Icos are definitely a good way to enter cryptos that you already believe are good products. I do worry for those that jump into an ico without doing any proper research or DD into the actual product. There is certainly no harm waiting for development milestones to be reached before investing.

 Remember that it's you hard earned money and that u are essentially giving it to someone else.

In terms of tradeability, Gold can also be easily tradable in the form of Gold ETF's on the stock exchange (just google GDX). However bitcoin is a continually improving technological platform, and that's not mentioning the other altcions, so there is a progressive element to bitcoin. Gold will forever just be a static form of investment, and hence probably less attractive as an active investment.

I have the exact same question. I do think a Linux based setup will be most ideal, but I do wonder if anyone has thought of the most efficient hardware setup. I'm thinking somewhere near a netbook sort of energy efficient setup will be the best.

Speculation and manipulation, especially for small volume exchanges. Due to low levels of liquidity, any increase in demand will cause a high price rise. U can take a look at the order book e.g. gravychain app to see the amount of liquidity available in terms of demand and supply.

Recommendations? I would stay away from low liquidity coins. The pump and dump just isn't worth it.

Bch will likely just muddle along. People tend to forget that bitcoin has experienced many hardforks, and the forked coin usually had a short-lived existence. Don't expect any different for Bch

I use both a trezor and a ledger. I do feel the UI of the trezor more appealing to me, but both serves its functions well. guess its down to price and availability if you had to make a call!

I will dare say that eth is no longer considered an altcoins by most cryptotraders. It is becoming another base crytocurrency and will definitely become more pervasive as the technology matures.

Yes but there must also be a fair judicial system in place for such a penalty to be served. Certainly for the more heinous crimes like mass murder etc. Ethically, supporting such crimes with taxpayers money for life imprisonment doesnt sound right.

Yeah use online wallets and exchanges for cpnvenience, but don't use it as storage for your coins. U can use both ledger and trezor which are easy to use and secure.

Alcohol in small amounts causes a mild high, increasing levels leads to it becoming a depressant then finally to drunkedness/stupor. As with everything, drinking in moderating is fine. Except for certain people without the ADH gene, who have problems breaking down alcohol in the body resulting in the "asian" flush and the nausea/vomiting sensations.

There is a difference between non-involvement vs negative regulation against bitcoin. Think most, if not all, governments take the non-involvement route as they do see value of bitcoin for the country or even their personal wealth. Don't think nigeria is any different, in fact there are fintech start-ups that are doing well in africa.

Lol great idea. Too if it gets too warm u might affect the performance of the chips you are using.

It reminds me of a program where police used to find pot growers using infrared cams to detect the plant warmers within buildings.

Think the OP meant "quitting" as in quitting checking and being actively involved in the altcoins world, and just taking a passive buy and hold approach which his friend did.

I do think there are many passive investors out there like any other investment product. Overtrading is bad and if that helps the return on investment by trading less frequently, why not?

It's certainly not a game as real money is at state and some level of seriousness must be felt in trading. However I agree with others that it can be fun and might as well enjoy the ride, just be a smart and prepared rider rather than a sucker.

Agreed. Conspiracy theories are just that -- Certainly large wealth can result in great influence, but the world is decidedly much more complex than that.  May be in the past, but not now where politics and the balances of power are much more intricate.

its amazing how many people do not even read the whitepaper, and rather rely on other people's judgements. due diligence is really impt in this space.

its prob not wise to switch out buy after a rise, and this applies to any cryptocurrency. it somewhat like a queueing dilemma, where you leave a slow queue to jump to the faster moving queue. just focus on the fundamentals and eth is great in that aspect.

It's been quite proven that though money can't buy happiness and the more non-quantifiable elements in life (eg, satisfaction, feeling of accomplishment, purpose etc), it can buy much convenience and free up time to do more important things in life. And that in itself is a valuable option to have.

Authenticity will be the greatest issue here. I don't see any other way other than OP having to slowly build up reputation, without falling to scammers. Wish you the best of luck!

Hi,

Yes here's the update. Short story: Goods delivered as ordered.

Ordered from him on the Cryptothrift website as mentioned and within 3 days (with some PM updates in between) he gave me a few screenshots including the delivery date from amz (~1 week waiting time) and amz order page. Goods arrived on the stated date and escrow released.

Through the entire process he replied his PM within a day, his replies were direct and honest.

Not too sure how long he will continue to ply his trade, but for now I can safely say he's a real deal.

@loki0505 looks like you got your stuff eventually as well.