Benitesh Raalo presents an informal talk on protocol fiction as a genre and methodology, framing it through the lens of theatrical performance (Kabuki) as an analogy for how protocols function as narratives. The talk explores protocol fiction as both a creative practice and a framework for understanding complex systems, introducing the concept of protocol fiction protocols—meta-protocols that govern the creation and analysis of speculative protocol narratives.
Nadia Asparouhova discusses anti-mimetics—ideas that resist spreading or being remembered—drawing from SCP Foundation fiction and connecting the concept to Venkatesh Rao's 'cozy web' theory. She explores how certain ideas fade from memory despite documentation, and examines the tension between isolated intellectual communities and information spread.
Nadia Asparouhova
Matt Webb discusses fiction, desire, and belief in relation to protocols, exploring how narrative and imaginative frameworks shape our understanding of technical systems. Webb, a writer and consultant known for his work at BERG and his long-running blog, presents ideas on protocol fiction as a literary and conceptual practice for exploring how protocols function in society.
Matt Webb
The Protocol Institute announces a protocol fiction contest themed 'Ghosts and Machines,' inviting writers to imagine digitally haunted futures where distributed AIs and machines communicate through protocols. Stan Chen, author of Waste Tide and consulting editor at Protocol Eyes, leads a writing workshop on crafting stories with protocol thinking, emphasizing realistic, plural visions of AI futures that transcend utopian/dystopian binaries.
Stan Chen