya Miyaguchi 01:31 Aya’s relationship with Japan 03:12 Rise of builders in Japan’s Ethereum ecosystem 05:02 From teacher to Ethereum Foundation 07:59 What the Ethereum Foundation does 09:42 The Infinite Garden philosophy 12:24 Trade-offs of decentralized coordination 14:01 Why Ethereum is built in an open, slow way 16:00 Cultural values and leadership at EF 18:15 Why Ethereum is not a product or a company 20:21 Challenges of explaining Ethereum in Japan 23:15 Japan’s potential in open source and web3 26:06 Empowering developers and shifting mindsets 27:27 Growing optimism in Japanese policy 28:55 Ethereum’s bottoms-up culture vs top-down 29:52 EF’s evolving role as coordinator 33:36 The Infinite Garden and value alignment 34:51 Holding less than 1% of ETH and why that matters 36:31 Subtraction, legitimacy, and balance 39:13 Thanking the EF team and community 41:35 Q&A: Ethereum and network states 43:00 Q&A: Use cases for Japan and local innovation 46:16 Closing remarks and community encouragement _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🇯🇵 *Pragma Tokyo* It’s always been about hackathons. Until now! Kicking off in Tokyo we announced the latest edition to the ETHGlobal family last week. Pragma will be one day summit, focusing on high quality talks in an intimate atmosphere that fuels reimagining the world and networking with like-minded individuals. Watch the full Pragma Tokyo 2023 playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh72VNBeeMzsvxnDdJH-vPhZ&si=z7enlsk30_DUjIoL _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ *Follow the Kartik Talwar* X: https://x.com/therealkartik Warpcast: https://warpcast.com/kartik ✅ *Follow ETHGlobal* X: https://x.com/ETHGlobal​ Warpcast: https://warpcast.com/ethglobal Website: https://ethglobal.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ETHGlobal _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _Are you interested in Ethereum development and entrepreneurship?_ 👉 Sign up for the next ETHGlobal event: https://ethglobal.com/events 🎁 Get exclusive access and perks with ETHGlobal Plus! https://ethglobal.com/plus 📣 Want us to throw an event in your city? Tell us where! https://ethglobal.com/city _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _