Hayduke’s mission lies at the intersection of many different disciplines. A FAQ is in order. So this is one of a series of FAQ posts exploring basic concepts with examples to as to set the table for Hayduke’s approach to the design space.
———————————————-
In introducing the Hayduke project, I mentioned practicing solution architecture as a kind of “survival ecology.” Just what it is and why it has anything at all to do with decentralized solution architecture is what I want to explore.
First, I think it’s important to note what you’ve not seen in Hayduke’s approach to the climate emergency, “sustainability.” While it’s a topic of its own, it’s a useful frame for the project.
Frankly, it’s too late for sustainability. Sustainability rests on the assumption that technology can enable us to avoid the calamity of climate change with a minimum of disruption to global economic systems and standards of living. Even if it weren’t pure, privileged magical thinking, it’s too late for sustainability. The global mean surface temperature just surpassed a grim milestone, with June 2024 being the 12th consecutive month to break the 1.5C threshold compared to pre-industrial climate. Global disruption is a certainty for the remainder of the century of at the very least.
In the face of catastrophe, Hayduke is committed to a different approach. Survival Architecture pursues, “the selfish, pragmatic goal of sustaining the conditions for human civilisation and other life on Earth.” Survival Ecology involves understanding how organisms interact with their environment to survive and thrive. Applying these principles to Solution Architecture, we can conceptualize a “Survival Architecture” as a system that adapts, evolves, and thrives in varying conditions, ensuring robustness, resilience. These are by no means new concepts in solution design. But instead of being dedicated to revenue maximization, these design principles both serve and are specific to the problems of the ongoing climate emergency.
- Adaptability
- In nature, species survive by adapting to their environment. Similarly, a Survival Architecture should be:
- Flexible: Capable of integrating new technologies and methodologies as they emerge.
- Scalable: Able to grow and shrink based on demand.
- Configurable: Easily reconfigurable to meet changing human needs.
- In nature, species survive by adapting to their environment. Similarly, a Survival Architecture should be:
- Resilience
- Organisms in the wild develop mechanisms to withstand stress and recover from disruptions. For a Survival Architecture, this translates to:
- Redundancy: Implementing failover systems and backups to ensure continuous operation.
- Fault Tolerance: Designing systems that continue to operate, possibly at a reduced level, even when components fail.
- Recovery: Efficient disaster recovery plans and systems to restore functionality swiftly after a failure.
- Organisms in the wild develop mechanisms to withstand stress and recover from disruptions. For a Survival Architecture, this translates to:
- Resource Efficiency
- In ecology, efficient use of resources is crucial for survival. In Solution Architecture, this involves. What is often omitted from traditional design considerations of efficiency is scarcity. Efficiency must be designed against not only the current resource supply but also be capable of operating in defined states of resource scarcity:
- Optimized Resource Allocation: Ensuring that computational, storage, and networking resources are used efficiently.
- Cost Management: Monitoring and optimizing costs associated with running the architecture.
- In ecology, efficient use of resources is crucial for survival. In Solution Architecture, this involves. What is often omitted from traditional design considerations of efficiency is scarcity. Efficiency must be designed against not only the current resource supply but also be capable of operating in defined states of resource scarcity:
- Interdependence and Collaboration
- Ecosystems thrive on symbiotic relationships. A Survival Architecture should:
- Interoperability: Ensure systems and components can work together seamlessly.
- Integration: Facilitate easy integration with third-party services and platforms.
- Collaboration: Promote collaborative tools and platforms that enable teams to work together effectively.
I understand this is just a brief outline in broad strokes. I am convinced of the fruitfulness of this framework. Refinements, amendments and outright corrections sure to come from practice.