This note was prepared after the workshop on cdh descent and algebraic\n$K$-theory in Hara-mura, Japan (1 - 5 Sept. 2016), to complement the author's\ntalk on the history and applications of pro cdh descent. In the final section\npro cdh descent is used to define $K$-groups of rigid analytic varieties. This\nnote was revised and released in light of Kerz, Strunk, and Tamme establishing\npro cdh descent in general (arXiv:1611.08466).\n