In their home habitat, "cavemen" knew WHAT to build. We modern schmucks can't figure out what to build for human health and happiness, but we sure know HOW to build it, And we CAN build it to last: a thousand years if necessary (but don't, yet). We can't (yet) go back in time to Earth's 12 major population bearing biozones and draw on our ancestors for product design advice, but we can learn to look through their eyes.

By looking through their eyes, ethnography, etc, we can fill the "maszlow need gap" left when human's left our home biozone. Schrödinger will start with the easiest biozones, like Hawaii, identifying small "eternal tool" (and later living tool) interventions that can be built to last and reasonable to build in vast quantities. Because our designs are open, and zen, and functional basic goods, we hope humanity will elect to build them en masse.

As we move on to harmonize homo sapiens with more challenginer biozones (those where the great western and eastern populations currently reside), perhaps beyond our founding partners (Craig & Seth) lifetimes, we would like to see "eternal tools" convert every habited land on earth into "hawaiian aina". We believe achieving this goal in a biozone would fundamentally change each individual's stance toward one another, and toward the earth, who they can now see carrying them gently with only the barest of geologic-aged tools. We hope that will help short-sighted mankind achieve homeostasis with her environment.

The goal is not sudden or radical revolution, but instead, longevity and gentle shaping impact. A single stone dwelling shapes kanaka ("mankind", ungendered, hawaiian) in that area for hundreds of years, often allowing a type of artist or outcast etc to function w/o justifying their craft on the capitalist market in the later centuries of the stone dwelling's life. What shaping influence would a thousand year "eternal" quartz globe that shone for hours every night that it saw daylight have on kanakakind? What if we filled the earth with them without hurting her resources too much? Family and social area lighting in latitudes not enjoying a natural 12:12 day:night cycle: solved. Perhaps this one project (and we're open to change! we like schrödinger because it suggests ambiguity and superposition, ya don't know the ending until the wave collapses yo, and afaict it never does ;-). will take Craig and I working alone our entire lifetimes, but I bet we could do it (and maybe even faster, alone).

What could we do if many like-minded scientists and engineers around the globe joined us? How many eternal tools to fill how many aina-hole-niches could we build with a dozen of us and twenty years without optics and political distraction? Could we convert the lower half of the United States and Europe to a "food falls from sky, abundant 1000-yr shelter, water from 1000-yr eternal catchements" Hawaiian-style aina? How do you get somebody to dump sewage into the ocean when they know they can live simply and happily without an employment relationship on the aina they stand on? When they get some of that support from fishing from the aina?

Eternal tools put limits on how badly you can bend people to the wills of complex systems (with attendant inability to set good-for-human direction). Many of us have witnessed a taste of this aloha in Hawaii, and Seth grew up steeped in it (Simunul Tawi Tawi, coral atol, no no-electricity subsistence fishing village): "they" knew what to build, "we" know how to build it, and "we" could build it to last "forever". The result: a world where people continue to be people, but the feedback factor on the ability to build byzantine castles of pain is greatly reduced, perhaps the oscillation effectively damped out? Beyond this, nothing, and who knows how long this guess will fair against learning 🤙🏽

The highest in me calls to the highest in you.

aloha

NON-BINDING DRAFT ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION, for information of intent only

Schrödinger is an environmental open source project with a bank account, and, perhaps, someday, إِنْ شَاءَ ٱللَّٰ, annual disbursements equivalent to a reasonable salary in size and proportional to equity. Alternatively, it is a worker-owned collective with a shared heart for kanaka|aina harmony... that just so happens to release everything 100% open source. ;-)

We hope this model will inspire other such collectives, as we have learned from collectives in our past and before our time.

There are no employees, only owners, and ownership is achieved by open source contribution (hw, sw, design, ethnography, research, proj mgt, etc).

Schrödinger works for the gööd of all kanaka. We pray with our actions, ideas, fundraising, coding, research, and fieldwork for harmony with the aina.

KISS shall be the spirit of the law when it comes to rules, ruling, and ammendments, as these represent an impingement of the mutual autonomy we gift eachother, knowing we share a heart and all have strong minds. When it comes to these things: avoid where possible (be creative!), feel mild disgust, but don't heed that feeling overmuch when an elegant outcome demands it.
Every year for 7 years, on the anniversery of our DNS allocation, we allocate 33.33% (repeating of course) of our remaining unallocated cap table to partners (based on hours, with even valuation between partners) and open source / open hw / open etc contributions made to our github project (based on issue tracker bounties, merit grants, etc).
Allocations from the annual allotment (i.e. the aforementioned 1/3 of presently unallocated ownership alotted annually between partners and open source contributors) for general contributors (i.e. non partners) are proportional to open source contributions, measured with a fair simple and reasonable policy that may change regularly as new ways to fairly reward new or desired types of contribution are found (determined by partner majority, ideally consensus). Whatever the metrics partners use, they will endeavor to be transparent (within limits) and fair handed (no limits) about "how they keep points today" and why :-D
Yup, we would probably take right-hearted individual investment or NGO grants right now to avoid wasting time on "market focused" kickstarters. We're not gonna go fishing (much), but that's you, this is us right now. Long term: partners may elect by 3/5 supermajority to dillute all equity (including the unallocated pool) proportionally in return for capital, if they believe it will further and focus to elegant perfection the heartfelt kanaka|aina harmony mission of Schrödinger. May it stain those who abuse this, and may all heed great caution before taking this step.
Investment equity shall be a special share class with NO VOTING RIGHTS, only proportional dividends (if and when this occurs) and under no event may hold more than 33.33% (repeating, of course) of the cap table.
We expect the bulk of the annual allotment given to open source contribution "points" to come from these sources: issue tracker bounties, point r&d grants (often negotiated in advance), community service grants (inc leadership, marketing, etc)
Partners may elect to an additional or atlernative allocation (mixing and matching is ok, just so long as not double counting!) based on hours worked. We suspect partners will prefer to receive allocation for most of their schrödinger.co contributions by hours worked, but the choice is theirs, and the stain on their honor likewise if cheating or bending: we hope schrö partners are past this, but life is long and complicated.
The general idea is that all partner-hours are counted equally and tallied roughly and monthly on very much an honor system, reducing drag on trusted individuals: if you think its schrödinger, its schrödinger. If and when we can make "getting credit / schröwnership for your work" easier for open source owners, we will. Perhaps this division is not needed at all? *shrug*, we're open to it, lets chat
Partners are encourage to attend to education of future contributors and future generations as their primary directive when lacking clear signs from the heart.
As with ongoing responsibility for determining the method with which to allocate open source contribution points for the betterment of schrödinger collective and the aina, so shall partners determine the most effacacious exchange rate between partner hours and open source contribution points on an ongoing (but NOT history rewriting yo!) basis. This is a sensitive subject, so we will be fairly direct and honest.
Partners are encouraged to not be greedy, but also, to recognize the potential value of granting partners the great freedom that comes with "not worrying about money" and being able to follow creative impulses "on budget, off justification, ❤️-instinct" that comes with being able to personally enact large financial decisions. If we do this right, taking home a market competitive salary for partners (all of whom are expected to be or become highly skilled and senior) is an advantage because with that comes the tremendous freedom that allows us to consider things like schrödinger in the first place.
When open source contributors (who are eligible, blah blah) receive schrö contribution points, you're also given the ability to grant the same number of points to somebody else later that year, allowing you to pass the invitation to schrödinger ownership on to another contributor, or (more frequently) reward somebody in the project you think is doing great work.
Voting as a practice is discouraged, but may be useful as a fallback when something truly requires non-autonomous action (rare). In this case, the partners may elect to form a rule or make a ruling, and submit it to a majority vote of the general contributor shareholder class.
A 3/5ths supermajority of full partner votes may override a majority vote by the general shareholder class (both voting and overriding by supermajority are discouraged, but prove useful in a pinch)
A 3/5ths supermajority of full partner votes is required to ammend these articles (future ammendments are encouraged to lean in the direction of fine tuning effective and fair minded operation while avoiding acretion of rules)
Nobody reports to anyone, because that just doesn't make sense for a fundamentally free model, the goal is instead a dedicated collective who ideally work together through life. Instead, everyone reports to u@schrödinger.co, and u@ reports to everyone but mainly no-one.
The reason for disbursements will not be profit per se, but to allow free people to continue working on projects for the good of humanity. Think: tenure, not quick exit.
Shareholders not requiring a disbursement for continuing their life work are encouraged not to take it, and instead will be offered equivalent equity.
Shareholder equity (partner or not) will be capped at 33.33% (repeating, always and of course). Those entitled to equity beyond this cap may bestow the balance on another partner, at the time of their choosing (i.e. you may acrue but may not utilize or receive disbursement or voting rights for equity beyond the cap, but can at any point bestow it on another according the the bestowal rules outlined below.)
At the invitation of partners, you may receive partnership, with conversion of your equity to partner shares, the trust to account worthy and correct hours to schrödinger on whatever resonant matter your heart leads, the responsibility to teach, and finally to draw a lifetime [A-Z]@schrödinger.co address of your heart's desire from the dwindling pool.
Partners must be completely open to being wrong at all times, but should also follow their hearts and not their minds in determining the right course of action (for themselves autonomously, or as they represent the collective).
As autonomy and trust are the watchwords of schrödinger, and moreso of partners, the NEED to change other's minds is greatly reduced, and can be replaced with the joy of sharing viewpoints, and the joy of continuing to hold different viewpoints even after discussion, for the value perspective brings to all honest interpretation of our world. Most disuptes are best solved not by majority, not by consensus, but by harmonious autonomy and curiosity. Don't own others: they don't own you either.
Shares may not be sold or traded for personal gain, but can be bestowed (without personal gain) on a partner of the donor's heart's choosing and with their heartfelt understanding of the needs of the world and the collective brought to bear on the decision. Upon passing of a shareholder, shares revert to the [remaining] partners, distributed according to their existing %, as we believe multi-generational wealthy is to be discouraged. However, the partners are expected to treat the shares passed to them as if held in a spririt of trust (but not), and care for life partners of the deceased in accordance and proportion with the equity they received back upon the shareholder's passing.
Partners are encouraged to consider distributing their equity collectively back to the unallocated pool to sweeten a year's open source general allocation when doing so would serve the focus and furtherance of schrödinger, and of course, follow your heart.
Partner Pledges
- From Seth: deepest aloha @ all kanaka and teachers of big island and those of the silent holy aina of simunul, all of that's me is you. from child to man: this coral thread has not failed me even when I couldn't see it, she slipped between my fingers unbroken

Contributing to schrödinger means you own schrödinger, and the aina and all her kanaka own all the work you do. Its not an NGO, but its a truly open source org that anyone can own by contributing to our 100% free sw 100% open hw github project.

Schrödinger is intended to be a venue for those who wish to serve the world with unswavering determination to do their great Werk to do so with less distraction and more direct action. We hope to attract other people for whom "for the good of society, this person should really be tenured", court one another with a direct benefit to the contributor (ownership entitling to a share of schrödinger's annual disbursements) and to the world (open source everything). Hopefully, if can, by this means we'll find other resonant strong-minded heart-first technical folks who will want to join with us for the adventure of a lifetime.

if your ❤️ leads aloha@schrodinger.co

We propose cavedwellers, our wise and smart as us ancient ancestors in each major biozone, would be able to (given understanding of what WE can build today, and what we can research for easy building tomorrow) propose a much simpler and smaller set of technology suited to each climate and its flora and fauna.

We believe it is well within the grasp of modern technology to engineer these "basic platonic solids for human existence", each fundamentally addressing a base maslow-hierarchy need not automatically met "by the aina" in that biozone.
We believe that it is possible to build these as "eternal tools": objects that last a thousand years providing anyone in their vicinity with a solution (in the particular biozone) to a gap in "just rest on the aina and you'll live day to day, look to the birds of the field..." relative to a basic maszlow need not intrinsic to a non-evolved-for biozone.
We believe that modern humans will value these very beautiful zen eternal objects, and if we make them easy to produce, open source, open hw, open design, open mfg, they will buy and build lots of them. We WANT China to copy us, and then do better (if can, as long as just as long lived ;-)
We will thus attempt to fill the biospheres with these "almost geologic aged", able to be made by any modern country or society objects.
This will use a lot of energy, and emit a lot of Carbon, but will also (potentially) lock carbon into the objects: plastic is an ideal candidate for many aspects of millenia-object-construction. Quartz crystals seeded around a solid state core is another.
We will try to build the objects (in their ideal final form) out of minierals and chemicals relatively plentiful and accessible to the earth's crust: silicon, iron, oil (there used to be a lot more of this to make eternal tools from, but we decided to burn it like cavemen instead, and make disposable objects out of it, ugh ugh), water, air, etc
We believe that if we could fill the biospheres with these "stop-gap geologic aged objects", which convert the local biosphere to be more naturally supporting (like biosphere 0: hawaii), we could find a greater degree of long term peace and harmony on earth without "fixing man". There's a stability to the constant shaping influence of long lived objects, especially if they are useful or active (like a thousand year spring): >we can use our profound current material control of nature, and an honest study of what a caveperson might need to be happy, and convert all biospheres on earth to biosphere0: gentle aina. aloha aino ono

We are free, we own ourselves suvival wise (that is, we're not rich, but we're all senior tech folks who save money pretty well ;-), and we are environmentally mercenary. Schrödinger.co will not grow above 27 full partners (what this means is tbd, but the point is: constrained growth, which has wonderful implications like you want people to stick around and be happy with eachother :-).

Suggestions for Partners

It is suggested partners seriously meditate on the pros/cons of a relocation or extended sabbatical on the Big Island of Hawaii

The reason for this is twofold:

Living in the hawai'ian aina gives partners opportunity to learn first-hand what it could be like to have people be people but land be aina, unless already having childhood experience in a truly gentle aina (for you and parents), this is a challenge without an exposure like this (imagination alone only goeth so far).

This land is loud yo, and with our stopped up ears, we might need some hollerin to get signal. To be carried by a gentle yet strong aina for an extended period is to directly experience the goal we wish for all aina all kanaka.

Ōlelo Hawaiʻi, and what lives and breathes thru Hawai'i's im🖤o truly Royal English, provides a rich language for powerful concepts already well integrated anr providing extra dimensions to English grammar (with her large vocab). Even a small learning provides a large benefit: because useful "aina thinking driven" counterpoints to the word categories necessitated by survival in less gentle ainas, and shaping our existing mother tongue(s). The Pidgin New Testament is a truly eye opening experience for those open to it.
A "language suitable to describing the goal" better than "English" is here, and easily accesible to somewhat-financially-free American citizens. Language is a big shortcut when rooted in relevant aina, we should use it where can for the benefit of Hawai'i, her kanaka, and through learning and diligent practice, the world.
Secondly, Hawai'i is an obvious biozone-0 ("almost eden, but.... not quite ;-)") to build the first eternal tools for, I find tremendous focus on a narrow point usually results in the greatest breadth. I (Seth) already have fertile designs for this ecosystem I couldn't have come up with w/ using childhood memory alone, and most folks don't even have that for a biozone-0 ("most like eden, but not quite").

To focus properly on biozone-0 is to live there at least sometime(s), dogfood or fail, design on site, etc; and starting this seed with American engineers, makes Hawai'i the obvious point of easy congregation.

Finally, Hawai'i (govt, aina, and most importantly her kanaka) provide tremendous support for all three of aina focused, scientific, and local tech startups. Science is a big deal here, and aina is always on the table.

By concentrating our many skills locally, in a few people, we can offer our skills to keiki who have interest, and god willing help Hawaiian communities defend against the influx of money with a counterburn. We are of course included in "the influx of money", my prayer is that we can leave the ratio of "local community immersed wealth" compared to "mainland 'foreign' wealth" better off than our impact on the negative side of the equation. With only 27 max (and prolly MUCH less ;-) individuals willing to bring direct skill wealth to thems that wants to learn, I believe with some attention, dedication, and constant self-reflection, as well as listening to kupuna and da hui when they speak truth, and always carefully, we can hope for a positive outcome from our own 'invasion'. Those who wish to learn will, if they will, help fix our misunderstandings and shortfalls over time and generations.

If the time isn't right now, we can at least leave behind what we've learned for a generation that is, born or yet to be.

Its GOOD for the world for people who have their hearts set right to be as materially free as possible.

As a historic model, consider: in the moghul courts musicians were not paid. It was considered a limit to their inspiration, a stain even, perhaps. Instead, it was custom that any debt incurred by a court musician (presumed to be acting in clean ❤️) would be paid happily by the court. Musicians comissioned architecture, gardens, and of course lived and explored the world under this approach. However, we can only hold our heads high when this privilege is upheld by an unswavering duty the service of kanaka and aina, and an ability to hear our hearts over our apetitites.

Partners should ideally balance their apetites, but have freedom for their hearts to explore. To deny the basic freeing flow of money (or the flow of lessless need *bow to them*) is to deny the dao of the present age, and thus to be impoverished one and all. Used improperly, money is terribly trapping: either too little or too much (relative to the service or servant).

Partners are honored and trusted to live according to the dictates of their hearts, and in accordance with their best understanding of the aina, as we attempt to bring a similar gift of "lifting of material weight, even in some small measure" to as many as can w/ the heavy lift coming from the aina, new and old.

The final goal: all have access to aina, all have this type of freedom-on-ground, now enabled by money, perhaps later, not so much?

Our current "business model", if you will (odd notion for a worker owned collective that releases all its work as open source, but we all gotta eat to keep serving, and have freedom to learn and explore new things), is simple: kickstarter.

We have 3 pono projects in mind that we believe would appeal greatly to the kickstarter crowd, do not require "cloud services" with ongoing maintenance and pager duty, are unambitious for a few talented generalist engineers who have had decades to broaden and deepen their many experiences, and are of a sort that we believe would get enormous kickstarter traction, and leave us much wiser about generalities and details of tackling a direct "eternal tool" project.

The goal is very much not to be long-term owned by these kickstarter projects (ideally we'd give one another great freedom even while executing them!), but to raise on them as open source / open hw, deliver something wonderful to backers that does some small good in the world, and move on. Ideally: directly to eternal tools with money in the bank to spare, having completed the carefully selected kickstarter, delighted backers, and still have money to focus directly on eternal tools. If not: and "not laser focused but good and fun" kickstarter is required, to reach the capital scale of our current eternal tools next-ambition, we cycle again (probably larger), until we reach laser focused non-market-driven "caveperson-driven" designs.

IM❤️O, if we could make it this far إِنْ شَاءَ ٱللَّٰ, the 3rd kickstarter raise (if not the first! or second!) could be laser focused on what we believe should be built, not on "what the market desires", and still succeed in a big way that permits a more ambitious endeavor, and then another, as she wills.

As programmable matter dawns, in the initially sloppy guise of 3d printers, we suspect that open collectives will receive enormous traction in the world (direct fit to biz model, receives far more leverage from the 3d printer progress is your model is openhw etc! made to be copied yo), so we want to have plenty of time to study, meditate, refine our thinking together and apart, so when we build, we build right and for the right reasons. This is important when you build to last a thousand years: virality of mind and logevity of thought are both a gift and a curse to mankind, it is exactly what permitted the present technocratic darkness, but it is also the gift that can permit us to free ourselves, and quickly, in only a few generations perhaps. There is hope.

We think raising kickstarter for desirable and pono / world friendly objects, with varying degrees of ambition and consequential world benefit will be relatively easy for an open src / open hw collective, and we can leverage the enormous donations offered by large corporations in support of open source projects (even hw: e.g. free ASIC fab from Google for open hw projects.... this might be essential to building 1000-year chips if even can!). e.g. one kickstarter could be an AI cat toy that uses current-gen ML to achieve twitchiness with an eye toward relieving suffering for imprisoned and now covid-abandoned housecats.