Inside the Book

You Say You Want a Revolution collects seventy-five essays and technical papers written between May 2016 and March 2026, arranged chronologically across eight parts. Here’s a taste of what’s inside.

Part I — The DAO Awakening

The founding trauma. In the spring of 2016, the world’s first decentralized autonomous organization raised $150 million, then lost $60 million to a hacker — all while the author watched in real time. Essays like “The DAO’s First Big Decision” and “Smart Contracts are Immutable (That’s Amazing and It Sucks)” capture the euphoria and confusion as a new world was born and immediately cracked apart.

Part II — Building QuickBlocks

The early tools. Frustrated that “transparent” blockchain data required twelve hours to read three days of transactions, Rush begins building what will eventually become TrueBlocks. “Accounting for the Revolution” and “Announcing QuickBlocks” document the first attempts to make Ethereum data accessible.

Part III — The Decentralization Manifesto

The philosophical turn. “Mantras for Decentralized Open Data” and “A Short Take on Decentralization” lay out the argument that would define the next decade: if you can’t access the data yourself, local-first, without permission — it isn’t decentralized.

Part IV — The Unchained Index

The core innovation. The essays in this section document the design and construction of a permissionless index of Ethereum address appearances, published to IPFS and discoverable via smart contract. “A Time Ordered Index of Time Ordered Immutable Data” is the technical centerpiece.

Part V — The Long Grind

The middle years. Grant applications, gas mechanics, 18-decimal-place accuracy debates, and the slow realization that the ecosystem is moving in the wrong direction. “The Rent is Too Damn High” and “How Accurate is Etherscan?” capture the growing frustration.

Part VI — The Specification

For the engineers. Formal specifications, comparison studies (TrueBlocks vs. Covalent), recipes for calling smart contracts, and the technical papers behind the index. This is the blueprint for anyone who wants to understand, rebuild, or improve what was built.

Part VII — The Prisoner’s Dilemma

The philosophical reckoning. When everyone else defects to centralized API providers, what’s the rational move? “The Prisoner’s Dilemma on Crack” explores why cooperation fails even when it’s the right answer — and why TrueBlocks kept building anyway.

Part VIII — The Island

The view from the end. By December 2025, nearly a decade after it started, the author finds himself on a lovely island where all the flowers grow. The trouble is, he’s there alone. “TrueBlocks’ Most Interesting Innovations” and the devastatingly self-aware “TrueBlocks’ Ten Stupidest Ideas” close out the collection with humor and hard-won wisdom.

“Maybe the point was never to win, but to build something that makes winning possible for the dreamers who come next.”