1. Blockchains in Space
Time and Thinking in the ethically-aware reach to Space
SSoCIA Oxford 9 March 2022
Slides: http://slideshare.net/LaBlogga
Melanie Swan, MBA, PhD
Quantum Technologies
Centre for Blockchain Technologies
University College London
“The past is never dead.
It's not even past.“
– Faulkner, Requiem for a Nun, 1951

2. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space 1
Advanced time and thinking technologies, implemented
with blockchains, quantum computing, and artificial
intelligence (smart network technologies) are next-
generation “telescopes” and “microscopes” for
extending humanity’s ethically-aware reach into space
 Framing question: What philosophical tools are
required to extend the reach into space?
 Better time interoperability of physical theories (GR, CM, QM)
 Better link between General Relativity, Classical (Newtonian)
Mechanics, Quantum Mechanics in our technology platforms
 Developing thinking itself as a technology
Thesis

3. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space 2
 Smart network technologies: terrestrial+ intelligent self-
operating networks, possibly with native time regimes
1. Blockchain (distributed ledger technology)
2. Artificial intelligence (deep learning networks)
3. Quantum computing
4. Internet of Things sensor networks
5. 3D prototyping gaming-engine asset networks (Unity, Unreal, Outerra)
6. Virtual reality headsets/BCIs (Oculus Rift, Valve Index, HTC Vive)
7. Bio: CRISPR, quantum genomics, quantum protein folding

4. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space 3
Research program
Smart Network Theory
2015 2019 2020
Blockchain Blockchain
Economics
Quantum
Computing
Quantum
Computing
for the Brain
2022
 Aim: progression towards a Kardashev-plus society
marshalling all tangible and intangible resources

5. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space
Agenda
4
 Introduction
 Very-large very-small
 Blockchains
 Blockchains in space
 Smart network
convergence
 Time
 Thinking

6. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space
We are Here~!
5
Source: Tully, R.B., Courtois, H., Hoffman, Y. & Pomarede, D. (2014). The Laniakea supercluster of galaxies. Nature. 513(7516):71.
Laniakea Supercluster
Milky Way Galaxy
Distribution of Galaxies
Milky Way (Virgo Supercluster) in the Laniakea Supercluster
Analyze relative velocities of galaxies as watershed divides

7. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space
James Webb Space Telescope (Dec 2021)
 Hopefully enabling us to “see” farther back into the
Big Bang in the
infrared spectrum
6
Source: https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/content/about/comparisonWebbVsHubble.html
Hubble (HST) can see “toddler galaxies”
Webb (JWST) can see “baby galaxies”
6.25x larger collecting area than Hubble

8. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space
5,000+ exoplanets discovered (Jan 2022)
 NASA Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS)
 Over 800 have more than one planet
7
Source: https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/content/about/comparisonWebbVsHubble.html

9. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space
The small scale of things
8
 “Quantum” = anything at the scale of
 Atoms (Nano 10-9)
 Ions and photons (Pico 10-12)
 Subatomic particles (Femto 10-15)
 Nanotechnology is already “quantum”
 Microscopy: atoms (femtosecond 10-15); electrons (attosecond 10-18)
Scale Entities Special Properties
1 1 x 101 m Meter Humans
2 1 x 10-9 m Nanometer Atoms Surface-to-volume ratio, van der Waals and
electrostatic forces, thermodynamics (heat transfer,
melting point, crystallization, glass transition),
magnetism and conductivity, solubility and dissolution
3 1 x 10-12 m Picometer Ions, photons Superposition, entanglement, interference, entropy
(UV-IR correlations), renormalization, thermality,
symmetry, scrambling, chaos, quantum probability
4 1 x 10-15 m Femtometer Subatomic particles Strong force (QCD), plasma, gauge theory
5 1 x 10-35 m Planck scale Planck length

10. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space
Life: one proposed theory
3 phases per computational sophistication
 Life 1.0 Biology: evolves both its hardware and software
 Life 2.0 Culture: evolves hardware & designs software
 Life 3.0 Technology: designs both hardware and software
 Any matter can be a substrate for computation
 Has many different stable states
 The stable states can be used as building blocks
 Combined to make computational functions
 Namely a NAND (NOT-AND) gate
 Complement to AND gate
 NAND gates and neurons
 Universal “computational atoms”
9
Source: Tegmark, M. (2017). Life 3.0: Being human in the age of artificial intelligence. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, pp. 42, 106.
NAND gate (NOT-AND): logic gate producing an output which is false only if all its inputs are true

11. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space
Agenda
10
 Introduction
 Blockchains
 Blockchains in space
 Smart network
convergence
 Time
 Thinking

12. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space
internet transfer.
11
information.
email.
voice.
video.
money.
neural files. High Sensitivity
Low Sensitivity
Medium Sensitivity
transfer various types of content on the internet, each traffic type has its own instructions or protocol
(webpages with http; mail with smtp; voice with voip; and blockchain is the protocol for transferring money)
file header indicates traffic type, software version, routing, etc.
challenge: secure internet
transfer of increasingly
valuable and unique files

13. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space
Digital money: special requirements
 Information: send a PDF file or image many times
 Money: requires unique instances (no double-spending)
 Enabled by the internet as an always-on 24/7 global
network technology to check transactions in real-time
 Network time-stamps every transaction
 Can submit duplicate transactions (try to double-spend) but the
network only counts the first one
 Blockchain network checks every transaction
 Computational confirmation by each node
12
EMR: Electronic Medical Record

14. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space
Cryptoeconomics (digital economic system)
 Blockchain (distributed ledger technology): distributed
database of asset ownership
1.0 Cryptocurrency (Bitcoin)
2.0 Smart contracts (Ethereum)
 Automatically-executing blockchain contract
 DeFi (decentralized finance)
3.0 Beyond financial markets applications
 Problem: need for trustable information
 Cryptographically tamper-resistant
 Computational verification, zero-knowledge proofs
 Cryptographically-trustable space applications
 Time-keeping, secure comms, supply chain
 Transnational economic system, contracting
13
Digital financial and legal
infrastructure
Digital institutions better
serving the public good
Blockchain 1.0: Currency
Blockchain 2.0: Contracts
Blockchain 3.0: Beyond
financial market applications:
space, genomics, supply chain
Blueprint for a New Economy

15. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space
How does Bitcoin (any cryptocurrency) work?
Use Wallet app to submit transaction
14
Scan recipient address and submit transaction
Address: 32-character alphanumeric string
Coin appears in recipient wallet
(receive immediately, confirm later)
Wallet has keys not money
Creates PKI signature address pairs A unique PKI signature for each transaction
PKI: public-private key pair (cryptography standard )
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5JGQXCTe3c

16. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space
What happens in the background?
P2P network confirms & records transaction
15
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5JGQXCTe3c
Transaction computationally confirmed
and ledger account balances updated
Transactions submitted to a pool and miners assemble
new batch (block) of transactions each 10 min (btc)
Each block: transactions and a cryptographic hash of
the last block, chaining the blocks, hence “blockchain”
Wallet 1
Wallet 2
Peer network maintains the blockchain:
ledger nodes and mining nodes
Citizen Infrastructure
Github

17. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space
How robust is the network?
16
Source: https://getaddr.bitnodes.io/
 15,010 global nodes hosting Bitcoin ledger (Mar 2022)
 Historical context: 5,404 global nodes (Dec 2016)

18. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space
Blockchain primitive (building block)
Hash functions
 Hash function: function converting any length input (image,
movie, legal document) to a fixed length encrypted output
 Example: output (digest) of the SHA-256 hash function for
 “My last will and testament on this day”
 13789917A50601C55D396B83FD98F1A0BED628948AD5F84890C63
210E0897D76
 “My last will and testament, on this day”
 C6E9D7F4C9F7D0C8CD24E4D674BED1146331DB61555F9D68EBA
AA3A0E827BBAB
 Adding one comma results in a completely different hash digest
 NP-complete problem: hard to compute, easy to verify
 Cannot guess the output ahead of time without putting the inputs
into the algorithm and performing the calculation
 Must do the actual “work” to compute the output
17
Source: SHA-256 hash algorithm: https://passwordsgenerator.net/sha256-hash-generator/

19. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space
Hash-linked data structure (IPLD)
 Merkle tree: hierarchical structure of hash codes
corresponding to a large data structure
 A hash is made for each data element, then a hash of these
hashes, and so on, hierarchically until there is just one top-
level hash that calls the entire data structure, the Merkle root
 One top-level Merkle root calls an entire data corpus
 Bitcoin blockchain: 725,000+ transaction blocks since
inception (Jan 2009) as of Mar 2022
 All Github code, all Pubmed publications
 An entire brain or cloudmind (brain of brains)
 All human knowledge (digitally encoded)
 Data pillar (crypto science fiction, Bear, Eon, 1985)
 Whole human genome or brain file
18
IPLD: interplanetary hash-linked data structure standard Source: Swan, M., dos Santos, R.P. & Witte, F. (2020). Quantum
Computing: Physics, Blockchains, and Deep Learning Smart Networks. London: World Scientific.
Blockchain:
transaction blocks
hashed together

20. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space
Automated supply chain
19
 Call entire project as a unified data structure
Source: PwC (2019). PwC’s Global Blockchain Survey.
https://www.pwc.com/us/en/industries/industrial-products/library/blockchain-industrial-manufacturing.html
Automotive track and trace
Aircraft/spacecraft product lifecycle
Blockchain data structure calls
multiple levels and items

21. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space 20
 A brain is a Merkle forest of ideas
 A group of Merkle trees, each calling
an arbitrarily-large thought trajectory
 Brain DAC I: Basic Brain DAC
 Instantiate thinking in a blockchain
 Brain DAC II: Quantum Brain DAC
 Brain DAC on a quantum platform
 Quantum blocktime and superpositioned
states (Egan’s solipsist nation)
 Personalized connectome scan
 NFT-controlled hash structure
Quantum Brain DAC
Hash-linked data structure applications (IPLD for the Brain)
Brain DAC and quantum brain DAC
DAC: distributed autonomous corporation = package of blockchain-based smart contracts for automated execution
Source: Swan, M. (2015). Blockchain thinking: The brain as a DAC (decentralized autonomous corporation). IEEE Technology and Society
Magazine 34(4):41-52
Crypto science fiction: corporations
replaced by AI DACs (Schroeder,
Stealing Worlds, 2019)

22. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space
Source: https://www.seattletimes.com/business/bitcoin-miners-exit-china-beat-a-path-to-the-u-s-as-crypto-climate-shifts/
21
Source: https://www.illumina.com/science/technology/next-generation-sequencing.html
Mining shifting to US as China bans
cryptocurrency production (June 2021)
USD $45 million/day business:
block reward 6.25 btc/block ($312,500) x 6
blocks/hour x 24 hours/day ~= $45,000,000
(at Bitcoin = $50,000)
Mining. technical deep-dive.
 Miners calculate a hash value using the block header (constant for
a specific block) and a nonce (random string changed repeatedly)
to create a hash output that hopefully meets the block requirements

23. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space
How does mining work?
22
How does Bitcoin mining
work?
https://blockexplorer.com/block/0000000000000000002274a2b1f93c85a489c5d75895e9250ac40f06268fafc0
Difficulty: a measure of how hard it is to create a hash that
is less than the target (system-set computational number
involving floating point operations, exponents, integrals);
re-tuned every 2016 blocks (~2 weeks) to keep PoW as a
meaningful deterrent against rogue miners as the overall
network computation power increases or decreases
The winning nonce (number used once) for
this block, a number appended to the current
header, that when re-hashed, meets the
difficulty level (for any block, the Bitcoin nonce
is an integer between 0 and 4,294,967,296)
Step 2: Record the block. The block hash is the digest of
SHA-256 run on six data elements: 1. Bitcoin version number
2. previous block hash 3. Merkle Root of all the transactions in
the block 4. timestamp 5. difficulty target 6. nonce
18 leading zeros (can vary)
Step 1: Find the nonce (NP-complete problem). A miner guesses a nonce
(random string), appends it to the hash of the current header, rehashes
the value, and compares to the target hash value (which has a certain
number of leading zeros). If the resulting hash value is equal to or lower
than the target, the miner has a solution and is awarded the block
HERE: Oct 7, 2018 (18 leading zeros)
https://blockexplorer.com/block/0000000000000000002274a2b1f93c85a489c5d75895e9250ac40f06268fafc0
RECENT: Nov 6, 2021 (19 leading zeros)
https://www.blockchain.com/btc/block/0000000000000000000633b91a8cd72235104935c9d3af0b0edae9ad6f89f4ef
Summary: the hash is calculated using the block header, which
is constant for a specific block, and a nonce, which is changed
repeatedly by the miner, to create different hash digests in the
hope of finding a digest that fits the block requirements
Target value: an integer in the range of [0, (2256 - difficulty)]

24. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space
PoW mining energy consumption
 Proof-of-work competition among miners ensures
security of blockchain ledger
 Critics argue “wasteful” use of resources but provides secure
computational system (725,000 btc blocks Jan 2009-Mar 2022)
 39 per cent of proof-of-work mining is powered by renewable
energy, primarily hydroelectric energy (Cambridge study, 2021)
 Alternatives: proof-of-stake, entropy
 Energy consumption
23
Sources: Statista. (2021). https://www.statista.com/chart/18632/estimated-annual-electricity-consumption-of-bitcoin/
Blandin, A. et al. (2021). 3rd Global Cryptographic Benchmarking Study. University of Cambridge.
 Less than all the world’s data centers
 Less than China, USA, Germany
 Less overhead than worldwide bank
branch infrastructure
 Resource substitution from
physical to digital domain

25. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space
economic system.
24
old model.
networks.
banks.
new model.
Digital transformation

26. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space
Bitcoin denominations
25
 Satoshis: common unit of transfer (wallet default)
 500 satoshis = USD $0.25 (at Btc = $50,000)
 $5 coffee = 10,000 satoshis
 1 satoshi = USD $0.0005 (at Btc = $50,000)
Source: Bitcoin Foundation, https:// bitcoin.org/
Unit Abbreviation Description BTC
1 Satoshi SAT Satoshi 0.00000001 BTC
2 Microbit uBTC Microbit or bit 0.000001 BTC
3 Millibit mBTC Millibitcoin 0.001 BTC
4 Centibit cBTC Centibitcoin 0.01 BTC
5 Decibit dBTC Decibitcoin 0.1 BTC
6 Bitcoin BTC Bitcoin 1 BTC
7 Decabit daBTC Decabitcoin 10 BTC
8 Hectobit hBTC Hectobitcoin 100 BTC
9 Kilobit kBTC Kilobitcoin 1000 BTC
10 Megabit MBTC Metabitcoin 1,000,000 BTC
100 millionth of a BTC
1 millionth of a BTC

27. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs)
 NFT: unique IP token registered to a blockchain
 CryptoKitties (early NFT)
 Ethereum smart contracts for breeding digital cats
 CryptoDragons game: own dragon NFT and feed it CryptoKitties
(send the dragon contract tokens from the kitties contract)
 NFT marketplaces
 Mint cryptoart: OpenSea, Rarible, Foundation
 NFT registries of physical-world assets
 Baseball cards (Candy Digital), Marvel comics
(VeVe), Hot Wheels cars (Wax)
 Owner/author rights
 SIAE Italy 4.5 mn author rights tokenized (Algorand)
 Genomics (Nebula Genomics) (Oasis) NGTs
 Pharmaceutical supply chain (MediLedger)
26
“Catribute” DNA

28. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space
Christie’s $69 million NFT sale (2021)
 Collage created over 5,000 days
by US-based digital artist Beeple
 Political cartoons of current events
 Themes: fear and obsession with
technology, resentment and desire
for wealth, political turbulence
 First purely digital artwork (NFT)
offered at Christie’s
 Sold online for $69,346,250 (2021)
 NFT as a guarantee of authenticity
 Christie’s accepting Ether payments
27
Source: https://www.christies.com/features/Monumental-collage-by-Beeple-is-first-purely-digital-artwork-NFT-to-come-
to-auction-11510-7.aspx
Everydays: The First 5,000 Days
Beeple, 2007-2020
“Beeple is looking at his whole body of work as it is
presented on Instagram as a kind of Duchampian
readymade” – specialist Noah Davis
Artworld
acceptance:

29. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space
Financial infrastructure
Gaming and 3d prototyping NFTs
 Space prototyping automatically NFT-registered
 Unity and Unreal engine 3d prototyping digital asset creation
 Virtual reality CAD-CAM prototyping, product design and test
 Game Asset Store merchandizing (analog to the App Store)
 Blockchain-register game engine-developed assets as NFTs
 Plug-ins (e.g. Arkane-Unity) enable NFT contract creation
 Model for molecular printing design exchange (Etsy + Unity + NFTs)
 Creating digital infrastructure of CAD/CAM design blueprints
28
Sources: https://unity.com/products; Corke, G. (2019). Unity for manufacturing. Develop 3D.
https://develop3d.com/features/unity-visualisation-vr-manufacturing-industrial-design-game-on-simulation/
Digital Twin software
Lightweight CAD viewer Robotic simulation Prototyping in VR

30. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space
Blockchain supply chain: Maersk
 Maersk TradeLens supply
chain blockchain
 Provenance chains
 Food security, cold storage
 Operating at 20+ ports
 Hong Kong, Singapore,
Halifax, Rotterdam, Bilbao
29
Provenance chain: global supply chain of flowers
TradeLens (Maersk-IBM supply chain blockchain)
Source: Musienko, Y. (2021). Maersk Blockchain Use Case. Merehead. 16 November 2021.
https://merehead.com/blog/maersk-blockchain-use-case/.
Maersk TradeLens blockchain (Hyperledger
Fabric/IBM): operating at 20+ worldwide ports

31. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space
Agenda
30
 Introduction
 Blockchains
 Blockchains in space
 Smart network
convergence
 Time
 Thinking

32. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space
Blockchains in space
 Integrated supply chain management
 Automated multi-level asset registries
 Missions, equipment, personnel
 Transnational economic and legal system
 Contracting, payment, audit, dispute resolution
 IP registration (sNFTs: space NFTs)
 In-space manufacturing
 Lot feedstock serialization (additive manufacturing powders)
 Printers (electromagnetic field directed aerosol)
 B-SURE: biomanufacturing, survival, utility and reliability
beyond Earth
 Blockchain science
 Replicability, evolution
31
Sources: Chin, A.C. (2020). Blockchain Biology. Front. Blockchain. 3:606413. Short, K. (2014). Printable spacecraft.
https://spacenews.com/darpa-to-launch-dods-first-in-space-manufacturing-research-program

33. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space
Status: space agency planning
Blockchains in space
 Secure comms and extra-planetary economic system
 European Space Agency Space 4.0 vision:
 A sustainable space sector connected with the global
economy using DLT (distributed ledger technology)
applications for payments, procurement, supplier
agreements, and automated smart contracts
 Applications (ESA Space 4.0, NASA SensorWeb)
 Financing and smart contract trustless execution
 Supply chain management (provenance blockchains)
 Networking and communications, traffic management
 Identity and intellectual property rights management
 Space-as-a-service (SpaceChain)
 2019 Bitcoin demo in space, Jun 2021 Ethereum launch
32
Sources: Torben, D. (2017). Distributed Ledger Technology Leveraging Blockchain for ESA’s Success. ESA HQ: Strategy
Department; Jones, K.L. (2020). Blockchain in the Space Sector. The Aerospace Corporation space consultancy. https://www.aero.org
NASA
SensorWeb:
interoperable
satellite sensors

34. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space
Smart contracts in space
 Problem: secure asynchronous space communications
 NASA grant to University of Akron (Jin Wei) for research into
data analysis and other topics related to space exploration
 Develop a resilient networking system partially based on the
Ethereum blockchain
33
Source: NASA. 13 January 2018.

35. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space 34
Smart contract-based satellite coordination
 Proposal for blockchain
application within a multi-
sensor satellite architecture
 Platform: Hyperledger
Fabric
Source: NASA and academic researchers Mital, R. et al. (2018). Blockchain application within a multi-sensor satellite architecture.

36. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space
NASA Mission Priorities
35
Source: NASA. (2019). https://www.nasa.gov/ames/spacescience-and-astrobiology/overview

37. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space
Agenda
36
 Introduction
 Blockchains
 Blockchains in space
 Smart network
convergence
 Time
 Thinking

38. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space
Various temporality regimes
 Phenomenological human time
 Time parallelism: access unlived trajectories
 History, literature, social media streams
 Biotime: natural cycles and rhythms
 Birth-development-maturity-aging-death
 The temporality of biological processes
 Cellular lifecycles, oscillatory patterns,
circadian rhythms, disease (cancer)
 Migratory flight, krill swarms (bioconvection)
 Compute-time: information technology
 Blockchain blocktime
 Quantum computing
 Deep learning network function-finding time
37
Source: Winfree, A.T. (1980). The Geometry of Biological Time. Springer-Verlag: Berlin, Germany.
(lived experience)

39. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space
Blocktime
 Blocktime: native time regime of blockchains
 Average time to add a new block
 Bitcoin ~10 min so enough miners have time to confirm (Ethereum ~10 sec)
 Blockchain events are specified in blocktime
 Blockheight: total number of blockchain blocks (Btc 725,000 Mar 2022)
 Software protocol updates go into effect at a certain blockheight
 Taproot activated at blockheight 709, 632 (Nov 2021)
 Miner rewards paid 100 blocks after block is added (~17 hours)
 Mining difficulty changed every 2016 blocks (~2 weeks)
 Block reward halving every 210,000 blocks (~4 years)
 Completely separate alternative time domain
 Time lock: restricted time period: escrow, check-dating
 Time arbitrage opportunities between FiatFi and DeFi
38
FiatFi and DeFi: fiat finance and decentralized finance

40. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space
Quantum blocktime
 Quantum blocktime: time regime of quantum blockchains
 Quantum blockchains: blockchains using quantum methods for
cryptography, mining (consensus), and protocol implementation
 Migrate to quantum networks entails quantum blockchains
 Quantum blockchains as a technology platform
 Multi-time interface, implement diverse time regimes
 Quantum computational time formulations
 Traditional construction of Schrödinger wavefunction
in the background of absolute time and space (Newton)
 More recent discoveries of time entanglement, information scrambling,
chaotic ballistic spread and saturation cycles, discrete time crystals,
Floquet engineering (periodicity), spacetime superfluids, OTOCs
(out-of-time-order-correlation functions)
39
Source: Hayden, P. & May, A. (2019). Localizing and excluding quantum information; or, how to share a quantum secret in
spacetime. Quantum. 3(196).

41. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space
The time of GR-CM-QM
 Warped time
 Normal time
 Superpositioned time
40
General Relativity
Classical Mechanics
Quantum Mechanics
 The “same” time, treated differently
 Bent and stretched, distorted; same time multiple instances
 GR-QM: similar domains of universal multiplicity
 What is strange is the “squeezing in” of Earth’s classical regime
Simultaneity and multiplicity
Infinite magnitude
Euclidean spacetime
Time is simply a clock, an event
denomination system (Oriti)

42. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space
General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics
 Incompatible as traditionally formulated
 GR: Riemannian curved geometry in dynamic space-time
 QM: (Schrödinger wavefunction) Newtonian absolute space-time
 Wheeler DeWitt: GR-QM linked in a universe without time
 Integrated modern formulations
 Field-based approach in gauge theories and gravity theories
 AdS/CFT (Anti-de Sitter Space/Conformal Field Theory)
correspondence: gauge/gravity duality
 Random tensors (tensors generalized to 3+D), melonic diagrams
 Relativistic quantum information
 Study of GR and QM together: black holes, Big Bang, dark energy
 Applicability of quantum information when relativistic effects become
important in gravitational waves, spacetime structure, Hawking
radiation, black hole information paradox
41
Sources: Barbour, J. (2009). The Nature of Time. Foundational Questions Institute essay competition (The Nature of Time) first prize
winner. arXiv: 0903.3489. Rovelli, C. (2015). The Strange Equation of Quantum Gravity.” Classical & Quantum Gravity. 32:12, 124005.
+
-

43. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space
Interoperability: GR-CM-QM
 Status: technology platforms link GR-CM-QM
42
General Relativity Classical Mechanics Quantum Mechanics
GPS, spacecraft navigation, orbits, cometary trajectories
(classical computing)
Next-generation computing (quantum computing)
Quantum computing in space: orbits, trajectories, navigation (quantum blockchains)

44. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space
Time on Mars
 Mars24 Sunclock
 Earth-day and Martian-sol
43
Sources: https://www.giss.nasa.gov/tools/mars24, https://marsclock.com

45. 9 Mar 2022
Blockchains in Space
Quantum astronomy (of the future)
44
Source: Luo, L. (2021). Architectures of neuronal circuits. Science. 373:eabg7285
Optical interferometry: European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in
northern Chile is the world’s premier astronomical facility for optical interferometry,
comprised of four 8.2-meter telescopes that can act as one
 Quantum optical methods could allow astronomers to
make larger more capable optical interferometers

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Blockchains in Space
Interoperability stack
45
Time
interoperable
Thinking
interoperable
Communications Networks
interoperable
Economics
interoperable
Quantum blockchains
AI (IPLD for the Brain)
Internet
Blockchain
Low
Med
High
News/information
Money/contracts
BCI/headset/connectome
Smart Network Domain Sensitivity
 Smart network convergence story
Med
Med
Low
High

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IPLD hash-linked data structure for the brain
Source: IPLD: interplanetary hash-linked data structure (call an entire data structure with top-level Merkle root). Swan, M. (2015).
Blockchain thinking: The brain as a DAC (decentralized autonomous corporation). Technology and Society Magazine 34(4):41-52
 A brain is a Merkle forest of ideas
 A group of Merkle trees, each calling an
arbitrarily-large thought trajectory
 Brain DAC II: IPLD for the Brain
 Thought content compatibility through
multi-hash protocols and Merkle roots
 Blockchain overlay realizes B/CI
cloudminds through secure thought
interoperability between minds
 IPLD is an overlay for the web; IPLD for
the Brain is an overlay for cloudminds
 Brain DAC I
 Instantiate thinking in a blockchain
IPLD for the Brain

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Neuroscience physics
Neuroscience Physics Description
AdS/Neuroscience AdS/CFT correspondence bulk-boundary relationships for neuroscience
AdS/Brain 4-tier AdS/CFT model of neural signaling network-neuron-synapse-ion
AdS/Memory Trigger information storage with highly-critical states
AdS/Superconducting Neural signaling is a phase transition with ordered-disordered phases
AdS/Energy Energy = Entropy (Hamiltonian energy calculation equated to entropy)
Chern-Simons/Neuroscience Geometrical curvature-based min/max model indicates anomaly
AdS/Chern-Simons Geodesic-determined neural signaling path (shortest-length curve)
Neuronal Gauge Theories Gauge fields reset universal symmetry quantity (free energy)
Network Neuroscience Graph theoretical basis for multiscalar brain function
Random Tensors Extend random matrices (2D) to 3+D to consider high-dimensional systems
Melonic Diagrams Solve graph particle interactions as geometry, label fields with vertices
 Neuroscience physics: neuroscience
interpretation of foundational physics findings
Source: Swan, M., et al. (2022). Quantum Neurobiology. Quantum Reports. 3:1-30.

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AdS/Neuroscience
 AdS/CFT Correspondence
 Mathematics to compute physical system
with a bulk volume and a boundary surface
 AdS/Brain (Neural Signaling)
 Multiscalar phase transitions
 Floquet periodicity-based dynamics
 bMERA tensor networks and matrix
quantum mechanics for renormalization
 Continuous-time quantum walks
 AdS/Information Storage (memory)
 Highly-critical states trigger special
functionality in systems (new matter
phases, memory storage)
Sources: Swan, M., dos Santos, R.P., Lebedev, M.A. & Witte, F. (2022). Quantum Computing for the Brain. London: World
Scientific. Dvali, G. (2018). Black Holes as Brains: Neural Networks with Area Law Entropy. arXiv:1801.03918v1. 48
Tier Scale Signal
1 Network 10-2 Local field potential
2 Neuron 10-4 Action potential
3 Synapse 10-6 Dendritic spike
4 Molecule 10-10 Ion charge

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Blockchains in Space
Quantum blocktime applications
Thought tokening
 Thinking functionality as an overlay
 AI deep learning nets
 Pattern recognition (sound, image, object, face)
 Concept identification (tennis game)
 Generative learning (make new samples)
 Quantum AI deep learning nets
 Born machines replace Boltzmann machines
 Output interpretation of loss function based on Born rule
 Thought-tokening overlay for computational “thinking”
 Thinking as a rule-based activity
 Word-types: universals, particulars, indexicals
 Encoded into a formal system as thought-tokens,
registered to blockchains
49
Existing
New
Source: Cheng, S., Chen, J. & Wang, L. (2018). Information perspective to probabilistic modeling: Boltzmann machines versus Born
machines. Entropy. 20:583.

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Blockchains in Space
Quantum blockchains in space
 Smart network technologies needed for next
steps in beyond planetary expansion into space
 Indexicality tools: persistent form, fillable content
 Tensor networks: canonical quantum index technology
 Treat dimensions as indices (expand and contract)
 Quantum blockchain (blocktime) applications
 Multi-time interface
 Quantum blockchains in space application
 Integrate GM-human-QM time, and Euclidean and
non-Euclidean time regimes for interoperability
 Tokenized thinking
 Quantum blockchains in space application
 Tokenized thinking automation technology for asteroid mining and
space settlement; thought-tokening adds an intelligence layer
50
Index Tech
Tensors are indexical
Thinking is indexical
Time is indexical

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Blockchains in Space
Agenda
51
 Introduction
 Blockchains
 Blockchains in space
 Smart network
convergence
 Time
 Thinking

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Advanced time and thinking technologies, implemented
with blockchains, quantum computing, and artificial
intelligence (smart network technologies) are next-
generation “telescopes” and “microscopes” for
extending humanity’s ethically-aware reach into space
 Framing question: What philosophical tools are
required to extend the reach into space?
 Better time interoperability of physical theories (GR, CM, QM)
 Better link between General Relativity, Classical (Newtonian)
Mechanics, Quantum Mechanics in our technology platforms
 Developing thinking itself as a technology
Thesis

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Risks and limitations
 Technology cycle too early
 Blockchains: deployments remain as get-rich-quick schemes not
foundational life-improving information technologies
 Quantum: no semiconductor supply chain roll-out for QPUs
 Smart network technologies are complicated to understand
 Quantum error correction stalls
 Unable to move from ~100-qubit to million-qubit machines
 Blockchain trust issues
 Unclear consequences of network-based digital financial system
 Social adoption stalls and alienation
 Increasing difficulty adapting to intense presence of technology
53
QPU: Quantum Processing Unit

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Blockchains in Space
Shipmind thinker
 Standard SciFi tropes
 Thinking as a technology (shipmind)
 Interface as a technology (everything is
an interface technology (i.e. yourself))
 Alcubierre drive: idea to compact space in
front and stretch it out in back for efficient
travel (requires lots of energy)
 Bear SciFi: Alcubierre-White drive: warp
bubble FTL, intergalactic rescue of ships stuck
in warp bubbles, dropping out of white space
 Alcubierre: would not work IRL
 White: exploring possible structure of the
energy density present in a Casimir cavity
54
Sources: Bear, E. (2018). Ancestral Night; (2020) Machine. New York: Tor. Alcubierre, M. (1994). The warp drive: hyper-fast travel
within general relativity. Classical and Quantum Gravity. 11:L73-L77. White, H. et al. (2021). Worldline numerics applied to custom
Casimir geometry generates unanticipated intersection with Alcubierre warp metric. Eur. Phys. J. C. 81:677.
Machine, 2020
Ancestral Night, 2018
White Space series

56. Blockchains in Space
Time and Thinking in the ethically-aware reach to Space
SSoCIA Oxford 9 March 2022
Slides: http://slideshare.net/LaBlogga
Melanie Swan, MBA, PhD
Quantum Technologies
UCL Centre for Blockchain Technologies
“The past is never dead.
It's not even past.“
– Faulkner, Requiem for a Nun, 1951
Thank you!
Questions?

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Conclusion
 Blockchains in space
 Smart network automation technology for advanced projects
 Multi-level tracking, economics, contracting coordination
 Convergence with other smart network technologies: CRISPR,
BCIs, deep learning nets, molecular manufacturing, IoT
 Kardashev-level (planetary scale) technologies
 Internet, cryptoeconomic networks, coin community democracy
 Blockchains and quantum blockchains: theoretical
tools for extending humanity’s reach into space
 Interoperability of major physical theories (GR, CM, QM)
 Quantum blocktime interoperability
 Thinking as a technology: IPLD for the Brain
56