
## my experience at devcon & ETHGlobal Bangkok

Devcon SEA was massive! It was far more overwhelming than any other Web3 event I've attended. During Devcon week, we hosted two successful events: the [Decentralized Data Summit](https://lu.ma/ysjjjaxa?tk=0JC7b6) and [Parallel Societies Congress](https://lu.ma/psc1?tk=E0M5Nc). I was able to meet a lot of other cypherpunks in the Ethereum ecosystem and learn about about a lot of cool projects that are in the works.

![Codex @ Devcon](/blog/codex-devcon.jpeg)
![Waku @ Devcon](/blog/waku-devcon.jpeg)

After representing my projects [Codex.storage](https://codex.storage), [Waku](https://waku.org), and other [Logos](https://logos.co) technologies at Devcon and its side events, the climax of my Bangkok trip was at ETHGlobal Bangkok, probably the largest of all the Web3 hackathons till date.

## the inspiration behind our ETHGlobal project

A few months ago, I discovered a Silicon Valley startup called Friend. While their concept initially seemed dystopian, I was intrigued by the idea of recording daily conversations and building a memory-retrieval system. Like many others, my main concern was privacy. The thought of having personal conversations with doctors or loved ones being recorded made me uneasy. But overall, Friend is a great idea. Imagine your grandkids being able to query about your life when you're gone (except all the stuff from Bangkok you'd rather they didn't know).

Later at Devcon, I noticed my friend wearing Omi (either a rebranded version of Friend or a similar product). I learned that Omi devices were being offered at the Polygon booth at ETHGlobal for developers. My teammate Sushaan shared my interest in experimenting with Omi, so we visited the Polygon booth together.

## privacy concerns

While Omi is impressive and I'd consider using it daily for memory documentation, privacy remains my primary concern. I'm hesitant to store my conversations in a system without clear privacy guarantees. Though Omi's codebase is open source and largely customizable, it still relies on centralized infrastructure.

## some technical observations

In the perspective of minimizing the data risks, local edge node computation is the most ideal solution. But the current state of AI models makes it infeasible. For a $50 device, the computational power is definitely not enough to run a local LLM. The only solution is to relay the data to a server, where the data is stored and processed. The server is not just a single point of failure but also proposes a risk of data interception as the user does not have control over the data.

The current system transfers conversation data from the Omi device to a phone via Bluetooth, then to Omi's backend for processing. This creates vulnerability to MITM attacks and other sorts of data harvesting attacks.

This is where I wanted to plug in Waku's capability of running in resource restricted environments. Waku's peer to peer communication is a great fit for this scenario as it brings in network level anonymity out of the box. And, it worked pretty well for a MVP. Waku could be middleware between the Omi device and the backend server and this way we decouple the identity of the user from the data.

In terms of storage, Omi stores the transcribed conversations on a vector database which allows for semantic search over the data. It uses the OpenAI API to generate embeddings for the conversations and then runs a RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation) pipeline to generate responses for queries.

We also replaced the RAG pipeline with a LLM from Phala Network's TEE powered inference endpoint. I'm unsure about how this could be useful in terms of increasing user privacy but my friend who works with a TEE startup told me that it's a really cool idea in terms of preserving data privacy and ensuring the AI model's integrity.

Summarizing the above, my main concerns were:

1. *Storage*: Who can access my data and where is it stored?
2. *Communication*: How is data transferred between the Omi device, phone, and servers?

## addressing privacy

At the hackathon, we aimed to replace the centralized components with Logos technology. Sushaan analyzed Omi's backend (https://github.com/BasedHardware/omi) to help us understand its architecture. We approached the privacy concerns by:

1. *Storage*: Replacing centralized storage with Codex.storage/Storacha.network
2. *Communication*: Switching from pure-HTTP webhooks to Waku.org, a privacy-focused communication network

Both technologies are in early development - Waku is in beta, and Codex recently launched its first testnet. Given Omi's hardware limitations and Codex's requirements, we chose Storacha as a compromise.

## the social element

While our primary goal was implementing privacy-focused alternatives, we also developed a social feature. We created a system that analyzes conversations to connect users with similar interests. For example, if you frequently discuss football, you might be matched with other football enthusiasts.

We used Phala Network's Redpill endpoints to analyze conversations and create user profiles based on discussion topics and sentiment. When certain topics become prominent in a user's conversations, they're invited to anonymous community chats with like-minded people.

## frencircle

We named our application "Frencircle" (available at https://github.com/issa-me-sush/eth-bangkok-2024). Though built quickly as a minimum viable product, it won **first prize in the Storacha track**.

## future plans

I continue to use a customized version of Omi that stores data in my personal database alongside Omi's system. While Frencircle's future is uncertain - it might remain a weekend project or potentially grow with Omi team's support - i would love to experiment more with integration of privacy-focused technologies like Waku, Codex, and Storacha.

here's a 2 minute video (click on the image to view) that we've made to explain the social aspect  (*we made the video in the last 10 minutes before submission deadline, so we've cut short on alot of features*)

> Frencircle - 🏆 First Prize in Storacha Track at ETHGlobal Bangkok

[![pitch video](/blog/frencircle-thumbnail.png)](https://stream.mux.com/CKUHAnE4KDOeGDt17O57rcPrbxXBGOnCOK00qaDrV01v8/high.mp4)

(ignore the eyebags and dark circles - we pulled an all nighter after all the devcon pressure)

My hackathon project exploring an AI device that helps record memories and connects people with similar interests

AI Companion for Memory Recording & Friend Matching - ETHGlobal Bangkok


## discovering a world beyond comfort

As the world began to recover from the pandemic, I felt an irresistible urge to explore. Until then, my life had revolved around a safe, familiar circle that rarely allowed for spontaneous decisions. I had to loose a loved one because I was 'not man enough' to take spontaneous decisions. I had to depend on my parents for most of mobility needs and I was always required to take a permission before doing anything on my own. This created an imposter syndrome that made me belive that I was far behind everyone else as my age in terms of being reliable and matured.

Everything changed when I boarded that first flight to Thailand for my first ever company trip. Like many traditional households, my parents were concerned about my safety, judgment and the reputation of Bangkok's nightlife. But my newfound financial independence helped convince both them and myself that this was a journey worth taking.

I deliberately chose to spend one night alone in Bangkok before joining my colleagues. While they stayed in a luxury hotel, I opted for a modest $15-a-night accommodation in a quiet alley. That rainy night remains vivid in my memory – it was the first time I had ever stayed alone in a hotel, marking my first true taste of independence.

## the thrill of the unexpected

My journey continued to Koh Samui in Thailand's Surat Thani province. It was here, during the company retreat, that I experienced many firsts, including my first cocktail and the excitement of exploring a new country on my own.

A defining moment came during a five-hour jet ski tour around the island. Overwhelmed midway, I asked to be dropped off on a remote shore with no public transport and limited connectivity. Armed with just 1000 baht and wearing only wet swim shorts, I navigated my way back to the hotel through a mix of resourcefulness and luck. This adventure awakened in me a love for the unpredictable nature of life.

> A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song. - Maya Angelou

This experience introduced me to the exhilarating world of uncertainty. I began to relish the joy of unplanned adventures, no longer meticulously planning my trips. Over the next few years, I visited 31 countries, each journey strengthening my independence and adaptability. I never had an itinerary for any of my solo trips. I believe that the whole point of traveling alone is keeping options open, gathering new experiences and deciding things on the go.

Travel taught me far more than my university degree ever could.

![Birdie](/blog/cagebird.png)

## learning to let go

Travel for me is a mix of emotions: 10% joy, 10% sadness and 80% learning. One of its greatest lessons is learning to let go – of things, situations and even people. I've witnessed breathtaking sights and met extraordinary individuals, creating cherished memories along the way.

While I treasure these memories, I'm still mastering the art of letting go. Perhaps the purpose isn't to make it easier each time, but to feel the full weight of each experience, allowing us to form unique bonds with people, places and moments.

Over time, I've realized that my purpose isn't to be a free bird, but rather a welcoming space – a metaphorical cage – seeking cherishable memories.

> I am a cage, in search of a bird. - Franz Kafka

At this stage of my life, I value memories above material possessions. I see myself as a collector of experiences, gathering precious moments wherever I go. Sometimes, I feel guilty about holding onto memories that might be better forgotten – like a fight in Greece or being mugged in Nairobi. But part of me believes that even these challenging experiences are worth remembering, as they've shaped who I am today.

## welcoming new chapters

For two years, I reveled in the beauty of an unplanned life and I intend to keep that spirit alive. However, in an unexpected turn of events, I recently moved to London to pursue my master's degree at University College London.

![UCL](/blog/ucl.jpg)

This move has made me realize that my period of instability, while enriching, may have caused me to lose some discipline. The intense focus I had before my travels has been replaced by a mind more easily distracted by new influences. But there's a silver lining – I feel like I'm finally living a complete life on my own terms.

For the first time, I feel like I have bigger responsibilties in building a home, take care of my indoor plants to nurture and I'm building a social circle in a new city. I'm cooking my own meals and taking care of household chores – a significant change from the more sheltered life I led back home. This transition has pushed me to manage my own mental health and daily responsibilities in ways I never had to before.

If I could have written my own story before I was born, I would have definitely included this exciting chapter. The potential for personal growth and new connections fills me with anticipation. As part of this documenting journey, I've launched this personal portfolio to document and reflect on my experiences. I can't wait to see what lies ahead and I hope that you can someday experience the luxury of unstability soon!

## what's ahead?

I don't have a clear plan for the upcoming year but the idea is to give space for being unstable *without compromising on virtues like confidence*. During my previous hustle phase, I made a huge compromise on health by living off a 3 hour/day bedtime (still have the dark circles as a proof of hustle lol). This time, i plan to put things different. I will not let down of my health nor be anti-social for the sake of staying focused. Instead, i will try to strike the right balance by surrounding myself with a vibe that helps me progress me in different branches of life.

Thinking loud about the recent relocation to a different country and unstability in life over the last 2 years

Perks of unstability & embracing changes

Explore use cases where Codex can be implemented.

Exploring Codex: What Are The Use Cases For A P2P, Durable Data Engine?

Learn more about how The Graph uses Waku to build a decentralised data querying layer for blockchains

Deep Dive Into The Graph: Powered by Waku

An overview of the need for decentralised and privacy-preserving artificial intelligence

The convergence of AI, Blockchain and Privacy

Learn more about how RAILGUN uses Waku to build a privacy layer on top of EVM based chains

Deep Dive Into RAILGUN: Powered by Waku

Tutorial for building a basic TicTacToe game that can be played by two players who are connected using Waku

Building a Tic-Tac-Toe Game with Waku

WalletConnect Sign is a remote protocol designed for secure peer-to-peer communication between dapps

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open source :) @hackyguru