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Monegraph: Building a Blockchain-based Digital Art Market

Chris Tse
October 06, 2014

Monegraph: Building a Blockchain-based Digital Art Market

***NEW: Full video of this talk is now available at: https://vimeo.com/108721575

The success of Bitcoin shows that financial transactions can be conducted in a decentralized way. Whether you believe in Bitcoin as a currency or not, there is no denying that Bitcoin’s underlying storage model and consensus-based protocol, the blockchain, validated a new data architecture for building networked applications.

In a world of Big Data and the Cloud, the Bitcoin blockchain, the largest of its kind, is still relatively small at around 25 GB. As developers start to imagine new applications beyond money-like infocurrency, they find that they want to store additional metadata or even rich content in the blockchain.

In this talk, Chris Tse, an architect and designer of digital ecosystems, will present a hierarchical data storage model that divides a decentralized application storage needs into three tiers, to be stored in the blockchain (GBs), a NoSQL document store (TBs), and BLOB store (PBs), respectively. Using cryptographic techniques along with Smart Contracts, Chris will show how developers can maintain the trustless model advocated by the Bitcoin enthusiasts, while tapping into the proven scalability of distributed database clusters like Couchbase and P2P file transfer protocols like BitTorrent.

Chris will present an example of how Monegraph, a digital artwork registry and marketplace spearheaded by NYU art professor Kevin McCoy, is moving to this tiered architecture using a combination of the Ethereum blockchain, Couchbase document store, and Amazon S3 / BitTorrent to build vibrant market for buying, selling, and licensing digital art.

This talk was originally presented at Couchbase Connect on October 6, 2014 at Westin St. Francis Grand Ballroom in San Francisco.
http://www.couchbase.com/connect

About the Speaker:

Chris Tse is a technologist by trade, a designer in practice, and an entrepreneur at heart. He is the founding director of CardStack (cardstack.io), an open source project bringing a common “card” runtime that allows HTML5/JavaScript apps to move seamlessly between mobile devices, cloud services, as well as decentralized blockchains. Chris was formerly the head of McGraw-Hill Education Labs, leading innovative projects that creatively mix JavaScript, NoSQL, and Big Data technologies to facilitate teaching and learning.

Before that, he led the development of social media and dynamic publishing applications at BusinessWeek Digital. Before joining the New York media industry, he co-founded three other technology startups: a database consulting shop, a messaging software company, and a network security research firm.

Chris holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Columbia University and is still very much addicted to New York City. You can follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/christse

Related Decks from Previous Talks:

Stacking the Card Deck [Manifesto]
https://speakerdeck.com/christse/stacking-the-card-deck-reclaiming-our-mobile-future-with-html5-based-cards

Card UI Architecture Design [Technical]
https://speakerdeck.com/christse/card-ui-architecture-design

Resources & Links:

MoneGraph (Current Version)
http://monegraph.com

MoneGraph Home Page (Classic)
http://monegraph.herokuapp.com

CardStack JavaScript Framework:
http://cardstack.io

Ethereum Project:
https://www.ethereum.org

Chris Tse

October 06, 2014
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Transcript

  1. CHRIS TSE
    @christse
    Building a Blockchain-based
    Digital Art Market with
    Couchbase

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  2. I am a technologist by trade,
    a designer in practice,
    and an entrepreneur at heart.

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  3. I am a technologist by trade,
    a designer in practice,
    and an entrepreneur at heart.
    • Former Head of McGraw-Hill Education Labs

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  4. I am a technologist by trade,
    a designer in practice,
    and an entrepreneur at heart.
    • Former Head of McGraw-Hill Education Labs
    • Champion of NoSQL, JavaScript/HTML5, and distributed architectures

    View Slide

  5. I am a technologist by trade,
    a designer in practice,
    and an entrepreneur at heart.
    • Former Head of McGraw-Hill Education Labs
    • Champion of NoSQL, JavaScript/HTML5, and distributed architectures
    • Designer and architect of “Digital Ecosystems”
    “Digital Ecosystems”

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  6. “Digital Ecosystems”
    CLOUD
    New Media
    Education
    Music

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  7. “Digital Ecosystems”
    CLOUD
    New Media
    Education
    Music

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  8. CLOUD
    “Digital Ecosystems”

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  9. CLOUD BLOCKCHAIN
    “Digital Ecosystems”

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  10. CLOUD BLOCKCHAIN
    “Digital Ecosystems”
    Finance!

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  11. CLOUD BLOCKCHAIN
    DECENTRALIZED
    CENTRALIZED
    “Digital Ecosystems”
    Finance!

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  12. CLOUD BLOCKCHAIN
    DECENTRALIZED
    CENTRALIZED
    “Digital Ecosystems”
    Finance!
    What
    else?

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  13. What
    else?

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  14. Agenda
    Bitcoin
    Understanding the
    Blockchain

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  15. Agenda
    Bitcoin
    Understanding the
    Blockchain
    MoneGraph
    Building a Digital
    Art Market

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  16. Agenda
    Bitcoin
    Understanding the
    Blockchain
    MoneGraph
    Building a Digital
    Art Market
    Couchbase
    Helping to Scale
    Decentralized Apps

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  17. Blockchain
    Bitcoin & the
    Crash
    Course

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  18. Bitcoin Mental Model
    1 Wallet

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  19. Bitcoin Mental Model
    1 Wallet
    Mining
    Blockchain Activities

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  20. Bitcoin Mental Model
    1 Wallet
    Mining
    Blockchain Activities
    “This is mine!”

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  21. Bitcoin Mental Model
    2 Payment

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  22. Bitcoin Mental Model
    2 Payment
    “I’m giving this to you.”

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  23. Bitcoin Mental Model
    2 Payment
    “I’m giving this to you.”

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  24. Bitcoin Mental Model
    2 Payment
    Validation
    Blockchain Activities

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  25. Bitcoin Mental Model
    2 Payment
    Validation
    Blockchain Activities

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  26. Bitcoin Mental Model
    3 Cash Out

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  27. Bitcoin Mental Model
    3 Cash Out
    “I would like USD.”

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  28. Bitcoin Mental Model
    3 Cash Out
    Blockchain Activities
    “I would like USD.” Cloud Bridging

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  29. Bitcoin Mental Model
    3 Cash Out
    Blockchain Activities
    “I would like USD.” Cloud Bridging

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  30. Bitcoin Mental Model
    3 Or Buy In
    Blockchain Activities
    “I’d like some Bitcoin.”
    Cloud Bridging

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  31. Bitcoin Mental Model
    Back to the Wallet
    “This is mine!”
    Blockchain Activities

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  32. Bitcoin Mental Model
    Back to the Wallet
    “This is mine!”
    “All the data is stored here.
    Don’t call it the cloud though!”
    Blockchain Activities

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  33. Bitcoin Mental Model
    “This is mine!” “I’m giving this to you.” “Change this for me.”

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  34. Generalizing the Model beyond Bitcoin
    “This is mine!” “I’m giving this to you.” “Record the transfer.”
    Wallet Transfer Ledger

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  35. Buying & Selling Digital Art
    “I made these.” “I’m selling this piece.” “Record this sale.”
    Art Portfolio Sales Contract Owner History
    Exam
    ple

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  36. Art Portfolio Sales Contract Owner History
    BLOCKCHAIN
    AS A DISTRIBUTED
    DATABASE

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  37. Art Portfolio Sales Contract Owner History
    BLOCKCHAIN
    AS A DISTRIBUTED
    DATABASE

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  38. Art Portfolio Sales Contract Owner History
    BLOCKCHAIN
    ?
    AS A DISTRIBUTED
    DATABASE

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  39. Art Portfolio Sales Contract Owner History
    BLOCKCHAIN
    ? ?
    AS A DISTRIBUTED
    DATABASE

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  40. Art Portfolio Sales Contract Owner History
    BLOCKCHAIN
    ? ?
    AS A DISTRIBUTED
    DATABASE
    Quiz: What is the total size of the Bitcoin blockchain?
    A: 128 GB
    C: 3.4 TB
    B: 25 GB
    D: 780 MB

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  41. Art Portfolio Sales Contract Owner History
    BLOCKCHAIN
    ? ?
    AS A DISTRIBUTED
    DATABASE
    Quiz: What is the total size of the Bitcoin blockchain?
    A: 128 GB
    C: 3.4 TB
    B: 25 GB
    D: 780 MB
    B: 25 GB

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  42. Art Portfolio Sales Contract Owner History
    BLOCKCHAIN
    ? ?
    AS A DISTRIBUTED
    DATABASE
    Bitcoin
    blockchain is
    only ~25 GB!

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  43. Art Portfolio
    Sales Contract
    Owner History GB
    TB
    PB

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  44. GB
    TB
    PB

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  45. GB
    TB
    PB
    “Put ownership records in the
    blockchain, so they are irrefutable.”

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  46. GB
    TB
    PB
    “Put ownership records in the
    blockchain, so they are irrefutable.”
    “Add catalog data and contractual
    details in a document database”

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  47. GB
    TB
    PB
    “Put ownership records in the
    blockchain, so they are irrefutable.”
    “Add catalog data and contractual
    details in a document database”
    “Store actual digital artwork in a file store,
    accessible via HTTP or P2P”

    View Slide

  48. Marketplace
    MoneGraph as a
    Early Preview

    View Slide

  49. Kevin McCoy
    NYU Art Professor
    Digital Artist @mccoyspace

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  50. Register the Work
    as a Public Record
    Create Digital Art
    as a File
    How Digital Artists Use MoneGraph
    List in a Catalog
    in a Private Gallery

    View Slide

  51. Register the Work
    as a Public Record
    Create Digital Art
    as a File
    List in a Catalog
    in a Private Gallery
    How Digital Artists Use MoneGraph
    TITLE
    ARTIST(S)
    M O N E G R A P H R E G I S T R AT I O N
    aa8009ab182f4d55c45045
    2f20b771840f0287d1cd31e
    a35018e2d52a7a8dd91
    OWNERSHIP HISTORY
    DIGITAL FINGERPRINT
    PREVIEW

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  52. Register the Work
    as a Public Record
    Create Digital Art
    as a File
    List in a Catalog
    in a Private Gallery
    How Digital Artists Use MoneGraph
    Excerpt of cars.gif
    TITLE
    Jennifer & Kevin McCoy
    ARTIST(S)
    M O N E G R A P H R E G I S T R AT I O N
    aa8009ab182f4d55c45045
    2f20b771840f0287d1cd31e
    a35018e2d52a7a8dd91
    OWNERSHIP HISTORY
    DIGITAL FINGERPRINT
    Jennifer & Kevin McCoy
    1.
    PREVIEW

    View Slide

  53. How Digital Artists Use MoneGraph
    Excerpt of cars.gif
    Jennifer & Kevin McCoy
    D I G I TA L G A L L E R Y
    Register the Work
    as a Public Record
    Create Digital Art
    as a File
    List in a Catalog
    For Sale or Licensing
    (2014)
    Buy License
    • Graphics Interchange Format (7.1 MB)
    • Adobe Photoshop Source File (41 MB)
    Mesmerising

    View Slide

  54. How Art Collectors Use MoneGraph
    Excerpt of cars.gif
    Jennifer & Kevin McCoy
    D I G I TA L G A L L E R Y
    Make a Payment
    as a Bitcoin or Regular Transaction
    Agree to Terms
    as a Smart Contract
    Transfer Ownership
    of the Public Record
    (2014)
    Buy License
    • Graphics Interchange Format (7.1 MB)
    • Adobe Photoshop Source File (41 MB)
    Mesmerising

    View Slide

  55. How Art Collectors Use MoneGraph
    Excerpt of cars.gif
    Jennifer & Kevin McCoy
    D I G I TA L G A L L E R Y
    Make a Payment
    as a Bitcoin or Regular Transaction
    Agree to Terms
    as a Smart Contract
    Transfer Ownership
    of the Public Record
    (2014)
    Buy License
    • Graphics Interchange Format (7.1 MB)
    • Adobe Photoshop Source File (41 MB)
    Mesmerising
    Excerpt of cars.gif
    Anil Dash
    SELL TO
    M O N E G R A P H S A L E S CO N T R A CT
    aa8009ab182f4d55c45045
    2f20b771840f0287d1cd31e
    a35018e2d52a7a8dd91
    DIGITAL FINGERPRINT
    PREVIEW
    TERMS OF SALE
    1 BTC (or USD 375)
    SALES PRICE
    • 5% commission to Francis Digital Gallery
    • Anil Dash will collect all future royalties
    • Artist will retain a license for personal use
    Agree & Proceed

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  56. How Art Collectors Use MoneGraph
    Agree to Terms
    as a Smart Contract
    Transfer Ownership
    of the Public Record
    M O N E G R A P H PA Y M E N T
    1JnG1aLycFhcFJZSor54yDpCz3s
    QGHCAiJ
    BITCOIN ADDRESS
    1 BTC
    Pay $375
    Anil Dash
    FROM
    Kevin McCoy
    TO
    $375.33 USD
    Digital Art Purchase Order
    USE BITCOIN WALLET
    Personal (5.823 BTC)
    Make a Payment
    as a Bitcoin or Regular Transaction

    View Slide

  57. M O N E G R A P H R E G I ST R AT I O N
    How Art Collectors Use MoneGraph
    Agree to Terms
    as a Smart Contract
    Transfer Ownership
    of the Public Record
    Make a Payment
    as a Bitcoin or Regular Transaction
    Excerpt of cars.gif
    TITLE
    Jennifer & Kevin McCoy
    ARTIST(S)
    aa8009ab182f4d55c45045
    2f20b771840f0287d1cd31e
    a35018e2d52a7a8dd91
    OWNERSHIP HISTORY
    DIGITAL FINGERPRINT
    Jennifer & Kevin McCoy
    1.
    PREVIEW
    Transfer Ownership

    View Slide

  58. M O N E G R A P H R E G I ST R AT I O N
    How Art Collectors Use MoneGraph
    Agree to Terms
    as a Smart Contract
    Transfer Ownership
    of the Public Record
    Make a Payment
    as a Bitcoin or Regular Transaction
    Excerpt of cars.gif
    TITLE
    Jennifer & Kevin McCoy
    ARTIST(S)
    aa8009ab182f4d55c45045
    2f20b771840f0287d1cd31e
    a35018e2d52a7a8dd91
    OWNERSHIP HISTORY
    DIGITAL FINGERPRINT
    Jennifer & Kevin McCoy
    1.
    PREVIEW
    Anil Dash
    2.
    Transfer Ownership

    View Slide

  59. Scaling Decentralized
    Applications with
    Couchbase

    View Slide

  60. Buying & Selling Digital Art
    “I made these.” “I’m selling this piece.” “Record this sale.”
    Art Portfolio Sales Contract Owner History
    Recall

    View Slide

  61. Buying & Selling Digital Art
    Art Portfolio Sales Contract Owner History
    BLOCKCHAIN
    DOCUMENT STORE
    FILE STORE

    View Slide

  62. BLOCKCHAIN
    DOCUMENT STORE
    FILE STORE
    Art Portfolio Sales Contract Owner History

    View Slide

  63. BLOCKCHAIN
    DOCUMENT STORE
    FILE STORE
    Ethereum
    Art Portfolio Sales Contract Owner History

    View Slide

  64. BLOCKCHAIN
    DOCUMENT STORE
    FILE STORE
    Couchbase Ethereum
    Art Portfolio Sales Contract Owner History

    View Slide

  65. BLOCKCHAIN
    DOCUMENT STORE
    FILE STORE
    Couchbase Ethereum
    S3 + BitTorrent
    Art Portfolio Sales Contract Owner History

    View Slide

  66. PBs of Binary Assets TBs of JSON Docs GBs of Crypto Hashes
    BLOCKCHAIN
    DOCUMENT STORE
    FILE STORE
    Couchbase Ethereum
    S3 + BitTorrent

    View Slide

  67. PBs of Binary Assets TBs of JSON Docs GBs of Crypto Hashes
    BLOCKCHAIN
    DOCUMENT STORE
    FILE STORE
    Couchbase Ethereum
    S3 + BitTorrent

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  68. MoneGraph Digital Ecosystem
    Couchbase Ethereum
    S3 + BitTorrent
    “Irrefutable”
    “Scalable & Extensible”
    “Always Available”

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  69. Ethereum
    S3 + BitTorrent
    MoneGraph Digital Ecosystem
    BitCoin
    Couchbase
    DECENTRALIZED
    CENTRALIZED

    View Slide

  70. Couchbase Ethereum
    S3 + BitTorrent
    MoneGraph Digital Ecosystem
    BitCoin
    CardStack JavaScript APIs

    View Slide

  71. MoneGraph Digital Ecosystem
    CardStack JavaScript APIs

    View Slide

  72. Ethereum
    MoneGraph Digital Ecosystem
    BitCoin
    CardStack JavaScript APIs
    Couchbase S3 + BitTorrent

    View Slide

  73. Coin
    A PAGE
    An APP A FILE
    An API
    Cards
    JS N

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  74. Coin
    A PAGE
    An APP A FILE
    An API
    Render
    to Size/mode
    React
    to Action/Event
    Restore
    From Saved States
    Report
    Metadata
    Cards

    View Slide

  75. Ethereum BitCoin
    CardStack JavaScript APIs
    Couchbase S3 + BitTorrent
    MoneGraph Digital Ecosystem

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  76. Sum
    m
    ary
    Key Takeaways

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  77. Sum
    m
    ary
    Key Takeaways
    1. Blockchain opens up decentralization opportunities.

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  78. Sum
    m
    ary
    Key Takeaways
    1. Blockchain opens up decentralization opportunities.
    2. Purely digital markets are good places to start.

    View Slide

  79. Sum
    m
    ary
    Key Takeaways
    1. Blockchain opens up decentralization opportunities.
    2. Purely digital markets are good places to start.
    3. Any market with concept of ownership is “in play”.

    View Slide

  80. Sum
    m
    ary
    Key Takeaways
    1. Blockchain opens up decentralization opportunities.
    2. Purely digital markets are good places to start.
    3. Any market with concept of ownership is “in play”.
    4. JSON documents will be the public storage format.

    View Slide

  81. Sum
    m
    ary
    Key Takeaways
    1. Blockchain opens up decentralization opportunities.
    2. Purely digital markets are good places to start.
    3. Any market with concept of ownership is “in play”.
    4. JSON documents will be the public storage format.
    5. Scaling is still hard. Go with what is proven to scale.

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  82. Find out more…
    MoneGraph
    monegraph.com cardstack.io
    CardStack Ethereum
    ethereum.org

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  83. @christse
    Follow me
    What
    else?

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