Another poster made & posted this graphic awhile ago. It highlights how unconfirmed transactions peak when block size pro fork agenda is being pushed.



One issue with larger blocks is, it assumes a significant increase in transaction per second performance can be gained by increasing block size despite these claims being untested and unvetted.

Larger block supporters also assume these positives will outweigh any negatives associated with nodes becoming more centralized due to higher hardware requirements & possibly better attack vectors with larger blocks.

I know some of the regular posters in this section are pro gold.

Probably one of the biggest obstacles to people investing is gold is not knowing where or how to store it to ensure safety.

What is the best method of storing gold/silver? Would you recommend keeping it in a personal safe? A safety deposit box at a bank? Burying it in the ground somewhere late at night where no one will ever find it pirate style?

Also what insurance options are there? Do banks insure safety deposit boxes past $100k?

Law enforcement confiscating money/precious items seems to be on the rise. Are there any tips for avoiding having gold/silver confiscated?

I would be interested to hear thoughts on this as it could represent one area where gold/silver might be considered less preferable to crypto.

One of Jon Jones training partners posted this on facebook. This seems to indicate Jones is innocent if he tested positive very close to the fight where steroids wouldn't give a person an advantage.



California isn't the most reliable state. New York and cali are the two most corrupt states in the USA. Their athletic commission could be at fault here.

Firas Zahabi of Tristar MMA Gym has a $10,000 (paid in dash) contest going for anyone who can accurately predict Conor vs Floyd.

There's a youtube clip on his channel with the details. They're calling it the #mysticdash challenge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUyKmz4O-b4

Firas Zahabi is GSP's trainer. He also trained Rory MacDonald, etc. I didn't know Firas Zahabi or any of the big name MMA trainers was into crypto. That is interesting.

Bitcoin's algorithm could be an advantage over gold as its control over the supply of bitcoin is arguably better than any regulation or control over the supply of gold.

If you want a real world example of this look into how the supply of aluminum and other metals is manipulated to artificially move prices.


Wait. Have you been watching the Mr. Robot tv show? Cause that's probably the only example I can think of where a massive electronic attack could destabilize and cause tremendous upheavel to society.

I don't know what to reply to that. If the system is complex and a lot of the data is erased, there are so many redundancies and copies of the blockchain downloaded that it could be difficult to replace or introduce a catastrophic single point of failure.

Also it might be said that people rely upon electrical for everyday life. We already trust electronic systems with virtually everything. Does it make a difference if we add one more system to the list?


One might say: gold and silver aren't as long term oriented as bitcoin for several reasons.

1. There isn't any support for buying or selling with gold/silver/precious metals. It might be illegal to do so.
2. Gold/silver has less active users worldwide, a smaller community and user base.
3. Most people wouldn't know what to do with gold/silver if they had some. There's no knowledge or information surrounding it that the average person can relate to.
4. If someone had 50 pounds of gold/silver the police would probably confiscate it or it might be stolen. Bitcoin may be much easier to store and keep safe over the long term.

There are possibly many reasons why gold/silver would not be a better store of long term value than crypto.

The fork, blocksize debate and transaction DDoS spam could be intended to replace core developers with stooges who will do the bidding of miners.

Core developers have good reason to oppose a fork. There aren't any good arguments for a fork other than wresting control of btc away from core devs.

When I think of bitcoin being taxed, I think of the effect gas, alcohol and tobacco taxes have on the price of gasoline, cigarette packs and cases of beer. And the effect property taxes have on rent.

A lot of people want marijuana to be legalized and taxed. I'm not certain if those people realize how much cheaper cigarettes & other things were before taxes were added to them.

That's a tough question. Some type of DRIP (dividend reinvestment plan) could work. At least there are documented cases of people earning enough using that strategy to eventually retire. I can't say I know of any good investments right now. The US stock market is doing well right now but if Trump was impeached, war broke out or something happened, it could easily swing in the opposite direction. There's danger and fear everywhere.

Of course diversifying doesn't have to be a grand strategy. There are people who diversify by buying things like big screen tv's, gaming consoles/computers and other electronic devices thinking they will hold their value better than a lot of things if a worst case scenario happens.

As far as I know, many nations use the method of buying foreign currencies to weaken their own currency with the end goal of boosting exports which primarily benefit large corporations & shareholders.

The united states and many other nations do the same thing. A stronger yen would benefit the average japanese and give them more buying power. A weaker yen benefits mainly the private sector & investors.

I will contend that.

1. Bitcoin has many advantages over both gold and silver. Bitcoin is easier to transact and buy/sell with than a 2 pound gold/silver nugget. Bitcoin is easier to store and keep safe than gold/silver. Bitcoin is more portable. Bitcoin is more difficult to counterfeit than gold/silver bars. If bitcoin is stolen it may also be easier to track down and recover than gold/silver due to the publicly accessible ledger and a good portion of the internet containing logs which allow tracking of transactions to a relative degree.

2. Bitcoin's algorithm is a major advantage being a creator of long term value. The second people have control over something like ethereum or bch is often the second they sacrifice long term value for short term gain. We can see this in many crypto and fiat currencies which are manipulated to produce short term gain, rather than long term value. People criticize bitcoin's algorithm but also fail to acknowledge the algorithm has proven much more reliable and stable than more arbitrary and often greed driven human regulation.

If the yen strengthens, japan usually buys american currency to weaken the yen in comparison to the dollar, to boost their exports.

Buying the yen increases demand for the yen. Increased demand translates to the value of the yen rising which is typically what nations avoid to raise their export numbers as much as possible.

Of course, boosting exports primarily benefits corporations. A stronger yen benefits the average person and consumers. There are strengths and weaknesses to weakening/strengthening currency that are often not commented on.

This is a good topic.

There are braile keyboards and apps which convert text on screen to audible speech for the visually impaired. There are also speech command software like alexa, although I do not know if there is crypto support.

Things are probably much better now than they were a few decades ago although this could be a neglected area.

Inflation/deflation may be better defined as a metric determining whether a currency is gaining or losing buying power in comparison to basic living expenses, average cost of living and related variables.

Inflation in regard to currency means currency is losing buying power and devaluing by a measurable percentage. Deflation implies the opposite.

Circumstances which dictate whether a currency is gaining or losing buying power are key in this discussion. The fundamental mechanics and principles in play are what people should address in inflation/deflation discussions as they are neither random not without underlying cause.

UFC embedded is producing vlogs leading up to Mayweather vs Mayweather. The first one was released today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWe1MMO5CWk

Floyd is saying he'll party the entire week leading up to the fight & in the vlog he's eating a hamburger. Roy Jones Jr. did this to opponents in the past where he would play an entire game of basketball on the day of his fight.

I hope Conor wins. Floyd has skill but his personality and the way he treats and relates to people rubs me the wrong way.

There's a huge difference between how politics and finance are supposed to work in theory and how things actually go down in the real world.

The concept of central banks providing stability can be disputed. For example the economic crisis of 2008 was largely caused by banks & their dealings with subprime mortgages rather than prevented by them. Ben Bernanke admitted the federal reserve played a major role in causing the great depression. Banks may be credited with causing economic crisis rather than preventing them. Perhaps from this we can see that there are drawbacks and disadvantages to regulation and centralized monetary policy.

Some investigation and research must be done into the history of banking and central banks to lend a better perspective.

Buy and hold over the long term has been the best strategy for bitcoin, historically. Will this trend continue from 2017 into the future? Its difficult to say. September, october, november and december are often peak months for the price of bitcoin on a monthly basis. There's a chance we'll see btc peak late into 2017.

That aside timing fork announcements to buy/sell at opportune times may also have been a good strategy in 2017.

I have not seen any independent or objective pieces published on bitcoin fork.

Only propaganda pieces are circulating in the mainstream.

Some sites like investopedia are publishing blatantly inaccurate information.

1. The one wight that didnt die was zombified by another white walker boss.
2. Good question. Distances involved could have been short else plot hole.
3. I would guess the temperature dropped during the night which refroze the ice stronger than before.
3. They didnt know the white walkers weakness at that time.
4. Good question. He could have ran but he wouldn't have got far. He made certain everyone else was safe which is admirable I guess.
5. Vikings and others who live in cold zones are known to bath & swim in freezing cold water at times.

These predictions are only valid if they disclose they're not invested in what they're promoting.

People have forever been buying shares in things & claiming the price will go "to the moon" to turn their profit.

Its could be the most obvious when people promote gold and silver. Its almost like a pyramid scheme where you see ppl get in early and hope they can entice investors into raising the price for them with their "gold/silver is the investment of a lifetime" media marketing campaigns.

Rent/mortgage is the biggest chunk of living expenses for most people.

If its possible to buy in an area with relatively low property taxes while simultaneously eliminating the largest chunk of living expenses that can be a win/win scenario for many.

Buying a house can also be a negative in some ways due to APR rates being high over the long term.

The most cost effective and cheapest option by far is probably buying land and having a kit home built on it. The cost of a house that is already built often carries a huge price mark up.

A house that costs $200,000 might only cost $30,000 to $50,000 to build. That could be one reason why real estate isnt doing well the price mark ups and profiteering aspect of the industry is too ridiculous.