My dog is worried about Steemit. I told him that he was being immature and that this was just the way the world works. I reminded him that in a Free Enterprise system, a person can legally establish Property Rights in their own creations. In this case, 
My dog just lowered his head and growled at me. Now, he's not a huge dog, but, I took notice.... He weighs in at just a little more than 50 pounds, and he knows how to handle himself. Normally, his black lab go-along-to-get-along side predominates. But in this case, he squinched up his eyes a little, and his pit bull side let me know to tread lightly. His grasp on the finer points of property rights is all hypothetical. But he well remembers that his previous owners had exercised their property rights in his family by: Spaying his mother; selling or giving away all of his siblings; and dumping him unceremoniously in a strange neighborhood. (Luckily, of course, that was my neighborhood – and when we met, it was a case of mutual love at first sight. We've been together ever since.) So, his practical take on Property Rights is not at all hypothetical. He views the goings-on with
I hunkered down next to him, gave him a hug, and hands-on proceeded to explain to him why I wasn't worried. I admitted that it had also been disorienting to me when I first heard the news. But I went on to explain to him that this could be seen in a positive light, regarding my Matrix-8 Platform (about which I had been lecturing him over a period of months during our evening walks). The insensitivity with which this change of events had been announced—or in this case, not announced—underscored one of the principal Dreams that Steemit had identified and fostered. Netizens want to know that it is actually they who are in control of the platforms which they populate and into which they breathe life. They're tired of being conned – and seeing their innocent enthusiasm, honesty and cooperation being manipulated, co-opted, monetized, and eventually sold to the highest bidder.
As I stroked his smooth coat, I reminded him that this was my dream—our dream—too. I pointed out to him that it was this Universal Dream which would eventually lead the way. Not totally convinced, he pointed out in his turn that anybody can dream – but that Steemit was a reality – and that now it may be gone! I acknowledged this point but argued that it was the Dream which drew folks to Steemit – not the bells and whistles of the platform. And I further argued that those bells and whistles—primarily, Blockchains and Cryptocurrencies—were now a dime a dozen. They can be found in any cyberstore as off-the-shelf, open-source programs. I emphasized that what was still missing was a platform that would ensure that Control and ultimate Ownership fell to the platform's Members. For my part, I assured him that I would continue to devote myself to proselytizing for that Dream—as implemented by my relatively easily configured Matrix-8 Platform—until it was a reality. With a wag of his tail, he licked my face, letting me know that all was well. The look in his eyes promised that he would help in any way he could.
For anyone else who dreams as we dream, please see my Combination Introduction and White Paper at https://steemit.com/steemit/@matrix-8/a-newbie-s-combination-introduction-and-white-paper.
Together we can do it,
John Huckel
