blockchain.info has had several problems with their wallets through the years, including one that happened to me.  I had some BTC (+/- $400 worth), protected by 2FA, but "lost it" even though I had done nothing...  After some back & forth with them (I had the goods on 'em), they restored my BTC, but never told me what exactly what had happened.

I only keep small amounts at blockchain.info for convenience.  Larger amounts for cold storage in my Trezor and Ledger Nano.  Both of those hardware solutions work well for me.

*   *   *

A similar thought occurs to me re MIXING.  I would not mix large amounts all at once.  Learn to do it correctly, then mix smaller amounts to hide your trail without risking a big loss.

The BitcoinFog thread has quite a few tales of woe among people trying to mix large amounts.  A lesson there.....

blockchain.info has that kind of data as well as graphs, check it out by poking around the site.

*   *   *

@ YoonYeongHwa

Right, BTC is still going just fine.  I will feel more comfortable with BTC once the Core developers (and the Classic developers) put aside their squabble and get BTC back on track re the blocksize debate.  When the developers get that problems straightened out, my guess is that BTC takes off.  *My guess*

Great post.  Socialism does not work, it impoverishes and oppresses.

Were I in Europe, I would be backing up the truck buying BTC quietly.  Buy whatever I could afford, transfer it around (include mixing!) and HODL it in a couple or more of hardware wallets.

It is now hard in the USA to buy BTC without having to show pesky ID, etc.

Get, while the gettin's good.

*   *   *

People suspicious of .gov and .fed who enjoy reading might want to browse through G E Griffin's masterpiece The Creature from Jekyll Island, which I finished yesterday.  It is about the USA's central bank: the Federal Reserve.  Eye opening.  Yes, it is a conspiracy.  And who are the Silent Parties behind the Fed? 

Yep, the Socialists.

Have you seen the gold chart for the last 15 years (since 2000)?  Gold performed BETTER than any other currency.

Buy both!

*   *   *

Another alternative is platinum.  Currently Pt is at a 28% discount or so to gold (normally Pt sells at a 5% - 20% premium to gold).  Pt is "value dense" like gold (and BTC!) are.  Pt moves a bit differently than gold, so it too counts as diversification -- at least to a degree.

For the paranoid, if "they" confiscate the gold (unlikely) they would probably leave platinum alone.

Yaah, I hear that!  Selling an investment way too soon...  Optimism and extreme skepticism, hear that too (maybe when they get the blocksize debate over with things will improve).

I just bought platinum today with some BTC, other than Au and Pt, I will HODL my Bitcoin.  Platinum is hard to get. 

And refill my stash when I can at the two BTMs in my city, even though they charge a 9% premium and require ID.

...

A pair of gems from Armstrong today:

"Clinton Speaking Fees Since 2001 Total $125 Million"

http://www.armstrongeconomics.com/archives/42551

A quote:

"However, the total amount Clinton received in speaking fees since 2001 has reached $125 million. It seems to be a fair issue that she should release the transcripts of those speeches so you can see how she kisses the asses of the bankers behind closed doors and then pretends she will be independent as president."

Wow, $125 million..........

*   *   *

"The Calais Refugee Camp Known as the Jungle"

http://www.armstrongeconomics.com/archives/42588

Ugh for Europe...

altcoins look very risky, as there is not mass participation (mass, hah!) in them vs. BTC, and compounding that is even less liquidity than here in Bitcoinistan.

Gold may fall to $800 or whatever (gold price = "paper gold"), but HODLers of gold will not mind (for the most part).  I will find the necessary ammo to buy gold should it drop 25% more...  I don't care about the short-term fluctuations.  BTFD.  Gold will do great in the coming hard times.

Yep re our bearing sales in Peru.  I am waiting on the data to show me exactly how bad.  But spare parts almost always will sell at reasonable levels as it is cheaper to repair axles than buy new cars in places like Peru.

I would agree with Armstrong & TPTB about the US$ for the short to medium term.  King Dollar, bitchez.  The next interesting question worth exploring would be WHEN and HOW to exit the US$ when our problems finally hit.

And actually, this ^^^ is where Armstrong (and TPTB as well re Asia) offers up interesting IDEAS.

And, mrflibblehat, if you ever use bitmixer.io's service, do make sure to follow THOSE instructions too.  Very important, you could lose BTC if you make a mistake.

...

(Disclosure: non-professional here)

This blocksize problem likely will come up again and again as the years go by.  Let's assume that the developers come to a consensus on the path forward, and that that solution takes care of things for a few years.  If BTC gets more popular in the coming years, it looks like we would revisit this problem.

Would it not make some sense to build in, "hardwire", the code so that when the Block Number reaches, say, 600000, then the blocksize goes up another 100% (example)?  

Then at block 900000 another 100%?  (Or at least PLAN for a blocksize increase so that we do not have to go through all of this drama again)

...

Be your own bank.  Hold your BTC in a web wallet (like from blockchain.info) if the amount is small (say, BTC1.00 for example), and if you hold more, than opt for a hardware wallet like the Trezor or the Ledger Nano (more hardware wallets have come out, and still more are coming).

Just hide the hardware well, remember the PIN(s), and you will find that pretty safe.  You can always buy more than one hardware wallet (and hide in different places) too for extra security.

...

I take the old-fashioned view of gold: If you can't stand in front of it, and defend it with an AR-15, then you don't own it.

In other words, find a way to be able to buy and hide your physical gold.

If Bitgold ever defaults (like during a gold price reset to $50,000...), then the BEST you could hope for would be cash settlement, and that would be at a lower price (before the sudden reset).

Holding your gold close is just so much better.

...

If this means that buying BTC will be easier in Europe than in the USA, I will convince my wife that more trips to Paris and Germany are in order.  I'll bring the CA$H and/or debit cards.



PLEASE keep us all up to speed re developments in BTC over there in Europe.

*   *   *

Are many merchants starting to accept BTC in Europe? 

That would be good to know as well.

...

mrflibble & AzN

I was paid earlier today (Monday), all correct.

That's why I ask questions, amigo.  I have enough trouble (as a non-professional) just trying to keep up with Bitcoin.  The "alts" I am leaving for later, more learning up a STEEP curve for this 59 yr old.  And your comments have been very useful in detecting bad technology that I could not have found on my own.

Of course, I asked because they were there at the show.  They paid the fee to be part the conference, so they have enough of someone's money for the booth, brochures and expenses for their personnel.

...

TPTB and anyone else

What are your takes on Dash?  I was just at TNABC, and Dash had a booth.  Very crowded when I was there.  I picked up a flyer, but, IMO, it seems to be just another "alt-coin" that may or may not have any future.

They claim over 10,000 active users.  They claim speed (1 - 4 second confirmations AND 10,000 transactions / second) as well as privacy via a decentralized mixing service (DarkSend).

Their website: www.dash.org

Discussion welcome!

...

If G. E. Griffin is right in his book (The Creature from Jekyll Island, about the Federal Reserve, our nation's central bank), then the Debt was never even meant to be paid!

As the US government has spent way beyond tax receipts, the Fed has bought the Treasury Bonds covering the deficits.  And how did they get the money to buy all of those Treasuries?

They printed it.  Griffin writes at length showing that all of our currency (Federal Reserve Notes) is created when the Fed buys those bonds.  This means that ALL of our "money" is now based on debt.  Pay down the debt, money (Federal Resrve Notes) is destroyed...

It's pretty weird and pretty ugly.  Probably fewer than 1% in our country understand this. 

level6

Salmen explains bitmixer very just above.

I have used their BTC mixing service many times now, even though I am no whale.  I do not want my BTC origins to be obvious, I also want to be reasonably experienced in using their service.  I have never had a real problem with bitmixer, the one complication I did have was resolved just fine.

I was impressed enough by their service to join their Signature Campaign.

If you want to use their service, follow their instructions carefully!

I could see a market for a cheap hardware device that would have limited functions, but work well at just doing the basics.  The closest I have used is the Ledger Nano, but they want a firmware update.

I believe digitalbitbox has an "el cheapo" hardware wallet coming that will not require (nor even allow) any updates, I presume that it would also be easy to use (important!).  If these were to be cheap enough, then absolute 100% security may not be necessary (as one would presumably hide your wallets).

...

TPTB and fredhead

Obviously I can only speak for myself, as I know NO ONE (personally) here at bitcointalk.  Armstrong is only one of many that I follow.  Nor do I pay for any trading newsletters, etc.

Nor do I trade, I think TPTB already knows that.  For perspective, almost every time I took a speculative punt, I lost all or most of my "investments".

Apparently hardly anyone can successfully predict the future.  How can anyone expect Armstrong to have a record that is way better than the market?  It could be, if so, then anyone looking to speculate along his lines is clearly worth the money for his paid subscriptions.  And if Armstrong DOES make good predictions (for his subscribers), then bully for him.

*   *   *

It does look like we have a very rocky road ahead re the financial markets.  China announced that their steel companies will be firing some 400,000 employees.  I have never accepted as fact that the BRICS were anything for the USA to worry about.  (We have are own problems to worry about)

China does look to be leading the world into hard times.

The Baltic Dry Index is down again.

Our sales of bearings are Peru are down HARD in the past several weeks.

Europe seems to be drowning in a sea of Muslims, and they don't seem capable (now anyway) of doing anything about it...

vokain, good seeing you back in the game again.

For me (as mentioned somewhere above), I really do not know Armstrong's actual track record re making accurate predictions.  It may very well be true that Armstrong's paid subscribers get the better material (better trading calls) as TPTB suggests.  I have only his blog as info, and as sloanf mentioned, I have NOT done any fact-checking.

Nor have I based any trades on his public blog.

Still, for me Armstrong reads history and current events in a manner where I learn.  So, for me the time spent reading Armstrong has been very positive.