Are you a developer working with smart contracts and cryptocurrencies, or aspiring to become one? Do you also have an interest in low-cost, sustainable, nature and community-oriented life? Do you dream of applying crypto-economic ideas towards the physical world and IRL communities? Then we are interested in having you join us for Mars College. Please read on…
What is Mars College?
Mars College is a residential community in the Sonoran Desert of Southern California, dedicated to helping people learn how to adopt a low-cost, sustainable, self-reliant lifestyle, in a natural setting alongside a community of like-minded people. We are equal parts incubator, educational program, and intentional community, with a diverse mix of interests spanning from yoga to vanlife to AI.
Since Jan 2020, we’ve organized two quarters, during which a cohort of 30-50 people came together to build a temporary off-grid village in a remote desert location we call Mars. Instead of charging people money, we expect everyone to help build and sustain our community, as well as contribute to our collective interests and intellectual pursuits. To learn more about what we do, see the “live”, “work”, and “study” pages, or see our photo gallery.
We are currently taking applications to join us for the 2022 program, which will occur in the first quarter of 2022, with a warm-up period in November and December. In addition to Mars College, we are in the early stages of establishing a rural wireless internet service provider in our local area, rehabilitating a decrepit but glorious old bank in a nearby town we intend to convert into a makerspace, and setting up an RV/van dealership. Although our scope is large, we are still very small, and will need people to help us make these programs succeed.
Why smart contracts and cryptocurrencies?
Decentralization is a core principle of our project. Rather than forming a hierarchy or monolithic enterprise, we want to develop a blueprint for how individuals and small communities can replicate and innovate on our model. We are fascinated by cryptocurrencies, tokens, and decentralized governance protocols, and have a long-term ambition to embrace these technologies and form a constellation of autonomous communities that are culturally and economically linked.
We are interested in how we can use these technologies to decentralize governance and cooperation among and within such communities, to manage valuable assets and resources fairly, efficiently, and transparently, to incentivize members to make lasting contributions to these communities and be rewarded for their work.
Is this a job? What will I get out of it?
In short, no. We do not yet have a specific project we are building, and don’t have work to give you. For now, we just want to invite you to join our community and be among the other Martians here to pursue their interests. In the meantime, you’ll have our support in initiating experiments with programming smart contracts, issuing tokens, adopting governance tools, and building from the bottom up tools which may help us tokenize aspects of our project. During the main quarter, we hope to have a regular club meeting where we deploy experimental projects on testnets.
You will find many activities in our world can play canvas to your ideas, and some Martians have web-development and other technical skills that can help you. You would play a leading role in helping this initiative get off the ground, which could lead to a longer-term commitment if the stars align.
Ok, I’m interested. What’s next?
Please reach out to us and we’ll setup a call to meet. You can either e-mail us, DM us on Twitter or Instagram, or just apply to be a Martian. You can also reach out directly to Freeman or Gene.