Tokenika's picks for a balanced EOS Block Producer map, part 1

Having been involved in Graphene and delegated proof of stake blockchains for almost 4 years now, here we are, running for the Block Producer position on the most advanced incarnation of DPOS ever devised. We’ve witnessed the birth of Bitshares 1.0, then Steem and now here comes EOS!

From our veteran standpoint, we thought it would be wise to shed some light on our Block Producer picks and give some reasoning behind how we are voting and for whom.

So what is at stake?

In general, the more robust, technically advanced and ethically conscious Block Producers get elected, the more solid the EOS network will become. In this respect, we believe in experience and meritocracy. We also understand the importance of sheer weight and financial support that some of the Block Producers have, thus we have also chosen to keep the morally sound whales on our list, giving the network a stable financial backbone. In general, we think of EOS as one organism in which various actors act as organs and serve slightly different purposes.

So here they go, in no particular order, with a brief explanation as to why we think they’re worth your vote. For integrity's sake we included ourselves in the list but tried to describe our merits in objective terms. For now part 1, as this requires some diligence and time to put together sensibly. Part 2 coming soon.

EOS NewYork

Everyone’s favourite - a crew of competent and helpful people that acted as an information hub from the very beginning of the BP coordination efforts. Kind, technically proficient and well informed, and seemingly able to clone their personnel in the times of extreme work overload.

EOS Sweden

Technical and involved from quite early on, although a very small team, they’ve managed to bind the community, partook in the main net launch and were generally very helpful. Serious technical chops, so when the team expands, we assume only good things can come from them. Also, a lot of personal charm and wit, which gets things off the ground as much as technicalities.

EOS 42

UK based crew with serious technical skills. Did a comprehensive DDOS simulation to pick good tools for mitigation of DDOS on EOS witness nodes. Active in the community, and based in an almost non-EU (post Brexit) jurisdiction, which will be needed for diversification and stability.

EOS Argentina

Heavily experienced in DPOS, fluent in Bitshares and Graphene blockchains. Technical enough to attempt smart contract code/language optimizations and other seriously nerdy, but crucial stuff. We had a chance to meet them in person in Beijing lately - a lively and intelligent bunch, our prime candidate from South America.

HuobiPool

The only exchange we decided to back in the lot. Their heavy expertise and, to our knowledge, a completely clean slate when it comes to business practices put them in a rare position of being an exchange ambassador for the EOS community which we feel is needed. Exchange BP’s are controversial for some, but we believe in a healthy balance of forces to keep the system stable. On top of that, their personnel is extremely friendly and down to earth as we had a chance to find out in a few thought exchanges.

EOSVibes

A high spirited crew of idealistic rebels, but also shrewd app developers with some unique talent onboard. Authors of HireVibes - a decentralized job search and recruitment platform with a clever reward engine aimed at leveling the playing field dominated by heavyweight recruitment agencies. Great guys, definitely in it not just for money.

Cypherglass

A brave and vocal team, not afraid to blow the whistle when standing up for their beliefs, as was demonstrated with the BP cross-ownership issue. Technically proficient and well funded - they deserve our pick.

EOS Canada

Already massively appreciated by the community, EOS integrators and technicians in one. A lot of good has already come from their camp and we expect way more, especially with the massive vote backing they’re enjoying already.

Tokenika

Ourselves. We wouldn't be running if we didn’t think we can do it well. We drank DPOS as crypto-babies in 2014, albeit our company had a different name back then. Released a handful of helpful voting and development tools and have witnessed just about everything in Dan Larimer's DPOS projects.

Sheos

Some say they’re a publicity stunt, but we think otherwise. Shrewd girls in tech always offer a fresh perspective on things, and we can see a lot of ways how they could bring benefit to the EOS community. Also, on a more general note, societies are better behaved when yin and yang, or ida and pingala are in balance. That aside, the team looks impressive and comes from all walks of life, from tech, through VC to pure entrepreneurship so we think they could do a lot of good for EOS.

OracleChain

A Beijing based crew of smart and business savvy people. Technically proficient, building an oracle service on EOS - a very much needed fuel for automated smart contract transactions dealing with real-world events. Community integrators and promoters adding real value to EOS.

to be continued….!