Backup your life with the blockchain

From Jet Williams

Growing up my family was always moving homes. I've never had somewhere I could really call my own. Like many other people whose families have rented home to home their entire lives, you soon realise how much of a hassle it is to have a lot of belongings. It's why I prefer to throw away a lot of my keepsakes or momentos and while it's nice to be able to look back at something that reminds you of a former time in your life. It soon starts getting impractical. There's no possible way you can hold on to every keepsake you accumulate in your life. You might have visions of sharing some of your favourite memories with your grandkids but most of the time those old drawings, trophies, shirts or whatever other item you find valuable soon get eaten away by the cruel nature of time.

For the past week I've been diving into the world of augmented reality and have begun experimenting with apps like Polycam that let you take 3D scans of objects in the real world. Upon several experimentations scanning random items I found in my home it soon clicked for me. What if I could capture 3D images of my favourite items and store them on the blockchain for my hypothetical grandkids to see?

The cool thing about apps like Polycam is that not only can you scan objects but entire rooms and homes simply by walking around with your iPhone. Now, when the metaverse eventually materialises I'm positive you will be able to take your children for a walk around a 3D version of your old bedroom. That is if you're willing to take 10 minutes today to scan your room on your phone before history is lost forever.

The recently released Apple Vision Pro is a telltale sign of where we're headed. As the world becomes more and more digitally augmented and we begin to blur the boundaries between physical and digital. You will start to see the emergence of digital items you can display in both your physical and virtual homes. People are already swapping out their televisions for augmented monitors of any size you'd like using headsets like the Apple Vision Pro or Meta Quest 3.

Which is exactly why I prefer to collect digital art over their physical counterparts. With the rising cost of living and home prices soaring the reality of decorating your own home is quickly becoming more and more unattainable for everyday people. Not to mention but I'm always travelling and when your always on the go you're forced to pack only the essentials on your trips.

Which brings me to my reasoning for wanting to preserve physical items on the blockchain by creating digital counterparts. By capturing and creating 3D files of items I think are cool or hold some value to me I'm able bring a part of my life with me wherever I go, forever. As long as I have an internet connection I'll be able to access my digital memories and valuables.

However, to counter this argument for the hyper digitisation and preservation of your life, perhaps it was the impermanence that made things special all along. If you could backup your consciousness and live forever on the blockchain would you even want to?