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content/blogarchive/blockchain_dilemma/index.md

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+---
+id: threefold_foundation_34
+title: Solving the Blockchain Dilemma
+image_caption: blockchain
+description: Blockchain technology has the power to change the world of IT. There are a huge number of new initiatives using blockchain technology around the world, with countless use cases.
+date: 2018-03-07
+taxonomies:
+  people: [kristof_de_spiegeleer]
+  tags: [decentralization, why, tech]
+  categories: [decentralization, why, tech]
+extra:
+    imgPath: blockchain_dilemma.png
+---
+
+## Introduction
+
+Blockchain technology has the power to change the world of IT. There are a huge number of new initiatives using blockchain technology around the world, with countless use cases.
+<br/>
+<br/>
+In general, there are two types of blockchains: proof of work blockchains and proof of stake blockchains. They are consensus algorithms on how transactions are verified and added to the ledger (forever, as blockchains provide an immutable record of events). More on these two types of blockchains below.
+
+## Blockchain Basics
+
+A blockchain is, as the word says, a chain of blocks of information. These “blocks” contain information on transactions. For instance transactions like the transfer of value of a digital currency (token) from wallet A to wallet B. The “chain” aspect comes when part of the information is stored in a block as a link to the previous block (a unique number). This is a very simple representation of what a blockchain is.
+
+## Private, Permissioned or Public Blockchains
+
+The complexity around a blockchain comes from how the blockchain software is run. The software can run in two different ways: a small (or large) number of nodes controlled by one single entity (private blockchain) a person or a company, or a large (or small) number of nodes controlled by multiple entities (public) that do not know each other and where anyone interested to run a blockchain node can join.
+<br/>
+<br/>
+By running blockchain software under the supervision of one entity (private, centralized) you can quite easily make sure the information stored in the blockchain (transactions) are not tempered with by only operating a small number of nodes and deploying them in very safe physical locations (private data-centers, vaults, basements of offices, etc). A private blockchain does not allow unknown entities to join and run the blockchain software.
+<br/>
+<br/>
+A permissioned blockchain is operated by known entities such as stakeholders of a given industry. It is a mix of both private and public blockchains. In this type of blockchain network, a participant may not need permission to join the network but needs permission to transact with another network participant.
+<br/>
+<br/>
+A public blockchain allows anyone to join the blockchain operation and create a new blockchain node. The blockchain is run by multiple entities (decentralized, public) that have no relationship nor knowledge about each other 
+<br/>
+<br/>
+For these three types of blockchains, there are different mechanisms to protect and guarantee the validity of transactions and make them tamper-proof.
+
+## Private Data and Anonymous or Pseudo-Anonymous Data?
+
+For private blockchains, it is straightforward to see that all data that is stored on private blockchains is private and creates 100% anonymity for its users. The only entity or person that has access to information stored on the blockchain is the blockchain operator. This is comparable to how a bank operates. The bank knows everything about all of its customers and the customers only know about themselves - the non-bank customers do not know a thing.
+<br/>
+<br/>
+On a public blockchain, people can join and operate a blockchain node on which all information of that blockchain is stored. While private blockchains get their security from putting their blockchain nodes in secure buildings operated by trusted people a public blockchain achieves its security from having a large number of nodes that have the same data replicated over and over. A consensus algorithm is required in order to accept new data (new blocks) to the chain.
+
+## Consensus Protocols for Public Blockchains
+
+The main consensus protocols used today are Proof-of-Work and Proof-of-Stake.
+
+### Proof of Work (High Cost in Compute and Energy)
+
+The proof of work consensus protocol is best explained as a race. The consensus is achieved by having all participating nodes solve a puzzle. The puzzle is a one-way translation of an amount of information consisting of the following items:
+- All the data that present the transactions in the block - all the data is known by all participating nodes
+- The number of the previous block. Remember a blockchain links blocks of information together.
+- A (variable) number. This number is the part that can be changed.
+<br/>
+<br/>
+The “work” is done by changing the variable number and see what the translation of all data brings. The translation of all this data is a new number, and the requirement is that that number needs to be smaller than what is known as the “difficulty level”. The difficulty level number has a fixed amount of numbers but when the first digits of the number are zero the overall number is lower. So a higher difficulty is built by having a number that has more zeros at the start in the difficulty number.
+<br/>
+<br/>
+Once the block is completed, all nodes will get the complete block of transactional data, everyone knows the previous block number and will start to change the variable number to get output from the puzzle algorithms comparing it to the required difficulty level.
+<br/>
+<br/>
+The node that will find the number first will announce that it has found a solution matching the required difficulty level and the variable number of shared with all nodes in the network to verify that his solution is correct. If a large portion of the nodes has verified the solution to be valid the solution is accepted and the block is added to the chain because consensus is reached.
+
+### Proof of (Block) Stake (Low Cost in Compute and Energy)
+
+With proof of stake consensus algorithms, the consensus algorithm does not solve puzzles in a race to be the first. The first step is to identify and allow a certain number of nodes to be part of the blockchain. This is called a permissioned blockchain because you need to have permission to partake. This permission is given by distributing stakes.
+<br/>
+<br/>
+Proof of Stake consensus mechanism is solving a puzzle, but the puzzle contains only static elements - not variables - based on different characteristics:
+- The block number
+- The content (part) of blocks a long time ago (>2000 blocks)
+- The transaction number (between the first and the last transaction) in the block of the stake transfer transaction all participating nodes needs to
+- The current timestamp
+<br/>
+<br/>
+All these numbers are fixed but the time stamp and every node in the block stake blockchain will solve this puzzle every second until the output of this puzzle matches the required difficulty level. 
+<br/>
+<br/>
+To make sure the one node that has solved the puzzle to match the difficulty level cannot introduce information in the block which allows him to tamper with the next blocks this node cannot use his used stake for a period amount of time for creating new blocks.
+<br/>
+<br/>
+The fact that the puzzle-solving includes historic block data and once a node is assigned to create the block and put it on a chain will not be able to use that block state for a period of time makes it very costly to try to tamper with the content of the block (and the next blocks). 
+
+## The Blockchain Dilemma Problem
+
+Public and private blockchains have their specific advantages and disadvantages and are very good for specific use cases - but not all. If we list the specifics of both we end up with a table like this:
+<br/>
+<br/>
+| * | Public Blockchains | Private Blockchains |
+|---|---|---|
+| Security | Provided by having a large number of nodes running it | Provided by having them in secure controlled places | 
+| People | Build, managed and controlled by unknown people | Build, managed, and controlled by known people |  
+| Speed | Slow by design - all data needs to be copied to all of them | Fast(er) and more efficient by design - a smaller number of copies of the blockchain data |   
+<br/>
+<br/>
+So what if we want to have a secure, performant, and easy to manage blockchain solution?  This is not what can be delivered by either type of blockchains.  We have to create a new type of blockchain that combines the best of both worlds and delivers.
+<br/>
+<br/>
+The key element in finding a solution for this problem is to take the human element out of it.  The fact that when you deploy blockchains solutions in locations without human intervention means that you need to create a different deployment mechanism that takes out people touching code, compiling code, deploying code, and in the end operating the machine in which the code runs.
+<br/>
+<br/>
+A way to get around the trusted people problem is to select a platform on which software can be downloaded, compiled, installed, and operated without human intervention.  Such a platform is a unique platform that has not been developed and launched. Such a platform would have to have the following characteristics. To make this system work and solve the blockchain dilemma we need to have three components working together in an orchestrated way.  The three elements are:
+<br/>
+<br/>
+
+- **Zero-OS**: A (simple) operating system that does not allow local and remote logins - a closed operating system that receives instructions to launch or kill applications.  This operating system  needs to be stateless to keep as simple as possible: 
+- **3Bot**: A virtual system administrator that is able to perform system administration tasks to make the system operate, self-heal and execute instructions from authenticated and authorized sources.
+- **Zero-Chain**: A ledger or database to store information with regards to authentication, operational and financial transactions.
+<br/>
+<br/>
+This system architecture allows for authenticated and trusted virtual system administrators to download, compile and deploy software on a grid of secure Zero-OS nodes with an immutable ledger that records all transactions, operational and financial. This presents a platform on which a public (permissioned) blockchain can be run securely without requiring trusted people to operate the nodes. 
+<br/>
+<br/>
+In such architecture, we can build and deploy a high-performance secure blockchain which are the combined benefits of a public and private blockchain.

content/blogarchive/edge_cloud_not_grid_cloud/index.md

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+---
+id: threefold_foundation_32
+title: Edge Cloud, not Grid Cloud
+image_caption: cloud
+description: The term Edge Cloud or, to be more precise, Edge Computing is one of the most exciting technology terms of these days.
+date: 2018-08-22
+taxonomies:
+  people: [kristof_de_spiegeleer]
+  tags: [grid, cloud, tech]
+  categories: [grid, cloud, tech]
+extra:
+    imgPath: edge_cloud.png
+---
+
+
+## Edge Cloud, not Grid Cloud?
+
+The term Edge Cloud or, to be more precise, Edge Computing is one of the most exciting technology terms of these days.
+
+<br>
+
+<iframe width="750" height="421" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7uA9aoIfMZo" frameborder="0" allow="aautoplay; encrypted-media;" allowfullscreen></iframe>
+
+## Edge Computing Definition
+
+According to Wikipedia, "**Edge computing** is a distributed computing paradigm in which computation is largely or entirely performed on distributed device nodes known as smart devices or edge devices as opposed to primarily taking place in a centralized cloud environment. 
+
+<br>
+
+In summary, this means that the cloud is divided into smaller pieces and distributed to the edge of the network. 
+
+## Drivers for Edge Computing
+
+Some latency-sensitive applications require fast response times to work correctly. A good example is self-driving cars. A lot of decisions in autonomous vehicles have to be made instantaneously; the decision to react to the unexpected while driving at high speed cannot afford to be slowed down by data traveling long distances to be processed. To improve the system's reliability, additional hops, and any further points of failure must be eliminated. Moving to compute as far out as possible to the Edge is the logical choice.
+
+<br>
+
+More generically, real-world situations are increasingly relying on an IT component to be involved in some form of decision making where time is of the essence.  The current IT setup is that we have highly concentrated IT setups in data centers connected by fast networks to the rest of the world. This setup is rapidly becoming obsolete as we need to have the fastest possible response for everyday activities, which cannot sustain the time delay caused by (extended) network connections.  Having actual data processing and storage facilities close to these real-world situations is the next IT capacity evolution.
+
+<br>
+
+These thousands of situations are mostly in the IoT area. Still, other killer applications like streaming would greatly benefit from being served from the Edge rather than a distant central location.
+
+## Edge Computing Market Facts
+
+Due to the billions of IoT devices driven by various use cases like autonomous driving,  a massive demand for Edge Computing is evolving rapidly. According to the Digital Journal, the Edge Computing market is growing extremely fast. With a  CAGR of over 35.0% and the market is expected to reach  USD 33.75 billion by the end of 2023.
+<br/>
+Source: [http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/3394129](http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/3394129)
+<br/>
+<br/>
+Edge Computing and Grid Computing are often used in the same context and sometimes are confused. For this article, we'd like to define the terms going forward as follows: 
+<br/>
+<br/>
+Grid Computing means a computer network of 100% distributed computer resources like processing power, memory, and data storage of similar or different types to which authorized people can run their computation workloads. That means that Grid Compute nodes are mostly in data centers and maybe dispersed over more extensive regions but are typically still far from the Edge. Compared to Edge Computing,  Grid Computing environments are owned by more than one individual or company, and thus, controlled by many.
+<br/>
+<br/>
+Edge computing has risen from a need to have data processing and storage as close as possible to real-world situations.  The situation could be as simple as recording biometric data by a smartwatch to support the required information for a self-driving car to function as intended.  The necessity comes from having local computing and storage capacity - it can be used by multiple use cases (situations) but does not have to.
+
+## The Benefits of Edge Computing
+
+Edge computing comes with specific benefits that are mandatory for the next evolution in the IT industry.  We have optimized the central model to such a degree that the network connects the central capacity to use cases in the field, the next bottleneck.  Edge computing is solving several challenges faced by real-world situations with the following benefits:
+
+### Speed
+
+**Speed** is probably the most crucial benefit of edge computing, as there are plenty of use cases that require near-real-time computing.  
+
+### Scalability
+
+The scalability of edge computing also makes it incredibly [versatile](https://www.vxchnge.com/blog/edge-computing-use-cases). By partnering with local data centers further out on the Edge, companies can easily target desirable markets without investing in expensive infrastructure expansion. Edge data centers allow them to service end-users efficiently with little physical distance or latency. They also do not constrain companies with a substantial footprint, allowing them to shift to other markets rapidly should economic conditions change.
+
+### Availability and Security
+
+Traditional cloud computing architecture is, by definition, centralized, which makes it especially vulnerable to [distributed denial of service (DDoS)](https://www.vxchnge.com/blog/how-to-protect-data-centers-from-a-new-generation-of-ddos-attacks) attacks and power outages. Edge computing distributes processing, storage, and applications across a wide range of devices, nodes and data centers, which makes it difficult for any single disruption to take down the network which is why logically and geographically dispersed systems are often used for DDoS mitigation like in Content Delivery Networks (CDN)
+<br/>
+<br/>
+By pushing everything to the cloud, you're leaving your business open to ISP failures and cloud server downtime. Many mission-critical operations like railroads and chemical plants won't even use the cloud today. Their server farms are the only way to guarantee uptime.
+
+### Process optimisation
+
+Another big benefit is process optimization. If self-driving cars were to use the cloud instead of the Edge, they'd be pushing all the data they gather up to the cloud. But if the Edge makes local decisions, the cloud may not need all that data immediately – or even at all.
+
+## Requirements for Edge Computing
+
+When compute and storage capabilities exist on the Edge, we need to overcome several challenges around capacity distribution.  Most traditional IT technologies do not allow this as they live in large data centers where there is a lot of "care" for these technologies.
+<br/>
+<br/>
+The most significant generic hurdle to overcome is that there is going to be a lot less "care" for the technology to rely on at the Edge.  These "devices" have to be self-sufficient to no small degree.  If we want to sum up some of the specifics of edge technology, this will come out:
+<br/>
+<br/>
+
+*   A typical edge device or node must run an OS that comes in at a low cost or, ideally, for free like some open source offerings. This enhances the proliferation of capacity at the Edge. 
+*   Container technology must be embedded in the OS at the lowest possible level to create the maximum benefit of efficiency from the edge hardware: classic Virtual Machine environments are just too inefficient and resource consuming for edge use cases. There will be Virtual Machine based edge solutions, but these are going to be out there for a certain period, catering for current IT workloads to move to the Edge.  The Edge's correct move can only happen when traditional IT applications split up into pieces and require a lot less capacity to run.  Hence, it will convert over time to containerized technology.
+*   Edge Computing hardware will consist of datacenter grade hardware and all sorts of other types of hardware.  The Edge might include some smaller sized data center facilities but also include different types of "homes" for compute and storage equipment.  Think of transportation as a specific use case - capacity on maritime vessels, capacity on trains, and vehicles' capacity.  Hardware will have to accommodate different use cases,  price levels, form factors, and power consumption. 
+*   Edge hardware needs a lightweight OS that is very close to the hardware components to get the maximum out of compute and storage capacity.  Less is more - for real Edge capacity, local people won't be able to interact with edge capacity - one further step - there will be no need to have remote people access these devices for maintenance purposes.  The ultimate edge computing solution will have a significant amount of self-sustainability - where there are no more highly technically skilled people required to keep the capacity available, up and running.
+*   In most cases, Edge means being remote, and having no access to humans or humans are only too expensive for the specific use case. 
+*   Power outages or no network availability will cause system failures. The ideal OS to deal with this revolves around no people; the zero-touch approach should be stateless and needs to have self-healing capabilities run by automation software robots.<br />
+
+## Existing Edge Computing Solutions
+
+Today there are a few Edge Computing platforms out there that cover some requirements as outlined above. 
+<br/>
+<br/>
+*   Microsoft, for instance, launched products like Azure IoT Edge and Azure Data Box Edge to extend their Datacenter based Azure cloud offering to the Edge. 
+*   Another attempt to bring centralized cloud technology to the Edge is the Openstack Edge Computing initiative, which is in the concept phase only so far. 
+*   A new OS for the Edge is CoreOs, also known as Container Linux, which runs on nearly any platform, whether physical, virtual, or private/public cloud.
+* More recently, there are a few blockchain-driven technologies out there pushing for edge capacity to exist.  Examples are:
+    *   [SIA](https://sia.tech/)
+    *   [Sonm](https://sonm.com/)
+    *   [Filecoin](https://filecoin.io/)
+*   Content delivery networks with a lot of "capacity" sitting close to end-users are expanding their capabilities beyond content delivery
+    *   [Limelight](https://www.limelight.com/products/iot-and-edge-cloud/)
+    *   [Akamai](https://www.akamai.com/)<br />
+<br/>
+<br/>
+
+## The Holy Grail
+
+The holy grail would be a self-healing Edge Grid. Edge, because of all the benefits Edge Computing brings to the user: Speed, Scalability, Reliability, Security, Versatility, and Process Optimization. Grid, because it fulfills the distributed workload requirements, a classic centralized cloud would generally be used without a centralized nature and all its disadvantages.
+<br/>
+<br/>
+Probably the most critical part of the ideal solution is self-healing. The biggest challenge of an Edge Computing environment is the dependency on local care: humans to maintain hardware and upgrade or fix software components. Self Healing needs to do the job here, which means zero people can be involved. 
+<br/>
+<br/>
+Only a self-healing mechanism with zero-people involved, completely decentralized, brings down the cost and provides more security to the environment, and makes it highly scalable. 
+<br/>
+<br/>
+Some of you may think that new blockchain-based technologies may be the holy grail. But they are not.
+<br/>
+<br/>
+In most cases, their implementations are too slow, and that's why it does not make sense to use them for production purposes. Another downside is the complexity of the application caused by stitching together 3rd party technologies. In many cases, these blockchain-based technologies are at a very early stage with beta implementations or even roadmap only type of technology.
+<br/>
+<br/>
+The holy grail is something that hasn't been created before; it needs to be a versatile system that is self-manageable.  A large global conglomerate should not own the capacity - it should be owned by many. Therefore, it should have a commercial model where people individually can decide to partake in building this global edge solution and where there is a defined return on investment for those partakers.
+<br/>
+<br/>
+A few groups of people, like us, are creating decentralized solutions for this, owned by the many, and creating services for all. 
+
+

content/blogarchive/for_our_planet/index.md

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+---
+id: for_our_planet
+title: A Better Solution for Our Planet
+image_caption: sustainability
+description: We believe IT can be sustainable. Actually, it should be! That's why energy efficiency has always been a key focus of ours..
+date: 2020-12-02
+taxonomies:
+  people: [sam_taggart]
+  tags: [why, tech]
+  categories: [why, tech]
+extra:
+    imgPath: better_solution.png
+---
+
+Today, the global Internet and IT infrastructure requires enormous amounts of energy, responsible for about 10% of annual global energy consumption. This makes the IT industry amongst the most pollutive industries in the world (along with the often-discussed airline industry, for comparison).
+
+<br>
+
+We believe IT can be sustainable. Actually, it should be! That's why energy efficiency has always been a key focus of ours. With climate change and sustainability as some of the most pressing issues of our times, new green solutions need to be our priority. It has been key to ThreeFold since the very beginning of its story to enable a technological infrastructure that can reduce the Internet’s carbon footprint drastically. 
+
+## Simplicity is the key to unlock a better future
+
+Over time, integration suites, middleware solutions, and enterprise service busses have been invented and implemented to cover integration challenges within the current internet. This has further complicated IT architectures, resulting in a loss of actual end user workload performance.
+
+<br>
+
+ThreeFold reworked the whole approach to IT architectures and eliminated the layers of complexity. The result is a cloud stack that presents minimal overhead and that requires less hardware – reducing heat generation and eventually cooling requirements. By reducing the need for power, the net result is an energy-efficient Internet grid.
+
+## Improving resilience and efficiency through Self-Healing IT
+
+Keeping systems up and running is a major requirement in modern day IT. Leading vendors earn most of their margin by selling maintenance contracts, performance guarantees, and professional services. Their business models bring no incentive to make things simple and efficient for consumers.
+
+<br>
+
+Creating a self-healing environment requires only minimal manual intervention to replace broken hardware components. Broken hardware components are inevitable, and the Zero-OS distributed node architecture deals with such failures by turning off broken components and provisioning unused capacity. By removing the need to ship broken parts back and forth, and linking to the corresponding installation knowledge (engineers), a lower carbon footprint can be achieved.
+
+## “No painkiller” approach. We tackle the root issue
+
+If a specific piece of software or hardware is not delivering the required performance or reliability, we should analyze the core design/algorithm and its usage of soft/hard components to determine the root causes of persistent issues to be solved.
+
+<br>
+
+Currently, most storage vendors follow the path of least resistance when trying to improve on performance. Their solution for meeting performance targets is to use faster components (CPU, memory, network card, proprietary acceleration) rather than looking at the core algorithms that drive the utilization of those components. Swapping components for faster ones perpetuates a cycle of cutting corners and focuses reliance on innovation from hardware component providers rather than solving the more fundamental and underlying issues. That's a "painkiller" approach.
+
+<br>
+
+Zero-OS was designed to solve root problem issues by design. While still using high-performance hardware components on the ThreeFold Grid, the algorithm of Zero-OS maximizes utilization possibilities. This enables greater performance and sustainability. Some key examples how this is achieved:
+
+### Eliminating unnecessary elements from standard architectures
+
+Virtualization adds a layer of software between the actual end-user workload and physical hardware. It also allows for multiple workloads to run on the same hardware by using excess capacity. There is definitely merit in building a virtualization solution. Building an effective virtualization solution that does not require abundant context switching is key and this is why Zero-OS has been developed. Zero-OS uses a minimal Linux kernel that allows for a number of user spaces to co-exist. In these user spaces, containerized versions of software can be run, eliminating the need for hypervisors, virtual OS to fuel the virtual machines, and guest operating systems. This also minimizes the required overhead for the host OS.
+
+### Minimizing network connections usage
+
+Supercomputing delivered many new technologies. But, not all of them are usable solutions for everyday workloads. One technology invented to make supercomputers performant is the use of Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA). RDMA allowed physical CPU boards (containing both CPUs and memory) to access other CPU boards in memory stored data over a dedicated channel. This eliminated the need to transport data between CPU nodes over network connections (or other mainstream means to exchange data). The result was a considerable reduction in overhead created when allowing distributed end user workloads to operate over multiple physical cores. The leading server and storage solutions brands have never considered nor implemented such mechanisms. This resulted in an increased need for faster networks - increasing complexity, costs, efforts and resources needed to operate solutions.
+
+<br>
+
+RDMA is only used in certified farms and requires involvement of TF9.
+
+### Minimizing disk usage 
+
+The storage solution uses slow and big (the bigger the better) HDD disks which drive in rack density. As they spin slower they consume less power and need less cooling. But then, how can you deal with read/write intensive workloads? The storage algorithm uses a SSD cache to acknowledge Inputs/Outputs coming from the applications, fills the erasure coded data blocks in large (up to 64MB) storage containers and writes the big chunks of data on the big and slow HHDs. If you are familiar with HDD disks, you know they like to be streamed on instead of having a lot of small bits written in a scratchy way.
+
+<br>
+
+Continuous innovation in all of these areas are leading to an efficient technology stack.

content/blogarchive/internet_energy_consumption/index.md

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+---
+id: internet_energy_consumption
+title: "How to stop the Internet from Gobbling the World’s Energy"
+image_caption: How to stop the Internet from Gobbling the World’s Energy
+description: Oftentimes, the Internet’s significant energy consumption and climate impacts go unnoticed. At ThreeFold, we're leading the way by working on energy-efficient and sustainable solutions for the Internet.
+date: 2022-04-26
+taxonomies:
+  people: [sam_taggart]
+  tags: [decentralization, farming, grid, why, tech]
+  categories: [decentralization, farming, grid, why, tech]
+extra:
+    imgPath: internet_energy_consumption.png
+---
+
+*"This article was originally published by Hannah Cordes, a former member of ThreeFold Foundation."*
+
+<br>
+
+*Global carbon emissions keep rising. Climate change and the collapse of biodiversity are accelerating faster than ever before. And yet, it’s important to believe in our ability to change our behaviour if we are to secure our children’s future. It’s not about being naive or optimistic, but rather a commitment to change and to do better. Across the globe, movements are sprouting to save our planet. How does ThreeFold take part in this? How are we contributing to making the world a better place?*  
+
+<br/>
+
+Once emitted, carbon can remain in our atmosphere for hundreds of years. To survive climate change, massive amounts of carbon emissions have to be offset – and fast. According to a UN report, [10 billion tons](https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/07/08/1027908/carbon-removal-hype-is-a-dangerous-distraction-climate-change/) of carbon emissions will have to be removed on a yearly basis by 2050 to prevent the planet from moving past the 2 degree Celsius threshold. Allowing the climate to heat by just one more degree would have unprecedented consequences – including the sinking of islands and coastal areas, an accelerated rate of extinction (right now, estimations suggest that about [24 to 150 species go extinct](https://e360.yale.edu/features/global_extinction_rates_why_do_estimates_vary_so_wildly) every day) and much more. Our complacency towards climate change proves that we’re still in denial of the chain reaction and butterfly effects of our past and present actions.
+
+<br/>
+
+Clearly, we’ve already crossed the threshold in the climate crisis where we had enough time for long debates on potential measures and policies. The time for those debates was in the 1960s, when a [report](https://www.climatefiles.com/climate-change-evidence/presidents-report-atmospher-carbon-dioxide/) by former US President Johnson’s Science Advisory Committee first warned about the risks and dangers of excessive carbon emissions. “Climate change is the result of more than a century of unsustainable energy and land use, lifestyles and patterns of consumption and production,” said Jim Skea, one of the IPCC Working Group III Co-Chairs in a [press release](https://www.enviro.or.id/2022/04/ipcc-press-release/) published earlier this month. According to [a report](https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-working-group-3/) published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), we can still achieve our climate goals if we significantly reduce emissions across all economic sectors. However, we urgently need to take action to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
+
+<br/>
+
+Now is the time to act. Now is the time for bold moves. As Skea put it: “Without immediate and deep emissions reductions across all sectors, it will be impossible.”
+
+## The astonishing carbon footprint of the Internet
+
+While people are legitimately obsessing about the emissions caused by air travel and whether to take that plane or not – bestowing us with concepts like ‘flight shaming’ – other industries’ significant impacts almost go unnoticed. One of them is the Internet.
+
+<br/>
+
+Think about the [chat messages and emails](https://carbonliteracy.com/the-carbon-cost-of-an-email/) you send out every day. How many times do you [‘google’](https://www.fastcompany.com/90171268/internet_impact_visualized) things? How much time do you spend [streaming](https://www.carbontrust.com/resources/carbon-impact-of-video-streaming) music or videos? All of your online activities add to your carbon footprint. There are a couple grams of carbon emissions attached to the energy needed to power your devices and the wireless networks you connect to. On top of that comes the significant amount of energy required to support the infrastructure of today’s Internet, namely millions of data centers and the thousands of servers in each of them.
+
+<br/>
+
+Even though the emissions caused by streaming one song or sending one email may seem insignificant, the accumulated use of the Internet by billions of people all over the world adds up. It actually leads to a collective carbon footprint amounting to a share of roughly [3.7% of global emissions](https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200305-why-your-internet-habits-are-not-as-clean-as-you-think) caused by the Internet and its infrastructure – and these carbon emissions are estimated[ to double](https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200305-why-your-internet-habits-are-not-as-clean-as-you-think) within the next three years. This 3.7% share of global emissions by the Internet almost makes the global aviation industry with its estimated [2.1%](https://www.atag.org/facts-figures.html) emissions look good.
+
+<br/>
+
+The global pandemic – while decreasing emissions in aviation due to travel bans – has already accelerated Internet consumption and the resulting footprint due to increased streaming behaviour, remote work and more. With [1 billion people](https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/executive-perspectives/annual-internet-report/index.html) and [75 billion IoT devices](https://www.statista.com/statistics/471264/iot-number-of-connected-devices-worldwide/#:~:text=Internet%20of%20Things%20%2D%20number%20of%20connected%20devices%20worldwide%202015%2D2025&text=By%202025%2C%20forecasts%20suggest%20that,IoT%20installed%20base%20in%202019.) expected to join the Internet economy by 2025, a more sustainable infrastructure than power-hungry data centers is urgently needed to meet the future growth of the Internet in an ethical and sustainable way.
+
+## Data Centers are power hungry
+
+Big tech corporations like Amazon, for example, have massive carbon footprints with their corporate facilities, power-hungry data centers, complex operations and more. One larger data center alone consumes up to [120 MW](https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/opinions/from-the-sensor-to-the-data-center/) – and there are about 7.2 million data centers worldwide, according to [Statista](https://www.statista.com/statistics/500458/worldwide-datacenter-and-it-sites/). Moreover, a data center’s energy consumption accounts for [about 40%](https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/opinions/from-the-sensor-to-the-data-center/) of its operating costs. In 2020, Amazon emitted more than [60 million metric tons](https://sustainability.aboutamazon.com/environment/sustainable-operations/carbon-footprint) of carbon dioxide up from about 51 million in 2019. Others like Google try to downplay their energy consumption by switching to renewable energy. While renewable energy is an improvement for sure, it does not change the fact that Google’s energy consumption could [power entire countries](https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertbryce/2020/10/21/googles-dominance-is-fueled-by-zambia-size-amounts-of-electricity/).
+
+<br/>
+
+Is that really a desirable way for us to use the still scarce supply of renewable energy? Shouldn’t we rather focus on the root problem and on becoming more energy efficient in the first place?
+
+<br/>
+
+The first step should be to reduce the Internet’s energy consumption and overall carbon footprint. But even then: reducing that energy consumption and transitioning to clean energy will only get us so far – particularly when considering that there simply is not enough clean energy to achieve a complete transition. Those emissions that cannot be cut have to be compensated for. A holistic solution to today’s Internet’s inefficiencies and emissions is needed.
+
+## An energy-efficient and regenerative Internet
+
+In December 2021, ThreeFold [announced](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/threefold-and-take-action-global-partner-to-bring-internet-access-to-1-billion-people-across-the-globe-301446693.html) its commitment to achieve a carbon double win for its open-source peer-to-peer Internet infrastructure, the ThreeFold Grid. The ThreeFold Grid is able to scale anywhere electricity and network exist, using about 10 times less energy than any comparable alternative while being more affordable as well. By starting from scratch at the operating system level, ThreeFold was able to build an Internet infrastructure that is highly [energy efficient](https://threefold.io/blog/for_our_planet/). This infrastructure is already made up of thousands of 3Nodes that are spread across 75 countries and counting.
+
+<br/>
+
+Together with [Take Action Global](https://forum.threefold.io/t/driving-regeneration-with-tag/2120?u=hannahcordes) (TAG), an expert on climate education and action, ThreeFold aims to make the ThreeFold Grid planet-positive by removing its carbon emissions from the atmosphere three times in the form of [Voluntary Carbon Credits](https://forum.threefold.io/t/threefold-on-track-to-be-planet-positive/2097?u=hannahcordes). While the pilot for this initiative was announced to start in January 2022, ThreeFold and TAG were so eager to take action against climate change, they kicked-off the pilot one month early in December 2021. It is the first step in ThreeFold’s plan to support the use of ‘nature-based climate solutions’ like tree planting to absorb twice more carbon than the ThreeFold Grid emits by 2022. 
+
+## A silver lining on the horizon
+
+Every industry and organization has to pull their own weight. There is no way around it. Far-reaching actions and transformations are needed across industries to limit global warming to bearable levels. “The decisions we make now can secure a liveable future. We have the tools and know-how required to limit warming,” said Hoesung Lee, IPCC Chair, in an April 2022 [press release](https://www.enviro.or.id/2022/04/ipcc-press-release/). Together with TAG, ThreeFold leads the way by working on energy-efficient and sustainable solutions for the Internet. The new IPCC report gives us a reason to be optimistic about our future and have hope for the regeneration of our planet.
+
+<br/>
+
+Really, all it takes right now is widespread support and adoption of more energy-efficient, sustainable alternatives across industries like ThreeFold for the Internet – something that is up to each and every one of us. Let us all take action for a fairer, more sustainable world.
+
+<br/>
+
+* Join the global ThreeFold [movement](https://t.me/threefold).
+* [Start farming](https://library.threefold.me/info/threefold#/tfgrid/farming/threefold__farming_intro) today and support a greener Internet while regenerating the planet.

content/blogarchive/internet_is_growing_wild/index.md

@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+---
+id: internet_is_growing_wild
+title: Internet is growing wild
+image_caption: planet
+description: The internet is growing at an extremely fast pace, but is that a good thing?
+date: 2019-12-05
+taxonomies:
+  people: [sam_taggart]
+  tags: [grid, why, tech]
+  categories: [grid, why, tech]
+extra:
+    imgPath: internet_is_growing_wild.png
+---
+
+*This article was originally published by Andreas Hartl, a former member of the ThreeFold team.*
+
+<br>
+
+The current growth of internet needs 4000+ new large scale data centers of computer systems. The global data growth will reach more than 40 Zetabytes by 2020 which represents an average yearly growth of 42% starting at 4.5 Zetabytes in 2013. To host all this data, over 4000 new big data centers have to to be built. And to achieve this goal, $ 1 trillion USD investment capital is needed and land totalling the size of the UK would be needed.
+<br/>
+<br/>
+The Internet is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. In this article we'll explain why that's not always such a good thing and where we see opportunities.
+
+## Internet capacity needs to become localized
+
+A big majority of users in the world connect to servers that are not present in their region and as such experience higher costs and low performance. According to a study by datacentermap.com, 80% of the data centers of the current Internet's service providers are based in the U.S. and Europe. The rest of the world has scarce Internet resources dotted around territories.
+<br/>
+<br/>
+As a consequence most Internet users use Internet-based services running on infrastructure which is located far away from their physical location and most likely outside their country's borders. This decreases the general end-user experience (latency) but also adds unnecessary costs to transporting the information back and forth. Also, it adds legislation and compliance headaches to enterprises.
+<br/>
+<br/>
+Our mission is to empower and inspire people to recognize abundance by living new experiences one hour at a time.
+
+## The Internet needs to perform better
+
+Compute and Storage vendors create poor-performing solutions. There have been yearly improvements in hardware following Moore's law. While this has allowed ThreeFold to progress and innovate, it has also led to software developers taking these advances for granted; cutting corners where they can, creating sub-optimal code and allowing software components to be layered on top of each other to achieve certain behavioral functionalities.
+<br/>
+<br/>
+The inefficiencies have now led to a situation where organically-grown IT architectures are immensely complex. They use a variety of components from different software and hardware vendors integrated by so called 'integrators'. The overall effort and cost involved to create, operate and maintain such architectures is growing continuously and requiring an ever-increasing budget and resourcing to continue.
+<br/>
+<br/>
+If we could go down to the core algorithms and take another look at these, and innovate at the heart of technology instead of applying patches and pain killers, we would be able to create much more end-user capacity than what systems provide today. Systems will last longer and will not have to be replaced by faster ones. Also, fewer engineers will be needed to create, operate and maintain these systems. Combined, these elements would present a more stable and reliable platform that can achieve higher levels of uptime.
+<br/>
+<br/>
+Only upsides, right? Well a huge downside of such an approach is that vendors will make less revenue and more importantly less margin as systems will run for longer, be more stable and require less updates. So why would vendors innovate at the core of their solution?
+
+## The Internet needs to become more sustainable
+
+Did you know that the current Internet is responsible for between 5 and 10% of global energy consumptions? Making it more harmful to our planet than the airline Industry. The good news is that we can achieve 10x more power efficiency by addressing certain areas such as storage.
+<br/>
+<br/>
+ThreeFold believes IT can do a much better job at being more sustainable - in fact ThreeFold believes it can reduce the Internet’s carbon footprint by 10 times compared to other industry standards in IT capacity producing solutions.
+<br/>
+<br/>
+Power consumption is a function of better compute and storage performance that in theory would require more racks and cooling. ThreeFold's architectural approach brought solutions that enables it's Farmers to achieve roughly 3 times the performance per rack (so it uses fewer racks) and the racks require less energy than typical racks in the industry.
+<br/>
+<br/>
+Read more about how ThreeFold achieves sustainability in [the following blog](https://www.threefold.io/blog/post/for_our_planet/).
+
+## The Internet needs to become more affordable
+
+The biggest cost in running IT architectures is the human cost. Today's complex systems, built out of ‘band aid and patches’ point solutions, organically-grown and badly documented IT infrastructures, need an armada of people to keep them ticking. Even though this is an example, one can learn a lot from the trends that are presented:
+<br/>
+<br/>
+- On average an IT budget takes 5% of overall revenues
+- IT consumes 6.5% of the total number of Full-time equivalent in the company, of which 85% are insourced and 15% on payroll. This means that the enterprise doesn't retain internal know-how to operate their IT.
+- About 50% of IT budgets are spent on Infrastructure ane operations. Similarly, a big part goes to applications. A mere 5% is considered to be internal overhead within the IT department.
+- Around 65% of the IT budget is spent on resources and services, around 35% is spent on hardware and software.
+<br/>
+<br/>
+These figures present industry average numbers and paint a troubling picture that IT is a sizeable part of an overall budget, and that most spending is going to have the right knowledge skills insourced to the organisation to run the core IT architecture it relies on. For any other discipline in any organisation this would present an unacceptable risk to the business and its continuity - strangely not for IT.
+
+## The Internet needs to become self-healing
+
+The biggest source of downtime in computer systems is people. Getting people involved in fixing infrastructure problems creates the risk of accidentally causing more system downtime. A very recent example on this hit a large organisation cloud service provider.
+<br/>
+<br/>
+20+ years ago when Internet data centers came into existence next to telecom points of presence (POP), the level of complication in architecting, and building and maintaining these infrastructures exploded. From an already reasonable complicated technology setup to transport packets of data around the globe, these information warehouses were created where data was uploaded to, processed, and the obtained results sent back to end users on the other side of the globe.
+<br/>
+<br/>
+Managing a data center that contains solutions for information transportation, storage and processing is not an easy task and the growth of data volume uploaded, stored and processed has exponentially increased. The number of technologies invented and implemented in regards to the processing and storing of information has also exploded. This resulted in a double exponential growth in complexity to architect, build, operate and maintain these IT systems.
+<br/>
+<br/>
+The time has come that we no longer rely on people to do the right thing in case of emergency - the complexity is overwhelming and the dependency on the availability of that information is huge. Having people to do manual deployments and operational responsibilities does not provide the agility and speed to keep up with the continuous exponential growth of the industry. It is time to take the human element out of IT and let smart and autonomous systems to take over. This will also let people focus on more creative activities.
+
+## The world needs a responsible internet
+
+On a humanitarian level the opportunities for creativity, learning and development are currently negatively influenced by a lack of access to performant and affordable Internet services. Since [Internet access is a human right](https://www.businessinsider.com/un-says-internet-access-is-a-human-right-2016-7#:~:text=Due%20to%20the%20lack%20of,20.), it should protect the status quo between the developed and less-developed regions of our world.
+
+## The Internet is growing fast, with the wrong solutions
+
+It is evident that the current solutions are super unsustainable and make no sense. Luckily, ThreeFold and many other start-ups are deploying new solutions.
+<br/>
+<br/>
+*Photo by Jeremy Thomas on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/photos/jh2KTqHLMjE).*

content/blogarchive/journey_into_threefold/index.md

@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+---
+id: journey_into_threefold
+title: A Journey Into ThreeFold
+image_caption: A Journey Into ThreeFold
+description: A conversation with Scott and Sam about Scott's journey into ThreeFold, the tech, the people, and more.
+date: 2021-09-17
+taxonomies:
+  people: [sam_taggart]
+  tags: [community, decentralization, why]
+  categories: [community, decentralization, why]
+extra:
+    imgPath: journey_into_threefold.png
+---
+
+If you’re part of the ThreeFold Movement, we’re sure you’ve seen Scott in a demo, or in the chats or forums. Scott is new-ish to the team but he’s been active in the community for quite a while. 
+<br/>
+<br/>
+In this video, Sam, based in Turkey, and Scott, based in the Pacific Northwest (USA), have a conversation about Scott’s journey into ThreeFold. They speak about how he found out about the project and started contributing (and how you can do the same), the technology, the mission, vision, and values, the people, and what Scott is most looking forward to in the short, medium, and long-term.
+<br/>
+<br/>
+<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eXpXtHRSji0" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
+<br/>
+<br/>
+Eager to contribute? Find us on our forums, chats, or on GitHub!
+<br/>
+<br/>
+
+- [ThreeFold Forum](https://forum.threefold.io)
+- [ThreeFold Main Chat](https://t.me/threefold)
+- [ThreeFold Farmers Chat](https://t.me/threefoldfarmers)
+- [ThreeFold Testing Chat](https://t.me/threefoldtesting)
+- [ThreeFold Foundation GitHub](https://github.com/threefoldfoundation)
+- [ThreeFold Tech GitHub](https://github.com/threefoldtech)

content/blogarchive/more_inclusive_internet/index.md

@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+---
+id: more_inclusive_internet
+title: We Need a More Inclusive Internet
+image_caption: planet internet
+description: Today we are working with partners in the clean energy and network / connectivity to build the solutions that are needed to provide fair and uninterrupted internet access with all corners of the world.
+date: 2021-01-03
+taxonomies:
+  people: [sam_taggart]
+  tags: [farming, grid, why]
+  categories: [farming, grid, why]
+extra:
+    imgPath: more_inclusive_internet.png
+---
+
+Today, more than 40% of the world is without access to the internet, a tool which brings incredible access to knowledge (education) and important information, communication tools that keep loved ones connected and are crucial for emergencies, and economic opportunities. And over the last year, as the world is spending more time at home, digital economies are booming and education is going remote. With an uncertain future, we need to fix the digital divide or we risk leaving billions of people even further behind.
+
+## The Data Center Problem: Cost & Proximity
+
+The centralized data centers that power today's Internet are located "strategically" mainly in North America, Europe, and select parts of Asia. For populations living in these regions, Internet is accessible and generally relatively affordable. But the further you travel from these data centers, the less available and more expensive the internet becomes. Internet access is mostly an issue Sub-saharan Africa, throughout Asia, and some parts of South America.
+
+<br>
+
+Of course some data centers can be and are being built in and near developing and remote regions, but for reasons including cost and audience, this hasn't been a huge priority to date. Beyond that, the data center model as a whole simply cannot scale to meet the future demands of the internet nor is it sustainable for our planet, so this is not the right option.
+
+## The Internet Shutdown Problem: Control & Manipulation
+
+Lack of internet access isn't always just an availability or affordability problem. Today's internet can be limited or even shut down at any point, by the right people. Take a quick look at [NetBlocks.org](https://netblocks.org/reports), an organization that reports on global internet disruptions or outages. Typically governments are enacting these measures during times of unrest or protest or  important political moments. Even in the United States, the Executive Branch of the government has [the power to shut down the internet](https://www.klemchuk.com/ip-law-trends/government-power-to-shut-down-the-internet) in a case of a national emergency.
+
+<br>
+
+Cutting the internet or restricting certain services based on region (a common practice as well) is not only not right, it's dangerous. People rely on the internet for information and communication and no government or entity should have the ability to shut the internet down at their discretion.
+
+## The ThreeFold Solution: Fair & Neutral Internet for All
+
+In 2016, the United Nations declared internet access to be a human right, yet today if you are reading this post, you are privileged. All humans deserve access to the internet and ThreeFold has the solution.
+
+<br>
+
+With the ThreeFold model, nodes can be set up anywhere in the world where an existing internet connection and electricity are present. By putting physical infrastructure at the edge (close to users), greater levels of access can be reached.
+
+<br>
+
+Further, the ThreeFold Grid cannot be shut down or manipulated. It is a neutral internet owned by the people, where autonomous technology heals and runs itself and requires minimal human intervention.
+
+<br>
+
+Today we are working with partners in the clean energy and network / connectivity to build the solutions that are needed to provide fair and uninterrupted internet access with all corners of the world.
+
+<br>
+
+Of course we will need new safe, secure, and private solutions for people to collaborate online. Many of these are already live and deployable via ThreeFold Now Community Solutions. We are working with partners in the education space as well to build toolsets for students to enrich their lives.
+
+<br>
+
+We need a more inclusive internet, and that is what we are building.

content/blogarchive/planet_first_people_first/index.md

@@ -0,0 +1,105 @@
+---
+id: planet_first_people_first
+title: "Planet first. People first."
+image_caption: Planet first. People first.
+description: Together with our community and partners, we're taking action and making productive choices for our planet and humanity.
+date: 2022-07-05
+taxonomies:
+  people: [sam_taggart]
+  tags: [community, why]
+  categories: [community, why]
+extra:
+    imgPath: planet_first_people_first.png
+---
+
+*"This article was originally published by Hannah Cordes, a former member of ThreeFold Foundation."*
+
+<br>
+
+Today, the world is facing an unprecedented number of crises and disruptions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic to climate change to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. From supply chain disruptions and rising inflation to shortages in food and energy supply, serious challenges lie ahead.
+
+<br/>
+
+We have always believed that technology can help some of humanity’s greatest challenges – for example by providing the foundation for an interconnected world that can enable abundance to spread. ThreeFold has focused on developing a more reliable Internet that can meet the demands and challenges of the future. A [more sustainable](https://threefold.io/blog/planting_the_seeds/) Internet that uses [less energy](https://threefold.io/blog/for_our_planet/) and is offsetting its carbon emissions by supporting tree planting and other impact initiatives. And an Internet that empowers us with digital [sovereignty](https://threefold.io/blog/threefold_data_sovereignty/) while providing high levels of [privacy and security](https://forum.threefold.io/t/critical-security-updates-for-apple-and-google-underline-need-for-secure-it-ecosystem/1271?u=hannahcordes). One that is [inclusive](https://threefold.io/blog/more_inclusive_internet/) by being more affordable and accessible.
+
+<br/>
+
+Our [mission](http://mission.threefold.me/) is planet first and people first. 
+
+## The planet and people are at the heart of our movement
+
+Without our planet, humanity has no home. Without our planet, we can’t survive. The fate of humanity depends on the planet’s health. We need a healthy planet for humanity to thrive. And our planet needs regenerative solutions at a large scale that combat climate change and the collapse of biodiversity. That includes the Internet and everything that lives on top.
+
+<br/>
+
+ThreeFold aims to deliver on our promise of providing better solutions for our planet and people through our technology. With this approach, we’re taking action and making productive choices for our planet and humanity. Our [journey](https://threefold.io/blog/four_phases_of_threefold/) is shaped by the determination to drive the regeneration of our planet and to enable a better life for people.
+
+<br/>
+
+*“Today billions of people don’t have access to the internet because of their station of birth. On one hand, it is unfair to them, and on the other, the world is losing billions of inventors and talents. Our internet can scale to anywhere electricity and network exist to provide access to the internet, education, and financial inclusion to everyone.” – [Kristof de Spiegeleer](https://medium.com/authority-magazine/the-future-is-now-kristoff-de-spiegeleer-of-threefold-on-how-their-technological-innovation-will-7acc0e51c365)*
+
+<br/>
+
+Our approach is also based on community and connection. We’re determined to build better, sustainable, and inclusive systems for the planet and people – from realizing the Internet of Internets on a global scale to reimagining business, governance, finance, education, and more in order to provide better alternatives for people, enterprises, and governments. And we are in dialogue and partnership with global leaders who share a similar vision.
+
+<br/>
+
+Here are three examples of the impact we’re creating together:
+
+<br/>
+
+* Together with [Take Action Global](https://threefold.io/blog/planting_the_seeds/), we’re offsetting the ThreeFold Grid’s emissions three times by planting and protecting trees
+
+<br/>
+
+* Together with [IETSA](https://www.threefold.io/newsroom/threefold-ietsa/), we’re making the decentralized Internet more accessible in underserved South African communities while also providing education in blockchain and Web 3.0 technologies
+
+<br/>
+
+* Together with [Solidaridad](https://forum.threefold.io/t/solidaridad-revival/2158?u=hannahcordes), we’re working on the Fair Data initiative to enable a fair data economy
+
+## Driving change towards the future we want to live in
+
+We strongly believe in the ThreeFold Law which states that any good you do will return to you threefold in this lifetime. By making our technology actionable, we energize a collective approach towards a single mission – empowering humanity while regenerating our planet.
+
+<br/>
+
+We’re aware that this mission is a big one. We’re aware of how aspirational it is. We’re aware that we are not perfect. And we realize that changing the world for the better requires patience and community. We’re in it for the [long run](https://threefold.io/blog/four_phases_of_threefold/) and we’re in it together.
+
+<br/>
+
+*“It's an honor every day to wake up and be a part of a global movement of people who are trying to build a better Internet for humanity that can uplift and empower.” – [Adnan Fatayerji](https://www.threefold.io/newsroom/threefold-cybernews/)*
+
+<br/>
+
+ThreeFold is more than a company or a project. ThreeFold is a global movement consisting of like-minded individuals and partners who share these values and vision. A movement united in our shared beliefs in open source, peer-to-peer, equality, and inclusion. By coming together to build a better Internet, we can create the foundation for a better world. We’re incredibly proud of the ThreeFold community and ecosystem. This beautiful community consists of open-minded, passionate, and determined people from all around the world, just like you. We’re dreamers, creators, builders, and change-makers.
+
+<br/>
+
+<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vK78zZT85_4" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
+
+## We are part of the solution
+
+There are many great projects and organizations out there that also follow the planet-first people-first philosophy. Like [Ecosia](https://www.ecosia.org/?c=en) – the search engine that plants trees and thereby positively impacts ecosystems, communities, and our planet. Like [ShareTheMeal](https://sharethemeal.org/en/index.html) – the world’s first app against global hunger that enables you to ‘share the meal’ with a child in need with one simple tap on your phone. Like [Patagonia](https://www.patagonia.com/home/?utm_source=actionworks&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=global_nav&utm_content=link) – a designer of outdoor clothing and sports gear that turned into an environmental activist. And like so many others.
+
+<br/>
+
+Together, we can achieve the extraordinary. The ThreeFold movement is building our own future through the [Internet of Internets](https://threefold.io/blog/internet_of_internets/) – an Internet that will be made up of hundreds, thousands, and ultimately millions, of interconnected local Internets that enables us all to directly connect and exchange without limitations or intermediaries. No matter what you do to support planet-first people-first movements, thank you. In doing so, you’re making a difference. You’re contributing to making the world a better place.
+
+<br/>
+
+With ThreeFold, anyone anywhere can make a difference. For a better life, for a better future.
+
+<br/>
+
+If not us, who? If not now, when?
+
+<br/>
+
+*If you’re new to ThreeFold and don’t know you to contribute best, here are a few ways to take action:*
+
+<br/>
+
+* *[Join](https://t.me/threefold) this growing movement*
+* *[Buy](https://marketplace.3node.global/) or [build](https://library.threefold.me/info/threefold#/tfgrid/farming/threefold__diy_guide) a 3Node and be the Internet*
+* *[Buy](https://www.manual.grid.tf/documentation/threefold_token/buy_sell_tft/buy_sell_tft.html) TFT*

content/blogarchive/zero_people_IT_is_the_future/index.md

@@ -0,0 +1,105 @@
+---
+id: zero_people_IT_is_the_future
+title: Zero People IT is the Future
+image_caption: future
+description: Classic IT infrastructure setup is complex and is not cost-effective. Applications need a specific environment to operate in, built by integrating different technology components from different vendors. Elements of such a setup are operating systems, storage systems, networks, security systems, authentication systems, and more.
+date: 2020-08-17
+taxonomies:
+  people: [weynand_kuijpers]
+  tags: [decentralization, grid, why, cloud, tech]
+  categories: [decentralization, grid, why, cloud, tech]
+extra:
+    imgPath: zero_people.png
+---
+
+## Introduction
+
+### The "cost" of complexity in traditional IT
+
+Classic IT infrastructure setup is complex and is not cost-effective. Applications need a specific environment to operate in, built by integrating different technology components from different vendors. Elements of such a setup are operating systems, storage systems, networks, security systems, authentication systems, and more.   
+<br/>
+<br/>
+Putting components together is called (system) integration, and integration requires agreement on how these components will fit together and the knowledge to do it.
+<br/>
+<br/>
+This complexity and need for integration originate from the way the IT industry historically developed. With time more and more layers appeared to bring new possibilities. Additional layers masked existing problems. Instead of fixing the underlying issues, several third parties needed to be involved, adding complexity and increased costs (such as license costs, upgrades, updates, etc.). Complexity has become a business model.
+
+## Where can we get inspiration to do it a different way?
+
+What if we could build IT architectures in a different way.  What if we would not accept component solution approaches anymore and start over with a completely blank sheet of paper?  Would we then come up with a different way of actually building automation, architectures, and business models?
+
+### Looking at nature for inspiration
+
+Let's start by looking for inspiration in nature. Suppose we consider IT systems to be a complex system. Are there parallels that we can draw between systems that exist in nature (and have evolved and improved over thousands of years) and those within the IT industry?
+<br/>
+<br/>
+In nature, we see two kinds of systems (societies): centralized and decentralized systems.  Examples of centralized systems are herds, groups, or schools of animals living together where there is a hierarchy in the way they organize themselves. For decentralized systems, we can look at beehives and anthills.  Organizing efforts and benefits are distinct and come at a different cost.
+
+### Centralized systems in nature
+
+In centralized systems, there is governance of activities, wealth positions, and so forth.  Think of a group of lions or chimpanzees.  There is always an alpha male who is dominant in the whole group.  He is the only that enjoys all of the benefits because the entire group/structure works towards his wishes.  He gets to mate with most female group members because the system believes that he has the strongest genes to help the group to survive in the future. The dominant male also gets most of the food gathered by the group, and if he doesn't get it, he will claim it by showing his dominance and fight for it.  All the others are working towards this alpha male, and all the other males in the group will occasionally challenge the alpha male for dominance.  
+<br/>
+<br/>
+This is very similar to how the IT industry has been operating to date:  there are a few alpha males in the industry - one for each sector that can be recognized (for example, in the Cloud Industry, you have Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and on the system integration front you have Dell, Siemens, CA Technologies).  They end up with the majority of businesses available in their specific markets. When challenged by new companies, they fight them (in every way possible, including killing them or acquiring them). And in analogy to the animal group, these alpha male companies have a lot of organizations that work with them, usually called "partners" or "channels."
+
+### Decentralized systems in nature
+
+For decentralized systems on [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decentralised_system), we learn; "One of the most well-known examples of a "natural" decentralized system is one used by insect colonies such as Ants. In these insect colonies, control is distributed among the biological agents who act upon local information and local interactions to create complex and universal behavior collectively. While individually exhibiting simple behaviors, these agents achieve universal goals such as feeding the colony or raising the brood using dynamical mechanisms like non-explicit communication and exploiting their closely coupled action and perception systems. Without any form of central authority, these insect colonies achieve their universal goals by performing required tasks and by responding to changing conditions in their external environment. They also adjust the number of workers performing each task to ensure the completion of all tasks. For example, ant colonies guide their global behavior (in terms of foraging, patrolling, brood care, and nest maintenance) using a pulsing, shifting web of Spatio-temporal patterned interactions that rely on antennal contact rate and olfactory sensing. While these interactions consist of both interactions with the environment and each other, ants do not direct the behavior of other ants. They thus never have a "central controller" dictating what is to be done to achieve global goals."
+<br/>
+<br/>
+So nature has provided us with solid examples of centralized and decentralized systems.  For much of what works in the modern world, we have ended up using the centralized model governing enterprises and countries.  Various industries have also adopted the centralized model where there is a pyramid structure, and everything works towards the alpha males.
+
+## A different approach to creating and operating IT workloads
+
+What if we can develop a new concept for creating, deploying, and operating IT workloads.  What if we say goodbye to the centralized way of controlling IT workloads.  Can we develop an idea that works in a decentralized way?
+
+### The concept
+
+To build this concept, we will draw the use of the human way of operating a large ship. The crew of a vessel has different roles, which we will call the *coordinators*. Some of these coordinators could be a captain, officers, engineers, and oilers.  These coordinators have in-depth knowledge of their specific tasks but usually lack a detailed understanding of the other roles. In the "hive" of a ship, the specific requests to get tasks done are sent to coordinators who will receive, interpret, execute their particular tasks, and report the (non-) progress of these tasks or subtasks.  For example, the captain will create and agree to a schedule of maintenance tasks for the engine room. These are daily, weekly and monthly tasks that should be completed by the engineers and oilers. The engineers and oilers do not get continuous input from the captain. They get one instruction to follow the schedule and know what needs to be done for every task. The intermediate state (what is complete and what still needs to be addressed) is stored by the coordinators executing the tasks. This is the most efficient way of accomplishing tasks.
+
+### Jumping to the IT industry
+
+If we bring this concept to the IT world, we conclude that today's IT systems are built in a significantly different way.  Most architectures (if not all) have a central facility that stores *all* information and *all* states of activity in a so-called central 'database.' A general norm within IT. However, these types of architectures are inefficient and are very complex - like the ship analogy -  a central command room (database) is created where every coordinator needs to report back. (1) The current level of activity, (2) the completion (state) of tasks, (3) the proper understanding of upcoming tasks by the coordinator to accomplish tasks in-progress or future - hence leading to the undesirable outcome of complexity due to centralization. 
+<br/>
+<br/>
+In the ship example, we deem this type of functioning/workflow inefficient; however, in the IT world, it is a common way of doing it.  Furthermore, IT infrastructures usually have different databases to store "state" in different parts of the IT architecture.  The analogy would translate to different command rooms that orchestrate different functions on the ship in our ship. This, in turn, introduces the need for another role in starting coordinating between the different command rooms to ensure that all information is shared and communicated. Taking this pattern forward leads to an endless loop of adding interfaces, layers, bridges between different parts of the system that all store information, multiple times, and in different ways.  
+
+### Datastores
+
+By design, a decentralized IT  architecture should not use centralized data storage (databases) for multiple tasks (roles). It instead should feature a similar approach to the way of functioning as in the 'ship' example. In this architecture,  roles get short and precise instructions of the jobs to be completed and autonomously execute.  We call these execution engines *coordinators*.  Coordinators receive instructions, run on instructions and store all information about the current task *locally.*  They store all the relevant information in a local storage facility (available to the individual coordinators only) and provide information about the state of execution if and when other coordinators ask for a state update.
+
+## Magical Coordinator
+
+### Requirements to let actor based management work
+<br/>
+<br/>
+* Less complexity
+
+* State only with the actor itself (no-where else !!!)
+
+* Understood language between actors 
+
+* Process = recipes of a cook, NOT IN A DB
+<br/>
+<br/>
+
+## Actor based IT solutions 
+
+To simplify common IT architectures, we should look at a   new way of creating such a system that takes the current standards into account:
+<br/>
+<br/>
+* No people involved in integrating different components into a single solution
+
+    * Which, as a consequence, means no revenue generation based on creating and managing complexity.
+
+* No central state / operational data storage
+
+* Individual automated actors with specific knowledge for specific tasks
+
+* Independent operating actors completing specific tasks
+<br/>
+<br/>
+Such a system should ideally be owned by many (not just a single organization, bringing centralization back into the equations) that operate IT tasks for many.  We have not seen such a system in existence, but we are as TFTech building and rolling out technology that can do this.
+<br/>
+<br/>
+We believe that IT's future is in decentralization where specific coordinators (bots) will roam a network of capacity looking for a task to do, making themselves available where needed, creating more of them when the system grows, and allowing the global population to deploy and operate IT workloads.