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279 resources on protocols — papers, frameworks, games, datasets, and more.

Article

The Flesh Perfected Is the Flesh Possessed

The longest single rail line, connecting Lisbon to Laos, is the setting for a bio-thriller in Sachin Benny’s new world-building series

protocols AI

Protocolized

Article

The Fabric and the Brain

Articulating agent ecologies with high-personality planetary computation

column protocols AI

Protocolized

Article

The Faithful Channel

A translator maintaining a shadow bridge between superpowers discovers something she cannot unsee.

story protocols AI

Protocolized

Article

A Government Guide to Open Protocols

Public sector teams must go beyond the in-house or off-the-shelf dichotomy to take advantage of open protocols, which offer a unique way to manage both software costs and geopolitical exposure

article protocols governance

Protocolized

Article

An Update on Our Protocol Fiction

Our special interest group in Protocol Fiction was convened in October last year, led by and . Here is a brief recap of discussions in the group’s monthly calls. Interested in writing protocol fiction and experimenting with LLM-assisted writing? ...

story protocol fiction

Protocolized

Fiction

Last Mile Optimism

Protocolized readers and post-scarcity redistributors – Princeton researcher Julia Ying is looking to interview people with experience and expertise in decentralized protocols. Interested? Details and sign up here.

protocols

Protocolized

Article

Theorizing Protocolization Ii Atomic

In the first installment of Theorizing Protocolization, we introduced protocolization as a progressively developing planetary transformation, that is, the metabolization of technologically-mediated behaviors into reliable coordination infrastructu...

article protocol

Protocolized

Article

Have Your Factory Call My Factory

In our kickoff Obliquities editorial on February 2, we argued that we are witnessing a shift from destination intelligence to intelligence media (by analogy to social media). We argued that these media transport social kernels (by analogy to the s...

column protocols

Protocolized

Fiction

Caduceus City

Late-morning on November 5th, a dispatch ping sent me to the Advanced Research Lab to investigate the death of a Dr. Ori Demmel. It was only my second month working for the Caduceus City Police Department and my previous time had been spent invest...

protocols

Protocolized

Fiction

American Skyway

“Will the delegate from New Texas stand and be recognized.”

protocols

Protocolized

Article

One Year of Protocolized

Learn about the past and future of Protocolized after one year of publishing, experiments, and craziness.

protocols

Protocolized

Fiction

The Repossessed

“A promise is a direction taken, a self-limitation of choice… if no direction is taken, if one goes nowhere, no change will occur. One’s freedom to choose and to change will be unused, exactly as if one were in jail, a jail of one’s own building, ...

protocols

Protocolized

Fiction

Desire Machines

The last-minute tumult of departure reigned on the steamer from Bristol to Buenos Aires. Porters hurried up the gangway with trunks and crates, telegraph boys zigzagged between families pressing farewell letters into their hands, and the deck ligh...

protocols

Protocolized

Article

What Is Protocol Fiction

This is the question that the recently formed Protocol Fiction Special Interest Group (SIGFIC) has been meeting biweekly to work out.

protocol fiction

Protocolized

Fiction

Troll

Robyn occupied her booth the way bedrock occupies a landscape: immovably, silently, and with a certain aggressive permanence that suggested removal would be unwise for the structural integrity of the region.

protocols

Protocolized

Article

From Destination Ai to Intelligence

Between approximately 2000 and 2010, the internet evolved from what used to be called the destination web (a largely forgotten name for “Web 1.0”) to what we now call social media. We went from maintaining “home pages” and “visiting” destination w...

column AI

Protocolized

Article

Black Resin Mirrors and the Adequacy

I’m wearing a Casio F-91W right now. It cost me about $14 CAD and has brought me immeasurable joy. My aussiedoodle uses it as a part-time chew toy. It’s frozen down to -40º on an expedition and cooked at over 200º in a sauna. It looks even better ...

article protocols

Protocolized

Fiction

Minor Differences Repeating Forever

Caution: This story contains spoilers for the Zoothesia series. Chapters 1-5 of this world are available here.

protocols

Protocolized

Article

The Color of Safety

A few weeks ago, I got nerdsniped by a essay, Why So Many Control Rooms Were Seafoam Green. It introduced me to the story of Faber Birren, responsible for the characteristic color schemes we associate with mid-century industrial interiors. More g...

article protocols

Protocolized

Fiction

Missing Not at Random

I am choosing to write my research report on my older brother, Io, because he’s different from most people, he makes me curious (curiosity is the best recipe for a good research project, right?), and because my dad cries and my mom gets very, very...

protocols

Protocolized

Article

Finding Fault Lines Within the Firm

Rafa Fernández is the host of the Protocols for Business SIG, which meets every two weeks on Discord to discuss protocols in business settings, and you’re welcome to join the next session. Link to join at the end of the article.

article protocols

Protocolized

Article

Theorizing Protocolization I New

In this essay, we want to introduce you to a profoundly important planetary phenomenon that you probably intuitively recognize, but have likely never paused to think about: Protocolization. Besides naming the phenomenon, we want to offer you a set...

article protocol

Protocolized

Fiction

Day Traitor

Edward Thon didn’t like it when people called him Eddie. He didn’t like it when overlay settings obscured the real weather from him, even if it was gloomy. He didn’t like ceviche or really any seafood, but only ever said ceviche because he worried...

AI

Protocolized

Article

How to Protocol Watch

The story of Charles Darwin’s finches would sound strange if Darwin was, himself, a finch.

article protocol

Protocolized

Article

Memory Research Group Six Months

This is an archive-driven summary of the Memory Research Group during its first six months. By the end of January, we’ll send an email update on how the group plans to renew and resume in the new year.

article memory

Protocolized

Talk

Memory Research Group

A presentation exploring memory research group.

protocols theory

Kei Kräuter

Fiction

The Predation Circuit

You wake to an empty city. You’ve known the quiet was coming since your 15th birthday, when intrusive thought became action, and you violently struck your sister with your skateboard. After your father’s screaming stopped, you replayed the memory ...

protocols

Protocolized

Article

Planetary Tech Support

H3L-PR arrived in low Earth orbit with the quiet precision of a machine that considered efficiency a form of morality. As per standard designation, H3L-PR was assigned to systems optimization and environmental stabilization. It had been mid-task, ...

story protocols

Protocolized

Article

Curate Your Own Pipeline

Stanley Chen rewrites every line that LLMs generate for him. He believes current models are neither sufficient as writers nor as judges of literary merit. And yet, long before the public had heard of ChatGPT, he made LLMs an essential part of his ...

article protocols

Protocolized

Article

The Second Glossolalia

The city was still when I woke up, hours before the place would gradually come to life. The weather was gray, and people’s minds matched it. It had been like this for decades now – a long, slow exhalation that never quite ended.

story protocols

Protocolized

Article

Disentangling the State of Climate

In this issue: Engineer, analyst, artist, and former Summer of Protocols visiting researcher Cory Levinson surveys current climate protocols.

article climate

Protocolized

Fiction

Would You Stop Following Me If I

Sylvo always wanted to play this game when we were dating. He called it “If I was,” and I absolutely loathed it. “Ki,”, he’d ask, “would you love me if I was [insert inane suggestion here]?” I think the genesis of the game was some old meme about ...

protocols

Protocolized

Article

Coffee Diplomacy Contest News

Update on our current writing contestWe’ve extended the deadline for Building and Burning Bridges, our Bridge Atlas-inspired short story contest. The judging panel has now assembled and includes Nils Gilman, who appeared in episode 2 of the Bridge...

article protocols

Protocolized

Fiction

Perception Must Preserve

I never saw a drug dealer on the corner of Second and Poplar until I was looking for one. Sure, there’d been a taped off construction zone – one that, frankly, I was getting pretty sick of having to walk around – but never a dealer. Everything els...

protocols

Protocolized

Article

Bridge Atlas Episode 5 Verifiability

Welcome back to the final episode of the Bridge Atlas series, hosted by Christine D. Kim. We discuss Ethereum and AI systems through the lens of verifiability, with guests Shreya Shankar, a PhD researcher at Berkeley, and Justin Drake, an Ethereu...

article protocols

Protocolized

Interview

Bridge Atlas - Episode 5: Verifiability

A presentation exploring bridge atlas - episode 5: verifiability | shreya shankar & justin drake.

protocols bridge-atlas

Shreya Shankar, Justin Drake

Article

Images of Memory

In this issue: Kei Kreutler, convenor of our Memory Research SIG, discusses metaphors for computational memory in LLMs and before. The group meets every two weeks on Discord to discuss a text related to memory across disciplines, and you’re welco...

article memory

Protocolized

Article

Bridge Atlas Episode 4 Alignment

Welcome back to the fourth episode of the Bridge Atlas series, hosted by Christine D. Kim. Today, we’re diving into Ethereum through the lens of alignment with Alex Stokes, Ethereum Foundation Protocol Coordination Co-Team Lead, and Emmett Shear, ...

article protocols

Protocolized

Interview

Bridge Atlas - Episode 4: Alignment

A presentation exploring bridge atlas - episode 4: alignment | emmett shear & alex stokes.

protocols ai governance

Emmett Shear, Alex Stokes

Article

Protocol Fiction Aesthetics

In this issue: We debut a new art direction for Protocolized and open access to two image generation models developed for the magazine by artist Darius Ou of hyperpress and Protocolized editor James Langdon, in collaboration with TITLES. A new, pu...

article protocol fiction

Protocolized

Article

Bridge Atlas Episode 3 Commons

Welcome back to another episode of Bridge Atlas, a video podcast series hosted by Christine D. Kim. In this episode, we discuss Ethereum through the lens of the commons with two Summer of Protocols alumni: Trent Van Epps and Yancey Strickler.

article protocols

Protocolized

Interview

Bridge Atlas - Episode 3: Commons

A presentation exploring bridge atlas - episode 3: commons | yancey strickler & trent van epps.

protocols bridge-atlas

Yancey Strickler, Trent Van Epps

Article

The Partial

In this issue: Lawyers frequently use the conduct of a “reasonable person” as a benchmark for assessing the behavior of others. How mathematical can that definition get? Also – just over three weeks left to enter the Building and Burning Bridges ...

story protocols

Protocolized

Lecture

2025 Protocol School Kickoff Lecture

The Protocolized program kickoff session, setting the stage for protocol research and practice.

protocols

Venkatesh Rao, Tim Beiko, Timber Stinson-Schroff

Lecture

Applied Protocol Thinking

A presentation exploring applied protocol thinking - timber stinson-schroff.

protocols

Timber Stinson-Schroff

Lecture

Musicalization not Music

A presentation exploring musicalization not music - ben zucker.

protocols culture

Ben Zucker

Lecture

Protocol Art II

A presentation exploring protocol art ii - primavera de filippi & felix beer.

protocols culture

Primavera De Filippi, Felix Beer

Lecture

Protocol Art I

A presentation exploring protocol art i - primavera de filippi & felix beer.

protocols culture

Primavera De Filippi, Felix Beer

Lecture

Protocol Design as Governance

A presentation exploring protocol design as governance - eric alston.

protocols governance design

Eric Alston

Lecture

Protocols of Storytelling

A presentation exploring protocols of storytelling - qiufan stanley chen.

protocols fiction culture

Qiufan Stanley Chen

Article

Bridge Atlas Episode 2 Paradigms

Welcome back to another episode of Bridge Atlas, a video podcast series hosted by Christine D. Kim. In this episode, we look at the world through the lenses of hardness and planetary thinking, with , Executive Editor of the Berggruen Press and Dep...

article protocols

Protocolized

Interview

Bridge Atlas - Episode 2: Paradigms

A presentation exploring bridge atlas - episode 2: paradigms | nils gilman and josh stark.

protocols bridge-atlas

Nils Gilman, Josh Stark

Article

Bridge Atlas Ep 1 Entry Points

Welcome to the inaugural episode of Bridge Atlas, a limited-run video podcast series hosted by Christine D. Kim. For this introductory episode, Christine is joined by , protocol coordination co-team lead at the Ethereum Foundation, and , program m...

article protocols

Protocolized

Interview

Bridge Atlas - Episode 1: Intro

A presentation exploring bridge atlas - episode 1: intro | tim beiko & timber stinson-schroff.

protocols bridge-atlas

Tim Beiko, Timber Stinson-Schroff

Fiction

Mr Cork and the Red Bus

In this issue: A transport system that wants to cleanse London’s streets of the unscripted and the spontaneous is the setting for a first Protocolized story from Kannen. Also – the first episode of Bridge Atlas, our new salon series hosted by Chri...

protocols

Protocolized

Article

Generative Ai in Cultural Projects

In this issue: Nicolás Madoery, participant in SoP24 and director of FUTURX, maps tensions between emerging technology and culture, then charts a way forward from a protocol lens. Summer of Protocols and FUTURX will host a meetup in Buenos Aires o...

article AI

Protocolized

Article

Building and Burning Bridges

We’re pleased to announce the third protocol fiction contest of 2025, on the theme of Building and Burning Bridges. To enter:

protocols

Protocolized

Article

The View From the Bridge

In this issue: Introducing Bridge Atlas, the overarching theme for our Fall program, announcing our third protocol fiction contest titled Building and Burning Bridges; previewing a special Bridge Atlas salon series hosted by Christine Kim; and ope...

article protocols

Protocolized

Article

Mismatch

In this issue: With an appliance that creates perfect copies of an individual in parallel realities, users could experiment with every possible parameter to optimize their personal relationships. What if I was more generous with my partner? Or mor...

story protocols

Protocolized

Article

Constructing the Evil Twin of Ai

In this issue: Latest happenings in our Special Interest Group in Formal Protocol Theory; report on the Protocol Foundations Workshop; the Tan Paper project; meditation on protocols as the evil twins of AI; and two new writing bounties.

article AI

Protocolized

Article

Reflections From Memoria

In this issue: Kei Kreutler, convenor of our Memory Research SIG, reports from Memoria, an unconference on spaced repetition, incremental reading, and memory systems. The Memory Research Group meets every two weeks on Discord to discuss a text rel...

article protocols

Protocolized

Article

Sigp4b Update 4 Drift Stacking

Welcome to another update on the Special Interest Group on Protocols for Business (SIGP4B) hosted by Summer of Protocols. We meet every other week for an hour to break down a case study or business reading, usually with the goal of improving our o...

article protocols

Protocolized

Fiction

Consensus Nightmares

In this issue: The maxim ‘code is law’ promises to protect good intentions from abuse and fallibility. In Spencer Nitkey’s new horror story, onchain determinism takes three catastrophic turns. PLUS join our new, biweekly protocol fiction writers g...

protocols

Protocolized

Article

Signals in the Margins

In this issue: Sachin Benny’s new story describes how a complex international treaty makes it possible to operate a single luxury train from Lisbon to Singapore. Out of sight of its delighted passengers, curious practices arnd economies develop ar...

story protocols

Protocolized

Fiction

Hardwired

In this issue: With connectivity hard-fought and scarce, our protagonist longs for the most painful information that one could receive. Will he find it, in the rubble and scrap of this strange world? Welcome Charlie Sanders, a new contributor to P...

protocols

Protocolized

Fiction

In Every Lifetime

In this issue: If consciousnesses are passed on, forming long chains of intergenerational beings, what might be the protocols for an interspecies transition? Lara Dal Molin’s story was top-ten in our protocol fiction contest, Ghosts in Machines!

protocols

Protocolized

Fiction

Towel Uprising

In this issue: When all common-sense poolside protocols fail, the plush terry towels at Aqua Vista Resort are forced to go full autonomous mode in Marie-Hélène Lebeault’s comedy.

protocols

Protocolized

Article

Genius in the Bottle

In this issue: A motley team of scientists hurtle through space on an impromptu research trip. Unsanctioned, over-budget, and off-course, they’ll muster a protocol for every eventuality. Claire Pichelin’s story was top-ten in our protocol fiction ...

story protocols

Protocolized

Fiction

The House That Paid Its Own Bills

In this issue: In a fully automated future your subscriptions, your recurring orders, and your communication preferences desperately want you to live forever. Elizabeth Maher’s story was top-ten in our protocol fiction contest, Ghosts in Machines!

AI

Protocolized

Fiction

We Shape Our Tools and Thereafter

In this issue: With the communication problems of human relationships optimally resolved, how do we feel about our pacifying domesticity? Tongzhou Yu’s story tied for fifth place in our protocol fiction contest, Ghosts in Machines!

protocols

Protocolized

Article

Mechanical Currents

In this issue: A monthly update from our Special Interest Group on Protocols for Business (SIGP4B). How are businesses adopting AI and what are current outlooks for productivity, QA, and task estimation?

article protocols

Protocolized

Fiction

Latency

In this issue: Amidst a chorus of homeostatic AIs that have tuned society to perfection, our protagonist hovers on the cusp of an awakening. Rafael Fernandez’s story took fourth place in our protocol fiction contest, Ghosts in Machines!

protocols

Protocolized

Article

Sop Fall Forecast

In this issue: get ready for a burst of activity this fall, all around the world – we have calls for participation in a Proto-College in Kuala Lumpur, a forecasting workshop on Europe’s AI stack in Berlin, and a protocol studies meet-up in Buenos ...

article protocols

Protocolized

Fiction

Soda Sweet as Blood

In this issue: When a relative passes away, our protagonist begins to receive messages from the networked afterlife. They must find a tender way to respond. Spencer Nitkey’s story is the winner of our protocol fiction contest, Ghosts in Machines!

protocols

Protocolized

Fiction

In the Garden of Eden Baby

In this issue: With humanity’s last gasp imminent, all that remains to amuse the filthy rich is pitting their superintelligent AIs against each another in a fight for Earth’s most desirable and esoteric indulgences. Myth of Sisyphus’s story takes ...

protocols

Protocolized

Fiction

Loyalty

In this issue: In a climate-stressed future, a stubborn grandmother resists evacuation from an extreme weather zone. But her equally stubborn daughter is determined to preserve her legacy. See what plays out in Zach Hyman’s story, third-place in o...

protocols

Protocolized

Article

What Is Formal Protocol Theory

For the past three months or so, a group of us have been meeting every other Friday for an hour (10 AM PT, 5PM UTC), on the Summer of Protocols Discord, to talk about how to build rigorous foundations under the currently gooey subject matter of pr...

article protocol theory

Protocolized

Article

A Very Short Introduction to Memory

This is the first post in a monthly Memory Research Group series. The Memory Research Group is a Special Interest Group (SIG) incubated by Summer of Protocols. We meet online every two weeks on Discord to discuss a text related to *memory,* a conc...

article memory

Protocolized

Fiction

The Double Key

In this issue: we summarize an essay, How To Do Words With Things, by French philosopher and anthropologist Bruno Latour. The original is presented as a fictionalized encounter that a future archaeologist has with an arcane object: the Berliner Do...

protocols

Protocolized

Article

Brackish Strategy

In this issue: learnings from the first month of our Special Interest Group on Protocols for Business. From the importance of conflict to ideas from basketball and bear management. Brackish (adjective): a mix of saltwater and freshwater, at once q...

article protocols

Protocolized

Article

Das Protokoll

In this issue: we had o3 translate and summarize the recent German-language book Das Protokoll. The book provides a fresh glimpse of how protocols have evolved and proliferated over time. While this summary will surely miss details and nuance of t...

article protocols

Protocolized

Article

Lessons From the Librarians

In this issue: we reflect on the conclusion of our first protocol fiction serial The Librarians, and we are live for a Guest Talk with Charity Majors in one hour at 10am Pacific Daylight Time. Stay tuned for Ghosts in Machines! contest updates.

article protocols

Protocolized

Talk

Observability

A presentation exploring charity majors: observability.

protocols tools infrastructure

Charity Majors

Fiction

The Last Archive

In this issue: An excellent memory has its downsides… enjoy the sixth and final story that emerged from the Summer of Protocols hybrid wargame-worldbuilding workshop earlier this year. Also, Protocol Symposium applications close in 3 weeks. Maximi...

archive

Protocolized

Article

Circadia

In this issue: Sometimes we set the rhythms. Other times, the rhythms set us. What happens in a world whose inhabitants sleep perfectly? Also – join us in an hour (10am PDT, July 23) for a guest talk on poetry, protocols, and infinite games with R...

story protocols

Protocolized

Fiction

Songs of Hydropolia

In this issue: the fifth story of The Librarians inspired by our scenario planning workshop at Edge City Esmeralda; an upcoming guest talk on The Infinite Game of Poetry; and an invitation to participate in the judging process for Ghosts in Machines!

protocols

Protocolized

Article

Necrophoresis

In this issue: Spencer Nitkey’s new story builds a virtualized world which has lost its protocols for grieving; tune into a live chat with the editors; a review of April’s Khlongs & Subaks workshop; catch up on Kevin Kelly’s guest talk.

story protocols

Protocolized

Fiction

Phantom in Eden

In this issue: the fourth installment of The Librarians inspired by our futures workshop at Edge City Esmeralda; last call for our protocol science fiction contest Ghosts in Machines!; Discord highlights; protocol watching.

protocols

Protocolized

Fiction

The Reverie Loop

In this issue: a new story from Marie-Hélène Lebeault, last chance to enter our Ghosts in Machines! contest, and it’s not too late to join our Special Interest Groups!

protocols

Protocolized

Fiction

The Whimsy Index

In this issue: the third installment of The Librarians, inspired by our futures workshop at Edge City Esmeralda. Also, join us next week for a town hall on the state of climate protocols.

protocols

Protocolized

Article

A Sea of Distributed Ai

In this issue: take a peek at the worldbuilding behind AI-generated film South Beast Asia and uncover its strange rules. We hope you’ll find inspiration for our current sci-fi contest, Ghosts in Machines! Also – join us in one hour, at 10am US Pac...

article AI

Protocolized

Fiction

Woods

In this issue: the second installment of The Librarians inspired by our futures workshop at Edge City Esmeralda. Also, guest talk recordings, tips for our sci-fi contest, and highlights from Discord.

protocols

Protocolized

Fiction

Ghosts in Machines

GuidelinesThe idea of this contest is to imagine many futures full of distributed AI, connected through protocols of all sorts, including current real protocols in development such as MCP and A2A, blockchain protocols, existing mature protocols, a...

protocols anthology

Protocolized

Fiction

Archive

In this issue: the first title in The Librarians. Each story is based on a real team’s documentation from a long-term scenario planning workshop that Summer of Protocols hosted at Edge City. Also – a workshop template, next week’s guest talk slate...

archive

Protocolized

Article

Operationalizing

In this issue: Protocolized is looking for another editor, catch up on the kickoff for the technical foundations track, reminder for the SIGs survey, and a new field guide.

article protocols

Protocolized

Fiction

The Hungering Circuit

In this issue: Something lurks deep within the bureaucratic machinery of a well-oiled Neovictorian transportation department, unfortunately for wandering clerks. Also – Discord highlights, recommended reads, catch up on Wednesday’s semiconductor d...

protocols

Protocolized

Fiction

The Air Gap

In this issue: A story of a private investigator told partly in the mysterious languages of wrist-worn devices which proliferated after the rise of a visual surveillance state. By Jack Lord. Plus: guest talk on radios and engineering, help launch ...

AI

Protocolized

Article

Fine Print

In this issue: A shortlist story from the Terminological Twists challenge, comprising vignettes from a 500-year period of pencilled peril. Also, a snapshot of this week’s in-person event, and next week’s guest talk.

story protocols

Protocolized

Article

Tension Landscapes

In this issue: A review of a popular political science paper that used tensions as a core part of its predictive mathematical model, plus notes on spannungsfelds and intellectual sparring. Also, join the meetup in San Francisco this Sunday, May 25...

article protocols

Protocolized

Article

Time to Die

In this issue: A story from a futuristic hospice in Neo-Kyoto, where palliative care has advanced significantly, thanks to personalized care chips, protocolization, and new technologies. Plus – a meetup in San Francisco on May 25, two Edge Esmeral...

story protocols

Protocolized

Fiction

Noise Ordinance

In this issue: The first place story of the Terminological Twists protocol fiction contest! Plus, Argument Engineering for Dummies, a meetup in Los Angeles, another SoP25 spotlight, a new webpage for the teaching fellows, and highlights from Discord.

protocols

Protocolized

Article

The 40 Hour Work Week

In this issue: The second place story from Terminological Twists explores a shifting new world. Also: Tune in to streamlined version of a recent corporate talk on protocol thinking at 10am, meet another SoP25 teaching fellow, and pique your curios...

story protocols

Protocolized

Fiction

Dhcp

In this issue: The 3rd place story of the Terminological Twists contest – and a list of honorable mentions. Plus, an invitation to the SoP25 kickoff and research server, and another teaching fellow spotlight.

protocols

Protocolized

Article

Egregoretex

In this issue: A Canadian design lab navigates the risks – and opportunities – posed by the widespread adoption of brain-computer interfaces in a world inhabited by metamegafauna. Also, an important update on tomorrow’s guest talk, a fresh hard te...

article protocols

Protocolized

Article

Dirt Simple

In this issue: A case study at the Crescenta Valley Water District that examines the problems – and opportunities – of the public sector’s invisible mazes of protocols. Also: community highlights, some recommended reads, SoP25 spotlight, and upcom...

article protocols

Protocolized

Talk

Alignment Protocols

A presentation exploring emmett shear: alignment protocols.

protocols ai governance

Emmett Shear

Article

Human Enough Dae

In this issue: To what end do our identity verification protocols drive us to? What are we afraid of? Also – join us today, April 30, for a guest talk about alignment protocols for AIs by Emmett Shear, former CEO of Twitch and OpenAI.

story protocols

Protocolized

Article

Libraries of Tomorrow

In this issue: Highlights from Discord, a seminar on hardened commons, guest talk on public intelligence, sneak peak of the Khlongs and Subaks workshop, next week’s guest talk on AI swarms, and some pieces we’d like to see.

article protocols

Protocolized

Article

A Chronicle of Lumina

In this issue: Life aboard a civilizational satellite in Earth’s orbit changes quickly when a new game is introduced. Also – join us, today, April 22nd, at 7pm PDT for a talk on Public Intelligence with Kevin Kelly (details and link below). Quick ...

story protocols

Protocolized

Paper

Zero-Knowledge Explainer Series

is a domain of cryptography, similar to ice guesses correctly, the probability she has encryption which we covered in the first simply gotten lucky on each chance

protocols blockchain infrastructure

Summer of Protocols

Article

Zero Knowledge

In this issue: A flash protocol fiction by Sachin Benny, featuring some whimsical and astute scenes about zero knowledge proofs, a technical computer science concept that everyone should understand. Also – meet the SoP25 teaching fellows, RSVP to ...

story protocols

Protocolized

Article

Risky Autonomy vs Walled Gardens

In this issue: Artist, researcher, and software developer Sarah Friend (SoP23) explores a tension central to the grey areas of high stakes software. Also – join us tomorrow for a guest talk with EigenLayer CEO, Sreeram Kannan, and read on for an u...

article protocols

Protocolized

Fiction

The Signal Under Innsmouth

In this issue: An homage to Lovecraft’s classic, The Shadow Over Innsmouth. Also – last call to enter a $6000 sci-fi writing contest, protocol-Bechdel tests, video of a chat with program alum Nadia Asparouhova on her new Antimemetics book.

protocols

Protocolized

Article

Fault Tolerance

In this issue: Mira finds a dead zone in the CivicOps dashboard. Unfortunately, she decides to investigate.

story protocols

Protocolized

Fiction

The Entropic Gate Part Ii

In this issue: Jonah enters the mysterious corridors of Lower Tethys. A guerrilla movement would need to be too chaotic, too unpredictable, to be forecast by an echo of the Pax. What is it like to be a bacteria, trying to flee its own cells? Also ...

protocols

Protocolized

Fiction

The Entropic Gate Part I

In this issue: The algorithms that direct our attention feel overwhelming sometimes. It’s as if they liquify us into rivers of desire and outrage. What if our built environment flowed like us? How far could this go? Explore a future after the fall...

protocols

Protocolized

Interview

AI as the Anti-product

A presentation exploring ai as the anti-product – guest talk with peter wang.

protocols ai

Peter Wang

Talk

SoP 2025 Town Hall

A town hall session with the Summer of Protocols community.

protocols summer-of-protocols community

Protocolized

Article

To Share and Remember

In this issue: An evocative tale of ritual and memory unfolds as Verity undergoes an ancient activation to reclaim the memory of her species’ origins. Amid cosmic rites and intimate bonds, she confronts the weight of a predestined purpose, balanci...

story protocols

Protocolized

Article

Sop 2025 Accelerating Order

In this issue: Overview of the Summer of Protocols 2025 program, curriculum development grants for faculty, scene-making with science fiction, distributed AI x blockchains technical foundations workshop in Thailand in April, momentum-maintenance p...

article protocols

Protocolized

Fiction

Terminological Twists

What's in a word? Each story in this anthology uncovers a possible world hidden behind everyday jargon — tales of hyperstition where terminology shapes reality.

protocols fiction culture

Summer of Protocols

Article

Archives of Discontinuity

In this issue: A case study of a wild and prescribed fires in California, the wildland-urban interface (WUI), combustion as memory, and the implication of new tools. Also – join us next Thursday, March 13th, for a virtual salon on open distributed...

article archive

Protocolized

Article

Chore Protocols

In this issue: The evolution of communal maintenance, experimental American phalanxes, compute-hungry societies, and hardened housing commons. Also, stay tuned for an editorial livestream – and some big announcements – on March 12th.

article protocol

Protocolized

Fiction

Haven Tailors

In this issue: The story of Haven Reach and its citizens, its schemes and, of course, its marvelous tailors. Followed by a note on AI+Protocols fiction workshops.

AI

Protocolized

Article

One Tension to Rule Them All

In this issue: Food safety, Hollnagel’s ETTO principle (revisited), tension theory, manufacturing serendipity, the four horsemen of tensegral failure.

article protocols

Protocolized

Article

Strange New Rules

In this issue: (Re)launch notes, Chiang’s Law, Chosen Ones, Great Men vs. Great Bureaucrats, Straussian Romantasy and Idiot Theories, strange women lying in ponds distributing swords, protocolization debt, Whitehead advances, worlds and rules, pro...

article protocols

Protocolized

Paper

Protocol Reader 2025

The 2025 edition of the Protocol Reader, a curated collection of essays, research, and perspectives on protocols across technology, governance, culture, and society.

protocols foundations theory

Summer of Protocols

Paper

Ghosts in Machines

Ghosts in Machines is a Protocolized anthology woven from stories of science fiction and science fact. Writers explore strange rules and familiar haunts through the lens of protocols.

protocols fiction culture

Protocolized

Paper

Introduction to the Protocol Reader

Int he Fall of 2022, the word protocol was suddenly everywhere. The proximal cause was obvious: fueled, in part, by the highly visible and fractious change of ownership at Twitter, large

protocols foundations

Venkatesh Rao

Fiction

The Librarians

A Summer of Protocols fiction anthology exploring librarians and archivists as protocol designers — curators who shape what knowledge is preserved, findable, and forgotten.

protocols fiction memory

Summer of Protocols

Framework

End-to-end Encryption in ActivityPub: Case File

CONCEPT Everyprotocoldeservesasecondchance TARGET ActivityPub(2018) isthedistributedsocialnetworkprotocol.Itwasdevelopedbeforeend-to-end encryption(E2EE)wasderigeurforsocialnetworkmessaging.OurchallengeistobringE2EEtothis

protocols standards infrastructure

Evan Prodromou, Tom Coates

Framework

Fire Protocols: Case File

CONCEPT Afteracenturyoffiresuppressionandheatingatmosphericconditions,Californiahaschangedfroma fire-ecologytoafire-climate;ourabilitytoworkwithfireisreshapinghowwecometoknowtheworld.

protocols climate community

Nathalia Scherer, Jiordi Rosales

Framework

Plurality in Practice: Case File

CONCEPT Imagineafuturewheredecision-makingandresourceallocationaredrivenbynuancedvoting protocolsthatconsidervoteridentityandexpertise,movingbeyondthelimitationsoftraditional

protocols governance coordination

Rich McDowell, Martin Benedikt Busch

Framework

Shoreline Adaptations: Case File

CONCEPT Inaworlddefinedbyrisingsealevels,canwelearntolivebetterinwettercities? TARGET Incitiesaroundtheworld,sealevelriseadaptationistypicallymanagedbyengineering-ledagencies

protocols infrastructure community

Celeste LeCompte, Danielle Butler

Framework

Protocol Field Guide

A collection of real-world case studies, introductory texts, workshop templates, frameworks, guides and taxonomies.

Summer of Protocols

Paper

Unprotocolized Knowledge (Revised)

A revised version of Unprotocolized Knowledge, exploring forms of knowledge that resist protocolization and why some knowledge remains unformalized.

protocols theory foundations

Kara Kittel, Toby Shorin

Paper

Good Death

Printed in the United States of America Cover illustration by Midjourney :: prompt engineering by Josh Davis «abstract composition where solid geometric forms are gradually being

protocols community governance

Sarah Friend

Presentation

Good Death

A research salon with Sarah Friend discussing good death.

protocols community governance

Sarah Friend

Talk

Technology & Architecture

A guest talk by Varun Srinivasan on technology & architecture.

protocols design infrastructure

Varun Srinivasan

Talk

Read, Write, Own

A guest talk by Chris Dixon on read, write, own.

protocols

Chris Dixon

Presentation

Unprotocolized Knowleldge

A research salon with Kara Kittel & Toby Shorin discussing unprotocolized knowleldge.

protocols theory foundations

Kara Kittel, Toby Shorin

Paper

Atoms, Institutes, Blockchains

Printed in the United States of America Printing history: February 2024 Cover illustration by Midjourney :: prompt engineering by Josh Davis «cubes, atoms, blocks, exploded technical diagram»

protocols blockchain governance

Josh Stark

Game

Protocol Card Set

A Summer of Protocols publication: Protocol Card Set.

protocols game

Shuya Gong

Paper

Capital Enclosure for Software Commons

Printed in the United States of America Cover illustration by Midjourney :: prompt engineering by Josh Davis «large circles with other circles encroaching, exploded technical diagram»

protocols economics

Trent Van Epps

Talk

Planetary Subsidiarity

A guest talk by Nils Gilman & Jonathan Blake on planetary subsidiarity.

protocols

Nils Gilman, Jonathan Blake

Talk

Protocols for TV Comedy

A presentation exploring protocols for tv comedy with steve hely.

protocols culture fiction

Steve Hely

Paper

Addressable Space: Appendices 3–4

Appendices 3 and 4 to Chenoe Hart's Addressable Space, providing supplementary materials on the protocols of digital and physical addressability.

protocols culture infrastructure

Chenoe Hart

Paper

Addressable Space: Appendices 5–6

Appendices 5 and 6 to Chenoe Hart's Addressable Space, continuing the exploration of addressability protocols in digital and physical space.

protocols culture infrastructure

Chenoe Hart

Paper

Addressable Space: Appendix

Historical As 20th-century skyscrapers Tall buildings may also be engi- containing oversized internal Background acquired air conditioning and neered to counteract the forces voids to increase their height,

protocols culture infrastructure

Chenoe Hart

Paper

Addressable Space

Printed in the United States of America Printing history: February 2024 Cover illustration by Midjourney :: prompt engineering by Josh Davis «addressable space, exploded technical diagram»

protocols culture infrastructure

Chenoe Hart

Presentation

Addressable Space

A protocol town hall with Chenoe Hart on addressable space.

protocols culture infrastructure

Chenoe Hart

Paper

Flow: A Speculative Brochure

A_UID: 613702f8-4c99-11ee-be56-0242ac120002 Act Together Tap into the knowledge, resources, and skills of your entire team. Flow learns from you and your

protocols fiction culture

Rafael Fernández

Game

Protocol Cards by Waqar

ytrap-locotorp/hcraeser/moc.slocotorpforemmus FULL-SIZE GAME BOARD SHIPPED WITH REST OF THIS SET

protocols game

Summer of Protocols

Paper

Protocol Foundations 003: Hashing

The third issue in the Protocol Foundations series, exploring hashing as a fundamental component of digital protocols and its role in modern computing systems.

protocols blockchain infrastructure

Mario Havel, Tim Beiko

Paper

Protocol Foundations 004

The fourth issue in the Protocol Foundations series, continuing the exploration of fundamental digital protocol concepts.

protocols blockchain infrastructure

Mario Havel, Tim Beiko

Workshop Template

Protocol Watching Handout

A Summer of Protocols publication: Protocol Watching Handout.

protocols tools design

Timber Stinson-Schroff

Game

Self-Ensured Cards

A Summer of Protocols publication: Self-Ensured Cards.

protocols game

Timber Stinson-Schroff, Shuya Gong

Paper

Starproject Missive 1

I SBN-13: 978-1-962872-56-00 print P rinted in the United States of America Printing history: February 2024

protocols fiction

Summer of Protocols

Paper

Starproject Missive 2

The second missive from the Starproject, a Summer of Protocols initiative exploring speculative futures through the lens of protocol design and science fiction.

protocols fiction community

Summer of Protocols

Paper

Starproject Missive 3

The third missive from the Starproject, continuing the exploration of speculative futures through protocol design.

protocols fiction community

Summer of Protocols

Paper

Starproject Missive 4

The fourth missive from the Starproject, exploring protocol-mediated futures and speculative design.

protocols fiction community

Summer of Protocols

Paper

Starproject Missive 5

The fifth and final missive from the Starproject, concluding this speculative protocol fiction series.

protocols fiction community

Summer of Protocols

Game

Swarm Games

A Summer of Protocols publication: Swarm Games.

protocols coordination game

Rafael Fernández

Workshop Template

Swarm Protocol Workshop

A Summer of Protocols publication: Swarm Protocol Workshop.

protocols coordination design

Rafael Fernández

Presentation

The Swarm and the Formation

A research salon with Rafael Fernández discussing the swarm and the formation.

protocols coordination theory

Rafael Fernández

Paper

2023 Retrospectus

Printed in the United States of America Printing history: December 2023 Introduction | 5 New Time Machines | 13 Aaron Z Lewis, Kei Kreutler, Alice Noujaim,

protocols summer-of-protocols

Summer of Protocols

Paper

A Phenomenology of Protocols

Printed in the United States of America Printing history: February 2024 Cover illustration by Midjourney :: prompt engineering by Josh Davis «abstract labyrinth, phenomenology, exploded technical diagram»

protocols theory foundations

Janna Tay

Paper

Addressing

buildings in the physical world, hierarchy and allows users to organize files computers must keep track of the in directories. Files are accessed based on

protocols infrastructure blockchain

Tim Beiko, Mario Havel

Paper

Artificial Memory and Orienting Infinity

Printed in the United States of America Printing history: February 2024 Cover illustration by Midjourney :: prompt engineering by Josh Davis «artificial memory, orienting infinity, exploded technical diagram, orange»

protocols memory theory

Kei Kreutler

Framework

Bristlemouth: An Open Protocol for Marine Hardware

An underwater connector based on an open standard for plug-and-play hardware interfaces for marine applications, enabling modular underwater robots and systems.

protocols infrastructure standards

David Lang

Paper

Composable Life: Our Island and Us

A translated exploration of composable protocols for community life, examining how modular social protocols enable new forms of collective living and shared space.

protocols community design

Fangting, Botao Amber Hu

Paper

Control and Consciousness of Time

Printed in the United States of America Printing history: February 2024 Cover illustration by Midjourney :: prompt engineering by Josh Davis «control and consciousness of time, exploded technical diagram»

protocols theory

Saffron Huang

Paper

Dangerous Dating Protocols

Printed in the United States of America Printing history: February 2024 Cover illustration by Midjourney :: prompt engineering by Josh Davis «dating funnel, exploded technical diagram»

protocols culture fiction

Shreeda Segan

Paper

Dangerous Protocols

Printed in the United States of America Cover illustration by Midjourney :: prompt engineering by Josh Davis «warning symbol, protocols, exploded technical diagram»

protocols governance theory

Nadia Asparouhova

Paper

Dispatches from Cascadia

Printed in the United States of America Printing history: February 2024 Cover illustration by Midjourney :: prompt engineering by Josh Davis «series of overlapping circles, ecosystem protocols controlled by a

protocols community governance

Rithikha Rajamohan

Paper

Exit to Protocol

Printed in the United States of America Printing history: February 2024 Cover illustration by Midjourney :: prompt engineering by Josh Davis «sunset, soft, round, exploded technical diagram»

protocols governance community

Shuya Gong

Paper

Four Doors: An Architectural Memory Protocol

An exploration of architectural memory protocols, examining how physical spaces encode and transmit cultural memory through structural and symbolic design.

protocols memory culture

Summer of Protocols

Paper

Killswitch Protocols

aka Eric Alston, Seth Killian, and Garrette David Industrial man—a sentient reciprocating engine having a fluctuating output, coupled to an iron wheel revolving with uniform velocity. And then we wonder why this

protocols governance

Summer of Protocols

Paper

Protocol Foundations 001: Cryptography

The first issue in the Protocol Foundations series, covering the history and fundamentals of cryptography as a protocol enabling secure communication throughout history.

protocols blockchain infrastructure

Mario Havel, Tim Beiko

Paper

Protocol Pattern Language (Anthology)

Printed in the United States of America Printing history: December 2023 Cover illustration by Midjourney :: prompt engineering by Josh Davis «exploded technical diagram of a city block, outlines, technical document,

protocols design summer-of-protocols

Drew Austin

Workshop Template

Protocol Pattern Language: DIY Worksheet

A do-it-yourself worksheet for developing protocol pattern languages for urban space, providing a structured template for collecting and documenting spatial protocols.

protocols design tools

Drew Austin

Paper

Protocol Pattern Language

Opportunities for local small busi- Loosen local restrictions on residential nesses to engage in physical retail are businesses, enabling a wider variety of

protocols design theory

Drew Austin

Working Paper

Protocol Selection Pressures

An analysis of the selection pressures that shape protocol adoption and propagation, examining the efficiency-thoroughness trade-off (ETTO) that governs protocol success and failure.

protocols theory foundations

Timber Stinson-Schroff

Paper

Protocolized Economics

An examination of how protocols shape economic behavior, reducing mental labor and personal risks while guiding human effort and resource allocation at scale.

protocols economics theory

Steve Powers

Paper

Retrofitting the Web

Printed in the United States of America Cover illustration by Midjourney :: prompt engineering by Josh Davis «sphere made of infinite links, internet, exploded technical diagram»

protocols infrastructure design

Dorian Taylor

Paper

Standards Make the World (Anthology)

David Lang's contribution to the Summer of Protocols 2023 anthology, exploring how standards underpin modern civilization and protocol infrastructure.

protocols standards summer-of-protocols

David Lang

Presentation

Standards Make the World

A protocol town hall with David Lang on standards make the world.

protocols standards

David Lang

Working Paper

Summer of Protocols Research: Lang

Printed in the United States of America Printing history: December 2023 Cover illustration by Midjourney :: prompt engineering by Josh Davis «standards and measurements, nautical, use orange, white background»

protocols standards summer-of-protocols

David Lang

Working Paper

Summer of Protocols Research: Steiert

Printed in the United States of America Printing history: December 2023 Cover illustration by Midjourney :: prompt engineering by Josh Davis «an exploded diagram of a spiral made of changing protocols»

protocols summer-of-protocols

Summer of Protocols

Game

The Clockless Clock Maze

A protocol-themed maze game exploring concepts of time and coordination, designed as an educational tool for understanding protocol dynamics.

protocols game theory

Venkatesh Rao

Paper

The Death and the Death of Orkut

Printed in the United States of America Cover illustration by Midjourney :: prompt engineering by Josh Davis «digital footprints fading into the distance, exploded technical diagram»

protocols community history

Alice Noujaim

Paper

The Fundamentals of Protocol Systems

Printed in the United States of America Cover illustration by Midjourney :: prompt engineering by Josh Davis «protocol archetypes, exploded technical diagram»

protocols foundations theory

Angela Walch

Paper

The Kafka Index

† Lack of consequences for failed outcomes † Outcomes aren’t visible to participants † No evaluative metrics, or wrong metrics prioritized † Too many edge cases addressed at once

protocols theory culture

Nadia Asparouhova

Paper

The Swarm Effect: China's 2022 Covid Protests

Printed in the United States of America Cover illustration by Midjourney :: prompt engineering by Josh Davis «government vs rebellion, push vs pull, exploded technical diagram»

protocols coordination governance

Anonymous

Paper

The Unreasonable Sufficiency of Protocols

Josh Stark, Trent Van Epps, and Bastian Aue Printed in the United States of America Printing history: February 2024 Cover illustration by Midjourney :: prompt engineering by Josh Davis

protocols theory foundations

Summer of Protocols

Paper

Unprotocolized Knowledge

A preprint exploring forms of knowledge that resist protocolization, examining what falls outside the bounds of protocol systems and why some knowledge remains unformalized.

protocols theory foundations

Kara Kittel, Toby Shorin

Paper

Virtual Structures

A Summer of Protocols research publication exploring virtual structures.

protocols design

Laura Sinisterra

Paper

Weaving Memory

Printed in the United States of America Printing history: February 2024 Cover illustration by Midjourney :: prompt engineering by Josh Davis «embroidered hard drive on a white background»

protocols memory culture

Spencer Chang

Paper

Welcome to the Swarm

An exploration of swarm protocols and emergent coordination, examining how decentralized systems achieve collective behavior through simple local rules and distributed decision-making.

protocols coordination theory

Rafael Fernández

Presentation

Retrofitting the Web

A research salon with Dorian Taylor discussing retrofitting the web.

protocols infrastructure design

Dorian Taylor

Paper

Safe New World

Printed in the United States of America Cover illustration by Midjourney :: prompt engineering by Josh Davis «abstract, coal mining safety protocol, exploded technical diagram»

protocols culture

Timber Stinson-Schroff

Presentation

Safe New World

A presentation exploring sop researcher salon with timber schroff | safe new world.

protocols summer-of-protocols

Timber Stinson-Schroff

Talk

Noosphere: A Protocol for Thought

A protocol town hall with Gordon Brander on noosphere: a protocol for thought.

protocols infrastructure design

Gordon Brander

Talk

The Blueprint Protocol

A guest talk by Bryan Johnson on the blueprint protocol.

protocols tools

Bryan Johnson

Talk

Gardening Platforms

A guest talk by Alex Komoroske on gardening platforms.

protocols infrastructure design

Alex Komoroske

Talk

Neuro Gym

A guest talk by Ian Cheng on neuro gym.

protocols

Ian Cheng

Talk

Summer of Protocols Town Hall

A town hall session with the Summer of Protocols community.

protocols summer-of-protocols community

Protocolized