Happy New Year – and huge thanks, as ever, for your support.

This week’s update focuses on Vinay Gupta, the author of The Future of Stuff.

Vinay helped to design Dubai’s National Blockchain Strategy, was the release coordinator for the Ethereum blockchain, and is now CEO of Mattereum, the company organizing the world's property and making it universally accessible and useful.

He has contributed to US Department of Defense research, advised Arup on urban resilience and was associate fellow at the UCL Institute for Security and Resilience.

His approach to planning and writing his essay is highly synergistic with the Unbound crowdfunding model: he has posted a draft outline of the essay online and is inviting – crowdsourcing – comments. So, if you’d like to contribute to the writing as well as to the funding/reading of FUTURES, visit The Future of Stuff Google Doc and join in.

At the time of writing this, some of the aspects of the essay that Vinay is thinking about include

1. The extent to which we are defined by our stuff and how “stuff” is the props we use to tell the stories of our lives: these props take on meaning both functionally and socially.
2. How we get and pay for stuff is almost as important as what the stuff is
3. How and why the stuff that makes stuff is special – “meta” – stuff.
4. Cognitive stuff is the future of stuff … which doesn’t mean what most of us think it does.
5. Digital wallets for stuff will enable us both to know what we own and enable “de-owning” (in contrast to throwing away).
6. What this means for individuals, societies and the planet.

Read more and comment here.

Vinay’s unique pledge offer: The Blockchain Edition

Vinay is also offering an exclusive two-hour session with him, during which he’ll teach you why the laws of physics limit how our computers can work together, why the blockchain is necessary glue for truly global trade, and how states, corporations and individuals can meet on an even footing in tomorrow's internet. Also includes three sets of FUTURES books (one set signed).

If you or your organisation want to welcome Vinay, pledge here. Or, if you're interested, but want more information, email me and we can chat.