Beat is a decentralized social exchange protocol where every verified human generates equal units of exchange (10 BEAT/day) simply by existing. Unlike cryptocurrencies designed for speculation or fiat designed for control, Beat creates a circulation space for human interaction based on:
- Universal Basic Income - Equal emission for all (10 BEAT/day, forever)
- Privacy by Design - Zero-knowledge proofs, no surveillance
- Fireproof Base - 5,000 BEAT protected from demurrage (safety net for all)
- Progressive Demurrage - Money above 5,000 melts fast (forces circulation)
- Symbolic Exchange - Not charity, not capitalism (recognition of value)
Philosophy: Money that beats, not sleeps. Like a heartbeat — continuous, equal, alive.
Target: 100-100,000 people in local communities seeking financial privacy, economic autonomy, and human-scale exchange.
Fiat trajectory:
2020: Banks track all card transactions
2023: CBDCs pilot (digital yuan, e-euro)
2026: Complete financial profiling
Consequences:
- Every purchase = data point
- AI monitoring flags "suspicious" patterns
- Account freezes for political activity
- Social credit through spending
Cash extinction:
- Physical cash declining globally
- No anonymous alternative
2026 reality:
- GPT-5 writes better code than juniors
- Robots in warehouses, farms, factories
- AI-generated art, music, writing
Question: What remains uniquely human?
Answer:
- Physical presence
- Touch, massage, care
- Trust through eye contact
- Unique, imperfect, handmade
Beat: Economy for what robots can't do
Who creates money:
Fiat: Central banks → commercial banks → rich first
- Cantillon effect (closer to printer = richer)
- Youth born into debt
Crypto: Miners with hardware
- 1% own 90% of Bitcoin
- Energy waste catastrophe
Result: Money = power concentration
A system where:
✓ Every human = equal creator
✓ Privacy = default
✓ Exchange without surveillance
✓ Value for human, not perfect
✓ Safety net for all (5,000 BEAT base)
✓ Circulation over hoarding
Beat is not money. Beat is the heartbeat of community.
Key principles:
1. Universal Emission
Every verified human: +10 BEAT/day
Forever. Fixed. No growth.
2. Fireproof Base
First 5,000 BEAT = protected (0% demurrage)
Everyone can save for safety
3. Progressive Demurrage
Above 5,000 BEAT = melts progressively
5,000-10,000: -5%/month
10,000-20,000: -10%/month
20,000+: -15%/month
Forces circulation, prevents hoarding
4. Privacy First
Zero-knowledge proofs hide biometrics
P2P transfers leave no trace
No central authority can surveil
5. Local Pricing
10 BEAT in Bangkok ≠ 10 BEAT in London (purchasing power)
But 10 BEAT = 10 BEAT (quantity)
No global exchange rate to fiat
6. Symbolic Exchange
Not "free" (devalues work)
Not "expensive" (exploits)
"Fair recognition of effort"
Every day = One heartbeat = +10 BEAT
Like a heart:
- Beats continuously (daily emission)
- Equal for all (no one's heart beats faster)
- Stops beating = death (stop circulating = demurrage)
- Circulation = life (blood must flow)
"Money that beats, not sleeps"
Problem of traditional UBI:
- Give everyone money
- But they spend it all
- Back to zero next month
- No security
Beat solution:
- Everyone CAN save up to 5,000 BEAT
- Protected from demurrage (fireproof)
- ~500 days of base income
- Real safety net
Psychological effect:
"I'm not poor. I have a base."
→ Feel secure
→ Can take risks, create, help others
Why penalize wealth?
Capitalism problem:
- Money attracts money
- Rich get richer
- Poor stay poor
Beat solution:
- First 5,000 = yours forever
- Above that = melts progressively
- Being "rich" = economically painful
Example:
Someone hoards 50,000 BEAT
Month 1:
0-5,000: lose 0
5,000-10,000: lose -250 (-5%)
10,000-20,000: lose -1,000 (-10%)
20,000-50,000: lose -4,500 (-15%)
Total loss: -5,750/month
After 1 year: ~8,000-10,000 BEAT left
(melted down to near base)
Conclusion: Can't stay rich. Must circulate.
Traditional gift economy:
✓ Works in small tribes
✗ Doesn't scale (unclear debts)
Beat innovation:
✓ Gift made explicit (20 BEAT)
✓ Reciprocity optional but valued
✓ Scales through technology
Key insight:
"If you give nothing, you don't value what you received"
Even symbolic payment (5 BEAT) creates:
- Psychological investment
- Recognition of labor
- Dignity for both parties
Not charity. Not commerce. Circulation.
Multi-layer protection:
1. Biometry (Fingerprint)
- Scanned locally (never leaves device)
- Stored in Secure Element (hardware)
- ZK Proof of uniqueness generated
- Daily tokens created
2. Social Verification (2-3 vouchers)
- In-person meeting required
- NFC handshake between phones
- Vouchers risk reputation
3. Gradual Activation
Month 1: 1 BEAT/day
Month 6: 6 BEAT/day
Month 10: 10 BEAT/day (full)
Acceleration via activity:
- 50+ transactions
- Local meetups attended
→ Full activation in 3 months
4. Graph Analysis
- Detects closed loops
- Identical activity patterns
- Flags for community review
5. Periodic Re-verification
Every 6-12 months:
Random neighbor confirms identity
Attack Economics:
Creating 10 fake accounts:
- Need: 30 accomplices (vouchers)
- Time: 10 months waiting
- Risk: Lose main account if caught
- Income: 10 × 5 BEAT/day = 50 BEAT/day average
vs Honest participation:
- Income: 10 BEAT/day base + services
- Risk: None
- Reputation: Builds over time
- Safety net: Can save 5,000 BEAT
Conclusion: Attack economically unviable
Simple formula:
UD = 10 BEAT/day (forever)
No growth. No complexity.
Today = Tomorrow = 10 years from now.
Why fixed (not growing)?
1. Simplicity (everyone understands)
2. Demurrage handles equality (melts old wealth)
3. No inflation pressure (local pricing)
4. Predictable (can plan long-term)
// Pseudocode
function generateDailyBeat(user) {
// Check last activation
if (timeSince(user.lastActivation) < 24h) {
return error("Already activated today")
}
// Verify fingerprint (local)
if (!verifyBiometric(user.fingerprint)) {
return error("Biometric mismatch")
}
// Fixed UD: always 10 BEAT
const UD = 10
// Generate tokens
const tokens = createTokens(UD, user.privateKey)
// Save to secure element
secureElement.store(tokens)
user.lastActivation = now()
return { amount: UD, tokens: tokens }
}Pocket (Hot Wallet):
Location: Secure Element (phone)
Limit: 500 BEAT
Speed: Instant (NFC/QR)
Demurrage: Based on total balance
Use: Daily spending
Vault (Cold Storage):
Location: Encrypted file
(local/cloud/with friends)
Limit: Unlimited
Speed: Minutes (unfreeze needed)
Demurrage: Same as pocket (no escape!)
Use: Savings beyond 500 BEAT
Total Balance = Pocket + Vault
Demurrage calculated on total
1. NFC (offline, instant):
Phone-to-phone
→ Tokens transfer like physical coins
→ Works without internet
2. QR Code (semi-offline):
Recipient shows QR
→ Sender scans
→ Validation via internet (if available)
3. Internet (online transactions):
Via mint validators
→ Serial number verification
→ Protection from double-spend
Lightweight network node that:
✓ Checks token serial numbers (no double-spend)
✓ Stores recent history (2 months)
✓ Syncs with other mints (gossip protocol)
✓ Detects fraud proofs
✗ Does NOT generate BEAT (only humans do)
✗ Does NOT store biometrics (only ZK commitments)
✗ Does NOT know transaction details (privacy)
Anyone can run a mint on:
- Smartphone (background mode)
- Home PC (24/7)
- Old laptop
- Raspberry Pi
- VPS server
Requirements:
- 100 MB RAM
- 10 GB disk (for 10,000 users)
- Stable internet (preferred)
- Verified identity (anti-farm)
Limits:
- Max 3 mints per person
- Requires human verification
Rewards:
✓ Reduced demurrage rate
Normal user above 5,000: -5% to -15%
Validator above 5,000: -2.5% to -7.5%
(50% reduction in demurrage)
✓ Reputation (+100 points/month)
✓ Optional: 0.3% compensation
(covers electricity ~$2/month)
NOT a reward:
✗ Does NOT generate extra BEAT
✗ Same 10 BEAT/day as everyone
// Pseudocode
function gossipSync() {
// Every 10 minutes
setInterval(() => {
// Select 3 random peers
const peers = selectRandomPeers(3)
// Send new data
peers.forEach(peer => {
peer.send({
usedSerials: myDatabase.newSerials,
fraudProofs: myDatabase.newFrauds,
checkpoints: myDatabase.newCheckpoints
})
// Receive their data
const theirData = peer.receive()
myDatabase.merge(theirData)
})
}, 10 * 60 * 1000)
}Propagation speed: Fraud detected anywhere → known globally in 10-30 minutes
// Calculated on TOTAL balance (Pocket + Vault)
function calculateDemurrage(totalBalance) {
if (totalBalance <= 5000) {
// Fireproof base
return 0
}
let loss = 0
// Tier 1: 5,000-10,000 (-5%/month)
if (totalBalance > 5000) {
const tier1 = Math.min(totalBalance - 5000, 5000)
loss += tier1 * 0.05
}
// Tier 2: 10,000-20,000 (-10%/month)
if (totalBalance > 10000) {
const tier2 = Math.min(totalBalance - 10000, 10000)
loss += tier2 * 0.10
}
// Tier 3: 20,000+ (-15%/month)
if (totalBalance > 20000) {
const tier3 = totalBalance - 20000
loss += tier3 * 0.15
}
return loss
}
// Applied monthly, calculated daily
function applyDailyDemurrage(balance) {
const monthlyLoss = calculateDemurrage(balance)
const dailyLoss = monthlyLoss / 30
return balance - dailyLoss
}User A (Poor - 1,000 BEAT):
Balance: 1,000
Demurrage: 0
Loss: 0/month
Safe: ✓
User B (Safe - 5,000 BEAT):
Balance: 5,000
Demurrage: 0
Loss: 0/month
Safe: ✓
User C (Moderate - 7,000 BEAT):
Balance: 7,000
Breakdown:
0-5,000: lose 0
5,000-7,000: lose 100 (-5% on 2,000)
Total loss: -100/month
Safe base: ✓ (5,000 protected)
User D (Rich - 25,000 BEAT):
Balance: 25,000
Breakdown:
0-5,000: lose 0
5,000-10,000: lose -250 (-5%)
10,000-20,000: lose -1,000 (-10%)
20,000-25,000: lose -750 (-15%)
Total loss: -2,000/month
After 1 year: ~8,000 BEAT
(melted to near fireproof base)
Validator running 1 mint:
Normal demurrage above 5,000:
5,000-10,000: -5%
10,000-20,000: -10%
20,000+: -15%
Validator demurrage (50% reduction):
5,000-10,000: -2.5%
10,000-20,000: -5%
20,000+: -7.5%
Example (15,000 BEAT balance):
Normal user:
Lose: -250 (tier 1) + -500 (tier 2) = -750/month
Validator:
Lose: -125 (tier 1) + -250 (tier 2) = -375/month
Savings: -375/month (50% less demurrage)
Never leaves device:
1. Fingerprint template (raw data)
2. Device secret (256-bit random)
3. Local hash (Argon2, 100k iterations)
Sent to network:
1. ZK Commitment (irreversible)
2. ZK Proof (validates without revealing)
3. Daily token (changes every 24h)
Network sees:
✓ "This is a valid unique person"
✗ NOT the fingerprint
✗ NOT the hash
✗ NOT linkage between days
P2P transfers:
- Only sender and receiver know
- Mints see only serial numbers
- No transaction graph
Mint validation:
- Checks: "Serial XYZ already used?"
- Doesn't know: Who sent to whom
Fraud detection:
- If double-spend: Creates proof
- Proof spreads via gossip
- Cheater blacklisted globally
Blockchain problem:
- Bitcoin: 500+ GB
- Ethereum: 1+ TB
- Need full history for consensus
Beat solution:
- Mints store only 2 months
- Old data auto-deleted
- Sufficient because:
✓ Detect double-spends (days/weeks)
✓ Fraud proof propagation (month)
✓ Old tokens already spent/renewed
Metadata only:
1. Fraud proofs
{ cheater: "abc123", evidence: [...], date: "2025-06-15" }
2. Checkpoints (monthly)
{ date: "2026-01-01", stateHash: "def456", users: 4,800 }
3. Aggregate stats
{ totalTx: 1.5M, totalVolume: 15M BEAT, activeUsers: 5,200 }
Database size: 100-500 MB for 10,000 users (vs 500 GB Bitcoin)
Fixed Universal Dividend:
UD = 10 BEAT/day (forever)
No growth. No inflation. Simple.
Example lifetimes:
1 day: 10 BEAT
1 month: 300 BEAT
1 year: 3,650 BEAT
10 years: 36,500 BEAT earned
But with demurrage:
Can't hoard 36,500
Maximum practical savings: ~6,000-8,000 BEAT
Fireproof Base: 5,000 BEAT (0% loss)
= ~500 days base income
= ~1.4 years safety net
Progressive Tiers:
5,000-10,000 BEAT: -5%/month
10,000-20,000 BEAT: -10%/month
20,000+ BEAT: -15%/month
Why these numbers?
5,000 BEAT base:
- Enough for emergencies
- Small purchases (e.g., used laptop ~2,000 BEAT)
- Psychological security
- But not enough to "retire" on
Progressive tiers:
- Gentle at first (-5% acceptable)
- Harsh at top (-15% forces spending)
- Prevents wealth concentration
- Encourages circulation
Scenario: User tries to save everything for 10 years
Year 1:
Earned: 3,650 BEAT
Balance: 3,650 (no demurrage yet)
Year 2:
Earned: 3,650
Starting balance: 3,650
Ending balance: 7,300
Demurrage on 2,300 (above 5,000): -115/month × 12 = -1,380
Net: 7,300 - 1,380 = ~5,920
Year 3:
Earned: 3,650
Starting: 5,920
Ending before demurrage: 9,570
Demurrage: -300/month × 12 = -3,600
Net: ~6,000
Year 4-10:
Oscillates around 6,000-8,000
Can't grow beyond due to demurrage
Conclusion:
Maximum practical hoard: ~8,000 BEAT
Even after 10 years of pure saving
Comparison: Newcomer vs 10-year veteran
After 10 years:
Veteran (hoarding everything):
Balance: ~8,000 BEAT
Newcomer (saving for 2 years):
Balance: ~5,000-6,000 BEAT
Gap: Minimal (1.3-1.6x)
vs capitalism (100-1000x)
vs Bitcoin (10,000x+)
CRITICAL PRINCIPLE:
10 BEAT = 10 BEAT (quantity)
BUT purchasing power varies locally
Bangkok:
10 BEAT ≈ lunch for two
10 BEAT ≈ 10 kg mangoes
London:
10 BEAT ≈ half a coffee
10 BEAT ≈ 0.5 kg apples
Why no fixed rate?
1. Prevents arbitrage/speculation
2. Local autonomy
3. Fair: 10 BEAT = 1 day income everywhere
Cross-border pricing:
Photographer (Nuremberg) ↔ Client (San Francisco)
Zine design: Agree on 200 BEAT
For both:
200 BEAT = 20 days base income (fair effort)
BUT:
Photographer spends 8 BEAT/day locally
Client spends 15 BEAT/day locally
Effect:
Photographer saves more (lives cheaper)
Client saves less (lives expensive)
This is NATURAL (reflects local economy)
NOT currency manipulation
Day 0: Registration
1. Download Beat app
2. Generate keys + seed phrase
⚠️ CRITICAL: Write down 12 words on paper!
3. Scan fingerprint (stays on device)
4. Find 2-3 friends already in Beat
5. Meet in person → NFC handshake
6. System creates ZK Proof
7. Mint activated at 10% (1 BEAT/day)
Days 1-180: Gradual Income Growth
Every morning:
- Open app
- Touch fingerprint sensor
- Receive 1-10 BEAT (grows over time)
Make transactions:
- Buy coffee for 5 BEAT
- Sell zine for 20 BEAT
- Meet community
After 6 months → 10 BEAT/day (full)
If very active → 3 months
Year 1+: Established User
Daily:
- Activate mint (fingerprint tap)
- Spend in local economy
Watch balance approach fireproof base:
- First 1,000 BEAT: "Getting started"
- 5,000 BEAT: "Safe! Fireproof base reached"
- Above 5,000: "Warning: Excess melting"
Periodically:
- Review demurrage impact
- Decide: spend or save?
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ♥ BEAT │
│ Money that beats, not sleeps │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ Today: +10 BEAT ✓ │
│ │
│ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ │
│ │
│ Total Balance: 7,350 BEAT │
│ │
│ 🛡️ Fireproof: 5,000 BEAT │
│ (protected forever) │
│ │
│ ⚠️ Excess: 2,350 BEAT │
│ Melting: -5%/month │
│ Monthly loss: ~118 BEAT │
│ │
│ [View Offers to Spend] │
│ │
│ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ │
│ │
│ ┌────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ 🔄 Exchange Board │ │
│ │ Local offers near you │ │
│ └────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
│ ┌────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ 📍 Community Map │ │
│ │ 23 active members nearby │ │
│ └────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
│ ┌────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ 👥 My Network │ │
│ │ Trust circle & reputation │ │
│ └────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 🔄 EXCHANGE BOARD │
│ Fair trades, symbolic prices │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ 📸 Anna (photographer): │
│ Photo zine "Nuremberg Snow" │
│ 20 BEAT │
│ [View] [Contact] │
│ │
│ 💾 Peter (developer): │
│ RAM sticks 2GB × 4 │
│ 5 BEAT (or fair offer) │
│ [Take] [Message] │
│ │
│ 🎨 Maria (artist): │
│ Watercolor lessons (2 hours) │
│ 15 BEAT │
│ [Book] │
│ │
│ 🌾 Local farm: │
│ Fresh eggs (10 pcs) │
│ 8 BEAT │
│ [Reserve] │
│ │
│ [+ Post My Offer] │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
| Feature | Fiat (USD/EUR) | Crypto (BTC/ETH) | Beat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emission | Central bank | Mining | Every human |
| Distribution | Unequal | Very unequal | Equal |
| Daily income | Work required | Hardware required | Just exist |
| Privacy | None (tracked) | Pseudo (addresses visible) | Full (ZK proofs) |
| Control | State | Miners/Validators | Community |
| Speed | Instant | 10min-12s | Instant |
| Offline | Cash only (dying) | No | Yes (NFC) |
| Energy | Low | Catastrophe | Minimal |
| Purpose | Store+exchange | Speculation | Circulation only |
| Wealth cap | Infinite | Infinite | ~8,000 BEAT practical max |
| Safety net | None | None | 5,000 BEAT fireproof |
| Volatility | Low (2-10%/year) | Extreme (50%/month) | Local (community decides) |
Deliverables:
✓ Whitepaper (this document)
✓ Technical specifications
✓ Economic simulations
✓ UI/UX mockups
✓ FAQ & onboarding docs
Goal: Clear vision for all stakeholders
Status: COMPLETE (you're reading it)
Build:
- Simple Android app
• Key generation
• Fingerprint auth (local)
• Base income (10 BEAT/day, locally tracked)
• NFC transfer (no validation yet!)
• Contact list
• Balance display
- NO mints (pure P2P)
- NO ZK proofs (just hash)
- NO demurrage yet (test circulation first)
Test: 10-20 friends in one location
Goal: Validate UX and social dynamics
Success metric:
- 70%+ daily activation rate after 1 month
- 5+ transactions per person per week
- Positive feedback on "fireproof base" concept
Add:
- Mint federation (gossip protocol)
- Fingerprint → ZK Proof
- Demurrage engine (progressive)
- Online validation
- Fireproof base tracking
- "Excess warning" UI
Test: 50-100 people in 1-2 communities
Goal: Full system working
Success metric:
- Zero successful double-spends
- Demurrage driving circulation
- 80%+ keep balance near 5,000 (healthy behavior)
Polish:
- Security audit (external)
- iOS version
- Mesh networking (offline resilience)
- Multi-language support
- Advanced reputation system
Test: 500-1,000 people across 3-5 cities
Goal: Production-ready for public launch
Success metric:
- No critical security issues
- 90%+ uptime
- Positive economic impact (surveys)
- Self-sustaining communities
Release:
- Open beta for all
- Press outreach
- Community toolkits
- Ambassador program
Support:
- Documentation for new communities
- Regular updates
- Security maintenance
Goal: Organic growth, 10,000+ users in Year 1
1. Eco-villages & Intentional Communities
✓ Already practice alternative economy
✓ High trust within group
✓ Value local and sustainable
✓ Demographic: 100-500 people per community
2. Artist & Maker Quarters
✓ Craftspeople, photographers, musicians
✓ Value unique/imperfect over mass-produced
✓ Anti-platform (hate Etsy/Spotify fees)
✓ Demographic: Urban creative clusters
3. Activist Communities
✓ Fear surveillance (account freezing)
✓ Need anonymous payments
✓ Ideological motivation (anti-system)
✓ Demographic: Political/social movements
4. Refugees & Undocumented Migrants
✓ No bank account (no papers)
✓ Biometrics = only "identity"
✓ Need to work and trade
✓ Demographic: 5-10% of urban population
5. Digital Nomads
✓ Travel between countries
✓ Want local experience (not tourist)
✓ Willing to try alternatives
✓ Demographic: Remote workers globally
6. High-Unemployment Areas
✓ Fiat economy failing
✓ Barter already exists (informal)
✓ Beat = formalize existing practice
✓ Demographic: Post-industrial towns
Start with: 1 eco-village (100-200 people)
- High trust
- Geographically concentrated
- Ideologically aligned
- Can provide feedback
If successful → replicate:
- 3-5 more eco-villages
- 1-2 artist quarters in cities
- Document learnings
Avoid early:
- General public (not ready)
- Cities without anchor community
- Places with low trust
Risk:
"Why not just use cash/cards?"
Most people choose convenience over privacy
Mitigation:
✓ Don't target mainstream (yet)
✓ Focus on niches with existing pain
✓ Launch in ready communities
✓ Lead with benefits, not tech:
- "5,000 BEAT safety net"
- "No one tracks your spending"
- "Support local, not Amazon"
Risk:
<100 active users → system dies
- Too few mints (slow validation)
- Too few goods/services (nothing to buy)
- Network effects reversed
Mitigation:
✓ Concentrated launch (one village, not scattered)
✓ Partner with local businesses (anchor sellers)
✓ Identify "connectors" (popular community members)
✓ 6-month commitment from core group
Risk:
Government bans as "shadow currency"
Scenarios:
- China/Russia: 70% ban probability
- USA/EU: 30% (gray area)
Mitigation:
✓ Open source (can't shut down code)
✓ No company to sue/arrest
✓ Position as "barter accounting"
✓ No fiat conversion in-app
✓ If banned → underground (like Tor)
✓ Mesh networks (offline resilience)
Risk:
Someone creates 10-100 fake accounts
Reality:
✓ Small-scale inevitable
✗ Large-scale practically impossible
Mitigation:
- Multi-layer defense (see Section III)
- Economic disincentive (10 months wait)
- Social graph analysis
- Community reporting
Acceptable damage:
5-10 fakes in 1,000 users = tolerable
(99%+ legitimate)
Risk:
"I lost my seed phrase → lost savings"
Reality:
- 90% of people can't manage crypto keys
- One mistake = irreversible
Mitigation:
✓ Auto-backup to encrypted cloud (optional)
✓ Shamir fragments with friends (advanced)
✓ Very simple UX (WhatsApp-level)
✓ Big warnings at setup
✓ Accept: Some people will lose money
(like cash in real life)
Philosophy:
"Your keys, your BEAT, your responsibility"
But provide every tool to help
Risk:
"This is theft! My money is melting!"
Mitigation:
✓ Transparent from day 1
✓ Fireproof base (everyone protected to 5,000)
✓ Education: "Forces healthy circulation"
✓ Show in UI constantly
✓ Comparison: Fiat inflates too (hidden)
Accept:
Some people will hate it and leave
They're not target users anyway
10 BEAT/day × 365 days = 3,650/year
5,000 BEAT = ~1.4 years of base income
Why this number?
Too low (e.g., 1,000):
❌ Not enough security
❌ Can't save for larger purchases
❌ Demurrage kicks in too soon
Too high (e.g., 20,000):
❌ Defeats purpose (everyone hoards)
❌ No circulation pressure
❌ Rich can stay rich
5,000 = Goldilocks:
✓ Real safety net (1+ year cushion)
✓ Can buy laptop, phone, small furniture
✓ Feel secure, not desperate
✓ But can't "retire" (must keep participating)
Local prices vary, but examples:
- Used laptop: ~2,000 BEAT
- Bicycle: ~800 BEAT
- Winter coat: ~300 BEAT
- Month's groceries: ~600-1,200 BEAT
- Dental work: ~1,500 BEAT
- Emergency fund: ~2,000 BEAT reserve
Conclusion:
5,000 = Enough for major life needs
But not enough to stop working
A: It's not "free" — it's recognition of personhood.
In capitalism:
- Only labor = value
- If you can't work → you're worthless
- Elderly, disabled, caregivers = invisible
In Beat:
- Existence = value
- You contribute just by being part of community
- Money = tool for exchange, not whip for control
10 BEAT/day is not "enough to live"
It's "enough to participate with dignity"
A: No, for three reasons:
1. 10 BEAT/day is minimal
- ~300/month base income
- In most places = not enough to live alone
- Need to offer services/goods for more
2. Demurrage prevents hoarding
- Above 5,000 → melts fast
- Must circulate to get value
3. Psychological need
- Humans want purpose
- Want recognition
- Want reputation
- Base income = freedom to choose work you love
NOT freedom to do nothing
A: No global prices = no global inflation
Fiat inflation:
- Central bank prints money
- Same money supply, same goods
- Prices rise everywhere
Beat:
- Fixed emission (10/day per person)
- Local pricing (no global market)
- Demurrage (money disappears)
If too much BEAT in one community:
- Locals raise prices
- Or people spend elsewhere
- Self-regulating
Different communities will have different "price levels"
And that's OK (no arbitrage possible)
A: Bitcoin optimizes for different goals
Bitcoin:
- Store of value (digital gold)
- Scarcity (21M cap)
- HODL culture (hold forever)
- Mining = wealth concentration
- Energy catastrophe
Beat:
- Medium of exchange (digital blood)
- Abundance (everyone generates)
- SPEND culture (circulate always)
- Breathing = equal participation
- Minimal energy
Bitcoin is savings account.
Beat is circulatory system.
Both have value. Different purposes.
Skills needed:
- Mobile (Kotlin/Swift)
- Backend (Node.js/Go/Rust)
- Cryptography (ZK proofs)
- UI/UX design
Even 5 hours/week helps.
Next steps:
1. Read technical specs (Appendix A)
2. Join GitHub: [github.com/beat-protocol](https://github.com/beat-protocol)
3. Pick an issue
4. Submit PR
Compensation:
- None initially (volunteer)
- Later: Grants from ecosystem
- Eventually: Paid by communities using Beat
Launch Beat in your:
- Eco-village
- Artist collective
- Neighborhood
- Activist group
We provide:
- Documentation
- Technical support
- Connection to other communities
You provide:
- Local enthusiasm
- First 20-50 people
- Commitment to 6-month pilot
Help with:
- Economic simulations (agent-based models)
- Security analysis (cryptography review)
- Social impact studies
- Academic papers
Contribute:
- Research findings
- Formal proofs
- Case studies
Support development:
- Developer grants ($1,000-5,000/dev)
- Server costs ($20-100/month)
- Security audits ($10,000-20,000)
Platforms:
- OpenCollective: [opencollective.com/beat](https://opencollective.com/beat)
- Gitcoin: gitcoin.co/grants/beat
- Direct crypto: beat-protocol.org/donate
100% transparent accounting
All funds publicly tracked
If you're in a community that might be interested:
1. Share this whitepaper
2. Gauge interest (need 20+ people)
3. Contact us: hello@beat-protocol.org