Update 1/11/24
Once again I find myself giving this a quick tune up as it continues to have legs in various conversations.
I appologize for what is now a bit of a rambling ReadMe file. In the name of the "version control" aspect of this project, I've decided to keep this stream of updates intact. Please keep reading for a sense of the project and its progression over time.
If you're here simply to dig in as a sample of my writing, you can jump right to the first chapter by clicking on "Why?" in the left menu.
Thanks for taking a look!
Best,
Adam
Update 4/21/23
Much to my surprise, I've got reasons to pass this link around again. So, here's some quick context:
- This was essentially a law school "thesis" project because I got my JD for academic reasons, not to practice. I kept working on it for a while after that in different forms. Check out the branch labeled "Southwestern" something that reads much more like a philosophy paper. That's from first semester. Master branch is the second semester onward. I have not read it since then. I'm sure my thinking on most of it has evolved.
- I also converted it for some blog content here.
- Where I was going, but did not really get before I ran out of time, was toward an idea that we could build a system of keeping our laws that would allow github/stack overflow style civic engagement. (And possibly policies.)
- Optimize for machine readability of legal code.
- Git-like version control & collaboration (what if a bill had to be drafted by a % of consitutency, instead of 5 junior staffers?)
- Collaborator notifications (Keep tabs on bullshit last minute edits to bills.)
- Open Data Management (Maybe Blockchain here?)
- Handling ID & Credentials (Maybe Blockchain here?)
- If you're here now you might also like this whitepaper on blockchain dispute resolution. 👈 This is the project that stole my attention from completing the above.
Original Readme: 11/17/15
On Gitbook? Cool. Keep reading.
On GitHub?: Skip down for "readme" kinda stuff.
Want to go to GitBook?: Here you go!
Welcome to the repository for my exploration of government and the law in the age of digital connectivity and collaboration, when software is quickly taking over the world.
I'm Adam. I set this up. I'm working on it ongoing as I have time. Other people might be too, any time you check in it might be different. First draft is due in a month. At this point, if you're here you're a friend, classmate, family member or professor. Thank you for taking a look!
What you see in front of you is already an example of the tools I'll be writing about and their implications for society, and systems of government.
This project will take shape using the same tools that programmers use to coordinate and collaborate while working on software that is text based and both hieracrchical and non-linear at the same time (just like legal documents, and laws.) As of now GitBooks is mostly a layer for sharing and public comments.
If you're here on a computer you can comment by clicking on the little "+" icon to the right of any section. (Right now it's a number because I have some comments. Try clicking the number. ->
If you want to make changes, that's happening via GitHub, which will actually be in the paper later under in the "Massive Collaboration" chapter. If you want to dig in that info is below.
I'm working continually, so what you see here is what I've got so far. Interested, dig in, reach out, I'll help you get rolling as a contributor. You should be able to comment with thoughts or questions by clicking the little plus that comes up when you mouse over any given section.
If you've got a few minutes the video below is the thing that got me going down this road to begin with. I retread some of Shirky's stuff in the paper so far, but I'm trying to end with at least the start for an actual proposed system by which to deploy this into lawmaking, and a discussion of its merits. I'll keep putting other cool links down here as I bump into them.
Clay Shirky on how the Internet will Transform Government
~ Adam
DO YOU ALREADY USE GITHUB? READ BELOW:
Gitbook is synced with this Github Repo.
Anything merged with the master ends up here on GitBook where I send people to read and comment as someone likely first did to you. Set up a GitBook account to interact with public comments. You can also tie that to your GitHub account quite nicely.
GitBook pulls its structure for the Table of Contents from the SUMMARY.md
This document right here is README.md
Each "Section" is a new .md file, titled and pointed to in SUMMARY.md
Try not to break that structure up. In my experience so far it breaks the Gitbook sync, and thus the public comment system.
I think that's it.
Fork on brave souls.
~ Still Adam