Riddle me this Blocknorth

This week we ran a (cracking) workshop with QEM – and amongst other things we kept coming back to something of a chestnut of a question – what is the simplest figurative representation of a blockchain? 

So rocking my best SATC vibe I got to thinking how could we generate a simple snapshot and can this be easily understood by a general audience?

87.3% of all statistics are made up on the spot

Within our mini Blocknorth-QEM power-hub there was a general consensus (get it!) that across industry a greater fraction of people are still uncertain as to what constitutes a practical understanding of a blockchain system. 

So we figured that maybe it was time for a good old-fashioned analog!

3 that's a magic number

(Aware: precious alert spoiler)  

Our least requirements solution for the blockchain visualization leans heavily on a concept of from the Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics.

We require 3 linked-nodes, which we cunningly call NA, NB and NC, into each of which we introduce information.

If the information held in NA = NB and the information held in NB = NC then information held in NA = NC.

This is a blockchain.

Anything else, well, that’s just a database.

33 is an even more magic number

Our least requirements solution for the blockchain visualization uses 3 linked nodes as minimum requirement.

Well, and for what it’s worth, for optimum blockchain performance where efficacy is a blended balance of security and economy our preferred solution for a blockchain would constitute 33 linked nodes.

Past 33 nodes and the level of efficacy impact diminishes to become negligibly beneficial. 

If you want find out more about this, or indeed start-up other conversations about blockchain just give me shout.