Plumia - The Internet Country's Reading List

Plumia is an online community building a digital country for digital nomads.

In many ways, they're pioneering the future of practical, digital age governance on a global scale. Their community is a treasure trove of knowledge at the intersection of self-sovereignty, remote work, international governance, digital nomadism, cryptoassets, and a variety of other digital age topics. 

If you've read The Network State by Balaji Srinivasan, you'll conclude that this is exactly the type of community that will drive meaningful change to society. And that makes them worth following and engaging with.

But Discord can be a pain for late arrivals to get up to speed, so I created this post to curate what they're watching, reading, and talking about. It's basically a reorganized version of their "reading resources" discord channel going back through June 2021. ie: read this post to get up to speed on the topics discussed in Plumia's community over the last year.

The links are reorganized into common topic buckets below with summarizing tidbits from each link. The bold links indicate resources that I found to be particularly interesting and relevant to the digital transformation and personal sovereignty. 

If you're even remotely interested in these topics, you should signup and participate in Plumia's digital nation community.

Table of Contents:

• On Governance

• Crypto, Decentralization, & Digital Identity

• Visas/Passports

• Digital Nations

• Digital Nomads

• Remote Work

• Misc

On Governance

A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace - "Governments of the Industrial World, you weary giants of flesh and steel, I come from Cyberspace, the new home of Mind. On behalf of the future, I ask you of the past to leave us alone. You are not welcome among us. You have no sovereignty where we gather."

To Build A Better Ballot - "In 2011, almost a full quarter of young Americans said democracy was a "bad" or "very bad" way to run a country."

Cheran: The Town That Threw Out Police, Politicians And Gangsters - "In Mexico, organised crime reaches everywhere, even into the smallest village - except for one small town in the state of Michoacan. Led by local women, the people of Cheran rose up to defend their forest from armed loggers - and kicked out police and politicians at the same time."

Tools For Reclaiming Local Politics - "Flatpack Democracy, published 2014, describes how a group of local residents in Frome, took control of their town council and set about making politics relevant, effective and fun."

The End Of Nation-States - "Every time a new information technology is discovered, our power structures change. Speech allowed chiefdoms. Writing allowed kingdoms, empires, and churches. The printing press replaced the Catholic Church and feudalism with the nation-state. Broadcasting made totalitarianism viable by allowing the efficient transmission of propaganda. This time we have not one but two new information technologies: Internet and Blockchain. How will they undermine the nation-state?"

Remote Work Will Break The US Monopoly On Global Talent - "Remote work is creating a new economic niche, and countries that put in the work to fill it will finally be able to compete with the US to attract talent. This is the once-in-a-generation opportunity for small, stable countries to grow, diversify, and up-skill their economy."

Liquid Democracy - Video - How democracy is a work in progress.

Why The Past 10 Years Of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid - "The story of Babel is the best metaphor I have found for what happened to America in the 2010s, and for the fractured country we now inhabit. Something went terribly wrong, very suddenly. We are disoriented, unable to speak the same language or recognize the same truth. We are cut off from one another and from the past."

Declaration For The Future Of The Internet - "This Declaration represents a political commitment among Declaration partners to advance a positive vision for the Internet and digital technologies."

The Democracy Of The Future - "what democracies born from the Internet will look like. The next articles will cover: over what will Internet-native governments rule? What will they rally around? And how will they emerge?"

How The Planet Became The Political Entity Of Our Century - "I’m talking about the ‘planet’ inside ‘planetary crisis’: a planet that emerges from the realisation that anthropogenic impacts are not isolated to particular areas, but integrated parts of a complex web of intersecting processes that unfold over vastly disparate timescales and across different geographies."

Indonesia's New Internet Regulations - "The new regulatory framework introduced by Indonesia's IT ministry last year was presented as a content control system said to be introduced to protect national security and prevent the dissemination of fake news."

UBI As A Public Good - "I think financial security is a fundamental service a nation state can provide, and one that can unleash creativity and boost economic activity, truly cultivating human capital."

More Americans Renounce Citizenship - "Americans renouncing their U.S. citizenship in favor of a foreign country hit a record high last year, increasing 237% from 2019."

The Wealthy Nigerians Buying Citizenship Overseas - "A record 92 countries around the world now allow wealthy individuals to become residents or citizens in return for a fee, sometimes as low as $100,000 but often several million dollars. It is billed as a “win-win”: The country gets much-needed foreign investment and, in return, the new citizens have new passports that open up more of the world to travel or live in."

Airbnb's Guide To Live And Work Anywhere - "How Communities Can Benefit from Remote Workers"

Crypto, Decentralization, & Digital Identity

What Are DAO's? - "A DAO is a collectively-owned, blockchain-governed organization working towards a shared mission."

The DAOist - A video presentation on DAOs.

Why DAOs Need Better Decentralized Identity Tools - "the ability to link off-chain and on-chain identity is a key cornerstone which must be addressed for DAOs to reach their full potential."

From Fernando Pessoa To Pseudonymous Identity - "With web3 technology, we’ll be able to move wealth and reputation into pseudonymity. While the pseudonymous identities offer self-exploration to Fernando Pessoa, it provides me with the protection to combat discrimination and cancellation and earning ability under pseudonymous identities."

Non-Assigned Names - "I am willing to bet that 200 years from now (2222) more than 66% of people born on the planet will have adult names they chose themselves. Having a name chosen by your parents will be like having a marriage arranged by your parents. It’s not the modern thing to do, and a sign of a very conservative traditional family."

Are DAOs The Business Structure Of The Future? - "Technology has outpaced regulation in this space. The current approach is to try fit DAOs into a company registration framework that was built for a pen and paper era."

Web3 Needs In Person Gatherings - "The future of work is not completely decentralized, and authentic engagement is rooted in IRL community models. We’ve been organizing ourselves for millennia and the skills we’ve developed in that time don’t need to be displaced, but rather focused."

Sanctions And The Future Of Decentralized Finance - A WEF perspective on how the wide adoption of crypto could lead sanctioned countries bypassing their international sanctions. It includes thoughts on what they think can be done about it.

Blackrock Teams Up With Coinbase - Not much to preview here, the title sums it up.

Identification - Scott Gallaway's thoughts on the need to fix the toxic byproduct of online anonymity. 

Visas/Passports

47 Digital Nomad Visas in 2022 - A solid resource outlining visas that are ideal for digital nomads. It's worth comparing and contrasting the policies that are common/uncommon.

Digital Nomad Visas Expected Over Summer 2021 - "The number of digital nomads across the globe is expected to reach 1 billion by 2035. Competition to attract them is fierce"

E-Residency Vs Digital Visas - "Estonia has already transformed the way a country serves people beyond its borders through e-⁠Residency. Now with the Digital Nomad Visa, Estonia is transforming how people in the world choose to work."

Why The Passport Needs An Upgrade - "It's time to give paper passports a digital upgrade, says entrepreneur Karoli Hindriks. Looking to Estonia's technology-driven government for inspiration, she envisions a world where immigration is no longer hindered by bureaucracy and needless repetition."

Venice Launches Venywhere to Attract Remote Workers - "Available services include visa and tax assistance, apartment viewing, language lessons, coworking space reservations, healthcare advice and activity recommendations."

Nomad Village In Brazil - "accommodations, workspaces and networking events to digital nomads and remote workers seeking a change of scenery"

Digital Nations

Bitnation Declaration of Independence - Not really sure what this is but it appears to be a declaration of independence from the US.

The Network State - A video presentation on Network States.

The Evolution Of Trust - A fun interactive demonstration of game theory's role in trust.

Digital Nations - Plumia - "Several countries have seen the potential and are working to attract digital nomads, but the barriers of negotiating work visas, tax and local employment laws remain high. What if digital nomads could become citizens of a ‘digital nation’ that saw its role as advocating for, protecting and smoothing the ride for its citizens? Plumia is one such nation starting to do just that."

An Internet Country - "Currently in development, Plumia is focusing on developing member-focused services and content, including a nomad index map and digital nomad visa whitepaper, which the two of us will be co-authoring. This resource will score and evaluate current visa and residency options for location-independent talent, also giving governments a useful benchmark for creating policy."

Barbados Launches Embassy In The Metaverse - "Barbados is making waves for their recent announcement to launch the first nation embassy in the Metaverse. The decision was originally approved by the Barbadian cabinet in August of this year, and over the weekend Barbados signed an agreement with Decentraland to help develop the embassy."

How Network Leaders Can Promote Public Value - "Evidence reveals that relational forms of leadership are a powerful asset in helping leaders of networks to create public value."

Cypherpunk Manifesto - "Privacy is necessary for an open society in the electronic age. Privacy is not secrecy. A private matter is something one doesn't want the whole world to know, but a secret matter is something one doesn't want anybody to know. Privacy is the power to selectively reveal oneself to the world."

Scaling Community Sourced Innovation - "Our vision from the start was to build an entirely new category of human coexperience—nothing less than the realization of the next phase of human interaction. We imagined an online space where people from anywhere in the world could share experiences with friends, just as they would in person."

Rethinking How Global Institutions Face Crises - Video - "You can't effectively respond to a crisis until you all agree on what the crisis is," says Ian Bremmer of Eurasia Group, on designing institutions that can respond to new challenges."

Model City - Astral Codex on Charter Cities, special economic zones, and digital nations.

The Internet Country - "Under the banner of a program known as India Stack, the land of the tiger has been solving for the three economic primitives of identity, payments, and data for over ten years."

Neom - Video - "What if we could start again? THE LINE rethinks everything we know about how people live, work and play. A 170 km-long vertical city, designed around people, rather than cars. A revolution in urban living. A city that delivers new wonders for the world."

Internet Countries - Plumia And Remote Work - “The goal is that you would actually feel secure about giving up your British or American or Canadian passport and taking this instead, and that it would function in the same way"

Digital Nomads

Digital Nomads Path Of Destruction - "Unlike the hordes of tourists who come and go for a few days, nomads create a permanent strain on local infrastructure. They enjoy all the benefits of life in the tropics, but they don't pay taxes."

Colorado Doesn't Want Remote Workers - "At issue is a new Colorado law that requires companies with even a few employees in the state to disclose the expected salary or pay range for each open role they advertise, including remote positions. The rule’s aim is to narrow gender wage gaps and provide greater pay transparency for employees. To avoid having to disclose that information, though, some employers seeking remote workers nationwide are saying that those living in Colorado need not apply."

The New Nomads - Book Notes - "Migration is, at its root, an innate human urge. It is overwhelmingly a slow, smooth and quite seamless phenomenon, more infusion than invasion."

Digital Nomad Observatory - "Digital Nomads Observatory is a non-profit organization with primary objective the development of sustainable ultra-local/national policies and tools for shaping a welcoming environment for Digital Nomads."

The Best Destinations For Remote Work - "Not everyone has the same priorities. Maybe top internet speeds are non-negotiable for you. Perhaps you want to keep your cost of living low. No matter what your preferences may be, we have the answers you need."

Kayak Work From Wherever - "Our new index ranks 111 countries according to their remote working conditions and opportunities to have amazing travel experiences."

Work From Anywhere Index - "A study highlighting the destinations that are most attractive to digital nomads in search of a new home,according to legislation as well as livability factors such as weather, cost of living and equality."

Cities Best Facilitating Remote Work - "Study uses data to reveal which global cities are most accessible and attractive for remote workers by assessing factors related to employment compliance, living costs, infrastructure and liveability, in addition to showing current location trends."

Digital Nomad Index - "We’ve looked at a range of factors from the cost of internet speed and the Global Happiness Index to the monthly rent of a one-bedroom apartment and the number of searches for remote jobs among other factors to create the Digital Nomad Index."

Compare Places To Live On Costs And Other Metrics - "Compare cities on quality of life, cost of living, salaries and more. Explore where to move based on your personal preferences."

Where To Set Up Your Taxes As A Nomad - "Legitimizing tax status allows individuals to exist within societies without worry. It lets them get paid and contracted whilst making basic processes like banking more manageable"

How To Set Up Your Taxes In Estonia For Digital Nomads And Remote Workers - "In a nutshell, the Estonian E-Residency gives non-Estonian residents the right to create a company in Estonia without any expiration date, an important step for those wanting to take advantage of the country's favorable tax rates."

40 Liter Backpack Travel Guide - A simple guide for packing a 40 Liter backpack based on personal experience.

Mexican Demonstrators Ask Digital Nomads To Stay Away - "Mexican residents are getting fed up with digital nomads and remote workers flooding their cities, driving up rent prices and gentrifying their communities."

Digital Nomads Have Rejected The Office - "Both digital nomads and sceptics of this lifestyle agree that challenges to sustaining a nomadic existence are 90% practical. Visa rules, tax obligations and healthcare are common nomad pain points."

Remote Work

The Battles to Come Over the Benefits of Working From Home - The New York Times (archive.ph) - "Not having to commute was the equivalent of a big bonus for many employees. In the future, bosses may expect more hours in exchange for remote work, an economist says."

People Who'd Rather Quit Than Give Up Remote Work - "We’ve heard rumblings for a while now that workers are quitting, or threatening to quit, if they can’t continue to work from home. That’s because for many people remote work has been great—the lack of commute, flexible schedule, and more casual dress have provided a massive quality-of-life boon for many of us, to say nothing of the productivity increases some workers have discovered without regular interruptions from chatty colleagues."

Your Company Needs A Digital Nomad Policy - "the number of digital nomads with traditional jobs rose from 3.2 million in 2019 to 6.3 million in 2020 — a 96% increase. Traditional job holders now make up a majority of those pursuing this nontraditional work lifestyle."

Why Managers Fear Remote Work - "Remote work lays bare many brutal inefficiencies and problems that executives don’t want to deal with because they reflect poorly on leaders and those they’ve hired. Remote work empowers those who produce and disempowers those who have succeeded by being excellent diplomats and poor workers, along with those who have succeeded by always finding someone to blame for their failures."

Remote workers work longer, not more efficiently | The Economist (archive.ph) - This is an interesting essay on the lost productivity of remote work. It has more in common with the article above on why managers fear remote work. ie: it's usually the result of applying synchronous and traditional in-person processes to remote workstyles. 

Employees Balk At End Of Remote Work - This is a little outdated at this point but does a good job of covering the flash points between employees that want remote work and managers that don't.

Why People Should Be Paid Less To Work From Home - An interesting question: should remote workers be paid less than people that commute to the office?

Google Cuts Pay Of People Working From Home - "Big tech companies including Microsoft, Facebook, and Twitter have offered less pay for employees based in locations where it is more inexpensive to live."

The War For Talent - "There is now a category of workers that is no longer motivated by the same values that worked in the past. Nevertheless, entire industries keep trying to fight new challenges with the same old tools and strategies."

Would You Let Employees Choose Their Own Pay? This Company Did - "Not only could employees choose what they’re paid, they could also choose how they’re paid. In fact, Semco offers eleven different ways to pay people, anything from traditional salaries, to business equity, to commission models."

Remote Living: 3 In 4 Employees Want The Ability To Work Remote Forever - "American employees say that the number one workplace feature they’ll be searching for post-COVID is the ability to continue working remotely when they please."

Ranking How National Economies Adapt To Remote Work - "Our results show that no country in the world is fully prepared for all of its residents to work from home. But there are clear steps that stakeholders can take to mitigate the economic fallout of future large-scale shocks."

How The Pandemic Changed The Future Of Work - "The ability to travel, move, and live away from an office — while still working their jobs — gave many a flexibility they don’t want to give up after the pandemic is over."

How To Support Remote Teams Wellness - "Finding the right mental health practices for your team while working from home will take some time. But by starting with conscious, internal changes, you can create a healthy and long-lasting foundation for the people you work with."

The Future Is Freelance - Podcast. "you don't have to sacrifice the solopreneur mindset, OR your preferred lifestyle, just because you scale up successfully in response to global need."

My Remote Job Gives Me Freedom To Displace People - "By working remotely, I break down boundaries. I’m a traveler and a worker, a learner, and a teacher. I’m a digital nomad and a real-life colonist."

Misc

A How To Guide To Starting The US - An interesting series on the design and formation of the US.

A Better Way To Web - Video - "We have no privacy on the web anymore. Our data is stored with many third-parties, some even sell it behind our backs. Solid aims to put all our data in a single place that's under our control (pods). Changing the way we deal with personal data."

Human Flow - Video - "A ground-breaking new documentary about the global refugee crisis from Ai Weiwei." 

The Fourth Industrial Revolution - "Ubiquitous, mobile supercomputing. Intelligent robots. Self-driving cars. Neuro-technological brain enhancements. Genetic editing. The evidence of dramatic change is all around us and it’s happening at exponential speed."

What Is The West? - "They wish to convert the whole world into a vast market for their goods. That they cannot do so is true, but the blame will not be theirs. They will leave no stone unturned to reach the goal."

Mass Collaboration Online - "In a time of digital mass collaboration, is it time to rethink how democratic processes are organized?"

Meritverse - "An open, user-owned and decentralised platform where people showcase their professional identity and build their career. A platform that incentivises people to create valuable professional networks to help each other succeed."

How Disruptions Happen - "Lenin’s theory of change was a theory of social disruption, of imposing a shift so radical that a society could not go back to the way it had been. Such disruptions don’t just happen randomly. There is a set of conditions required to launch them, and there are particular circumstances in which the initiators of the disruption tend to succeed in their aims."

Your Justice Whitepaper - "YourJustice is a decentralized social network for people, communities, organizations, and countries. Here, anyone can create a jurisdiction with their own values, rules, laws, and economies, or join an existing one."

The Stopping Places (book) - "In a bid to better understand his Gypsy heritage, the history of the Britain's Romanies and the rhythms of their life today, Damian sets out on a journey to discover the atchin tans, or stopping places – the old encampment sites known only to Travellers/ Damian lives on the road, somewhere between the romanticised Gypsies of old, and their much-maligned descendants of today."

Opinion | Radical Ideas Need Quiet Spaces - The New York Times (archive.ph) - "These activists need spaces to come together in the quiet when revolutions are only impassioned conversations among the aggrieved and dreaming. Because without those spaces, we risk a future in which the possibility of new realities will remain just beyond our grasp."

Why Work Is Killing Us And The Planet - Video - How capitalism is killing the climate.

5 Things To Look Forward To In The Future - Future trends the World Economic Forum anticipates. 

France, Farmers And The Failing Extreme Center - "Now it strikes me that Renaud’s application of the term “extreme center” may also be a better way to describe the politics of technocratic regimes elsewhere (including in the United States) that have today draped themselves in the progressive identity politics of the New Left but have zero interest in the class struggles of the old working-class left, let alone any intention of challenging global neoliberalism. The dominant political divide is now nearly everywhere becoming that between a technocratic-global-elite vs. rebellious democratic-national-populists."

Effective Altruism - "the effective altruism (EA) movement, which aims to use evidence and reason to find the best ways of helping others, and to put those findings into practice. EA holds that we should value all lives equally and act on that basis. It is the antithesis of the old do-gooder’s credo “Think global, act local.”

Russian Treaties And Annexations - "Signing of treaties on accession of Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics and Zaporozhye and Kherson regions to Russia"

Yes Media Minister - "I was intrigued, if chiefly because as an American I was unaware that we had a Minister of Media."