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The New Coffee Room

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  3. The Bitcoin/Crypto Thread

The Bitcoin/Crypto Thread

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  • KlausK Klaus

    @george-k said in The Bitcoin/Crypto Thread:

    @taiwan_girl said in The Bitcoin/Crypto Thread:

    it seems like the Holland tulip craze. People bidding up the price on something that does not have a real value behind it.

    That's my understanding as well.

    But US dollar and other fiat currencies have no value behind it either.

    taiwan_girlT Offline
    taiwan_girlT Offline
    taiwan_girl
    wrote on last edited by
    #20

    @klaus said in The Bitcoin/Crypto Thread:

    @george-k said in The Bitcoin/Crypto Thread:

    @taiwan_girl said in The Bitcoin/Crypto Thread:

    it seems like the Holland tulip craze. People bidding up the price on something that does not have a real value behind it.

    That's my understanding as well.

    But US dollar and other fiat currencies have no value behind it either.

    I think yes and no.

    There is pretty much zero chance that the US government will say that US dollars are not acceptable. To me, that means that it has some value and will continue to have some value. I know that next week, next year, next century, I can go into a store and buy something with US dollars.

    But look at China, they recently pretty much said the opposite about crypto currency. Maybe I had the equivalent of $1 MM USD in crypto and live in China. All of sudden, I cannot use it. To me, that means that it has no real value.

    KlausK 1 Reply Last reply
    • taiwan_girlT taiwan_girl

      @klaus said in The Bitcoin/Crypto Thread:

      @george-k said in The Bitcoin/Crypto Thread:

      @taiwan_girl said in The Bitcoin/Crypto Thread:

      it seems like the Holland tulip craze. People bidding up the price on something that does not have a real value behind it.

      That's my understanding as well.

      But US dollar and other fiat currencies have no value behind it either.

      I think yes and no.

      There is pretty much zero chance that the US government will say that US dollars are not acceptable. To me, that means that it has some value and will continue to have some value. I know that next week, next year, next century, I can go into a store and buy something with US dollars.

      But look at China, they recently pretty much said the opposite about crypto currency. Maybe I had the equivalent of $1 MM USD in crypto and live in China. All of sudden, I cannot use it. To me, that means that it has no real value.

      KlausK Offline
      KlausK Offline
      Klaus
      wrote on last edited by
      #21

      @taiwan_girl said in The Bitcoin/Crypto Thread:

      There is pretty much zero chance that the US government will say that US dollars are not acceptable. To me, that means that it has some value and will continue to have some value. I know that next week, next year, next century, I can go into a store and buy something with US dollars.

      I don't disagree with what you wrote, but there's a non-zero risk of hyperinflation and a non-zero risk of countries/systems disappearing.

      I agree that it may very well be the case that Bitcoin ceases to exist, but one can be certain that there can be no inflation - except for the completely predictable mining until 2140 or so -, that it will survive the downfall of countries, and that there is no (known) way of manipulation.

      I've only invested an amount of money where I won't cry when it's gone. It's certainly a quite risky endeavour at this point. But I do also see a lot of opportunity in the idea. When you look at the more advanced crypto currency concepts such as "smart contracts", then it gets really interesting (Ethereum is a first step in that direction). It certainly has the potential to transform the way we do business.

      jon-nycJ 1 Reply Last reply
      • KlausK Offline
        KlausK Offline
        Klaus
        wrote on last edited by
        #22

        Meanwhile, my Bitcoin investment is 200 Euros down 😥

        But I guess I need to adopt a new point of view: I still have just as much because I still have the same amount of Bitcoin. It just happens that the (mostly irrelevant) exchange rate to the Euro fluctuates a little 😉

        AxtremusA 1 Reply Last reply
        • KlausK Klaus

          Meanwhile, my Bitcoin investment is 200 Euros down 😥

          But I guess I need to adopt a new point of view: I still have just as much because I still have the same amount of Bitcoin. It just happens that the (mostly irrelevant) exchange rate to the Euro fluctuates a little 😉

          AxtremusA Offline
          AxtremusA Offline
          Axtremus
          wrote on last edited by
          #23

          @klaus said in The Bitcoin/Crypto Thread:

          Meanwhile, my Bitcoin investment is 200 Euros down 😥

          Congratulations, your Euros are up X Bitcoins! 🍾

          1 Reply Last reply
          • LuFins DadL Offline
            LuFins DadL Offline
            LuFins Dad
            wrote on last edited by
            #24

            Which exchange do you all use? And how do you decide on which Cryptos to put some money into? It seems to me that while you would want to put half or most of your investments into Bitcoin, Etherium, and the other top 4-5, would it also make sense to invest small amounts into a lot of the smaller coins and see what happens?

            The Brad

            89th8 1 Reply Last reply
            • KlausK Offline
              KlausK Offline
              Klaus
              wrote on last edited by
              #25

              I'm diving a little deeper into the technology.

              I've read and watched a lot of material, and most of it, especially all the videos and tutorials that claim to explain it in "simple words" or something, are a complete waste of time.

              If you are willing to invest 90 minutes of your time to understand Blockchain stuff, I can highly recommend this video. You won't see any code or any other "techy" stuff in the first 90 minutes. This lecturer is excellent.

              Link to video

              LuFins DadL 1 Reply Last reply
              • KlausK Klaus

                I'm diving a little deeper into the technology.

                I've read and watched a lot of material, and most of it, especially all the videos and tutorials that claim to explain it in "simple words" or something, are a complete waste of time.

                If you are willing to invest 90 minutes of your time to understand Blockchain stuff, I can highly recommend this video. You won't see any code or any other "techy" stuff in the first 90 minutes. This lecturer is excellent.

                Link to video

                LuFins DadL Offline
                LuFins DadL Offline
                LuFins Dad
                wrote on last edited by
                #26

                @klaus said in The Bitcoin/Crypto Thread:

                I'm diving a little deeper into the technology.

                I've read and watched a lot of material, and most of it, especially all the videos and tutorials that claim to explain it in "simple words" or something, are a complete waste of time.

                If you are willing to invest 90 minutes of your time to understand Blockchain stuff, I can highly recommend this video. You won't see any code or any other "techy" stuff in the first 90 minutes. This lecturer is excellent.

                Link to video

                Thanks! I actually opened a Coinbase account today. I’m not going to invest much money, but will play with it a little.

                The Brad

                1 Reply Last reply
                • KlausK Klaus

                  @taiwan_girl said in The Bitcoin/Crypto Thread:

                  There is pretty much zero chance that the US government will say that US dollars are not acceptable. To me, that means that it has some value and will continue to have some value. I know that next week, next year, next century, I can go into a store and buy something with US dollars.

                  I don't disagree with what you wrote, but there's a non-zero risk of hyperinflation and a non-zero risk of countries/systems disappearing.

                  I agree that it may very well be the case that Bitcoin ceases to exist, but one can be certain that there can be no inflation - except for the completely predictable mining until 2140 or so -, that it will survive the downfall of countries, and that there is no (known) way of manipulation.

                  I've only invested an amount of money where I won't cry when it's gone. It's certainly a quite risky endeavour at this point. But I do also see a lot of opportunity in the idea. When you look at the more advanced crypto currency concepts such as "smart contracts", then it gets really interesting (Ethereum is a first step in that direction). It certainly has the potential to transform the way we do business.

                  jon-nycJ Offline
                  jon-nycJ Offline
                  jon-nyc
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #27

                  @klaus said in The Bitcoin/Crypto Thread:

                  that there is no (known) way of manipulation.

                  Of course there is, just get a certain percentage of the miners to act in tandem....

                  Only non-witches get due process.

                  • Cotton Mather, Salem Massachusetts, 1692
                  KlausK 1 Reply Last reply
                  • LuFins DadL LuFins Dad

                    Which exchange do you all use? And how do you decide on which Cryptos to put some money into? It seems to me that while you would want to put half or most of your investments into Bitcoin, Etherium, and the other top 4-5, would it also make sense to invest small amounts into a lot of the smaller coins and see what happens?

                    89th8 Offline
                    89th8 Offline
                    89th
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #28

                    @lufins-dad said in The Bitcoin/Crypto Thread:

                    Which exchange do you all use? And how do you decide on which Cryptos to put some money into? It seems to me that while you would want to put half or most of your investments into Bitcoin, Etherium, and the other top 4-5, would it also make sense to invest small amounts into a lot of the smaller coins and see what happens?

                    I use Coinbase (I used to use Binance and Trust Wallet, but Coinbase makes it way more user friendly). Anyway, I have about 6 coins. 50% is in ETH, maybe 15% in BTC, the rest is spread across a few of the other coins, most that are coins based on the ETH network.

                    Keep in mind less than 1% of my investment portfolio is in crypto, but figured I'd dip my toe in the water. Who knows, one of the coins might go to the moon. I do own 4 million SHIBA INU coins, so if we can get that to $1.00...

                    1 Reply Last reply
                    • MikM Away
                      MikM Away
                      Mik
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #29

                      I think I have some somewhere. It was a deal where you sign up and you get like $5 or so free. Forget what it was called. It's probably worth less than nothing now.

                      “I am fond of pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.” ~Winston S. Churchill

                      1 Reply Last reply
                      • jon-nycJ jon-nyc

                        @klaus said in The Bitcoin/Crypto Thread:

                        that there is no (known) way of manipulation.

                        Of course there is, just get a certain percentage of the miners to act in tandem....

                        KlausK Offline
                        KlausK Offline
                        Klaus
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #30

                        @jon-nyc said in The Bitcoin/Crypto Thread:

                        @klaus said in The Bitcoin/Crypto Thread:

                        that there is no (known) way of manipulation.

                        Of course there is, just get a certain percentage of the miners to act in tandem....

                        Yes, the 51% attack. But that would be pretty difficult to pull off, even for a government. And even then, it's somewhat limited what one can do even when one controls the 51%. For instance, you still couldn't just steal other people's money.

                        KlausK 1 Reply Last reply
                        • KlausK Klaus

                          @jon-nyc said in The Bitcoin/Crypto Thread:

                          @klaus said in The Bitcoin/Crypto Thread:

                          that there is no (known) way of manipulation.

                          Of course there is, just get a certain percentage of the miners to act in tandem....

                          Yes, the 51% attack. But that would be pretty difficult to pull off, even for a government. And even then, it's somewhat limited what one can do even when one controls the 51%. For instance, you still couldn't just steal other people's money.

                          KlausK Offline
                          KlausK Offline
                          Klaus
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #31

                          @klaus said in The Bitcoin/Crypto Thread:

                          @jon-nyc said in The Bitcoin/Crypto Thread:

                          @klaus said in The Bitcoin/Crypto Thread:

                          that there is no (known) way of manipulation.

                          Of course there is, just get a certain percentage of the miners to act in tandem....

                          Yes, the 51% attack. But that would be pretty difficult to pull off, even for a government. And even then, it's somewhat limited what one can do even when one controls the 51%. For instance, you still couldn't just steal other people's money.

                          Also, by the way, I don't know if you've heard of "proof of stake" as an alternative to "proof of work", which is going to be deployed in a couple of crypto currencies soon - not only does it make the environmentally unfriendly "mining" unnecessary, it also makes 51% attacks much less likely because in that system you don't need 51% of the computing power but 51% of the currency - even if you'd manage to get that, you'd only shoot yourself in the foot if you'd use that position to manipulate, and hence devalue, the currency. It's quite interesting.

                          1 Reply Last reply
                          • LarryL Offline
                            LarryL Offline
                            Larry
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #32

                            I cant help but laugh..... some of the very people who have laughed at me for buying gold - not gold certificates, not gold stock, etc.. but real gold - and told me that I was crazy for basing my view of gold being a hedge against the collapse of currency.....

                            Are now telling us how wise they are for investing in a risky unproven digital currency because "it will be unaffected by currency collapses"....,

                            BWAAAAHAHAHAHAAAAAA

                            1 Reply Last reply
                            • jon-nycJ Offline
                              jon-nycJ Offline
                              jon-nyc
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #33

                              I know you’re not talking about me since I’m not a crypto bug, but it’s worth pointing out that I didn’t laugh at you for buying gold, I laughed at you for telling people to sell stocks and buy gold within 48 hrs of this century’s low water mark of the S&P.

                              Only non-witches get due process.

                              • Cotton Mather, Salem Massachusetts, 1692
                              LarryL 1 Reply Last reply
                              • jon-nycJ jon-nyc

                                I know you’re not talking about me since I’m not a crypto bug, but it’s worth pointing out that I didn’t laugh at you for buying gold, I laughed at you for telling people to sell stocks and buy gold within 48 hrs of this century’s low water mark of the S&P.

                                LarryL Offline
                                LarryL Offline
                                Larry
                                wrote on last edited by Larry
                                #34

                                @jon-nyc said in The Bitcoin/Crypto Thread:

                                I know you’re not talking about me since I’m not a crypto bug, but it’s worth pointing out that I didn’t laugh at you for buying gold, I laughed at you for telling people to sell stocks and buy gold within 48 hrs of this century’s low water mark of the S&P.

                                No, I wasn't talking about you. But my advise regarding getting out of the stock market wasn't tied to any certain time frame. I just view the stock market as being barely a full notch above bitcoin as far as investment stability. I don't think anyone should put their money into other people's hands, to "buy things that they might possibly wake up one morning and find that it shit canned overnight...

                                1 Reply Last reply
                                • HoraceH Offline
                                  HoraceH Offline
                                  Horace
                                  wrote on last edited by Horace
                                  #35

                                  I'd probably have some money invested in bitcoin if my brokerage transacted it. But they don't, and I'm not motivated enough to open a robinhood account.

                                  Education is extremely important.

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  • LuFins DadL Offline
                                    LuFins DadL Offline
                                    LuFins Dad
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #36

                                    Woohoo! I got a $5.00 Bitcoin balance yesterday for signing up. It’s already up to $5.36!

                                    The Brad

                                    1 Reply Last reply
                                    • LuFins DadL Offline
                                      LuFins DadL Offline
                                      LuFins Dad
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #37

                                      Okay, I put the money I had set aside for one of Karla’s Christmas Gifts on Solana. Let’s see if she is getting new EarPods, a diamond necklace, or a lovely card for Christmas…

                                      The Brad

                                      markM LuFins DadL 3 Replies Last reply
                                      • LuFins DadL LuFins Dad

                                        Okay, I put the money I had set aside for one of Karla’s Christmas Gifts on Solana. Let’s see if she is getting new EarPods, a diamond necklace, or a lovely card for Christmas…

                                        markM Offline
                                        markM Offline
                                        mark
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #38

                                        @lufins-dad said in The Bitcoin/Crypto Thread:

                                        Okay, I put the money I had set aside for one of Karla’s Christmas Gifts on Solana. Let’s see if she is getting new EarPods, a diamond necklace, or a lovely card for Christmas…

                                        What made you select Solana?

                                        LuFins DadL 1 Reply Last reply
                                        • markM mark

                                          @lufins-dad said in The Bitcoin/Crypto Thread:

                                          Okay, I put the money I had set aside for one of Karla’s Christmas Gifts on Solana. Let’s see if she is getting new EarPods, a diamond necklace, or a lovely card for Christmas…

                                          What made you select Solana?

                                          LuFins DadL Offline
                                          LuFins DadL Offline
                                          LuFins Dad
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #39

                                          @mark said in The Bitcoin/Crypto Thread:

                                          @lufins-dad said in The Bitcoin/Crypto Thread:

                                          Okay, I put the money I had set aside for one of Karla’s Christmas Gifts on Solana. Let’s see if she is getting new EarPods, a diamond necklace, or a lovely card for Christmas…

                                          What made you select Solana?

                                          It’s probably Ethereum’s biggest competitor and can handle more transactions than Ethereum. It’s been listed in many of the top 10 lists and has shown pretty consistent growth. This is going to be a trial run for me, so I wanted a currency that would have a little bit of volatility but should at least maintain a pretty safe return. I actually got it somewhat on the cheap today, but it’s still dropped since then, lol. Ethereum is having a good day!

                                          The Brad

                                          markM 1 Reply Last reply
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