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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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  • taiwan_girlT taiwan_girl

    I just dont understand the value of bitcoin and other crypto money.

    If that was all that I had, I think it would be pretty difficult to survive on a day to day basis.

    fill the car with petrol? hmmmm
    go to a restaurant or grocery to eat? hmmmmm
    Pay my insurance? hmmmm
    Go visit a doctor or dentist? hmmmm
    etc

    To my uneducated mind in this, it seems like the Holland tulip craze. People bidding up the price on something that does not have a real value behind it.

    Educate me!!!

    George KG Offline
    George KG Offline
    George K
    wrote on last edited by
    #10

    @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.

    "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

    The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.

    KlausK 1 Reply Last reply
    • AxtremusA Offline
      AxtremusA Offline
      Axtremus
      wrote on last edited by
      #11

      @Klaus, you sure you want to get into Bitcoin now?
      Elon Musk just got out of accepting Bitcoin as payment for Tesla vehicles.
      Maybe try Dogecoin?

      1 Reply Last reply
      • LuFins DadL LuFins Dad

        What’s the lowest you can invest into Bitcoin? I know it doesn’t take much for some of the smaller coins…

        89th8 Offline
        89th8 Offline
        89th
        wrote on last edited by
        #12

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

        What’s the lowest you can invest into Bitcoin? I know it doesn’t take much for some of the smaller coins…

        Sign up on Coinbase.com and you get free $5 in Bitcoin.

        markM 1 Reply Last reply
        • 89th8 Offline
          89th8 Offline
          89th
          wrote on last edited by 89th
          #13

          I have some cash invested in a few coins. I wanted to get some exposure without risking too much. My main coin is Ethereum (used as a platform for many other coins, also is the core for NFTs which I see as a legit digital solution), although Bitcoin is obviously the main coin out there. I have a little stake in about 5 other coins, in case any of them take off. My real retirement plan though is the SHIB coin (aka a doge wannabe). I bought 4 million of those coins (for like $180) so if it can just get to a dollar, I’ll be rich.

          1 Reply Last reply
          • George KG George K

            @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.

            KlausK Offline
            KlausK Offline
            Klaus
            wrote on last edited by
            #14

            @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 1 Reply Last reply
            • 89th8 89th

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

              What’s the lowest you can invest into Bitcoin? I know it doesn’t take much for some of the smaller coins…

              Sign up on Coinbase.com and you get free $5 in Bitcoin.

              markM Offline
              markM Offline
              mark
              wrote on last edited by
              #15

              @89th said in The Bitcoin/Crypto Thread:

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

              What’s the lowest you can invest into Bitcoin? I know it doesn’t take much for some of the smaller coins…

              Sign up on Coinbase.com and you get free $5 in Bitcoin.

              I signed up and got my $5.00 in Bitcoin.

              It immediately fell to $4.92. lol

              1 Reply Last reply
              • CopperC Offline
                CopperC Offline
                Copper
                wrote on last edited by
                #16

                I just tried to sign up.

                I got through most of it, but they didn't like my paypal. No reason, they just said it doesn't work - try again.

                1 Reply Last reply
                • KlausK Offline
                  KlausK Offline
                  Klaus
                  wrote on last edited by Klaus
                  #17

                  I found this article, which explains what it would take a central authority to take over Bitcoin, interesting.

                  https://braiins.com/blog/how-much-would-it-cost-to-51-attack-bitcoin

                  I wondered if Jeff Bezos could take over Bitcoin if he'd use the whole Amazon cloud computing stuff exclusively for that purpose. From what I understand, it wouldn't work since normal computers, even many of them, and even millions of modern graphics cards, are too slow to compete with the special mining hardware.

                  Also, even if a central authority would control Bitcoin for a while with a 51% attack, the damage would be somewhat limited:

                  An attacker that controls more than 50% of the network's computing power can, for the time that he is in control, exclude and modify the ordering of transactions. This allows him to:

                  Reverse transactions that he sends while he's in control. This has the potential to double-spend transactions that previously had already been seen in the block chain, affecting all coins that share a history with the reversed transaction
                  Reverse confirmations for any transaction that had previously been seen in the block chain while he’s in control.
                  Prevent some or all transactions from gaining any confirmations
                  Prevent some or all other miners from mining any valid blocks
                  The attacker can't:

                  Reverse other people's transactions without their cooperation (unless their coin history has been affected by a double-spend)
                  Prevent transactions from being sent at all (they'll show as 0/unconfirmed)
                  Change the number of coins generated per block
                  Create coins out of thin air
                  Send coins that never belonged to him

                  1 Reply Last reply
                  • KlausK Offline
                    KlausK Offline
                    Klaus
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #18

                    Also, you'd need to command a lot of energy, in addition to somehow getting hold of enough hardware:

                    that would put the electricity capacity needed to power all those ASICs at ~4.4 GW of power.

                    4.4 Jigawatts! Great Scott!

                    1 Reply Last reply
                    • KlausK Offline
                      KlausK Offline
                      Klaus
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #19

                      After looking into it a bit more, I must say that I'm quite impressed how sophisticated the idea of Bitcoin is. The way the mining/proof of work idea interacts with the distributed blockchain trust idea is genius.

                      1 Reply Last reply
                      • 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 Online
                                      jon-nycJ Online
                                      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 Offline
                                          MikM Offline
                                          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

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