As devs get older, and we see more of our fellow maintainers sadly pass away, I can't help but think of the mess those types of events typically leave in their wake. Not only are they sad, tragic events, but they have real world consequences for the work and projects they leave behind.
I started brainstorming with Claude and other chatbots (as is the fashion) on this and hit upon the idea that the AT Protocol pretty much already solves this ... it just doesn't know it yet (or, maybe they do and this is all a moot point): `did:plc` supports key rotation with a 72-hour override (https://web.plc.directory/spec/v0.1/did-plc). That's how PDS migration works. Succession is the same primitive: rotate the keys to a new person instead of a new server.
0xDEAD.space is my attempt to build that. Two custom lexicons. Blinded heartbeats from entities like your lawyer, your family, your services, strangers you "street-pass" with ... all quietly offering varying levels of cryptographic proof that you're alive. When they stop, designated verifiers confirm with real evidence, and your `did:plc` rotates to your successor.
So far, this has mostly been a yak-shave for me, but it feels like it could be a viable thing ... with a LOT more refinement of course
Feedback on any and all aspects of this is VERY welcome!
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