OK, I read it and the link.  I have numerous questions, but it looks like I can get the answers on my own with some reading here at bitcointalk.

It's possible that I have now found how I can use some of my (presumably ample) time in Europe on the big trip I am taking with my wife, namely spend a chunk of it going through the more relevant parts of your project and your thinking behind it.  I will ponder this, and watch as you move your own big project along.

r0ach my man (my insect?  my friend?), I am not impressed with silver at $18.00, even though I own some.  Not a whole helluva lot, but enough to have a big smile should it get back up to $50.  Should silver get to the lofty levels some predict, great!

Gold is my Wealth Preserver, with a nice side of platinum.

Silver is bulky.  If silver goes to $100, then a tube would be $2000.  BFD.  I'll drink better coffee, so you know, OK.  

Sure, I understand that silver is more volatile than gold.  But volatility and exposure to a risky upside does not convince me to jump in.  I know MULTIPLE people who have lost money playing with "The Devil's Metal" (Ag).

...

There is a lot of interesting information on the British Sovereign here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sovereign_(British_coin)

The most important info (for here anyway) is:

Total weight: 7.98 gm
Purity: 22kt (91.67% pure gold)
AGW: 7.3145 gm

British sovereigns are almost always sole at a rather high premium to gold value, as it is much collected by coin collectors.  There are numerous mint marks (from various mints in the UK, Canada, Australia and even India), this adds to collection allure.

Here's a modern one (from the above article):





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Of interest is that Peru minted their own "clone" of the Sovereign, in most years from 1898 - 1969.  Same size and weight as the British coin.

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Eastern and Central Europe figure "bigly" today at Armstrong's blog.

Macedonia doesn't want Soros-style government.  Macedonia is a complicated place:

https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/international-news/europes-current-economy/macedonia-reject-soros-the-eu-socialism/

* * *

Some NATO troops (from the USA, UK and Romania) just moved to NE Poland:

https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/international-news/russia/nato-troops-moved-from-germany-to-poland-on-weekend/

* * *

Belarus (not heard from often) has their own problems, with Russia, with tax demonstrations, etc.:

https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/world-news/civil-unrest/tax-revolt-in-belarus-turning-to-mass-arrests/

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Ah, I feel a Jesse Livermore Moment coming on.  Or even a Rothschild Moment ("Buy when there's blood in the streets.")

Some 90% of the above comments are buy, buy, buy.  When everyone says "BUY", that often signals that prices are too high (still).  The contrarian investors, those swimming against the prevailing opinion, usually do the best.

Although I am still a believer in the success of BTC, if you're going to buy, then Buy & Hodl for a nice long time, AND be prepared to lose your money as BTC is still experimental, and it could fail.  "Use only money that you can afford to lose."

I have used six BTC ATMs in the past three years or so.  ALL charged a fee from 8.5% - 15% (or so).  Fees vary by owner of the ATM.

All the machines I used were for CA$H, so card-skimmers were not an issue.  Also, I wait around for that first confirmation before I leave the store or coffee shop w/ the machine.  No problems other than high fees, but as pointed out above, ATM owners invested money to buy the machines and have to maintain them.

Texas is too big a place.  But you already know that since you been there.  Texas is the size of FRANCE, and a superpower no matter how you look at it.

"Everything's big in Texas."  

Should I sign on any dotted lines, I would settle for eventual minor nobility status for Peru.

Peru, putaz!

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My congratulations to Sir Shelby, the new Earl of Cebu!

Just out of curiosity, does Sir Shelby now have burdensome duties?  You know, like slaying dragons and/or rescuing fair maidens?

Do we have to bow and stuff?

Well that news (f2pool going to SW) might resolve this, I would hope so.  Then we can move on.

To the next BTC crisis du jour.  Looks like Bit_Happy has had it right in his thread (can we do without the drama and BS in Bitcoin). 

A little bit of stability at this point would probably encourage more to use Bitcoin.

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FOFOA mentioned a figure recently, which I just do not have handy, re total world investment into gold coins.  I hate to guess, but I think it is around 5000 metric tons (all of it, K-Rands, Sovereigns, Eagles, all of it).

TOTAL world gold holdings are around 180,000 MT.

Therefore I must doubt any reports of 4000 MT of Sovereigns having been minted outside the UK Mint.

There are fake US$5 gold coins (1929 and before Half Eagles), most of them minted in Lebanon, but the numbers are not that high, and the gold content is actually very close to the real US coins.

I really don't know what's going to happen, and my best guess is that very few do.  I can tell you all that our FedGov has shown it's incompetence / amorality / whatever by being unable to deliver the goods (botched NObamacare bill).

I suspect that gold is really going to zoom as the governments of the world start failing big-time and in an obvious way.  INFLATION is the likely end result (although deflation could certainly happen first).

I value gold because it is the premier Store of Value.  Not silver, silver in recent years has not been monetized (that I know of, and I am trying to follow all of this).  Silver is used heavily by industry, but if we enter a Great Depression v. 2, will it go up in price?  How about platinum?

I could live with $10k - $20k gold too.  And I have just enough silver that should it take (unlikely IMO) a BIG price spike up, well, that's also OK.

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"I'm in a slightly different camp where I believe that since countries like India, China, Russia, and random Arab states all have shit tons of gold, they're not that anxious to force a gold only system because it would benefit people too much who they...don't want to benefit."

That's an interesting comment there r0ach, I had not seen that idea before.

For this to work, people in Mexico (etc.) need to be able to turn THEIR BTC into pesos!  So far, most of Latin America has very low usage of Bitcoin.

I agree with a couple of the above who comment that the US .gov may attempt to increase BTC regulation to stop BTC remittances.  But so might .govs in LatAm, who interfere (as a rule) more than the US does.

But, should Trump go through with his idea, I hope that remitters here DO find a way to use BTC to send money to their home countries.

...

When do we get the guns out? *

I have read all kinds of stuff pro-BU, pro-SW, anti-BU, anti-SW, Core blah this, Core blah that, etc.  I also read (somewhere here in the forum) that it will be the team with most money that will win...

But maybe a little full-blown violence is the way to solve this.  A final solution (I know, bad, bad, bad).




* Just solve this guys.......  Get the major players into a room, and solve this.  The Bitcoin Community could destroy a good thing elsewise...

When I can I use a fee of between BTC0.0009 - BTC0.002 (say $1 - $2), depending on how many unconfirmeds there are and how complex my transaction is.  I have had trx with a BTC0.001 take two or more hours to confirm (lots of unconfirmeds, maybe 50,000, when I did that one).

So, it depends for me.  When I send BTC, it is almost always "important" (I am impatient).  When I receive small amounts (from Bitmixer.io for example), I will then use  ViaBTC's accelerator service as Bitmixer only includes a small fee.

...

TTMNewsK & JanpriX

Do keep in mind that the BTC ATMs are there to make money for their owners as well as having their own expenses (maintenance, etc.).  Here in the USA, some of them have been attacked and damaged.  So, the ATMs have to charge a relatively high fee (usually between 10% - 18%).  

I have read that some ATMs in Europe only charge some 8% - 9% or so.

Even so, if I need or want BTC, sure, I will use the ATM!  Although I now also use buy.bitcoin.com (7.5% fee) too.

Actual confirmation took some FOUR HOURS after getting notified by ViaBTC's service that "Acceleration succeeded".  I had gone to bed, so I do not know whether or not it finally was confirmed in a ViaBTC-won block.

The service is free, but you have to get in pretty fast, I try to get my trx accelerated withing the first three minutes after the hour...  So far, I have used the service some eight or so times, all with success.

One of my friends is thinking along similar lines.  Buy a sailboat and learn to sail it (with his wife and any of his willing sons w/ their spouses).

Still, even with a yacht you have to go somewhere.  My friend is thinking Costa Rica.  But, he does not speak Spanish nor has he ever been there.  Also, the Caribbean is infamous for piracy, yep, scuzzbags who would rob you and then kill you.  Rape you & your wife...  Some of these guys are in the drug trade (shipping cocaine to the USA by boat).  And they are armed to the teeth and LOVE using their guns.

Yachts are also taxed whenever the authorities can impose them (remember John Kerry and his MA yacht that he stashed in RI?).

"Plan B" countries is a big topic which I have extensively thought about.  It's not easy.  It's not cheap.  And there are many cultural differences outside the USA.

Habla español, Sr. Cucaracha?

Our Plan B is Peru (as we have a business there, and she is Peruvian).  But we would go only with a $hitlery^2, and then try to go only when we would have to.  Timing THAT, of course, is tricky.

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Real Estate has traditionally been a great investment in the USA (bearing in mind "location, location, location").  But there are problems with real estate: it is illiquid (hard to sell fast), and is easily taxed:

https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/world-news/taxes/taxing-property-going-crazy/

I agree with Armstrong, as governments get ever more aggressive in taxing their already burdened citizens, immobile property is going to be a big target.

I hold gold as my "alt-investment".  Hear you re diversification.

So far I have not decided to hold any Altcoins because I have not had the inclination to go look at any.  My feelings may change if the BTC Civil War keeps going on.

Well I just test-fired the accelerator 3 minutes ago for a small unconfirmed trx (a payment) from about 9 hours ago.  

"Acceleration succeeded"

Now I will see how long it takes from here.  Last time I used the service it took about two hours to confirm.