Wordblock extension

You can clip any text from any website, add tags, comments, and save the location (URL) as metadata.

You can write block-based memos, add tags and extra information(e.g. the real location: 📍🚶‍♀️38W,4S). For example, when you pick up a book in an antique bookstore, and you want to "steal" some words from it before you take it home.

The text is generated under the user's own DID signature, while data is stored on a distributed content storage network--IPFS to enable public search.

Wordblock.xyz - a global text block search engine

All the word blocks created will be pooled in one place for public search, or later public reference.

For example, you can process public block searches via tags, keywords, or user DID

Compared with local storage note-taking tools like obsidian or central storage Roamresearch, the difference is in data storage in order to achieve public block search.

Use cases

After collecting those text blocks, it is easy to form P2P social relations*(e.g. walletChat)* via tag matching.

A decentralized multi-lingual literature library

The inspiration is when I visited an ancient Malatestiana library (the 1st public library in human history) in Cesena, Italy.

Each codex is tied to the desk with a root ironed chain, so that precise objects could not be stolen, it is now a symbol of the arts of literature, copies include 20 years italian, french and german s copy by using humane scripture called "literature antiqua", text includes classical latin authors, churchenergy , greek…

It's like a warm salute from afar history that tells how humans keep words and knowledge. In the context of today, we stand a chance to "chain text" differently and interestingly with technology.

Today, we care less about "preventing books from being stolen" but about "HOW things are connected", so the desire to build a distributed literature dictionary(library) where people from anywhere in the world could contribute their input even in different languages.

For example, after I read the Chinese version of《Mr.Gywn》, I para-read the original Italian version, then build the connections in between. It is one of the very fun techniques for acquiring a second language through intertextuality, while also a way to let the machine know how people from different linguistic computing systems tell the SAME story.

A data graph

we are in the early stage of defining data as an asset with maturing infrastructure like IPFS, Ceramic network, dataverseOS etc, the excitement of web3 is the data as streams that can be visualized and later used by individuals. We could first collect those fragmented attentions 👀 with ease, and then browse/ the data, or re-organize(reference) with personal signature.

Tech

Ceramic Streams

Wordblock uses Ceramic Stream to store the JSON metadata of a block. Metadata includes BlockID, Creation Date, Source URL, Author, Tags, Type, and Content. The DID of the user submitting the block to the Ceramic network is also bound to the metadata. The Wordblock data model can be shared between anplications on the Ceramic network.

web3.storage

Wordblock uses web3.storage for data backup and permanent storage. Our backend API can get all the blocks created by the given user DID to implement a global search on the wordblock.xyz page.