The Attention Protocol

A novel by Mandana Yousefi, co-founder of NextBlock    

A permissionless love story.    

15 chapters · 4 acts · about 5 hours

A novel by Mandana Yousefi,

co-founder of NextBlock    

A permissionless love story.    

15 chapters · 4 acts · about 5 hours

start reading

“She doesn't give her attention easily.

He keeps giving his to the wrong people.”

“She doesn't give her attention easily. He keeps giving his to the wrong people.”

“She doesn't give her attention easily.

He keeps giving his to the wrong people.”

the book

Maya hates ads on social media. She has an idea to fix them. But no one listens long enough to understand it. Not until Sean goes to the same Bitcoin conference as Maya. Not until he decides to give her all his attention.    

Sean sees Maya's vision.   

And ends up giving her an even better idea.    

This is a story about two people who decide to build a way out. A world where you own your attention. Where you decide what it's worth. Where you get paid instead of drained.    

It's a love story. It's a tech story. It's a door into a reality that's being built right now, by real people around the world who believe in a better internet.

romantic comedy

identity

friendship

family

D.C.

nostr

slow burn

first-gen

founders

freedom

bitcoin

freedom tech

nostr

freedom tech

slow burn

nostr

romantic comedy

identity

friendship

family

D.C.

first-gen

founders

freedom

freedom tech

slow burn

nostr

bitcoin

A letter from the author

Dear reader,

I wrote this book for you. Specifically for you.
Because probably like me, you're on your phone right
now. I'm addicted too. Mostly to the social media
apps. Even though I know it's bad for me. I know
these platforms make money by tracking me. Selling
me. And they can because they call their apps free.

I wrote this book because I found a way out.
And I think you should know about it.

This is a love story about two people who can't look away from each other, or the future they can see together. Two people trying very hard not to fall in love. Failing beautifully.

Two strangers living double lives in Washington, D.C., a city where you need permission to solve a problem. She's a developer at a startup that doesn't deserve her. He's spent his career trying to fix things from the inside. It's not working.

The villain in this story is the system. The one we're all living in right now. And then there's the loneliness of seeing something no one else sees yet. And the friends, the food, the dancing, and the laughter that make it bearable while you wait for everyone to catch up.

When I first heard about Bitcoin, it took ten years for me to pay attention. Nostr? A whole year to even play with it. I only learned because someone who loves me took the time to show me. Now, my husband and I are building something together using both. This is our story. Kind of. Not really. But the technology is very real. And so are most of the conversations. This book is me doing the same for
you.

This book is free. I wanted you to read it a specific way, so Ian built the app for me. It's called the Library. At the end of every chapter, you can comment, share, and tip me in Bitcoin without leaving. You'll be using the technology before you finish reading about it. If you want to play with more of it, join NextBlock. The city in the book. The one we're actually building.

This is how you learn something new.
With someone who loves you. Patiently.

Permissionless means you do what you want without asking anyone. What you spend your time on. Where you send your money. Who you build your life with.

This is a permissionless love story.

- Mandana Yousefi, co-founder of NextBlock

Start Reading

read it for free,
in our app

It's called the Library, the app we built for this   book. Comment, share, and tip in Bitcoin at the end   of every chapter without leaving. Join NextBlock to   play with more of the tech.

Start Reading

A letter from the author

Dear reader,

I wrote this book for you. Specifically for you. Because probably like me, you're on your phone right now. I'm addicted too. Mostly to the social media
apps. Even though I know it's bad for me. I know these platforms make money by tracking me. Selling me. And they can because they call their apps free.

I wrote this book because I found a way out.
And I think you should know about it.

This is a love story about two people who can't look away from each other, or the future they can see together. Two people trying very hard not to fall in love. Failing beautifully.

Two strangers living double lives in Washington, D.C., a city where you need permission to solve a problem. She's a developer at a startup that doesn't deserve her. He's spent his career trying to fix things from the inside. It's not working.

The villain in this story is the system. The one we're all living in right now. And then there's the loneliness of seeing something no one else sees yet. And the friends, the food, the dancing, and the laughter that make it bearable while you wait for everyone to catch up.

When I first heard about Bitcoin, it took ten years for me to pay attention. Nostr? A whole year to even play with it. I only learned because someone who loves me took the time to show me. Now, my husband and I are building something together using both. This is our story. Kind of. Not really. But the technology is very real. And so are most of the conversations. This book is me doing the same for you.

This book is free. I wanted you to read it a specific way, so Ian built the app for me. It's called the Library. At the end of every chapter, you can comment, share, and tip me in Bitcoin without leaving. You'll be using the technology before you finish reading about it. If you want to play with more of it, join NextBlock. The city in the book. The one we're actually building.

This is how you learn something new.
With someone who loves you. Patiently.

Start Reading