I don't think I'd use a laptop for running masternodes. My opinion, you'd need a super cooling system to keep from warping the motherboard.
As far as keeping a wallet or checking on exchanges, I like my chromebook for the very basics. Keep passwords and keys offline (flashdrive or paper wallets). Good luck in your quest.

If you were a total newbie at programming and wanted to start somewhere, would you begin with Python or the C programming language? Why?

I manage the budget by prioritizing by critical and non-critical things.
Critical things are rent/mortgage, food, car and car insurance, utilities (water, gas, electric), at least one cell phone, and internet because I work from home.
Food shopping and mortgage are probably the biggest bills I have. I'm pretty frugal with food shopping, try to buy in bulk, and portion out meat by serving or meal before it goes in the freezer.
Instead of paying hundreds of dollars on a fancy cellphone & contract, I use a tracfone. Spent $20 on a dumb phone and maybe spend on average less than $15/month on service. I use an old iPhone for apps on wifi. Quit cable and get Netflix or Amazon Prime subscription.
Don't go out to eat. Cook from scratch. Stop buying coffee from DD.
Dive into thrift shops for "new" clothes or miscellaneous things around the house.
Going from "abundance living" to frugal living takes some adjustment. You'd be surprised how much you can save.

Some of my jobs are paid in crypto, including ETH.
I'm also purchasing sweepstakes entries for SPRIZE tokens
But mainly, I'm HODLing and waiting for the value to rise again.
I prefer keeping my tokens on MEW and off the exchanges; been trying to stay off the markets because selling is too tempting when I really want to buy low. 

There is a whole card collection game going on and they're called Steem Monsters.
I just recently got my first booster pack and I'm hooked. Anyone else buying/selling/trading them?

I like MyEtherWallet (MEW). It's easy to use. My guess is it's pretty standard for anyone who like to work with ERC20 tokens.

Post good quality content
Leave thoughtful comments
Don't be stingy with upvotes (curation).
You cannot just post and hope you'll get traffic. You need to engage with the community.
There are a ton of challenges and rocketchat and discord channels too.
Find your people and have fun.

As a writer (and former student) any kind of plagiarism bothers me. 

I don't care if it's the same group writing for multiple projects, they need to present unique content. That's not to say they can't get guidance from an outline but definitely use your own words and convey the true voice behind the company!

I like what beej said too:

It would make me think twice about investing in them because if they're cutting corners with a fundamental piece of information, what else are they being cheap with?

A rock star. 
That did not happen. lol

I usually suffer with cyclical depression. It's especially worse around the winter holidays. I try to focus on work and creative things. More reading. More exercise. Sometimes it's hard to do but I just take it moment to moment.

# Authentication Proof

- Bitcointalk Username: merj99
- Bitcointalk profile URL: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=907978
- Telegram Username: @merej99
- Twitter username: merej99
- Twitter profile link: https://twitter.com/merej99
- Twitter audit score link: https://www.twitteraudit.com/merej99
- Facebook username: meredithj99
- Facebook profile URL: https://www.facebook.com/meredithj99
- Email Address: blogger99@protonmail.com
- ERC20 wallet address: 0x3c6f24fefd533eeba3d5d4b185a3766baadc1cfa

I wish I was a dev to fully understand the implications of this platform but in what I've read, the OPEN platform is going to be free for devs to use and they've only got to add a few lines of code for in-app purchases to accept crypto. I didn't see anything that excludes BTC but this project is an Etherium-based project.  Definitely check out the whitepapers if you haven't already. http://go.openmoney.digital/wp

I know the early bird, exclusive email sale is over but I believe there is still an ongoing presale. I saw something about it in the telegram chat.

They haven't yet released the ICO date. I know that it's been pushed but from the telegram channel they've said it's going to be at least 10 more days. Information is going to be posted on their website.

**Excellent point!** I'm kind of the black sheep of the family and more open to trying new things, especially in the crypto or tech areas, but it's foreign to most of my family and friends. Until I can approach them with the, as you say, "Feel and touch" and they realize it wasn't that hard, crypto is going to remain a mystery. Having an app platform that integrates it seamlessly is going to make a huge difference. Can you imagine the boom for devs for in-app purchases if they could accept crpyto?

It was a really good interview with Dennis Lewis. Looking forward to reading the transcript as it was loaded with some good information.

I attended the AMA that Open Money hosted on telegram last night. They had some good information. There's supposed to be a transcript coming soon. I'll share the link when it's available.

Hi Open Money team! I finally made it to Jr. Member and sporting my jazzy new signature. LOL

Congratulations on joining the bounty program. Did you see the cool prizes? Boy, do I want that Trezor. LOL