I expect the former Trump Adminstration Treasury Department under Steven Mnuchin to take a stab at such. It won't work but they have

been 'clarifying' regulations for Bitcoin/Cryptocurrency they said since Febuary 2020 this year. I doubt they are gonna NOT put this out before

the Biden Adminstration comes into office. Indeed, the leaving Trump Adminstration is taking great glee in tossing about 'dubious' regulation

changes accross the board to trip up the next adminstration, IMHO.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/12/us/politics/treasury-cryptocurrency.html

The 'swiss bank account' crack in the link below sounds indeed like these regulations are going to require you tell a USA exchange your self-hosted

wallets address and/or amounts inside (though it would be easy enough to look) as the CEO of coinbase fears.

https://www.coindesk.com/coinbase-ceo-trump-administration-may-rush-out-burdensome-crypto-wallet-rules

Indeed....it is a concern enough that the below letter was sent by lawmakers to get clarity on these 'regulations' in that they have been done

in secret with no public or congressional input.

https://www.coindesk.com/us-lawmakers-tell-mnuchin-to-back-off-from-potential-crypto-wallet-regs

of course if these regulations are true and affect the moving of BTC/Crypto in and out of USA exchanges as an addition to KYC.that simply means

users will simply do KYC on exchanges overseas and/or the exchanges in the USA (as when this happened with China ban on exchanges way back) will

simply pick up and move out of the USA.

Again first comes ATH then comes FOMO and now the powers that be are tossing out FUD to slow down BTC/Crypto adoption. Rinse/Wash/Repeat!

I expect the above regulations coming out sometime before the end of 2020 with the probable start of 1/1/2021 in addition to the 2.6 billion usd

of mt.gox Bitcoin going back to the mt.gox account owners on 12/15/2020 means that the combo will likely slam the Bitcoin price itself down to about

$13K or lower IMHO. If I have the treasury regulations figured correct on this they will wait till after the mt.gox dump of BTC to get the effect they want

of slapping down BTC/Crypto. After that it is up to the Biden Adminstration and to see if big money in BTC/Crypto and exchanges and such can push

back and get these regulations reversed or big money and tradionaly finance will push back more to keep them in place. This is all futile from my

view, in that, BTC/Crypto will bounce back. But it goes to show at every ATH and FOMO afterward there will likely be more of these knee jerk reactions

by countries. This whole decentralized money thing has them scared...and at every ATH and FOMO they are caught off guard and lash back. So it shall

be in the future, again, IMHO. So be aware. My view is 13k Bitcoin if not lower. It all depends on if the mt.gox accounts from back in the day, old HODL'ers

that they may still be, even now, will HODL or will folk simply sell. Bitcoin: Always Drama! (tm BTC)

Brad

C8 - Searing

(of course, if that is taken the last on D6 instead)

In my view, millennials have a few things correct. I'm 65 years old, thus when I was growing up I had very little in the way of toys or self-absorbed

activities like Internet/PC's/Kindle etc. Thus in my later years, it seems I now have a house of 'dubious' possessions or what most people would call 'junk'!

Millennials from what I can tell, after being swamped in the last 20 years in my humble opinion with all sorts of baby plunder/toys/etc growing up...and

the vast majority of these consumer goods were more on quantity than quality are actually quite wise in their view of conspicuous consumption and too

much clutter.

Thus why have the clutter of gold and the rest when Bitcoin/Crypto meets the need indeed!

I myself, will eventually, when they 'drag me off' to the Nursing home in 20 years, kicking and screaming (literally I'm a Shotokan Karate Practitioner)

I often find myself wondering, I obviously am 'different' from my age group on finance and BTC/Crypto...perhaps I should pull the trigger and simply

dump the house/the stuff/and it all 20 years early and just travel and/or rent. As the world of the USA gets weirder and weirder that seems to be becoming

a big pull. So anyway, I see this as a trend that will 'trickle' out over the next 5-10 years as a result of millennials' views on BTC/Crypto.

Probably should have happened a decade or so ago and with more financial freedom than my generation (my wealth is in the house stocks/bonds) probably

in 5-10 years more options and security as well, IF BTC/Crypto follows the same path and adoption it has in the last 10 years as well.

I'm fairly sure that if Trump would have gotten re-elected that actually may have pulled the trigger on the above, me 'simplifying' my life of clutter.

Anyway, just saying, the stuff and house and such eventually has to go, BTC/Crypto has certainly given me more options than the majority of my wealth

in stocks/bonds/house/and stuff.

Still pondering this, but I do see what the OP says is true and may even be a trend between generations also.

Brad

The way regulations work in most countries is first to say they regulate stablecoins and say only banks can control stablecoins....then moving along with this line of thought..they say

cryptocurrency exchanges also besides KYC have to be a bank (not optional...have to) ...evil BTC/Crypto and all that....then the law is changed that US citizens can only trade

crypto in regulated US exchanges that are banks due again to KYC etc..evil BTC/Crypto and all that...then it moves on to 'decentralized' crypto...we must know transactions of such

better now..so that will be pushed as law rather than what is going on right now with the USA 'only' offering a 'reward' to track monero and lightning transactions tool..what

do you think wil happen (or try to happen I should say) if such a tool was to exist..well all the above I figure? Centralized politics/govt/banking/mega-corporations...really, really, don't

like 'decentralized' anything....any of the above push away at such bit by bit. If it the private sector push until you get regulated as too big as a monopoly..then you find your

real scaling...if you are government push until the bureaucracy is too much and then backlash..that becomes the limit..but it always is a concentration towards power and wealth

be it a country or a corporation or an individual..thus...decentralized anything like 'voting' w/o gerrymandering or labor unions slap downs on forming  or even education of saying

free college..all pushes

back at those in the status quo who already don't worry about such things as wealth/education/or hell society at all. The game at that point is not to get wealth but to gain

influence and power...wealth and power are just how you keep score. So there will always be pushback against decentralized BTC/Crypto ....just a matter of scale.

So I assume like getting rid if ICO coins in the USA this stablecoin bank only thing will pass because if I understand stablecoins correctly they are 1 to 1 with fiat and thus

would be pegged to eventual and future digital currency by the US government and others. Thus many in power looking at the past with Bitcoin 'wish' they would have

done the same to limit decentralized BTC/Crypto back in the day in such a manner when weak. But alas, BTC/Crypto was a way to succeed to fast to get ahead of that curve

for any power/wealth advantage...it is always gonna be any ATH then FOMO ...then the above folks will go for FUD to drive the price down and slow down the vision (they hope) of

BTC/Crypto. Rinse/Wash/Repeat. So they have been behind the curve on BTC/Crypto for years, but that does not mean that they can't jump on new crypto innovations before

they come to fruition and slap them down or try to.

Power/Wealth vs Democracy/Decentralization this has always been the case and is not different from BTC/Crypto. Indeed as the price and adoption of BTC/Cryto, especially

the 'decentralized' versions the more heavy-handed and frantic I expect such regulations to become. You really think that if the Bitcoin Twins are right and the Bitcoin

adoption will flip coin that it is gonna happen easy? Not gonna work likely, but look at the USA Presidential election..it is not like they are not gonna try and cry and moan

anyway.

https://cointelegraph.com/news/bitcoin-s-market-cap-will-flip-gold-winklevoss-twins

Brad

This is not quite true, everyone I know is talking about it and know that I've been into Bitcoin/Crypto from way back when in 2013.

BUT..they all say that for the most part, I quote: "We missed the boat".

I  TRY to tell them that even a 'little' dust now has a pretty good chance of being much, much greater in 5 to 10 years from now.

What if they invested say $100 say...that could be 10x or 100x, IF, Bitcoin as the Bitcoin Twins state...it 'replaces gold' (I frigging hope so!)

https://cointelegraph.com/news/bitcoin-s-market-cap-will-flip-gold-winklevoss-twins

So for little risk and high reward, 'why not'...assuming you go full HODL mode for the hell of it? Sell stuff you don't need on eBay, buy 'dust BTC' rinse/wash/repeat and HODL!

I know people for 'years' have talked about this guy below on CNBC.

https://cointelegraph.com/news/mike-novogratz-has-50-of-net-worth-in-crypto-advocates-up-to-5-for-investors

as he states...if you can 'afford' it ... it makes sense...and BTC will never go to zero again.

But if some of the things being said of $200,000 Bitcoin in say 5 years a $1,000 investment would be $20,000 then. So why not clean

the 'attic' out, sell some clutter on eBay with the pandemic and boredom and all..just in case?

But alas, I'm 'zero out of around 10 folks on this' (if you count the ONE almost like an adopted niece.that put $50 in PayPal into BTC) sigh

Somehow, now, years past since 2013-2016 say, when I tried to get people into this, they claim I never pushed them enough

I 'try' to point out I can really only 'nudge' friends and family in this kinda thing, but I think they feel I should have sat on them to make

them buy back in the day. So taking that in stride I now try to get them into BTC/Crypto via (i mean frigging easy) PayPal or Coinbase

and it feels pushy....so again they comment on my good fortune..but can't for the life of them see that Bitcoin being Bitcoin STILL

may pull its same stunts and go up 8x,16x, or whatever in the next 5-10 years.

I'm not sure even 'filming' them with my cell phone would convince their future selves that I tried hard enough.

So it goes, but I thought I'd as least get 'some' more traction the 2nd time around, but seems not to be so.

Brad

Well here is another nail in the coffin of the Trump Administration trying to overturn the Presidential Election with dubious FUD (Fear/Uncertainty/disinformation) in the use

of tactics, all of which have failed so far.

Today is the 'deadline' for the 'so-called' SAFE HARBOR rule which is an Electoral College deadline before voting of the Electoral College.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/12/08/safe-harbor-deadline-arrives-hurting-trumps-bid-overturn-election/6478954002/

I quote below from link above:

Tuesday marked the "safe harbor" deadline. Federal law requires that Congress recognize the slates of electors chosen by states that have resolved legal fights,
recounts and other election disputes by this date.

end quote.

As to leaving office, it is not just TRUMP, it seems the many actual legislators are tossing a tantrum on this as well, not that it will do any good.

Trump himself sounds like once he has left for Thanksgiving for Florida, he won't go back to the White House or attend the Biden Swearing in.

Meanwhile, other antics below to also try to muddy the waters on Trump leaving office, futile and spiteful though they may be! ;(

So as seen below, 'lets get congress involved' in the foot dragging of transition issues as well! Such fun!

So, for the life of me, I can't see anything that can happen on this, from the Trump Administration yet, then to simply drag out the transition process to give the

Biden Administration a 'black eye' for having nothing in help in getting up to speed on the transition. So we have a pandemic, economic issues, and practicality

a constitutional crisis of a President of the United States saying the 'election' was rigged. So just toss them 3-4 months of cooperation away to get the next leadership

team up to speed ..is just too 'hard'

Indeed it is so bad, that it may take even more weeks to resolve if the 'supposed' actions are followed through on certifying the election in the House,etc.

Damn, when the USA decides to go FULL Banana Republic, we don't mess around with any kind of finesse! Such as link below spells out.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/07/politics/house-republicans-trump-biden/index.html

My 'own' conclusion (dubious) is that the 'powers that be' in the Republican Party are so sure that they will NOT win (likely IMHO) any national elections from 2022

onward due to the changing youth and demographics and such with the nation. They are in 'full' hell with it mode, and just gonna burn things as they go out the door

in the next 2-4 years, in a 'hopeless' bit of spite. All of the above in no way seems to be helping the country in any manner, so it has to be politcal spite at the loss.

I mean it is a frigging 'lame-duck' session, all sorts of political cover to stimulate the economy with individual stimulus checks and aid to states, assuming the Republican

party 'still' wants states to lead fights on pandemics in this nature (states rights) without federal government mobilization, as the other option.

You either fund states to do stuff or your fund federal gov't to do stuff in national emergencies, or usually both, but not in the weird world of 2020 I guess.

Brad

Well, there is 'always' going to be some kinda push back from 'centralized' entiities with something as decentralized as Bitcoin. Indeed, I 'foresee' more than a 'bit' of

backlash against Litecoin (LTC) if and when they ever get Mimblewimble

https://www.coindesk.com/litecoin-gets-bullish-speculation-at-last-as-upgrade-approaches

which says, I quote:

"The upgrade will put in effect a “privacy protocol” known as Mimblewimble, which is supposed to help shield the identities of holders of senders and recipients of litecoin tokens while also improving the network’s ability to scale to handle more transactions."

Because the Founder Charlie Lee, is 'known' and the simple act of 'breaking' with Bitcoin Core Developers that decided in the past to NOT add Mimblewimble protocol, well,

that seems ripe for regulation by a centralized govt to ban the protocol. Not saying it will happen, but with Litecoin (LTC) past historical path of following Bitcoin Core and

suddenly doing this, it 'might' be enough for regulators to 'single this out' and slap it down. Indeed the USA government is currently this little bit below includes Bitcoin

Lightning Network.

https://cointelegraph.com/news/the-irs-offers-a-625-000-bounty-to-anyone-who-can-break-monero-and-lightning

So there ya have it, govt and centralized wealth and power HATE decentralized crypto and/or power...it seems they are drawing the line or trying to inch by inch

stopping what they see as decentralized anonymity with decentralized crypto in these cases.

Which I find hilarious, because a person can take any crypto and convert to cash first and then use such anonymously instead.

So it goes, first comes ATH then comes FOMO then come panic by centralized power/wealth and influence or FUD

rinse/wash/repeat

Brad

I was depressed I had mined 12,595 or so Litecoin on www.litecoinpool.org from like 2014 onward and not keeping them and

selling for Bitcoin and not at the peak price...I think I spent all of 2014 mining a shitload of them as the KNC Titan was pretty much ONLY big miner doing so
 
at like a $1.80 price or some such.

But the majority of them being xfered over that year and or year(s)  (with the tagline on bitcointalk.org along the lines of Never getting my ROI back on my f*cking KNC

Titan 8th grade science fair project...for crying out loud! and FU to KNC..or some such.

(I really, owe KNC an apology in hindsight..like a basket of fruit..that was  harsh!)

But recently I looked over time how I xfered over from LTC at stupid low LTC prices to BTC which luckily was also at stupid low and HODL'ing

thinking I'd screwed up but did the calculations and was like 10% difference.

Hell, I spent that 10% on dubious BTC tickers or dubious ASIC board fixes to Lightfoot on here at like 1/2 BTC lots or some such to cover that...so...because

even though LTC was low ..so was BTC so it all worked out before the BTC forks happened and displaced Litecoin.

So got lucky on timing and math with that.

So never really minded the slogan, UNTIL Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and Bitcoin SV (BSV) and now Bitcoin Cash ABC (BCHA) ...which with 51% attack don't think it will matter

much. But I'm still frigging confused on WHY BSV is at least 2+ times the price of Litecoin! The mind boggles!

I guess terms here really don't matter with all the sh*tcoins and forks now and in the future and other mental math gymnastics on what something is worth, and not

to mention besides BTC price the good old fiat price like USD.

I hope to re-visit this thread in 10 years and laugh at how STILL a poor newbie I was compared to those future years!

Hopefully, on the Yacht with the future 'young' Trophy Girlfriend, I can show this post so she too can chuckle at my naiveness!

I have this 'deluded' unproven theory that for some reason I will get more attractive the more BTC I have/HODL...I know it makes no sense..but there

ya have it!

Brad

Wow! If I had only known this on my 1st BTC on my 1st day on October 18th, 2013! Price was $150.00 USD that day, at least at the time I looked. I was somewhat sad that day being 'delayed' by 6 or more months of getting an ASIC miner due to a BFL scam/etc. I tried GPU mining but had no skills. I think I made .6 BTC with GPU card..er...maybe.....I think I spent it...I was a clueless newbie and every week BFL said the miners were SOON! (tm BFL) So held off on GPU mining.*duh*

When I started on the forum here or 3 days after I started on the forum here the thread Wall Observer which was started on April 16th, 2013. I love looking at that first post on WO to this day that stated that Bitcoin was $67.43 USD https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=178336.0.

At the heady price of $150 on the 1st day I mined above, so sure I'd missed the 'boat' and Bitcoin was gonna crash back down to $50.00 USD soon! Annoyed at my 'late start' to mining after lurking on Bitcointalk from April 13th, 2013....so much wasted time..so far behind! Also annoyed and scared self having to use a paper clip on the PSU to boot the KNC Jupiter BTC Miner, because KNC was too frigging cheap to add a frigging SWITCH on the unit. Yep was one generally freaked-out newbie that day wondering about this whole kool-aid drinking BTC idea! I guess my doubts have been cleared up since then, er maybe? Huh? May the next 10 years see the same price rise and adoption speed or better than when I flicked the KNC on.

But damn, really, I mean really, $4,350,000.00 USD without the containers and setup and tariff and shipping and import fees and 2nd pump and plumber and electrician and permits, etc, etc. We'd then be talking at least a cool $500,000.00 USD for 1 Bitcoin a day now! Holy crap!

Philipma1957! (tm "He does math well!")

edit: Philipma1957 you should start a new thread on this. Using the popular Bitcoin ASIC miner of the particular historical year from say CPU's on up till now and say above future or if equipment is announced like the AntRack within the year in question. It would be one shocking graph/chart/list or whatever indeed...and only will look more and more impossible as time goes on!

Brad

Well, someday IMHO, be it slang or something else. IF and or/when Bitcoin gets to say $100,000.00 per USD. Something undoubtedly will arise to the

occasion. Not sure what, but pretty sure something. Is there a term for 10th of a Bitcoin for example?  Just googled such. dBTC for example?

I know Litecoin back in the day folks use to say that Litecoin would be more or less pegged to Bitcoin and act like Silver (LTC) to Bitcoin's (BTC) gold.

Man, I'd really like that to go back to being so. I have a 'bit' of Litecoin and 1/10th would be just dandy. But that was the last serious talk of this

kinda thing way back in like 2015 or some such.

As you can tell from my previous post, MATH is not my greatest skill...nor definitions nor attempts at slang towards such. But it is gonna be damn

cumbersome in 10  years attempting to tell someone what I paid for my SpaceX ride and astronaut wings at $500,000.00 USD Bitcoin, don't ya know!

This however will be indeed the 'least' of my concerns in 10 years I hope by far, really, cumbersome is fine, I won't mind!

Brad

I don't think you can complete divorce money as political vs the techincal in that the change in how democracy and incumbents get $$$ now below.

That is the issue. As an aside to the above, problem-solving at the congressional level is now dead. Say both sides agree to fix a problem. In the past, the problem is

agreed upon (hard to do now) but say you get past that point. Say you want to improve the social safety net in these hard times. The right wants private the left wants

public. Both don't trust others only one or the other positions. In the past, you would work around this by checks and balances on both a public/private solution that both

parties could agree with. Now with unlimited money in politics and this allows both sides to break on whatever policy of their party with impunity. Why should I as a

Does the legislator do the above? No votes on 600-800 bills in the Senate that I have to show a position on that might put me at odds with my outside donors and my


constituants..no vote no responsibility as a representative..ie easy election. Indeed the harder I push and stick to my position, however extreme it may be in either a right

or left viewpoint..the more $$$ I will get from out-of-state donors for such and have even MORE autonomy from my own party, whichever it may be. So no incentive to

have a position say in the Senate as a moderate of either party (no vote allowed) and it is all stacked to gridlock. So from an exchange of ideas point of view above..this is

not a good trend to get anything done, if your party, whoever it is, can't herd their own cats and now has no incentive to be bi-partisan if it will get you kicked out of your

party at the primary.

So from a technical view of how consensus and such is supposed to work in the USA and the legislatures...etc. This can become an issue for BTC/Crypto in that

powers that be of banking/govt/large corporations/etc will try to bend blockchain and political regulations and laws to a more 'centralized' view than 'decentralized' IMHO.

So the technical aspects of decentralized Bitcoin may be a thread in the idea that 'money is political' not for the money reason, like in most politics and above, but

also in the actual decentralized use of money (BTC) that is beyond the reach of such corruption and manipulation ..this is aside and above the above usual

political $$$ in money and how consensus does not rule anymore. So can you convince both sides of the political realm that Bitcoin is a store of value and not as

a threat to one camp or the other? Time will tell I guess. But not cut and dried. Also, the more BTC in its decentralized nature can just take off and do its own

thing and not linked to bonds/stocks/currencies or gov't policies like traditional money and along with the rest of the above...there will be more FUD on the horizon the

The faster we get ATH's the more FOMO and of course the knee-jerk reaction by traditional centers of money and power above to FUD and slow down adoption. So longer

Bitcoin/Crypto exists and the more decentralized it is the more technical governments will try to regulate and nit-pick IMHO. So it goes.

Brad

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPfqxekbA7g



Merry Christmas!

I'm afraid as the price continues to go up, it is likely to be called Mbits, simply for ease of use. In other words, I spent 1 Mbit vs the usual 0.0001 sats

or whatever I say now. (sigh...math is hard on the fly in my head)

I am 'unclear' on how to get the math to work on the fly in one's head. It has to happen

in some manner and people will have to get used to such on the fly, using Mbits or whatever.

How to ease this process or make it less convoluted than the already fast math done in my head on bitcoin worth vs USD worth at the time..is maybe un-doable.

I mean in the USA we can't grasp Metric..this is along similar lines of thought on the fly in your head on converting from full Bitcoin price to whatever you spent

and playing 'mental gymnastics' to figure out price vs full bitcoin price vs USD, etc. Yech, it may just stay in the current format, this doesn't seem all that better.

Brad

Just as an aside. When I started Bitcoin mining on Oct 18th, 2013. I made 'briefly' 1 Bitcoin a Day. Are my calculations correct, without electricity, that I would have to have like 10 of these at 15ph each to make ONE Bitcoin now? or approximately what is the cost of these again? I think you said someplace on here of $40,000.00  (will re-look)

So to make ONE Bitcoin per day, without figuring electricity and just the equipment, and at retail no tariff or import or shipping fee...I'd be looking at around $400,000.00 of equipment or likely double that for One Bitcoin of profit per day now vs 2013! Damn....anyway ball parky around 1/2 million dollars damn. Damn, the game is rigged since 2013 for this game! Ack!

Feel free to correct me and use more precise math, but you'd think I could find a link for such a thing or real costs in mining equipment to make ONE Bitcoin a day. Anyway, a bit off-topic...but Antrack is the latest and greatest coming out from Bitmain for my calculation purposes here and/or with the above $$$ nailed down with the idea of 1 Bitcoin per day profit...if you are a 'mega-whale' I just gave you a Bitcoin kool-aid inspired reason to blow a lot of money on these beasts!

Hey it worked for me chucking out what I thought was 'big money' for ONE BTC or so per day back in 2013.... let's see if the same logic applies...actually that would only probably work at $100,000 BTC in the next 5-10 years maybe. (All this math, all these $$$, all that math hash...my head hurts...Ack!)

Brad

Again, IMHO, there is a 'chance' that we are still in the early adoption stage. Say someone sells the crap out of the 'attic' on eBay or 'attic mining' and gets as much

frigging dust as they can at this point in time of 2020. Say they manage through garage sales/estate sales/selling crap they otherwise will die with. Doing such, for

fun, like mining in a bit by bit manner, could really pay off yet. I mean what if the pundits and bulls of Bitcoin are correct and in say 5 years you are looking

at $500,000.00 per Bitcoin. It is not like Bitcoin in the past depending on 'adoption' has not gone up 5x,8x,16x before.

at that price your $10,000.00 investment at say an average cost of $20,000.00  would be about 1/2 a Bitcoin. or $250,000.00 if you went into HODL mode.

So we may have been lucky and myself in at 2013....but there is only so much 'virtual land' to go around to base worth on into the blockchain, so it could

happen. so again, I should do this, newbies should do this, etc. Worse that happens is you have a bit of light fun dumping stuff for BTC dust on eBay and

get rid of the clutter... In the long term though you could maybe be still as lucky as someone like me that got into BTC/Crypto in 2013.

The main thing is to accumulate and HODL for next 5-10 years or so. In 'whatever' the manner, just in case the above is true.

Brad

All the evidence that is tossed out on voter fraud..is never really evidence.

It is news  of someone saying they have evidence it seems, but, never actually delves down to the evidence...then this fades

and then new evidence or rinse/wash/repeat

Ok...gonna go with an actual way/timeline here, in this order.

As an example of someone 'saying' something as news, but without any real verifiable or legal facts to the level to have investiaged

sent to a court of law and rising to the level of legal facts...well, not. But the news is stated in a way that IF so and so or Trump or

whoever simply 'says' something is so, you are left with the impression that the news is factual.

https://www.waynedupree.com/2020/12/georgia-dominion-forensic-audit/

I should be fair above however the most of this news source simply reported on what the representative said was the facts..not the facts themselves. Below is along the

the same theme, it has to be backed up in court with more than supposition, and even if some equipment did not work or some other flaws,

it has to rise to the occasion of

changing 1st the votes in the county, or beyond. So far the FBI has said no fraud rises to that level by AG Barr. Anyway, an example of reporting what someone says as a

the fact just based on them saying such.

Sure it may be news but seems like yelling fraud everywhere until it actually is the case someplace. But it has to meet the criteria of 'actual fraud by intent' and or 'legal

facts for a court or prosecution' by legal means. Then even if shown to be worse of above..has to rise to the level to reverse the election. The last point, if all the same

equipment and the rest were used in the very close 2016 election does that also mean using this logic..that the 2016 election needs to be re-looked at as well. The quote

below is also news, but news based only on what the person says, with no evidence provided. https://news.yahoo.com/roger-stone-claims-north-korea-053809333.html

Then of course as 'above' article or the statement is shown to be in 'error' 3 days or so later. Suddenly a new 'fact' stated by someone to take its place.

So it goes rinse/wash/repeat

Brad

I've been getting questions about Bitcoin more lately. I tell them to simply buy some on PayPal, say $50.00 USD just to watch such.

I also tell them to 'attic mine' in that only big data halls can you mine with ASIC miners now of any BTC/Crypto. So by 'attic mine'

I mean sell crap in your attic to make a rec room and improve your house value and stick it into BTC dust in case BTC does what

it so often has in the past and suddenly go up 8x or 16x again. Or go to estate sales and/or rummage sales and sell all the above

for less stress and more fun and likely, much, much, more profit than home mining for BTC just in case places like Citigroup and an advisor are

correct and BTC goes to $100k in 2021. Been taken better by 'newbies' in the past. I think PayPal taking BTC and other cryptos

took some of the usual FUD/Scam out of the concerns and conversations of newbies in 2020. We will see, but so far about 4 people

got some PayPal at least to 'stick their toes' into the crypto waters. I also tell them to remember we have had the ATH and then

the FOMO and now the FUD will start. (case in point Trump Administration saying they will have 'clarity' on crypto regulations in 4-6

weeks, deadline 5 days before Biden Administration takes office. So I tell them to buy and HODL and accumulate BTC dust for at least

5 if not 10 years. Again, seem to take advice better than in the past and again, likely because of PayPal's endorsement of crypto.

Brad

Questions:

1. When and why did you become interested in cryptocurrencies?

I was bored and going to set up a game server again (Lost Gonzo BBS) and pay probably (5 towers) $60 in electricity per month for this free game server.
I found out about Bitcoin in 2013 and thought what the hell, bought the KNC Jupiter BTC Miner for $5,131.80 with shipping from Sweden and paid for the
1/2 with the Game Server set aside money and the other half with Game of Sword original (BOOK) real swords from the 'lucky' start of HBO series. The
book versions were designed by GRR Martin and had a signed certificate...needless to say... the timing was great...and I figured 'maybe' I'd pay it off
in 6 months and pay no electricity for the hobby and maybe get 4-6 months of free house utilities paid off the miner before it became a 'brick'. Also, figured,
it was big at my buy, this kinda thing would take off in micro-loans and help micro-banking in India, etc. It is good to be 'bored' in 2013 it seems.

2. When and why did you buy your first bitcoin?

I learned about Bitcoin on April 13th, 2013, or 3 days before the World Observer thread here on Bitcointalk. In, summer of 2014 out of blue refunded by BFL found out later it was 1 week before SEC
shut them down and got the other 1/2 back by a fluke of luck. I assume I was only one of a dozen to get $$$ back in that they were trying to put off
the SEC shutting them down. The SEC took the assets and sold the works eventually and only fined the 3 owners like $30,000.00 total. So BFL
should not have bothered on refunds indeed for that week. I think they paid more out that week in refunds, scared of the SEC than they had to pay in fines.
They walked with all that Bitcoin and let the BFL corporation proper take the fall. It was pretty sad and I was very, very, as a 'clueless' newbie indeed, very
lucky. So, cooling heels till like July? 2013 I broke down and ordered a KNC Jupiter Miner for $5,131.80 to basically mine to break even on the (i thought)
BFL rip off of 2013. That was a wise move as you will see below...along with my BFL dumb luck refund.

3. How did you get on the forum?

A google search on Bitcoin and 3 days later ordered a mess of BFL equipment. Drank deep the newbie kool-aid I did. But soooooo dumb and lucky!

4.1. What prevents mass adoption of cryptocurrencies?

At first, say the first 5 years, early adoption, steep learning curve.
Now you can buy it on PayPal, etc.
The main cycles of BTC adoption, IMHO, as it
also relates to price goes along the following now:
All-Time-High is hit, (ATH) and the masses are aware of it again (11 years and it still is not dead they gasp!) then FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) on the usually massive pump..then the powers that be, traditional money/banking/govt/etc...go whoah? WTF! and get a bit 'scared' and then do like in 2014 t
the IRS regulations 10 days before taxes due in April 2014 and/or other FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Dismay). So we can see the cycle as of this post now today and current
ATH then and the FOMO now and now recently a few days ago the FUD (new crypto regulations incoming on USA crypto exchanges and your hosted wallets).
So ATH/FOMO/FUD has been the pattern for the last 11 years going on 12 years for Bitcoin.
This will continue until either traditional money interests/govt/corporations/wealthy current no-coiners wanting to get on board, get on board or they somehow kill BTC.
Myself, they are getting on board but just using the pattern of ATH, FOMO, FUD to drive the price down when they get scared they are missing out on cheap
Bitcoin..thus why not use FUD and buy on the side? Rinse/Wash/Repeat? Again, IMHO.

4.2. How do you think mass advertising of gambling projects has a positive effect on the development of the forum or harms the community?

Not really, they deal mostly with altcoins I think or $1 to $1 Stablecoins to get around USD in that they used to do that but some sites now banned on that.
I know little but my guess are little effect.

4.3. How do you consider whether 2-3 years of experience in cryptocurrency is enough to successfully invest or does an investor need to receive special education?

I used to have miner skills. Big Data Hall Miner Skils. Now I'm like an AirShip Captain with 7 years' experience but now no more Dirigibles. Much like mining, I have the skills but all crypto mining of any coin has moved to 2c-4c electric and big overseas data farms now and costs big bucks now. My captain of the skies miner skills are
now obsolete, like making buggies, buggy whips, and airships and bi-planes.
So education means little and mining education also means zilch...so now I tell newbies to sell
crap they don't need out of the attic or estate sales or rummage sales for BTC dust in case it pumps to 100k BTC. Attic Mining I call it. Sell stuff in the attic you otherwise
would die with before maybe the next pump like in the past BTC has done ..10x or 16x, the value in last decade, etc.
The long-term HODL such BTC for 5 to 10 years from now. This is the only newbie strategy that works now IMHO. HODL is the key. Not education.
A stress-free way to have fun and buy BTC. Again, as having big data hall machines, at least in the USA, that ship has sailed. No longer trading BTC for miners.
Now get what BTC dust you can (risk-free way above or not...sell useless crap) and HODL. If I'd had done this in 2013 I'd have 200 BTC easy.

4.4. What are the main ideas of bitcoin maximalism do you think are good and what ideas do you disagree with?

Disagree on $100k coin in next couple of years due to Real Life Issues/wife/family/maybe older age...will all add pressure to sell some of your BTC if you are
say one of the 2800 or so folks with more than 1,000 BTC. So it will get there. But with the recession the pandemic and such other RLI, I just don't see it coming till say 2-3 years from now...$100k coin that is. As far as HODL and don't sell for 5-10  years I agree with them.

5. What do you think of the current Merit system and signature campaigns?  Do they harm the forum?

People get too bent on signature stuff, it is just like a billboard selling Ads..not my business...I have a signature campaign and have used many. Some back
in the day paid 1/2 BTC a month. As to merit...I use it occasionally. I'd like to see donations for more classes than just Copper to show support
for bitcointalk.org...I did get a copper just to show some support. They could expand that IMHO, maybe applies such to charity.

6. The most useful forum topic? Most helpful users?

The World Observer Thread by far will lead to other threads. A good google search of say a miner, IRS rules, or whatever with bitcointalk.org
will usually point you to a thread on your topic of interest.

7. 3 things you would implement on the forum?

a) More options for donation to support bitcointalk.org based say charity or something besides copper to show appreciation.
b) BTC Price Ticker on the main page.
c) A section under Mining that allows you to post on both BTC miners and Altcoin Miners..currently any altcoin miners are buried under altcoins.
this should have more exposure in most people mined and do mine altcoins to flip to Bitcoin. Just saying.

8. Do you trade on exchanges or invest in projects?

Did ICO's before they were banned. Did LISK wait too long to dump though? Such is dubious, projects/coins, however, can show 7 sats on say an exchange, but
with exchanges no longer purging dead coins, when you look at some projects and millions of their dubious coins for sale on the exchange with
only $60.00 sold in 8 months. Well, that is a LOT of folks ahead of you don't ya know. So dead coins never die, just newbie traps now. Check out FJC or Fujicoin,
I have 10 million of them. An exchange says it is worth say $1.2k last I looked, with 80 million for sale on various exchanges with a volume of $6 bucks
a month, well I'm gonna frame the paper wallet and put it in the bathroom. I have little or nothing invested in such but maybe $80 in electric mining
the stuff before the bottom fell out. Bitcoin Cash ABC or BCHA may be the most recent monthly version of this with a 51% attack ...looks great on paper
with what I got of legacy BTC wallet on the fork...but I don't know anybody that can sell the stuff at exchange prices.

9. Tell a story about your big profit or big loss?

See above I stated such on BFL above. I did at one time look at the ETH ICO back in the day at 1 BTC got me 999 ETH when ICOs were legal. My newbie
self thought it was a scam. I have lots, and lots, of missed boats I did not manage to take in hindsight since 2013, etc.

10. What do you think about the DEFI ecosystem?

Utterly confused...jumped in at Uniswap sale at the beginning and bought in at like $4k at $9...spent the day trying to figure out DEFI coins and uni swap in particular
got scared ..dumped it back to Coinbase Pro..took a $250 loss..last I looked it was trading at $3.34 or some such. So now leery of DEFI and still confused.

11. Is your anonymity a vital necessity or precaution?

Too old to matter a google search from 2013 everyone would tell you what they had in BTC when it was $150 on September 18th, 2013. When on Bitcointalk
since 3 days before Wall Observer started on bitcointalk.org...(see the first post in Wall Observer Thread BTC was like $63 bucks)
too easy to do a google search on anybody to find at least the coin they had in the old days. Moot question. Was too many coins at too little $$$.

12. The last cryptocurrency book you read?

I forget, something on kindle in 2014 on GPU mining I think?

13. Advise 3 cryptocurrencies/tokens for investment in the next 1-2 years?

Bitcoin I'd say. If you are expecting the other altcoins to go up in relation to bitcoin staying crypto gold why risk it?
I am keeping some sh*tcoins from back in the day leftover from mining in case they pump or something stupid if I sold them.
But probably you'd be OK with BTC/LTC/ETH. Also with current IRS rules to state sold/buy etc on your USA tax forms. I plan
on just buying some BTC dust off/on and simply checking box yes I own crypto. No longer now that out of mining have to get
into the whole deductions and cap gains etc...so since 2019 have not sold sh*t. Will just HODL for the next 10 years whatever the
hell I have in altcoin/shitcoin/bitcoin etc. Adding only to BTC dust as we go along selling stuff on eBay etc.

14. How much will Bitcoin cost at the end of 2020?

I think with the FUD of the Trump Administration dumping out new regulations in Bitcoin (among many other hundreds) just to mess with
Biden Administration the last ATH of $19,850.11 we just had will be ATH for this year. It usually goes ATH, FOMO, FUD. We are
in the FUD stage with regulations of supposed 'clarity' coming out. Likely 'unworkable' and likely to keep BTC price sideways in winter pandemic for 3-5 months till adults resolve this regulation dump about BTC along with 100s of others. Thus I see a dump
in price to $13k this winter and sideways till next ATH with the above Trump dump of clarity regulations addressed..probably next
Fall of 2021 I see another pump to an ATH when such is resolved, and the pandemic is resolved (knock wood) and maybe some
economic uptick. Also, inflation may start about then to promote upward BTC price. This is my guess. $13k BTC and then ATH
next Fall of 2021 after all the above drama calms somewhat. Again, I know zip, but you asked.

15. P.S. (Optional)

There are usually only two choices in Bitcoin. HODL or BUY. Especially now that home and small/mid-sized data hall mining is dead. IMHO.
I've never had an issue with either of these 'long-term'. But remember this is 'speculation'. There are powers that be that would love to ban bitcoin. Where that may not be possible, they can use FUD (Fear/Uncertainty/Dismay) to slap the price down though, and have done
this often in the past. So the only way to win is to HODL what you have and BUY what you can on the dips. It may be more boring than
mining and trading and DEFI etc. But that seems to be the smart thing to do in the future. Where I am on BTC/Crypto now in 2020.

Brad

That does not mean that 'regulators' in my view, the Trump Administration, can toss a monkey wrench into Bitcoin as they wander out the door. They have never

been fans and currently they are tossing out lots and lots of dubious regulations to muddy the waters for the next Biden Administration. This is their chance to take a parting shot at BTC/Crypto as they go out the door, regardless of how they

may actually ever get done, and the regulatioin redacted under next adminstration or killed.

Just FUD to counter act the FOMO of Bitcoin and Altcoin pump here recently. So IF there is as the official in the link below states,

there 'will be' clarity of BTC/Crypto Regulations in 4-6 weeks. (which would put it 5 days before Biden was sworn in on this comment)

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/04/top-currency-regulator-says-to-expect-clarity-in-coming-weeks-on-bitcoin.html

https://www.coindesk.com/coinbase-ceo-trump-administration-may-rush-out-burdensome-crypto-wallet-rules

I think this is likely, and I think it will likely be as the CEO of Coinbase said, they will go after user-hosted wallets in the regulation via US exchanges.

Which is stupid, I'd just do a KYC in Canada where this 'extra step' is not done. Anyway, I'm assuming this FUD will happen and they as they have in all

regulations on crypto, initially get it wrong. Remember the IRS rollout of rules in 2014? Thus this FUD will likely drive price of BTC/Crypto IMHO down

and sideways for 4-6 months until the next administration fixes this and their 'dubious' last-minute lame-duck regulations flying out of the Trump

The administration just to muddy the waters. This is just one regulation of 100s that will have to be addressed. I also think that this is being rushed

through to 'harm' Bitcoin/Crypto in that they had 'no meetings, closed or otherwise, it looks like a parting shot just to be mean.

Thus, cheap coins people. My own view is this winter is gonna suck, pandemic, recession, everyone having to 'grow up' and see the USA is in a world of hurt.

then the anger/denial/etc, etc. I myself expect everything to take a 30% hit or more, even Bitcoin ..my floor is around $13k and sideways until this and

other clusterf*ck 'reign in BTC/Crypto' plans are discarded. This has probably in a major FUD way happened 3 times in the past, the FUD and dubious

regulations and the rest worldwide...but never happens..it eventually gets resolved. Always seems to happen also when the economy takes a downturn

and 'wow' Bitcoin/Altcoins pump. You have FOMO you are gonna have FUD and backlash like the CEO of Coinbase says is maybe gonna happen. So think

cheap coins..this too shall pass....but this and for other reasons, this winter is gonna suck big time for folks as a wake-up call of just how bad things are.

Little way in denial IMHO...recession/pandemic/shutdowns....reality sucks..and this will be our small part of FUD we will have to deal with.

So there will be confusion, some price loss, the usual dealing with such FUD...and the price of BTC/Crypto will likely go down, but if all it takes is

for a lame-duck, Trump Administration tossing out a rule not vetted by the experts but simply tossed out as FUD from the higher end political overrides and

rule writing of a fading Trump

Administration, well...if that can seriously cripple BTC/crypto w/o major pushback at this point in time to stop such, well BTC/Crypto is doomed.

Again, FUD and FOMO and ATH or rinse/wash/repeat we have all seen this before. Big Whoop!

So a drop in BTC/Crypto prices may be as much as down to $13k and sideways until FUD, as per usual, is resolved..then blastoff in the spring of 2021

at worst, IMHO. So look at it as 'cheap coins' if it causes the problems above, again the worse case, which again, as a worse case above...we've seen it

before and will see it again, and overcome it.

I guess I've bought 'some' but 95% of all my Bitcoin and Altcoins or whatever in Cryptocurrency was 'mined'. I started mining in 2013 because I was bored.

So rather than put up the Lost Gonzo BBS system again (like 5 towers back in the day) and a cost of say $60 a month in electricity for a free BBS. I 'tripped'

over Bitcoin in 2013 and figured I'd help 'micro-lending' in India, if Bitcoin took off and maybe, just maybe, the KNC Jupiter Bitcoin Miner would pay itself off

in 5-7 months and joy, of joy...'afterwards' maybe, just maybe, I could 'mine' Bitcoin for another say 5-6 months and it would be enough to pay off my house

utilities! Yea!  So, a much better hobby with electricity costs being nil, if the above worked. Needless to say at $150 BTC the day I mined for 1st time at ONE

Bitcoin a day....and currently at $19,090.09 USD from https://coinmarketcap.com/...I may have 'underestimated' the impact of what my 'hobby' was.

As of now, with home mining and pretty much even data hall mining dead. (not gonna swap BTC for POW ASIC equipment anymore in full HODL mode)

I recomend that people 'attic mine' or sell crap they would otherwise die with from attic on eBay and then convert to BTC/Crypto and HODL.

This is a good way to get rid of clutter and WTH are you gonna think if you don't do this, and Bitcoin goes up 16x again or some such as it has in the past.

Almost NO risk and potentially a huge reward if the rainbow/fairy-dust/unicorn perfumed fart predictions of $100k BTC is correct at the end of 2021.

Anyway, just an aside that you can still NOT buy Bitcoin from just fiat, you can use this angle to 'attic mine' as I call it.

Anyway, what I tell 'newbies' to do now rather than buy mining machines.

Brad