| Respondent ID | 12276492459 |
|---|---|
| End Date | 12/22/2020 10:32:19 PM |
| language | en |
| If you have previously applied to be a node please provide us with your application ID. Second-time applicants will be highly considered. You can email us at [email protected] if you don't know your application ID. | |
| City/Town | Calgary |
| State/Province | Alberta |
| Country | Canada |
| What languages do you speak? (Please separate with commas so we can parse them) | Enlish, French |
| What is your occupation? | Non-technical Role or Other (please specify) |
| Non-technical Role or Other (please specify) | University Professor |
| How many years experience in your field? | 8-15 |
| What is the highest degree or level of school you have completed? | Doctorate or other terminal degree (for example, PhD, EdD) |
| Did you purchase xx coins in the xx coin sale? | No |
| Are you an individual or a group? | Individual |
| Node City | Calgary |
| Node State/Province | Alberta |
| Node Country | Canada |
| For which networks have you ever operated a node? |
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| What kind of improvements would you like to see in xx network nodes vs. previous nodes you have supported? | The setup of the prior nodes that I did was very tedious for large number of nodes. Since an individual can only run a single xx network node, this shouldn't be a problem. I can't comment on anything specific since I have never set up an xx node. Generally speaking, the prior nodes I have set up were a bit difficult since the documentation was severely lacking. This didn't help with adoption. |
| What are potential setbacks preventing you from operating an xx network node? | I don't foresee any setbacks. I have the hardware and bandwidth. |
| What is the maximum upload bandwidth in megabits per second your node can provide? | 750 |
| What is the maximum download bandwidth in megabits per second your node can provide? | 750 |
| What is a reasonable uptime estimate you can provide for your BetaNet node? | 99 |
| Please estimate the cost of electricity in the geographic area where your BetaNet node will be running. | About $0.10/kWh. If the node were to consume 500 W every second of the day, it would be $1.2/day. |
| On a monthly basis, how much time can you publicly commit to dedicating toward governance if you were selected as a BetaNet node operator?` | 30 |
| In what type of environment would this server be located? | Personal Home |
| If your server is located in your personal home, please specify the name of your Internet Service Provider (ISP). | Telus |
| If your server is located in a Datacenter, please specify the name of the company hosting it. | |
| Do you have past experience deploying hardware servers in a datacenter? | I installed a server in my university data center. They donated the rack space, and I did the installation. I used this server for physics simulations. |
| Do you already own sufficient hardware to meet the published xx network BetaNet Node specifications (found here)? | AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 12-Core Processor, 32 GB ram, MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 2070 Super 8GB, 1 TB 970 Samsung nvme |
| Do you have hardware you would like to use but does not meet the stated BetaNet node specs? If so, please provide specs on that hardware below: | |
| Why do you want to be a node? | I very much believe in the importance of privacy, and would like being able to contribute to the xx network for this reason. I hope that being a node will help the xx network grow in resilience and performance. In more practical terms, I have decent hardware that is not being utilized. Using it to help power the xx network seems like a perfect fit. |
| How did you originally hear about the xx network? | Word of Mouth |
| Which current xx network communities are you a member of? |
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| Are you an active member of those communities? | Yes |
| What specifically, interests you about the xx network platform? | The component of the network that I am most interested in is the private messenger in conjunction with Elixxir. The tracking of metadata in current messaging apps is not something that I had thought of as a threat to privacy. The Elixxir technology really sets this xx platform apart from other private messaging solutions. I am very excited in using the finished product and seeing it's widespread adoption! |
| Outside of xx network communities, are you an active participant in other node or developer community groups? If so, which ones? | I used to be active in another group that also was trying to create a private messenger, but that project is now defunct. I am not a developer, but I have decent computing skills. I am comfortable writing bash scripts, and do know a bit of perl, python, and enough to learn what I don't know in other languages. I have extensive knowledge of LaTex, and am quite comfortable in Fortran. |
| Have you ever attended a blockchain conference? If so, which one(s)? | No. |
| Do you have past experience managing communities or creating content to be distributed across social media? Please enter details for all with which you are comfortable or have experience: |
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| As part of growing the xx network community, are you willing to create content as part of operating an xx network BetaNet node? Examples would be node setup & on-boarding review vlog post, bi-weekly twitter update, medium review of on-going node operational process, etc. | One item? It depends on the need. Suppose I saw that people were having trouble with a particular aspect of the node setup, I would try to create a guide to simplify or explain that part. |
| Would you be interested in helping to lead the development of the next xx network community? | No |
| Why do you want to run a node in the xx network |
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| What is the difference between decentralized networks and distributed networks, and where on the decentralization spectrum do you sit? | A Distributed network is one in which the multiple components that make up the network are spread out in different physical locations. If you have a complicated computation to do, you can distribute it among the members of the network. Distributed networks have multiple advantages such as being able to provide redundancy (for example, if one computer blows up, there are others to take over its share of the task) and high performance (if you can get a million personal computers to work at a problem, this will probably be faster than trying to do so on a single fast machine). Decentralization has to do with ownership and control of the network. Facebook has an enormous distributed network of machines all over the globe. However, Facebook controls all of these machines. It is not a decentralized network. On the other hand, the bitcoin network is decentralized and distributed. The is no single entity that "owns" bitcoin. For a privacy oriented network, decentralization is extremely important since it provides resiliency against attempts to curtail or "shut it down". Since no central authority is in charge of the network, there is no central authority that can be threatened to alter its code to diminish privacy, or provide governments with back doors, or to stop its operations. |
| As best as you can given currently available information, please describe the value proposition of the xx network platform and how it differs from other current blockchain solutions. | |
| Privacy by Default is a goal of the xx network Platform. In your opinion, why is Privacy by Default critical for the future of the internet? | One just has to look at what is happening in China in order to see what the near future holds for us if the right to privacy is not upheld. The consequences could be as benign as having to pay a bit more for life insurance because you googled something about cancer, or as serious as being imprisoned (or even executed) because you criticized government policies. One should be able to browse the internet without worrying about how your data trail will be analyzed and used. |
| In your opinion, what threat, if any, do quantum computers pose toward decentralized systems? What about centralized systems? | I am no expert in this field. My first thought is that the level of centralization is not related to the network's vulnerability to quantum computers. Quantum computers are better than classical computers are certain specific tasks. The problem with most current encryption schemes is that they rely on certain problems (like factoring a large number) that are very difficult for classical computers. A quantum computer can do these problems a lot more efficiently, and so all a sudden a problem that can take 100 years to complete with a classical computer may now be done in 1 day. If you had someone's bitcoin public key, you could use a quantum computer to get the corresponding private key and access funds. If instead bitcoin was using an encryption algorithm that relied on a problem that quantum computers are not good at, then the network would be safe. So, in my mind, the threat posed by quantum computers has more to do with the particulars of the encryption and not the level of centralization. It doesn't matter who controls the network: if the underlying tech is not quantum resistant than the network is vulnerable. |
Good solid application.
You got my vote
Looks good. For now no questions. You have my vote.
Thanks. I’m looking forward to running a node if I’m accepted! One small change to my application: I’ve upgraded my video card to an RTX 3070.
In this case, I can vouch for this person as he knows how to setup a node 
I benefit myself from his skills in the past (old ODIN days).
All specs met, strong application, you have my vote!
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I like the candidate.
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I like too!
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Hello MrBlister Sempai! You can do with an 3060TI tough. Or I reccomend undervolting the 3070 to save energy, reduce noice levels and prolong the use of the card.
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Looks good to me! Strong application. Good luck
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That’s a good idea. I got my 3070 and tested it in a game to see how loud it is. I splurged for a more expensive model with good cooling and it’s pretty quiet. I’ll keep the undervolting idea in mind though.
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Mr Blister my friend, you are legit as it gets in my books bud. You have helped many projects in the past that I know of so I believe you will be a great addition to the Xx.network node community. You have my vote all day!
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This is a great application with solid knowledge. Yes i say.
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Finally an application that has some mustard. Got my vote.
Not all the memory will be used but the max speed it has will be, so it will be louder when mainnet launches. As long the card stays under 60c at full load everything will be solid (try some heavy rendering). For now, 2070 uses about 50 to 150 watts.
Great applicant. Would love to have you onboard
Thanks everyone. I hope to join you all soon on this adventure!