My 50th Birthday

Today is my 50th birthday. I've been putting words on the Internet in ~blog form for close to 25 years¹.

I feel good. I don't feel "old", although tweaking my back carrying some bags out to the cab for the trip to Berlin in October 2024 is when I realized that yes, my physical being was maybe getting a little creaky. So I guess I got old last year.

I am energized, doing slightly too many things, and feel supported by people & groups around me. What I end up collecting below is a snapshot of my "now": what I'm putting time into, what I believe in, what I'm working on.

This pooling capital and collaboration phrase that I've been using seems very relevant to describe my interests and practices. Perhaps a little cold, so I'll expand: I want us to work together in smaller local & regional groups, with impact in the real world, and I want us to connect as peers online around the globe.

The missions and meanings of Open Source that informed my last 20+ years of work and community have very much been superseded by DWeb principles. The licensing of software is a very small part of a bigger vision.

DWeb Principles on the DWeb HQ site »

1. Technology for Human Agency
2. Distributed Benefits
3. Mutual Respect
4. Humanity
5. Ecological Awareness

I've spent the last 6 months diving deep into the ATProtocol ecosystem, and have recently setup the AT Protocol Community Fund, and am organizing the first community conference ATmosphereConf, coming up March 22nd & 23rd in Seattle. This is part of another realization: Open Protocols are better than Open Source.

Software ate the world, and now AI is eating software creation². We need to underline that human agency is possible, that local & community run AI can provide benefits to all, and should not be treated as closed, corporate goods or strategic state technology. Can we apply concepts of "buy local" to software?

I have this Community Search Engine concept that I'd like to put more time into if I can find the right co-conspirators and funding for it. Gathering people and organizations around events, topics of interest, and trust relationships, to pool data, and ask for recommendations, browse new things, and discover and develop knowledge together. I've cobbled together tools and techniques for years, and we have lots of pieces, but it's so hard and very fragile and we have to make things easier for everyone without having to just give up and put everything in some choice of corporate silo.

The Community Search Engine page in my notes was written with a focus more on "classic search". But as search runs straight into chatting with AI models, we have to consider both. We need both "fact engines" and agentic "dreaming & collaboration engines". That phrase is part of a thread on Bluesky, where I go on to define a bit further: A collection of tools running locally to collaborate with you and others over shared data. eg Statistics Canada or Wolfram Alpha would be fact engine tools.

I have a small work contract with Ink & Switch, and am looking at what other paid work I will take on throughout the rest of the year. I would like to stay independent, if I can, although still working in NetworkedOrgs and connecting with many.

Rachael Ashe and I are good. We've been renting our 2 bedroom apartment in East Van for 15 years now. This year, we are starting to explore if my home town of Bowen Island will be our next living destination.

The Z-Space crew and the sense of place, connection, and gathering of the studio at the edge of Gastown has been so good for me. Leaving my "Zoom room"³, being around amazingly creative people, welcoming people in with coffee, conversation, and cooking. JOB⁴.

I have also re-explored what is happening in Vancouver, after many years of global focus⁵. The mission of Smart Young BC resonates – we must make this city, this province, this country – a place where young people want to stay, want to move to, and can thrive. We must pay it forward and pass the torch, and support young people in leading and trying things. Vancouver is an extremely small pond, make room for new voices. The Atelier, Novus, and V2 communities are where you can explore further what ambitious young people are already doing.

DWebYVR, the Vancouver DWeb node, is just over two years old. The group has a solid crew and energy to do more things. Impact in the "real world" – from tech policy for local municipal political parties, to co-housing, to perhaps some shared camping property near Kelowna – are all things that are continuing to grow.

There are many macro level challenges in the world right now. What we have is connections to people with shared interests and goals at every level, from neighbourhood to digital spaces across the globe. I continue to be inspired to do things, and look forward to scheming with you all. See you around!