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Here is a technique that will work for some who are not tekkies.
1) Take an obscure word or more from a foreign language (preferably one you speak and/or is obscure)
2) Misspell the word a little
3) Add a prefix and/or a suffix like some numbers and/obscure abbreviations from something you know about
Example:
You have a Polish grandma, and you are a long distance runner who likes astronomy:
21milespolsckujestnajlepszaproxbantauri
Crack that! No caps, no symbols, but if you choose well, I doubt your password would get cracked for quite a while...
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Philly tough-guy mafia enforcer "Guido" would be able to get those BTC and passwords in 20 minutes...
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fonestar is a little shrill, but clearly a fighter, and an extremist, but my heart has always gone out to certain (peaceful) extremists (that is why I became enchanted with FOFOAīs $55,000/oz call on gold even before I read they guyīs blog in detail)... I donīt have any problem with fonestar. He has mentioned that he owns PMs as well.
Without fonestar, I might not have wound up buying any BTC...
***
As I have mentioned in other threads, even if you hold "cold wallets" stuffed with BTC, I would add physical gold (no "paper gold", no GLD or futures) to any core long-term holdings.
"If you donīt hold it, you donīt own it." And protected with a gun or two...
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Newb OROBTC today continues his questions on BTC topics of interest to me.
I have read that Bitcoin is "open source", which I presume to mean that anyone who is well trained (in what: computer science and cryptography?) can examine the code for possible flaws.
Yet I have heard rumors that NSA has found weaknesses in one or more of the cryptographic techniques (and seen twice mentioned one of the versions of Elliptic Curve Cryptography -- forgive my jargon errors).
So, whatīs the word on this? I understand that Satoshi is/was a genius, so even if "open source" is as I defined above, what do you experts who have carefully examined the code have to say? Could NSA have "slipped in a mickey" here? Almost all of us non-experts would likely be interested in getting this one cleared up by knowledgeable folks here.
***
In a similar vein, are there any math short-cuts in attacking, say, SHA-256 or the other hashing technique RIPEMD160?
Would making a hashing technique like, say, "SHA-1024" cure that, or is that type of hashing vulnerable to the same processes that could attack SHA-256?
Also, if I read correctly, changing any of the encryption techniques would totally change Bitcoin, so making the current ones (like my +/- 2.0 BTC) worthless... Comments?
***
Again I pass along my appreciation & thanks for the warm welcome for this newb into Bitcoinistan. Itīs my pleasure learning and dialoging here.
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... Ahh, lumiere, not a FOFOA reader I see!  Goldīs greatest advantage is that it NOT used (much, because of its price). Saving in gold (vs., say, platinum or silver) does not disrupt the economy, the users of those materials. By hoarding silver, you (to a tiny degree) drive up the price to all who must use it, there is an argument for saying that hoarding some metals is not good. Same with platinum, etc. Even so, I hold some Pt, Ag and Pd for diversification. But, far more $-value in gold. For a completely different take on gold (although his articles are LONG and tax the brain) read perhaps the top gold analyst in the world. I started reading in Oct. 2009, his logic is impeccable, but it takes time and mental energy to figure out. fofoa.blogspot.com*** Breaking News!Large gold dealer Tulving just went bankrupt (again). Be careful who you buy your gold from, I get mine at the two local coin shops. |
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A 0.25 oz Gold Eagle. I think that as time goes by, I will save most BTC that get (I buy them for cash), and what I spend will likely be for more gold.
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Well, OK, the OP said to pick one. But I would take them both.
90% in gold, 10% in BTC. But, if I had to pick one, it would be gold.
***
But, that kind of misses the point for me. Diversification is Bearing Guyīs middle name. Gold, platinum, guns & ammo, our business in Peru, BTC and our condo. Some CA$H too.
So....: Diversification, Fishez!
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... About the only other place I hang out at more than here is zerohedge.com, a well known and influential financial website (my handle over there is "DoChenRollingBearing"). It is, of course, quite possible that Zero Hedge may be discussed here all the time here, but I (a newb) have not seen this yet so I thought I would ask for bitcointalk discussion of gold and BTC. ZH is a fairly libertarian yet suspicious kind of place, but a great playground maybe the best! One thing I do not understand is the relative hostility to Bitcoin there at ZH. I am in the camp that BTC and gold complement each other nicely, gold for insurance (and maybe a big "FOFOA" style pop (to "$55,000" / oz -- a discussion for "ANOTHER" day...)) and BTC for certain transactional and capital movement advantages (and the possibility of a big price pop somewhere down the line). Disclosure: I love gold!There are quite a few who like both BTC and gold there, but a rather high number who like gold, but hate BTC (eg, calling it a "ponzi", etc.). I see the logic of some who have not looked much at BTC, but other wise am kind of baffled that Bitcoin has not gotten a better reception at ZH. So, let me turn this around...: What are the views of many of you here at BTCTalk about gold? Do you own it (the real thing, not "paper gold")? Where do some you stand re owning gold? |
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... Well, this 58 yr old guy is going to hang in with Bitcoin. Unless they get stolen... And my 81 yr old ma does email.   |
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Look, this newb BTC user (approx. 10 - 12 times) has no idea who Satoshi is, and I for one really do not care. I can only say that I am fascinated and filled with hope that Bitcoin is as I believe it is (real and sturdy). Long live Bitcoin.
And, I agree with Arthur N., this Newsweek "story" is such crap that I hope the reporterette gets whatīs coming to her. Nature/God usually fixes things up with a rough justice...
Let justice be done.
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... My friend was right to send me here. Thanks, "B.I."! I really like this place. *** I have three questions involving bitmixer.io and sharedcoin.com. Both of these seem to be services where I would send my BTC, and "out the other end" they would land in another wallet, purportedly much harder to trace back to me. All of my wallets/transactions now have enough "taint" so that talented people could examine my BTC activity, and I would like to better preserve my privacy. So..., 1) Am I understanding those two services correctly (in laymanīs terms)? 2) Which is more secure, or perhaps better stated, which do you prefer? 3) Are they (or at least one of them) easy to use? Newb guy like me does not want to use gambling services. Muchas gracias! |
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I have not seen any more recent information that you quoted (1983). There have been a lot of changes among those NYC banks, Chemical, Chase and JP Morgan all merging being the biggest fish now.
And where does Goldman Sachs now fit in? And part-owner Saudi Prince al-Waleed?
Hmm, a Saudi price and Rothschilds... Cozy!
And any debts that any European owners may have incurred?
***
An update is urgently needed, how about it, Matt Taibbi?
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Satoshi: "I have got something much bigger than Bitcoin to announce...!"
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shawshankinmate37927
I agree, Newsweek showed they are very irresponsable. Shame on them. Boycott them, great idea.
Maybe Newsweek is trying to save themselves from dying? Grotesque way of doing so however. Even if it WERE to be the "real Satoshi".
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... Actually, Dr. G, this should show you the advantages of having some BTC in different wallets (one on each computer and one at blockchain.info). Instant access to small amounts! |
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Newb Au and BTC fan OROBTC has been looking at the Mining threads, and it looks to me that mining is not profitable for newbs without huge $$$ or very specialized knowledge (I am the proud owner of about 2.5 BTC that I bought for CA$H). So, I wonder if there might be another angle, along the lines of the "picks and shovels" sellers from the 1849 California Gold Rush. Maybe selling things (as a middleman) like:
-- raw bulk materials, pure silver, palladium, other metals, other raw materials
-- special or commodity chips (China?, or do the mining mfrs have all this nailed down?, probably...)
-- items like very clean copper (silver) cables or wires
-- items where cost of labor is high (eg hand-made rigs, shelving, packaging)
-- clean electrical equipment for individuals building their own mining rigs, testing equipment
-- recycled metals I can source from Peru (I live in the USA but partly own an import/export company in Peru)
-- cheap (or expensive high-performance) ball bearings
-- items to upgrade personal mining rigs
Etc. I fully understand that the BTC mining community probably have IQs up there in 150+ range (and maybe have all their supplies all scoped out), but I have a background in importing & exporting and am always looking for ways to make a buck or a BTC. Ideas appreciated, thank you.
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Como se puede averiguar los que aceptan BTC por productos en el Peru? Por ejemplo, joyeria...
Gracias!
(disculpa espaņol malo del gringo)
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... Thank you everyone for the links! *** at Timerondsc (on a foreign keyboard now) "Two is like having one." "Three is like having two." I always like to have options in buying gold or anything else I really want.*** *Someone* should find out who accepts BTC in other countries for gold (even if in jewelry form). Then the ability to take eveything (all your money) with you becomes more possible without having to leave a trail or run the risks with TSA... For me, that is possibly the highest value of BTC... That you can "take it with you" without detection and in large amounts. Gold shows up on the xray machines there at the airports because of its density. Or should this be another topic...?  |
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I would like to thank all of you for providing insights into the cryptography behind Bitcoin. I will now have to digest what you all wrote and look into this more. Thanks again.
I did receive a paper sent to me from my "Bitcoin Insider" ("B.I"), my handy pseudonym for the guy helping me write my "Bitcoin for Beginners" series at my blog (the paper is locked away in my emails somewhere) that said that even if a quantum computer were to be invented, that the other equipment would still not be able to process all the information needed to crack BTC..., or words to that effect. If I can find the paper (or if I can get "B.I." to resend it), I will post the link here. The last 2/3rds of the paper was way beyond me.
I am not going to block ANYONE while I am still learning...
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... I am now overseas on a trip, and went to blockchain.info to check my wallet. Looks like my BTC are still there. Now if I can find some gold jewelry down here to buy with it... A BTC expert told me that there is a very low, but non-zero probability, that a wallet at blockchain could be compromised. I will also try my Multibit wallet on my laptop (on a home wifi system) later to see how that works. Yes, I trust the wifi and it is secured with a password (and we are not talking that much money either). |
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