Daniel R. Robles, PE, MBA is the founder of The Ingenesist Project (TIP), whose objective is to research, develop and publish applications of blockchain technology related to the financial services and infrastructure engineering industries. Dan is the owner of Coengineers.com, a consulting engineering firm based in Washington State specializing in the technical needs of shared asset communities. He also serves on the City of Edmonds, WA Planning Board. Combined, he finds no shortage of inspiration for blockchain applications.
Mr. Robles recently served as the 2016 Chairman of the FinTech Task Force for the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), and is currently a research fellow with the International P2P Foundation related to blockchain implementations for international economic development. Mr. Robles is noted speaker, moderator, and panelist to international conferences and symposia. He is published widely in industry blogs and newsletters such as www.Ingenesist.com, www.naic.org, www. Insurancethoughtleadership.com , www.coengineers.com, www.nspe.org, www.futureofmoney.com and several others. He holds professional engineering (PE) licenses in Washington and California, as well as a master’s degree in international business from Seattle University.
This paper identifies a series of events leading up to a new cause of plumbing failures in CPVC pipe. The story demonstrates how unbalanced market forces can exacerbate a problem if information is too centralized and cannot reach solution providers in time. Finally, we demonstrate how decentralized information may be superior to centralized information when confronting […]
What single problem must all engineers solve? Hint: The answer is so simple, you can’t even see it. The paradox of invisibility A firefighter may be worth a million dollars per hour when there is a fire and her or she courageously saves lives and salvages property. The value of the firefighter is derived from […]
Anyone who was around in the early 1990s may remember that the mantra of modern globalization was that decentralized markets were good and centralized markets were bad. The math supporting the efficiencies of the comparative advantage economic model was, and still is, indisputable. Further back, the concept of laissez-faire has been the cornerstone of modern […]
Ever since the dawn of civilization, societies have organized around the technology of their time. Likewise, people and corporations will reorganize around this new type of data and value exchange system known as blockchain technology. Blockchain technology represents a new set of both positive and negative risk opportunities that may not pool appropriately with the […]
Blockchains have a problem: They cannot exist in digital isolation; their value must be derived from the value of something else — something real. There will always come a time when something real must be represented by data on a blockchain, or when data on a blockchain must represent something real. The tools that we […]
Blockchain technology is like a three-trick pony. It essentially combines three slightly clumsy computer tricks to mimic decisions that a human administrator routinely makes. The difference is that, if done correctly, the computer can perform some of these decisions with great speed, accuracy and scalability. The peril is that, if done incorrectly, the computer can […]
Many insurance companies have a deep sense they should be part of the blockchain movement, but they are not quite certain how to approach its implementation. Once you pull back the curtains, there appear to be two sets of mutually exclusive incentives underpinning the blockchain technology movement. One of them could be the greatest thing […]
There are times when a blockchain is the right solution for a problem, and there are times when it is not. It is important to understand the differences because it is tempting to hypothesize about silver bullets. We also need to understand where risk can be transferred to a machine, when a simpler cryptographic method […]
The main problem that blockchain solves results from the fact that computer databases simply cannot talk to each other without a layer of expensive fault-prone human administration or bureaucratic central authority controlling every node. Blockchain technology, on the other hand, is a single, decentralized database managed by software and shared by multiple users, without any […]
“Reification” describes how people reorganize around new technologies. The Iron Age, Industrial Revolution, Information Revolution, etc., provide abundant evidence of the reification of society. Blockchain technology will likely have a similar impact. The insurance industry is currently optimized for the existing collection of risk pools, data inputs and price signals. If people reorganize, so, too, […]
Are blockchains insurable? This question was posed as a topic for presentation by the Center of Insurance Policy and Research, a research arm of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (CIPR/NAIC). The trigger appears to be that some insurance companies are being asked to insure the business operations of blockchain enterprises. This same question would […]
In 1801, Eli Whitney went before the US Congress with 10 working muskets. He proceeded to disassemble each of them, mix and scramble all the parts, then reassemble 10 working muskets. Prior to that day, most things were custommade by craftsmen using hand tools. Then, in a flash of geological time, the idea of interchangeable […]
Never underestimate the ability of the human species to adapt to changes in its environment. All humans are engineers. If there is too much friction in a system, they will fix it, or they will replace it. When banks add overdraft penalties, incur service fees, constrain capital, restrict mobility or compromise the public trust in […]
A bitcoin (lowercase b), as a currency, has several flaws that will continue to limit its ability to replace money, as we know it. There are millions of words published on the subject, so I’ll leave it to the reader to assess arguments on both sides. However, Bitcoin (upper case B) as a protocol for the transfer […]
The Reserve Funding Analysis is one of the most important documents that an insurance provider can have for a property it covers. A Reserve Funding Analysis is a formal evaluation of the physical condition of a property and the expected future expenses that will be needed to keep the property in a viable state of […]
There is absolutely nothing good about a failed water system for the insurer, the customer or the community. One of the most unfortunate things is that many failures are predictable and avoidable — but not by the plumbers, developers or contractors; the technical assurance of complex systems is the exclusive domain of the engineering discipline. […]
Second to a building fire, water system failures are the most expensive perils in the construction insurer’s risk portfolio. But there is little incentive for anyone to protect the insurer: After the engineering design for a plumbing system is done, the contractors are only liable for workmanship, and the manufacturer is only liable for materials. […]
Part 1: Correcting a Distorted Insurance Market For many condominium associations, the maintenance, repair, and reconstruction industry has devolved into a minefield of distrust and dysfunction. Countless lawsuits have taken their toll on the industry to the point of near dysfunction where many contractors simply walk away from condominium projects. The worst form of “capitalism” […]
Epoxy is a magnificent substance used in many important applications where strength, hardness, moisture protection and strong adhesion are a requirement. Epoxy coatings are used to protect industrial applications from factory floors to reinforcement bar embedded in concrete. When applied correctly to a strong surface, few coatings are as tough as epoxy. Recently, epoxy manufacturers […]
In the heyday of the real estate bubble, developers flipped tens of thousands of apartment structures into condominiums — with little regard for the condition of the potable water system. Many of these galvanized steel or early copper systems are rapidly approaching the end of their service life. Unseen, a small leak can cause thousands […]
