This list is designed for a technology leader. I'm going to assume that the person who is looking at this is technical enough to know what a database is and roughly how the internet works, but will be less technical than other reading lists that are out there.
So, to begin, the first thing you need is a picture. Words are great and important and you can't understand distributed ledger or blockchain technology without words. But it is also important to have a picture in your mind, so you can refer to it later.
Here is the best picture I have found describing bitcoin specifically:
In discussing blockchain opportunities with clients who are curious about how it might serve them, I've realized a couple of things, I've realized a couple of things.
Not all problems have some type of blockchain answer. The question you should ask yourself is, "Does another type of data storage solve this problem equally well?" Or "Am I just doing this so I can say blockchain?"
You should also ask, "How am I going to generate new revenue or save costs?" Or "What business outcome am I after?"
If the answer to number 2 is "Reinventing My Industry", that will come with some friction.
In looking at this challenge, some of the problem comes from ourselves. We haven't seen enough, done enough, or tried enough things to always understand what it does or how it will change things.
I'm speaking for myself here. If the answers aren't in my head, it isn't the technology's fault, it just means that I don't quite see how to fit it in. Or it's possible that what it will do is so radical that it may require some (additional) visionary ideas to help light the way.
Visionaries, apply here.
So, blockchaininess is a term for an idea that matches what blockchain technology does best. So far these seem to share that they are broad and sweeping in their implications, if they're going to be successful. This doesn't mean it will always be that way, but it isn't an incremental technology, which is why it can be so hard to look at. It isn't like stuff you've done before.
It could also be a term for a way of thinking about problems that inherently sees problems that can be solved well by blockchain.
Some of this will take time. But don't wait. My recommendation is to do some reading and start thinking about it. Start trying things. It is a powerful tool - look no further than Bitcoin for evidence of that.
What it will do for us, in technology and beyond, is still something we can decide and influence.
At least one other person is using the term blockchaininess. There was one other but it appears to have been edited out of their twitter profile. I'll list them for completeness:
I have updated this blog to use the Tiles theme. I was looking to shake things up and I was impressed with the layout and animations. It provides a bit of visual interest, while staying true to a pretty straightforward blog site.
Having all the posts on a single page is different. And I do miss my old orange circuit board cover image, but I'll get over it.
In spite of being out of fashion, many of us are asked (often for very good business reasons) to provide them.
Right or wrong, there are situations where you should not provide an estimate. I learned these the hard way, here are the ones I know:
R&D work
Highly complicated things you've never done before (even if you're 99% sure you can do them).
Things you can't break down into small pieces
System integrations where you don't control the flow of development (A vendor needs you to attend 10 meetings and then they want to certify your 1 line of code.)
System integrations where the system is still being developed or tested (Here's a great question I've learned to ask over the years: 'How many other people have used this API before?').
Collaborative Development - two teams working together, especially for the first time.
Co-development - sometimes this manifests itself as #5, but it can be other things, like working with an outside vendor in a novel way on the same codebase.
Pretty much everything else is feature work and you can estimate that. It might be a little scary or intimidating, but you can.
I don't mean to suggest there is anything wrong with the things the 7 categories above. Those things can be very important work that needs to get done, and those things might be very fun work (if you can get it).
But, fun as it may be, you really shouldn't estimate it.
Here's what to do with those 7 items above - don't estimate them. Break them out into separate subsystems or budgets or categories. Whatever you use to segregate work, put them in their own place and create visibility to how the work is progressing.
Some clients/bosses won't like it, but they also won't like budget/timeline overruns with no explanation either.
Make it clear up front. Use your estimate (or non-estimate in this case) to communicate and set expectations. Then use it to reset them later if you need to.
Many bosses/clients will appreciate the effort you put into managing the simpler parts. And they'll appreciate that you understand how to separate more complex things from the typical or mundane.
When I want an egg, I don't want something that is not an egg.
Eggs don't have labels on them that say 'EGG'. They are still eggs.
Someone can put the label 'EGG' on a rock, but that doesn't make it an egg.
Most rocks don't carry the label 'NOT EGG' on it. This also does not make them eggs.
It might be that I find a whole bunch of egg-shaped things labeled 'EGG' where there were only rocks before. If this happens I promise I will run some tests before I start lowering the price of omelettes.
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What's this all about then?
Well, I found something on Google. It was clearly generated content that was generated poorly. It is a very high search result for the thing I was looking for.
Google isn't responsible for that, I realize.
It just makes me wonder why someone spends money (they clearly spent some money to build this thing) that is untested and wrong. Why do you do that?
I've been working on this blog for the last year and I'm changing my tag line. The old tag line was:
Technology, Work, Writing
That was fine. It covers a lot of ground and since the blog was largely about work and my tech-related interests it worked.
The new line is:
Technology, Leadership, Influence
This will be my new focus for the coming year. It's a bit more specific and it feels right for this blog.
Leadership is really what my work is about, outside of technology.
Influence is the purpose of writing. You can, and I often do, write for autotelic reasons, but that is not what this is about.
I hope that people read this and it has some impact. I like that more than just writing. I'll probably continue to write about writing, but with more on a focus on how to make an impression.
Happy early 2017. It should be an interesting year.
Jonathan Fries on .