I was just watching this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zfGihfcLT4&t=836s

And a brief summary of LN would indicate that the nodes required to run LN would have to be operated by regulated institutions.
Long story short, assuming this video segment is correct, LN is starting to look like a slimy way for banks and governments to take over Bitcoin, and turn it into one big regulated/controlled clusterfuck that kills all that BTC stands for

So is this just a bunch of fud?
Also... lets say LN is up and running and becoming widely used... will we still be able to use the regular Bitcoin network, complete with it's anonymity ( for the most part )

I really hate the idea of Bitcoin being raped by big brother
Someone please tell me something to make me feel better, in the mean time I will keep reading and making myself more knowledgeable.

Actually it's pretty cool, and tranquil
http://www.bitlisten.com/

When I think of one Bitcoin... that is ALL I think about!
To think any further is traitorous.
i.e. Bob says " well, if Bitcoin hits $10,000 US, I'm gonna sell some and buy a new car "

It's unacceptable to think in terms of fiat.
Show some loyalty, and when you talk about Bitcoin, that should be it.

example. Bill says " I have 2 Bitcoins. Gonna buy some burgers now. "

It was pretty funny I thought...
they were saying how incredible it was that Bitcoin was at $5000

ie. could I make a post called 'free bitcoins!' and them just post the private key to a wallet I made with 5 bucks on it?

I keep reading this news about a fork is going to happen in a few hours...
then I read news stating that it was called off.
Can anyone recommend me a good reliable bitcoin news website?

Currently, it worries me because 2 big things that first attracted people to Bitcoin were
- Fast transactions
- Low fees

But the last couple days? This does not inspire confidence at all especially for newcomers.

Do you guys think changes can / will be made to make such backlogs and high fees a thing of the past... or at least for a few years?

Here is some info on it
https://medium.com/dash-for-newbies/whats-the-backstory-on-the-word-hodl-27756392b698

I hear people on this forum saying hodl instead of hold... but I think it means something more, amirite?

[Also note, that you will have to use the same website in the future to decrypt the private key.]

I created a paper wallet a while ago with bip 38 passphrase.

Now I'm all worried because sometimes I come across the following

BitAddress and LiteAddress both support encryption of private keys through the BIP38 algorithm. This provides two factor authentication for your paper wallet; ie: something you have (the paper wallet), and something you know (the passphrase). Also note, that you will have to use the same website in the future to decrypt the private key.

I'm not sure what this means...
If I want to transfer my btc from paper wallet to hot wallet online, say at Blockchain wallet.... I thought I just need to
- create new wallet
- scan / sweep paper wallet ( scan qr code )
- enter passphrase

Am I wrong? what is this I keep reading about decrypting the private key

This would make anyone with less than 1btc seem cooler.
ie. Greg has .3 bitcoins. He tells his date, Mary, " hey babe, I have .3 bitcoins, so we can have fun tonight "
Mary rolls her eyes.

But, if btc split 1000:1, then Greg could say " hey baby, I got 300 bitcoins " and she would reply " Oh my, you are so sexy "

Thoughts?

I thought it was a great story, because once i started reading it, I could not stop!
link: https://www.wired.com/story/i-forgot-my-pin-an-epic-tale-of-losing-dollar30000-in-bitcoin/

1. So I bought a new computer and made sure to get a radeon 7970 for mining...
I joine btcguild and was getting avg. 520 mhs... over about a week I have noticed my hashrate going up! I now am getting closer to 550 mhs...
Is this because of the pool?

2. I got me some of those ub asic miners coming... I want to use cgminer with them... do I need a new instance of cgminer to run for each usb miner? Or does cgminer handle multiple inputs at the same time?

OK thanks in advance for any help