Patrick Woodhead
Founder & CEO @ Space Meridian
Building Filecoin Beam, the access layer for Filecoin. Previously Lab Lead at Protocol Labs.
Connect
Research & Publications
Talks
How the Spark Protocol Improves Data Retrieval
Jul 2024Filecoin Station
Jul 2024Lightning Talk - Verifying Filecoin Retrievals at Scale
Dec 2023Saturn & IPNI: Finding and fetching Web3 Content
Jun 2023Introduction to Retrieval Markets Summit
Jan 2023Cryptoeconomics of Retrieval
Jun 2022Filecoin Retrieval Markets
May 2022Retrieval Markets Workshop: Intro to Saturn
May 2022Writing
The Inference Standoff
Apr 7, 2026Frontier labs won't share model weights. Regulated enterprises won't share sensitive data. Both are needed in the same place for inference to run. Confidential computing breaks the deadlock.
AI's HTTPS Moment
Mar 17, 2026Every prompt you send to an AI model is visible to the provider. The first lab to change that will unlock entirely new markets.
A Brief History of Cryptography
Mar 14, 2026From Caesar's cipher to zero knowledge proofs - how humans have kept secrets across 2,000 years of history
Why I Joined Lunal as Head of Product
Mar 11, 2026AI is concentrating power, data and trust in a handful of companies. Lunal is building the infrastructure to make private AI computation practical - and I'm joining to help make it happen.
Everyone a Node: How AI Agents Are Delivering the Self-Sovereign Internet Web3 Couldn't
Mar 6, 2026The original vision of the internet was peer-to-peer - every user a node, owning their own data. Web3 tried and failed to deliver it. AI agents and OpenClaw might actually get us there.
How MCP Actually Works Under the Hood
Feb 19, 2026I have understood MCP conceptually for a year. Here's what I learned when I finally dug into how it actually works.
The Real Benefit of AI Coding Isn't Speed - It's Ownership and Security
Jan 22, 2026How AI-assisted coding enables developers to own their full stack while moving fast, reducing dependency on third-party platforms and improving data sovereignty.
From Free-For-All to Pay-Per-Byte: The New Economics of the Web
Sep 11, 2025Exploring how AI's massive data consumption is driving a fundamental shift from free web scraping to micropayment-based access models.
DePIN is Transforming us from Products to Participants
Mar 11, 2025How decentralized physical infrastructure networks are shifting the digital economy by giving users control over their data and the ability to monetize it.
Spark oversees 10x improvement in Filecoin retrievability
Oct 3, 2024Documenting the dramatic 10.5x improvement in Filecoin retrieval success rates measured by Spark, from 1.22% to 12.8% over six months.
Krazy-G: KZG Commitments and Rust
Jan 14, 2023Documenting my implementation of the KZG polynomial commitment scheme in Rust, building language proficiency while refreshing cryptographic knowledge.
Retrieval Markets Rollup H1 2022
Jul 18, 2022A comprehensive summary of the Retrieval Markets Working Group progress throughout the first half of 2022.
The World's Simplest Blockchain
Jan 11, 2019An introduction to blockchain fundamentals through a simplified explanation.
The Millionaire's Problem With Sherlock Holmes And Hercule Poirot
Sep 6, 2018Explaining the Socialist Millionaire's Problem through a fictional murder mystery featuring two famous detectives.
The Surprising Science Behind Colour Codes
May 2, 2018Exploring how colors are scientifically encoded and standardized across different mediums.
Survivorship Bias in Startups
Mar 26, 2018How survivorship bias affects product development and what startups can do about it.
The Da Vinci Zero Knowledge Proof
Mar 8, 2018Explaining zero knowledge proofs through a story about the Mona Lisa at the Louvre.
A Zero Knowledge Proof for Where's Wally
Feb 25, 2018Using the classic puzzle book to explain zero knowledge proofs.
Hash Functions Explained with Emojis
Feb 19, 2018Using an emoji-based metaphor to demystify hash functions.
The King's Conundrum: How Today's Problem Can Be Tomorrow's Success
Feb 6, 2018A problem-solving parable illustrating how fresh perspectives reveal elegant solutions.
A Method for Isometric Design or Afternoon Tea with M. C. Escher
Jan 25, 2018Exploring the mathematical principles behind isometric design.
The Secret to a Longer and Happier Life is Hidden in Einstein's Theory of Relativity
Jan 7, 2018Exploring how our subjective experience of time aligns with Einstein's Theory of Relativity.
The Marshmallow Method: A New Technique to Increase Productivity
Dec 15, 2017A productivity technique based on Walter Mischel's famous Stanford marshmallow experiment.
Explaining Blockchain With Coconuts and Pineapples
Dec 10, 2017Using a creative analogy to explain how blockchain technology prevents the double spending problem.
Explaining Blockchain with Where's Wally and a Camera
Nov 23, 2017Demystifying blockchain technology by comparing it to a Where's Wally puzzle competition.
Zero Knowledge Proofs: A Tale of Two Friends
Nov 9, 2017Explaining zero knowledge proofs through a narrative featuring Peggy and Victor with a Rubik's cube.