The Alexandria Project
using blockchain for the preservation & dissemintion of human knowledge.
The Library of Alexandria was one of the largest and most significant libraries of ancient civilization. It contained an estimated 40,000 to 400,000 papyrus scrolls at its height, and represented a vast wealth of information pertaining to the foundations, and systematic studies of, mathematics, physics, biology, astronomy, literature, geography, and medicine, among others.
By the second century AD, usage of the library had declined and, under wartime conditions, it was burned to the ground along with all of its contents and information. Lost. Forever.
Today, no one truly knows what was lost with the Library of Alexandria. However, technological innovations are making it possible for such losses to never happen again.
The Alexandria Project (TAP) is an open-source initiative led by Cardano community members interested in using Web 3.0 technology to increase human understandings of each other and the world we live in.
Just think:
for just a few dollars, you could create trillions of digital assets that contain PDFs full of information.
sending them can be as easy as sending a text message. storing them can be as easy a memorizing 15 words.
secured by blockchain technology, and powered by Cardano.
a library in your wallet: permissionless. decentralized.
what’s inside, and what you do with it, is up to you.
TAP in to your mind.
Proof-of-Concept
The Ouroboros Papers
the first 21 million copies of The Ouroboros Papers being minted alongside the CNFT ecosystem
The Ouroboros Papers
PROOF-OF-CONCEPT for The Alexandria Project (TAP).
one thicc asset with 6 PDFs and 69 million copies.
VIEW ON POOL.PM - check it out and read the papers if you want.
every university on the planet could be using this technology for their course syllabus.
“Dear class, the reading is in your wallet.”
limitations for ideas like TAP simply reflect the technology platforms at our disposal and our abilities (or willingness) to use them. Over time this will likely be radically different. But even in these early stages: Sending one copy of the Ouroboros Papers is as easy as texting your boo, and is like sending a mini-library inside of a single asset.
in other words: a library in your wallet.
secured by blockchain. all yours forever if you still have the seed-phrase.
what, then, is stopping us from backing up all human knowledge this way? A bunch of things, honestly. But we can keep moving in that direction—together. LFG.
no need for the Library of Alexandria to happen again because it could be backed up on a blockchain.
MINT: 69,000,000 copies (in other words, a native asset/fungible token)
WEN: minted 22 November 2021
HOW: using Cardano-Tools.io and Pool.pm Metadata Test (tutorial below)
Operational Costs:
1.6 ADA for single-transaction mint of 69 million.
2 ADA network fees for sending (because of file-size of this asset).
Proof-of-Concept #2
open-source journal LDC Vol 1, No. 1
69 Million copies of LDC Vol 1 no. 1 being minted alongside the CNFT ecosystem
Language Documentation & Conservation, Vol. 1 No. 1
full open-source academic journal publication.
one thicc asset with 14 PDFs and 69 million copies.
VIEW ON POOL.PM - check it out and read the journal if you want.
outside of open-source journals, may academic publications are hidden behind paywalls, making the information inaccessible to readers without the capital to pay for these fees. blockchain challenges this infrastructure by making the dissemination of files more efficient, and opening the door for different forms of monetization with respect to the production of human knowledge.
current databases for academic publications, furthermore, are inconsistent across platforms and in many cases difficult to navigate. minting a full publication into a single asset makes the information much more consolidated and accessible for readers.
MINT: 69,000,000 copies (in other words, a native asset/fungible token)
WEN: minted 22 November 2021
HOW: using Cardano-Tools.io and Pool.pm Metadata Test (tutorial below)
Operational Costs:
1.6 ADA for single-transaction mint of 69 million.
2 ADA network fees for sending (because of file-size of this asset).
Proof-of-Concept #3
Harei Pataom Mbaok
69 million copies of an indigenous folk song in an endangered language being minted alongside the CNFT ecosystem.
Harei Pataom Mbaok
indigenous folk music in an endangered language, backed-up for the next generation
single asset with video, English translation, audio, and sheet music.
VIEW ON POOL.PM - check it out and learn the song if you want.
- video - translation - audio - sheet music blockchain makes it impossible for any bad actors to take this off the internet. 69 million copies—good luck
MINT: 69,000,000 copies (in other words, a native asset/fungible token)
WEN: minted 22 November 2021
HOW: using Cardano-Tools.io and Pool.pm Metadata Test (tutorial below)
Operational Costs:
1.6 ADA for single-transaction mint of 69 million.
2 ADA network fees for sending (because of file-size of this asset).
Proof-of-Concept #4
Class 23
69 million copies of an entire university lecture being minted alongside the CNFT ecosystem.
Blockchain & Money: Class 23 Digital Identity
an entire university lecture inside your wallet
single asset with video lecture, lecture transcript, lecture slides, class readings, study questions, and syllabus.
VIEW ON POOL.PM - check it out and attend the lecture if you want.
Source: MIT Open Courseware: Blockchain & Money w/ Dr. Gary Gensler
MINT: 69,000,000 copies (in other words, a native asset/fungible token)
WEN: minted 22 November 2021
HOW: using Cardano-Tools.io and Pool.pm Metadata Test (tutorial below)
Operational Costs:
1.6 ADA for single-transaction mint of 69 million.
2 ADA network fees for sending (because of file-size of this asset).
Initiatives
some problem areas worthy of consideration.
🍜🧠📚
just ideas, for now.
Educational Instruction
Problem(s):
educational resources like textbooks and other reading materials are often prohibitively expensive.
distribution of these resources among students is inconsistent and technologically inefficient across universities and other educational institutions.
Potential Applications:
all course reading materials minted into a digital asset on a blockchain network. the number of copies is only limited by the network.
distribute reading materials to student wallets individually, or create an air-drop system for all students enrolled in a course.
Endangered Languages, Heritage Traditions, & Indigenous Knowledge
Problem(s):
the majority of the world’s languages face the threat of extinction,
cultural heritage traditions face similar challenges,
indigenous communities around the world have vast knowledge of the planet in terms of nature (ecology, biology, astronomy, among others), as well as human experience (body & mind), but most of this information remains undocumented and/or lost over generations.
Potential Applications:
use blockchain as a resource for the preservation of this information and different forms of human experience.
use blockchain to build resources for the continued use and the generational transmission of this information
empower local communities to become the stewards of their heritage without fear of any one person, or group, opposing them.
Endangered Archives
Problem(s):
the archival records of the world are vastly analog and do not have digital presence, making their lifespan only as long, and as durable, as the materials they are written or printed on.
the majority of the world’s databases for archives of human knowledge and experience are unevenly distributed, technologically archaic, and in many cases, inaccessible for everyday people.
Potential Applications:
use web 3.0 technology to improve these conditions.
use blockchain as means to back up and preserve human knowledge from an archival point-of-view.
no longer worry about mismanagement of database resources or the gatekeeping of this information by institutions.
Everyday Instructional Guides
Problem(s):
learning everyday skills like cooking or auto mechanics often results in people going down the Youtube rabbit hole, and trying to find 10 or more different audiovisual resources for a single problem.
Potential Applications:
use blockchain technology and native assets to create how-to guides for different topics, such as growing a tomato plant or changing your tire. one-stop shop resources for everyday learning.
DYOPublication
Problem(s):
publication of written and audiovisual materials is often difficult and inaccessible for the average person.
Potential Applications:
create a world where publication to public blockchains is the most recognized platform in terms of its security and distribution for potential.
Media
further resources for continued explorations of these topics