Here is what that really means.
Personal computers were the missing infrastructure that unlocked the value of software. The cypherpunk vision of transforming the world with strong cryptography has not materialized because we've been missing the equivalent infrastructure.
All cryptography architecture begins with root of trust. The correct root of trust must be the responsible person. The correct primitive is a seed in self-custody. This just isn't negotiable.
This is why I say the seed is the crown jewel of cryptographic primitives.
I don't say "Bitcoin seed" because the seed is NOT a feature of Bitcoin. It's the infrastructure that it runs on. Bitcoin runs on the seed. Nostr runs on the seed. SSH runs on the seed. Supply chains run on the seed. Authentication runs on the seed. Encrypted messages run on the seed. Secure networks run on the seed. ...
That means what we need is to own a seed, operate it across all the contexts of our lives, and apply it all the things we need to use. A system that does this for everyone has to hold and operate that seed securely, map it invisibly onto normal human actions and trust decisions, and integrate with the things that matter.
Some people say it's too hard. And true enough, it's not easy. But if we call ourselves cypherpunks, then this is the job. And it's what we're building.
Zsub is a general-purpose personal cryptosystem.
It's personal because the root of trust is you. It's general-purpose because the applications are many, but you are one.
Strong cryptography is for everyone.
https://zsubmesh.net/
quotingWhen Jeff Booth (nprofile…tkhj) says Nostr is identity, he's not wrong. But I would add something.
nevent1q…j578
Identity is relational, but it's not JUST relational. Identity must include a private personal core and private personal relationships organized around it. Public identities are like the parts of the plant you see above the ground. But a seed needs soil first, to put down tender roots in the dark.
That's why seed self-custody and private relationships are just as important to the identity problem as public keys are. That's why we're building a hidden web of trust with Zsub: the part beneath the surface.
The reason strong cryptography never became properly usable for everyone is that we never built that part. We're building it.
https://zsubmesh.net/essays/johnny-can.html