bitplanet

an extensible system with declarative inputs. presented by @singulardotart.

[bitplanet @bitplanet_org]

Hello, world. Introducing v1 of the 𝚋𝚒𝚝𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚎𝚝 website.🌐

We’ve been busy quietly building one of the most extensive and in-depth projects on Bitcoin and Ordinals to-date...

[bitplanet @bitplanet_org]

@interfaceChiral Plaster the planet with all the graffiti

[bitplanet @bitplanet_org]

While participants have freedom in data submission, the bitplanet system will only render updates that comply with the current ruleset.

These specifications evolve over time, allowing for increasingly sophisticated pixel behaviors.

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[bitplanet @bitplanet_org]

This system setup is provided to incentivize participation. Engaging with bitplanet means you can very directly influence the system as a whole both initially and into the future.

We're excited to see how the system and its participants become defined!

/END

[bitplanet @bitplanet_org]

System updates, like pixel updates, primarily utilize the reinscription mechanism. These updates can modify:

- The existing ruleset
- System structure and architecture
- Data interpretation and rendering algorithms

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[bitplanet @bitplanet_org]

The bitplanet system always renders the most recent valid inscription on each sat. Updates may be as simple as modifying hex colors. Complex updates could be:

- Chain-data inputs/using other inscriptions' data
- Generative algorithms
- Community-developed update protocols

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[bitplanet @bitplanet_org]

Participants have full control over their pixel data through a process called reinscription.

Each pixel is associated with a specific sat, and updates are made by reinscribing new data onto that sat.

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[bitplanet @bitplanet_org]

This extensibility allows for modifications ranging from minor adjustments in pixel rendering order to comprehensive system overhauls that redefine the bitplanet experience.

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[bitplanet @bitplanet_org]

With the pixel grid, that’s easy to understand.

Taking it a step further, one of bitplanet's fundamental principles is its extensibility at both the system and pixel levels.

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[bitplanet @bitplanet_org]

Stage 1 of bitplanet is a 200x200 grid of ownable, updateable pixels.

But what exactly does that mean and why does it matter? 🧵

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[bitplanet @bitplanet_org]

Everything about the grid is inscribed on-chain and functioning within the Ordinals protocol.

From the grid itself, to the rulesets, to individual pixels and sub-pixels, it’s an entirely self-contained system.

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[bitplanet @bitplanet_org]

As we talked about last week, stage 1 is rooted in internet history.

But it’s just that: a stage of bitplanet that serves as a friendly introduction to what amounts to a much more extensive study in social and systems art.

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https://t.co/6uVXxhmWNq

[bitplanet @bitplanet_org]

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙼𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝙳𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚛 𝙷𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚙𝚊𝚐𝚎

A piece of post dot-com era internet history. Hundreds of crypto and non-crypto reinterpretations. Ingrained in Bitcoin’s early days. And the setting for stage 1 of bitplanet.

Let’s take a look at the history. 👇

1/

[bitplanet @bitplanet_org]

@shibboleth88 Rooted in internet history. 💪

[bitplanet @bitplanet_org]

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙼𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝙳𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚛 𝙷𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚙𝚊𝚐𝚎

A piece of post dot-com era internet history. Hundreds of crypto and non-crypto reinterpretations. Ingrained in Bitcoin’s early days. And the setting for stage 1 of bitplanet.

Let’s take a look at the history. 👇

1/

[bitplanet @bitplanet_org]

bitplanet’s stage 1, using this simple concept, becomes the entrance into a much vaster, deeper source of on-chain participation, cooperation, and competition.

Want to read more about this idea? See @__proper’s thread here. 👇

https://t.co/IPUJWZnZIA

[proper @__proper]

We’ve been deep into the weeds on the dev side this week for @bitplanet_org. Apart from the updates we’ve been sending in the Discord, I wanted to take a moment to explain what we’re working toward and why it excites me so much. I’ve said it’s one of the most extensive and ambitious concepts on Ordinals to-date, but why do I say that?

Much of the website, branding, and information in general out there for bitplanet focuses on “stage 1” and that’s intentional. The broader idea is quite abstract and up for interpretation, and this initial stage is meant to be something that is far more tangible and familiar that helps express what’s happening underneath. Stage 1 is exactly that: an interpretation.

This choice of ours also means that people have a multitude of ways they interpret it themselves. At face value, some people think it’s generative art. Some people think it’s a metaverse play. Some people think it’s social art. Some people think it’s trying to be the “[x] of bitcoin”. You get my point, and we outline some of these parallels to past experiments in the bitplanet docs..

And these are all great! It’s intriguing to hear what aspect different people hone in on. Though if you ever hear me call it a metaverse, please strike me down where I stand. 😂

To me, it’s what stage 1 is an interpretation of that I find most interesting. It would be easy to release a 200x200 grid in predefined plots, let people update their pixels, and call it a day. What’s not easy is building a generalized system that on-chain actors can both individually and collectively affect the evolution and extension of over time.

Past these initial predefined stages, the system becomes wholly affected by the arbitrary updates of thousands of independent actors. And as layers develop, you also have sub-systems and networks that ultimately pass back to bitplanet as a whole too. All within the Ordinals protocol as-is.

And over time, it also becomes increasingly closer to the fundamental nature of Bitcoin and Ordinals. Integrating new or existing metaprotocols to extend the ways actors can engage, making use of new opcodes to define new rulesets, and whatever else this network of systems brings in makes it that much more chain- and protocol-native.

I see this systems-based approach as a natural progression of where the Ordinals space has gone over the past 1.5 years. We've seen the rise of generative art, strong conceptual uses of the protocol and chain, metaprotocols extending the possibilities of the tech, and in general a (small) budding corner of this space realize we can do more both differently and with intent.

I’m content with all this becoming more apparent over time and “just” focusing on stage 1 for now. But watching this all materialize makes me realize that much more how powerful this will be.

—--------------------

An aside:

Most of Singular's life has been supporting the release of generative art collections and exploring unique release mechanics through novel technical solutions. Acting as a technical curator for the All At Once show with @verse_works and @GrailersDAO back in June, and now doing the same for other shows since then, we’ve spent countless hours in the weeds making the ideas of dozens of artists – generative or otherwise – possible on Bitcoin. At the same time, it allowed us time to deeply explore parts of the Ordinals protocol that are largely untapped. The reason bitplanet can work is because of this, so a thank you to the teams and artists who helped us see that deeper potential even more.

[bitplanet @bitplanet_org]

Taking a hard systems approach, we can reinterpret this idea of ownership of the collective system in a way where anyone can extend and influence what direction it takes.

As layers build out beyond the grid, it becomes that much more ingrained into Bitcoin itself.

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