Banqueer: geographic diversity, censorship resistance, and UBI in Ethereum

Traducción en español abajo.

This is the first grant that we proposed to form the queer bank.

Team summary

The hackerspace from Costa Rica is a laboratory for experimenting with free technologies.

We have a virtual bunqueer in https://bunqueer.jaquerespeis.org and a non-virtual bunqueer in Barrio Escalante, in the center of San José. In these spaces we collaborate with our friends who bring varied skills and ways of knowing, we are always making remixes with everything and everybody that shows up. We hack technology, we disassemble, redesign, build, remix, and repair it to support our local non-digital interests, from music to agriculture, territory, language, and healing.

Project name

Banqueer: geographic diversity, censorship resistance, and UBI in Ethereum

Previous work

We have been working for 15 years promoting free software, free hardware, and free culture in Central America.

Currently we have active projects (tagged as “proyecto” in our bunqueer) focused on collaborative maps, the right to repair, book sharing, bartering, farmers markets, learning about technology and magic, translations and local radios:
https://bunqueer.jaquerespeis.org/tag/proyecto

What is the project

In the banqueer we share our abundance in small local spirals grounded in the history and economic cycles of the south.

This is the first part of the project. We will start running Ethereum validators from our homes and data center in order to be present and loud on this new global economy being built, to share the knowledge of the technical aspects of cryptocurrencies, to make sure that the system is geographically decentralized, and to spread the earnings with our community.

This grant is for getting one low-budget arm device to run one validator node in the Sepolia testnet. We will base our work on https://ethereum-on-arm-documentation.readthedocs.io/, we will document all our work in Spanish to be replicated by our friends from hackerspaces in Latin America, we will share the knowledge with the members of our hackerspace and form a core team interested in building the queer bank.

Phase 0, testnet

1 month

Test ethereum on arm. (this is the scope of this grant)

Once we have the validator stable and producing blocks, we will continue the next phases. We will ask for more grants, contributions and investments to support this work.

Phase 1, mainnet

3 months

Build 5 arm devices, spread them in different places in Costa Rica for geographic diversity, with different bandwidth, power supply, and technical experience for accessibility. This cluster will be one Ethereum mainnet validator using distributed validator technology for resilience, all possible combinations of client software for diversity, and proposing transactions from the mempool for censorship resistance. We will collaborate with open collective to make sure that we can receive funds and use them in a transparent and legal way.

Phase 2, rosca

9 months

The profit from operating the validator, plus donations, plus the resources from the team will be pooled for circular credits without interest. We will experiment about banking for well-being, will learn from ancient economic practices that resonate with the cycles of this land, will focus on healing our relations with all the vibrations that support us. We will collaborate with Ethereum to make sure that the protocol is inclusive and decentralized.

Phase 3, ubi

1 year

Share the abundance, turn the circle into a spiral. Start a universal basic income for all the contributors of the jaquerespeis. We will work with https://circles.garden/, expand our bartering market, make workshops in the communities of our friends, learn from their ways of existence, promote more validators seeded by the Latin American hackerspaces.

Phase 4, liquid

5 years

How do we relate with the global economy outside of our trusted spiral? How do we relate with the people who inhabit our non-virtual communities, or who have been dispossessed from their lands?

We can run more validators and mint a liquid token to reward investors. We will collaborate with rocket pool, lido and ethstakers. We can run nodes, sequencers, relays, builders, searchers, connecting to other chains, extract more value, and replicate the model.

What problems are being solved?

Validators are all in the north, all in a handful of corporate data centers, 2/3 controlled by Lido and Coinbase.

We will start a project to have low-budget validators in many houses in the south.

The first question: is the technology ready? That’s what we will explore on this grant. Collaborate with the client development teams to make sure that nodes can run in raspberry pis and similar devices.

Following questions: how can we fund the 32 eth? how can we spread and multiply the abundance that results from operating the node, how can we share our learnings about cryptocurrencies and the opportunities that result from not being enslaved to a local bank, to local capitalistic corporations, to patriarchal governments? how can we connect to local economies that are based on trust and do not require complicated cryptography? how can we connect to the global economy without replicating its violence? how can we do it without extracting every possible profit for individual gain? how can we do it without disconnecting ourselves from our land, our past and our future?

Why is your project important?

The ways of the north have been imposed on the south for 500 years. It has not worked. This land resists, it is generous, its cycles keep renewing it, its people resist and rebel. There is so much to learn from these ways of being. It is fundamental for a global economic system to be decentralized and allow others to participate. It is critical for the evolution of the system to integrate what these others have to teach us.

How does your project differ from similar ones?

ethstaker, eth on arm, lido, rocket pool, flashbots, ethereum foundation, client development teams will all be allies. We will start by testing their software, following their guides, and providing feedback based on the limited constraints of the operation from homes in the south. The following phases will be about integrating global crypto economies with local trust-based ancient economies.

Requested amount

USD 2000

Is your project a public good?

Yes. Everything we do will be publicly documented. We will contribute back to all the free software projects used. The node will be active in the Ethereum sepolia test network. The rewards will be shared with our community. We will support others who want to replicate and adjust the model to their context.

What are your plans after the grant is completed?

After making sure that the software and hardware are ready for mainnet, we will need to get $2500 for more devices, and 32eth for the stake. We will get more grants and open the project for donations for this phase.

After we have one node operating, it should be self-sustainable and a little profitable. To continue with the next phases, we will need more people to join the project.

Este es el primer grant que propusimos para formar el banco queer.

Sobre el equipo

El hackerspace de Costa Rica es un laboratorio para experimentar con tecnologías libres.
Tenemos dos espacios de trabajo: un bunqueer virtual en https://bunqueer.jaquerespeis.org y un bunqueer no virtual en Barrio Escalante, en el centro de San José. Aquí colaboramos con nuestres amigues, quienes se nos unen con variadas habilidades y formas de conocimento. Siempre estamos haciendo remezclas con las personas y las cosas que nos encontramos.
Jaqueamos tecnologías, las diseñamos, construimos, remezclamos y reparamos para que sostengan nuestros intereses no digitales, desde música hasta agricultura, territorio, lenguaje y sanación.

Nombre del proyecto

Banqueer: diversidad geográfica, resistencia a la censura, y renta básica universal en Ethereum.

Trabajo previo

Hemos trabajado por 15 años promoviendo el software libre, hardware libre y cultura libre en América Central.
Actualmente tenemos proyectos activos (con la etiqueta “proyecto” en nuestro bunqueer) enfocados en mapas colaborativos, el derecho a reparar, compartir libros, trueke, mercados de productos agrícolas, aprendizaje sobre tecnología y magia, traducciones, y radios locales:
https://bunqueer.jaquerespeis.org/tag/proyecto

Sobre el proyecto

En el banqueer compartimos nuestra abundancia en pequeñas espirales locales enraizadas en la historia y los ciclos económicos del sur.

Esta es la primera parte del proyecto. Empezaremos ejecutando validadores desde nuestras casas y centro de datos para hacernos presentes y ruidosos en esta nueva economía global que está en construcción, para compartir el conocimiento de los aspectos técnicos de las criptomonedas, para asegurarnos de que el sistema sea decentralizado en geografía, y para distribuir las ganancias con nuestra comunidad.

Esta propuesta es para comprar un dispositivo arm de bajo costo, para ejecutar un nodo validador en la red de pruebas Sepolia. Basaremos nuestro trabajo en https://ethereum-on-arm-documentation.readthedocs.io/, documentaremos todo nuestro trabajo en español para que sea replicado por nuestres amigues en hackerspaces de América Latina, compartiremos el conocimiento con las personas que forman parte de nuestro hackerspace y formaremos un equipo interesado en crear el banco queer.

Fase 0, testnet

1 mes

Probar ethereum en arm (este es el alcance de esta propuesta)

Una vez que tengamos el validador estable y produciendo bloques, continuaremos con las siguientes fases. Haremos más propuestas para obtener fondos, recibiremos contribuciones e inversión para financiar este trabajo.

Fase 1, mainnet

3 meses

Instalaremos 5 dispositivos arm, distribuidos en distintos lugares de Costa Rica para probar la decentralización geográfica, con diversos recursos de ancho de banda, electricidad y experiencia técnica, para probar la accesibilidad. Este cluster será un validador en la mainnet de Ethereum usando tecnologías de validación distribuida, para probar resiliencia, con todas las posibles combinaciones de clientes, para probar diversidad de implementaciones, y proponiendo transacciones desde el mempool para probar resistencia a la censura. Colaboraremos con Open Collective para asegurar que podemos recibir dinero y usarlo de una forma transparente y legal.

Fase 2, rosca

9 meses

Combinaremos las ganancias de operar un validador, más las donaciones, más los recursos del equipo, para experimentar con créditos circulares sin intereses. Sembraremos un banco para el buen vivir, aprenderemos sobre practicas económicas ancestrales que resuenan con los ciclos de esta tierra, nos enfocaremos en sanar nuestras relaciones con todas las vibraciones que nos sostienen. Colaboraremos con Ethereum para asegurar que el protocolo es inclusivo y decentralizado.

Fase 3, ingreso básico universal

1 año

Compartir la abundancia, convertir el circulo en una espiral. Iniciar el ingreso básico universal para todes quienes contribuyen con el jaquerespeis. Trabajaremos con https://circles.garden/, ampliaremos nuestro mercado de trueke, facilitaremos sesiones de trabajo en las comunidades de nuestres amigues, aprenderemos de sus formas de existencia, promoveremos más validadores sembrados en hackerspaces de América Latina.

Fase 4, liquidez

5 años

¿Cómo nos relacionamos con la economía global fuera de nuestra espiral de confianza? ¿Cómo nos relacionamos con las personas que habitan nuestras comunidades no virtuales y con quienes fueron destituides de sus tierras?

Podemos ejecutar más validadores y acuñar un token líquido para reconocer a nuestres inversores. Colaboraremos con rocket pool, lido y ethstakers. Podemos ejecutar nodos, secuenciadores, relays, constructores de bloques, buscadores, conectando otras cadenas, extrayendo más valor, y replicando el modelo.

¿Qué problemas estamos solucionando?

Los validadores están todos en el norte, todos en un pequeñito grupo de centros de datos, 2/3 controlados por Lido y Coinbase.

Empezaremos un proyecto para tener validadores de bajo costo en muchas casas en el sur.

La primera pregunta: ¿está la tecnología ya lista? Eso es lo que exploraremos en este grant. Colaboraremos con los equipos de desarrollo del software validador para asegurarnos que pueden ejecutar en raspberry pis y dispositivos similares.

Siguientes preguntas: ¿Cómo podemos financiar los 32 eth? ¿Cómo podemos distribuir y multiplicar la abundancia que resulta de operar el nodo, cómo podemos compartir nuestro aprendizaje acerca de criptomonedas y las oportunidades que resultan de no ser esclaves de un banco local, de corporaciones capitalistas, de gobiernos patriarcales? ¿Cómo podemos conectarnos con las economías locales basadas en la confianza que no requieren criptografía complicada? ¿Cómo podemos conectarnos con la economía global sin replicar su violencia? ¿Cómo podemos hacerlo sin extraer toda la ganancia posible para el enriquecimiento individual? ¿Cómo podemos hacerlo sin desconectarnos de nuestra tierra, nuestro pasado y nuestro futuro?

¿Por qué este proyecto es importante?

Las formas de existir europeas y norte americanas han sido impuestas en el sur por 500 años. Esto no ha funcionado. Esta tierra resiste, es generosa, sus ciclos siguen renovándola, esta gente resiste y se revela. Hay mucho por aprender de estas otras formas de ser. Es fundamental decentralizar los sistemas económicos globales y permitir que otres participen. Es crítico para la evolución del sistema integrar lo que estas otras personas tienen para enseñarnos.

¿Cómo se diferencia este proyecto con otros similares?

ethstaker, eth on arm, lido, rocket pool, flashbots, ethereum foundation, los equipos de desarrollo del software de validación, todes serán aliades. Empezaremos probando su software, siguiendo sus guías, y brindando retroalimentación de lo que encontremos al ejecutar con las limitaciones de operar en nuestras casas en el sur. Las fases siguientes serán sobre integración de economías crypto globales con economías locales ancestrales y basadas en la confianza.

Monto solicitado

USD 2000

¿Es este proyecto un bien común?

Sí. Todo será documentado y publicado. Contribuiremos de vuelta con todos los proyectos de software libre que usaremos. El nodo estará activo en la red de pruebas Sepolia en Ethereum. Las ganancias serán compartidas con nuestra comunidad. Apoyaremos a otres que quieran replicar y ajustar el modelo a su contexto.

¿Cuál es el plan luego de que el grant sea completado?

Luego de asegurarnos de que el software y el hardware están listos para mainnet, necesitaremos obtener $2500 para más dispositivos y 32 eth para el stake. Solicitaremos más grants y abriremos el proyecto para recibir donaciones.

Luego de que un nodo esté en operación, este debería ser autosostenible y un poco rentable. Para continuar con las siguientes fases necesitaremos que más personas se unan al proyecto.

1 me gusta

Mencanta <3
Cuenten con mi apoyo.

1 me gusta

Qué bien @smosgasbord. Ya pedimos el hardware, cuando nos llegue nos reuniremos a estudiarlo e instalarlo. Cuando lo tengamos avisamos de la fecha de reunión.

Y a partir de ahí vamos compartiendo tareas.

1 me gusta

Apliqué a Run a Node Grants: Run A Node Grants | Ethereum Foundation ESP

Con esto podríamos dar inicio a la fase 1 del plan del banqueer, iniciar el cluster de nodos y conectarlos a mainnet. Esta es la aplicación:

Team/ Individuals Description - A brief summary of you or your team’s relevant experience

The hackerspace from Costa Rica is a laboratory for experimenting with free technologies.

We have two workspaces:

In these spaces we collaborate with our friends who bring varied skills and ways of knowing, we are always making remixes with everything and everybody that shows up. We hack technology, we disassemble, redesign, build, remix, and repair it to support our local non-digital interests, from music to agriculture, territory, language, and healing.

We have been working for 15 years promoting free software, free hardware, and free culture in Central America.

Currently we have active projects (tagged as “proyecto” in our bunqueer) focused on collaborative maps, the right to repair, book sharing, bartering, farmers markets, learning about technology and magic, translations and local radios:
https://bunqueer.jaquerespeis.org/tag/proyecto

Describe your motivation for running a node.

One of the projects we are running is called the banqueer. It starts with a low budget low bandwidth node to test arm devices and ethereum client software, then it grows into a cluster of nodes with DVT, and eventually lands in a circle of credits without interest for the communities that maintain the nodes.

For this project we got an initial small grant of $2000 from Ethereum Foundation and EthKipu. With this money we bought the hardware and paid for the time of the 5 contributors that will be testing, reporting issues, translating and writing guides, and maintaining the node in testnet. Currently, we are waiting for the hardware to go through customes.

More details here:

After the testing phase we need more budget to run the cluster of nodes in mainnet. With an extra grant we can pay for the hardware of the second node and the stake to register the validator. Copying the 5 phases from the above link, note that now we are looking for support to get started with phase 1.

Phase 0, testnet

1 month

Test ethereum on arm. (this is the scope of the EthKipu grant)

Once we have the validator stable and producing blocks, we will continue the next phases. We will ask for more grants, contributions and investments to support this work.

Phase 1, mainnet (this run-a-node-grant will help us getting this phase started)

3 months

Build 5 arm devices, spread them in different places in Costa Rica for geographic diversity, with different bandwidth, power supply, and technical experience for accessibility. This cluster will be one Ethereum mainnet validator using distributed validator technology for resilience, all possible combinations of client software for diversity, and proposing transactions from the mempool for censorship resistance. We will collaborate with open collective to make sure that we can receive funds and use them in a transparent and legal way.

Phase 2, rosca

9 months

The profit from operating the validator, plus donations, plus the resources from the team will be pooled for circular credits without interest. We will experiment about banking for well-being, will learn from ancient economic practices that resonate with the cycles of this land, will focus on healing our relations with all the vibrations that support us. We will collaborate with Ethereum to make sure that the protocol is inclusive and decentralized.

Phase 3, ubi

1 year

Share the abundance, turn the circle into a spiral. Start a universal basic income for all the contributors of the jaquerespeis. We will work with https://circles.garden/, expand our bartering market, make workshops in the communities of our friends, learn from their ways of existence, promote more validators seeded by the Latin American hackerspaces.

Phase 4, liquid

5 years

How do we relate with the global economy outside of our trusted spiral? How do we relate with the people who inhabit our non-virtual communities, or who have been dispossessed from their lands?

We can run more validators and mint a liquid token to reward investors. We will collaborate with rocket pool, lido and ethstakers. We can run nodes, sequencers, relays, builders, searchers, connecting to other chains, extract more value, and replicate the model.

Describe your expertise and experience with nodes and clients.

I work as a researcher at Flashbots, and during the past year I coordinated our team in preparation for MEV-boost and the merge. As part of that I continuously ran all the possible combinations of execution and consensus clients. I’ve also been a linux sysadmin in the past, but I’m just maintaining a couple of servers now.

Members of our hackerspace that will contribute to this project are running a rocketpool node in the cloud. We are also experimenting with staking through lido and coinbase.

We have a datacenter in our non-virtual hackerspace where many services are maintained, like email, dns, storarge, streaming, vpn… We have plenty of experience with infrastructure-as-code and keeping servers secure and running.

Proposed Impact

Again, copying from the description of our banqueer project:

The ways of the north have been imposed on the south for 500 years. It has not worked. This land resists, it is generous, its cycles keep renewing it, its people resist and rebel. There is so much to learn from these ways of being. It is fundamental for a global economic system to be decentralized and allow others to participate. It is critical for the evolution of the system to integrate what these others have to teach us.

Validators are all in the north, all in a handful of corporate data centers, 2/3 controlled by Lido and Coinbase.

We will start a project to have low-budget validators in many houses in the south.

The first question: is the technology ready? That’s what we are exploring on the EthKipu grant. Collaborate with the client development teams to make sure that nodes can run in raspberry pis and similar devices.

Following questions: how can we fund the 32 eth? how can we spread and multiply the abundance that results from operating the node, how can we share our learnings about cryptocurrencies and the opportunities that result from not being enslaved to a local bank, to local capitalistic corporations, to patriarchal governments? how can we connect to local economies that are based on trust and do not require complicated cryptography? how can we connect to the global economy without replicating its violence? how can we do it without extracting every possible profit for individual gain? how can we do it without disconnecting ourselves from our land, our past and our future?

Total amount

1000$ + 32 eth

Challenges

  • Some client software might not be able to run on low budget servers, so we will be limited to run the most efficient ones. The first device will be used for testing, so we will report all our issues to the development teams, raise awareness for devices outside of datacenters in the north, and help as beta testers for every improvement.
  • To form the cluster of 5 devices we still require more funds. Getting one test node running just requires a couple of thousands of dollars. Getting a cluster in mainnet raises the budget a lot. The challenge it to get all the funds until the project can sustain itself with the validator rewards.
  • The DVT technology won’t be ready for our use case, which is a trusted cluster of low budget, low bandwidth nodes. We will raise the importance of this usecase and work with the development teams as beta testers too.
  • Paying the contributors in Costa Rica is challenging, because there is no legislation for the use of cryptocurrency, local banks close accounts when the deposited money comes from crypto, the exchanges are not available here, nor debit cards or anything, and informal exchange is risky. We are preparing a separate grant to explore the options and start the conversation with the government to make use of cryptocurrencies clear and legal. This is the underlying challenge, because unless we can pay our contributors in a way that they can use to support the expenses of their families, we are replicating an extractivist colonialist capitalist model taking advantage of cheap labor in the South. At Flashbots we are researching the redistribution topic to imagine ways to do it differently: https://collective.flashbots.net/t/re-distribution-study-circle/1548
1 me gusta