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Strange New Rules

Article Venkatesh Rao

Protocolized launches as a new magazine devoted to fiction, case studies, and nonfiction research essays about protocols, expanding beyond its previous role as a utilitarian news updates email for the Summer of Protocols program. The inaugural issue features stories, studies, and science exploring themes like protocol fiction, bureaucratic systems, and what the editors call "protocolization debt," while inviting the community to submit pitches and help catalyze a global scene around protocol-focused work.

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Lessons From the Librarians

Protocolized reflects on the conclusion of its protocol fiction serial The Librarians, which emerged from six teams' work at the Summer of Protocols Knowledge Futurama workshop at Edge Esmeralda 2025, where participants designed 1,000-year library preservation systems across technological and social dimensions. The series distills six principles for protocol futures derived from this collaborative exploration of knowledge artifacts, preservation technology stacks, and the social contexts required for long-term cultural survival.

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A Sea of Distributed Ai

This issue features worldbuilding analysis of the AI-generated film South Beast Asia, examining ten core traits designed to explore distributed AI systems through a Southeast Asian-inspired lens developed at the Khlongs & Subaks workshop. The piece unpacks how fictional 'strange rules' address questions of AI distribution while the issue also hosts a guest talk with AI Snake Oil author Arvind Sarayanan.

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Brackish Strategy

This monthly note examines how conflict and competition are essential rather than avoidable elements of business strategy, critiquing the popularity of Blue Ocean Strategy's conflict-averse approach. Drawing from the first month of the Protocols for Business Special Interest Group, the author argues that successful corporate strategy requires embracing trade-offs, arguments, and tensions rather than seeking uncontested markets.

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