bitcoin is just code.

it has no voice, it has no arms and legs.

bitcoin cannot walk into YOUR local shop and tell YOUR local shops manager all about bitcoin.
if you want YOUR local town to start accepting bitcoin, YOU have to try talking to shops to accept it.

dont sit on YOUR hands waiting for the code to do something. or for someone from bitpay/coinbase to specially travel to YOUR town to do the footwork for you.

if YOU want it, YOU need to ask for it

not fool proof.

say i wanted to break into a place with security surveillance tonight.

i prepare the event by recording footage from months prior of no events/break ins at the location that will get hit. and then on the night. i swap the tapes.
now the footage of months ago(no hit) gets timestamped with tonights timestamp and everyone now trusts the footage they are watching tomorrow after the break in, was from tonight.

now you have no proof i was there.. as the timestamped and blockchain hash immutability shows i wasnt at the scene of the crime at the time.

i then do the same for my alibi by months prior going somewhere miles away from the intended location. do normal things to get recorded(say a restaurant or streetcam) and then take the tape, hold onto it.. then get someone to swap it out tonight so it too gets timestamped with tonights lock

now i also have timestamped and blockchain locked proof i was somewhere else at the time of the crime

you do know hyperledger already is the IMF/government/bank plan for their fiat2.0
many countries are already involved.
bank of America, Canada, Scotland, England, Russia, Switzerland, china, tokyo, australia, to name just a few already involved and doing alpha tests on some ledgers they have tethered together.


how to overcome it......... by not letting bitcoin become part of it. let bitcoin be the open permissionless zero barrier of entry option. dont let devs push things into permissioned services as an end goal and then sidechain(hyperledgers) as the exit route

if your holding funds in an exchange instead of a wallet. you cant sign a transaction because you dont own the private key to sign it.

if you do have access to the private key then shorena has done a guide for whichever wallet you are using

the reply is not a corporate head office opinion.

its a standard call centre/ support centre low level employee reply.

many businesses reply this type of message as standard. without it leading to anything.

its like the standard reply when handing in a C.V/resume

"we are sorry the position has been filled but we have kept your C.V on file incase any other opportunities come up in the future"

translation.. it does not mean your top of the list or special. you wont be contacted to get an interview if the same opportunity opens up in 6 months

this top is over hyped out of context and exaggerating..

put it this way.. imagine its a fast food location..

health regulators do a visit once a year. if they see rat droppings or food not cooked at a certain safe temperature. the health regulators set a action plan for the business to clean up and sort out the issues and they would return in a month to reinspect.

if after a month they pass. they are informed there will be a random inspection in X months. if that passes they then dont return for a year.
going back to the usual expected and standard yearly inspections..

now.. if the chinese exchanges did do things that while handling fiat, required them to follow fiat regulations. and did follow it correctly.. they would only be inspected once a year.
but because issues were found there will be a couple inspections before next year until regulators are happy the fiat accepting exchanges are following fiat regulations..

in short.. the exchanges should not have done more then regulations allowed if they intend to continue handling fiat.

this has nothing to do with bitcoin.

lets delve into this point.

imagine the network had 55 nodes. for easy display purposs of 5500

and the acceptable node tolerances(user settings) were all collated and put into order
1.0mb, 1.5mb, 1.5mb, 2.0mb, 2.3mb, 2.5mb, 2.6mb, 2.7mb, 2.8mb, 2.9mb, 3.0mb,
3.0mb, 3.0mb, 3.2mb, 3.5mb, 3.6mb, 3.6mb, 3.7mb, 3.8mb, 4.0mb, 4.1mb, 4.1mb,
4.1mb, 4.3mb, 4.6mb, 4.7mb, 4.8mb, 4.9mb, 4.9mb, 5.0mb, 5.0mb, 5.1mb, 5.1mb,
5.2mb, 5.6mb, 5.8mb, 5.9mb, 5.9mb, 5.9mb, 5.9mb, 6.0mb, 6.1mb, 6.1mb, 6.2mb,
6.2mb, 6.2mb, 6.2mb, 6.3mb, 6.3mb, 6.4mb, 6.4mb, 6.5mb, 6.5mb, 6.6mb, 6.6mb,

the pool then takes away three nodes (~275 of 5500) to get to what would be ~95%
1.0mb, 1.5mb, 1.5mb, 2.0mb, 2.3mb, 2.5mb, 2.6mb, 2.7mb, 2.8mb, 2.9mb, 3.0mb,
3.0mb, 3.0mb, 3.2mb, 3.5mb, 3.6mb, 3.6mb, 3.7mb, 3.8mb, 4.0mb, 4.1mb, 4.1mb,
4.1mb, 4.3mb, 4.6mb, 4.7mb, 4.8mb, 4.9mb, 4.9mb, 5.0mb, 5.0mb, 5.1mb, 5.1mb,
5.2mb, 5.6mb, 5.8mb, 5.9mb, 5.9mb, 5.9mb, 5.9mb, 6.0mb, 6.1mb, 6.1mb, 6.2mb,
6.2mb, 6.2mb, 6.2mb, 6.3mb, 6.3mb, 6.4mb, 6.4mb, 6.5mb, 6.5mb, 6.6mb, 6.6mb,

then knowing that all remaining 52 nodes can accept 2mb.. thats what they make..

now here is the fun part most people forget.

pools start a flagging vote consensus saying we will make upto 2mb.. once the pools get 95% consensus.. those 3(300) nodes at the bottom can up their limit.. as it takes time for pool consensus to get reached.. (eg 2 months for segwit and not near 95% yet)
so plenty of time for then to change a setting.

then. lets say it activates. pools can now push passed the 1mb old barrier and start moving to 2mb (much like the 2013DB bug where it pushed passed the 500k barrier even when nodes had a higher buffer.)

and guess what.. they wont jump straight to 2mb.. (much like they didnt jump straight to 1mb in 2013). they would try 1.001mb and test the water, see if any bugs present themselves any orphan risk. any issues.. if not. they push on 1.002mb, 1.003mb and so on over time naturally growing until* they get to 2mb due to demand and need.

*side note the 2 grey nodes(1.5mb i underlined) actually still happily accept blocks during the early movements meaning they dont actually need to decide to join consensus as early as the lowest single node at 1mb.. so while pools are testing the water only 1 node (100 of 5500) need to make a decision during the pool consensus+grace period before activation. the other 2(200 of 5500) can have a bit of breathing room ontop of pools consensus+grace period..

then when the limit is reached, finally after a lengthy natural growth period. the process begins again.
slow natural risk averting process where the nodes decide the tolerance

so dont expect a spammer to force a pools hand to make a pool jump up to 2mb on day one of activation.. pools are smarter then that
(much like the spam attacks of 2012-2015 didnt cause blocks to all be 1mb non stop, it was a slow curve over a couple of years)

because i read and research and seen what gmaxwell and gang have been getting excited and are talking about.
then i have seen a few other bits about why they are getting excited. and then i read and research more and deeper into it.

by the way there are other proposals.. just not been added to cores moderated bip list.

but by you being aware of it atleast shows the chit chat within their group has reached your ears for you to be aware of it too

p.s i edited previous post to added context to the other question you mentioned

the A base  Ax2 weight   EG 2mb base 4mb weight  would allow segwit and actual tx count rise..
the A base  Ax4 weight   EG 1mb base 4mb weight  or 2mb base 8mb weight.  is cores desire..

the reason that need Ax4 is because 2017 they wanted to slide in segwit, and have the spare 1.9best bet expectation of spare weight (remember your 2.1mb utility) as just spare unused buffer..
but later while still at 2.1mb with 4500tx.. they want to turn the same transactions of ~450byte into 1450byte with their confidential payments idea.

thus still 4500tx but instead of 2.1mb total it would be 4mb total..

in short
Ax2 (2mb base 4mb weight -> 3mb base 6mb weight) allows segwit and lean tx growth
Ax4 (1mb base 4mb weight -> 2mb base 8mb weight-> 3mb base 12mb weight) allows segwit and bloated confidential tx growth


more power to miners?

seriously!!

miners cant produce blocks bigger than the majority of nodes would accept. end of..

let me guessing your thinking then financially penalising pools by changing the blockreward mechanism is gonna help?..
no thats just a tactic to turn nodes and pools away from agreeing to that bip (because its stupid) so that dev's can say "oh look the community dont want it"

rather than doing a proper natural consensus dynamic implementation

2mb fixed?
nah we long way passed that compromise of dev orchestrated fixed boosts. it needs to be dynamic to stop the devs from spoonfeeding and controling the community with their tactics

id say 2mb base 4mb weight default beginning. so both segwit and natural onchain growth can begin..
but where its dynamic to grow when the community want/need it. not when the devs decide it

if laptop. the only thing i worry about is the battery.

i have seen many batteries die within a year where the power cable is plugged in 24-7. usually best to unclip the battery and run on just the power cable 24-7 and just clip the battery in once a month-6months to top it up and reenergise it due to natural depletion of non use.

old news

sell 1ounce gold for $1200
buy bitcoin at $900 (1.33btc)

wait for bitcoin to go to $1200.. sell 1.33btcc for gold.(get 1.33 ounces)

this is why bitcoin topped out at $1200 2 times in the last 4 years and then sunk back down

media says darkweb is bad..

people know amsterdams redlight district, detroit streets, and syria even worse.

more sins, drugs and deaths are linked to fiat

casascius stopped making them in 2013.
link below last updated 2013 shows how many created and how many opened by the time casascius stopped making them

http://casascius.appspot.com/

also
https://casascius.uberbills.com/
but unsure of date of last update

movies such as oceans 11,12,13 wouldnt exist without all the Fiat scams and thefts inspiring the movies

clint eastwood would never have been famous without the old wild west gunslinging gold stealing bank robbing outlaws

i hav had my computer running for 3 years non stop im not worried.

many people (office workers, security guard stations, control rooms, home entertainment/smart homes) have their systems on 24/7

it used to be a big problem during the 'solo mining' days of bitcoin where mining bitcoin with your CPU would kill it.. but these days, there no real long term affect because we are no longer mining with out CPU any more

fiat is no better

bank thefts
blackmails
murders for hire
pickpockets
card cloners
nigerian price phone scams
phishing for love 'my love i need hospital bill paid or i die next week
sugar daddies, girls marrying old guys just to get name on a will
corporate money laundering
the list goes on

the only difference between fiat and bitcoin is there is less (never zero, but less) chance of knowing who the other party is to slap them with a wet fish/court order.

so never trade with anyone you dont know anything about. unless you can slap them with a wetfish/court order should they do you wrong, dont trade.

AKA.. rule 1: stranger danger

if your looking for a service to swap FIAT ($£Euro) expect KYC, as these are called exchanges.

just dont pretend /treat these exchanges as 'wallets' .. move funds away from exchanges.
if you are just looking for somewhere to store bitcoin (a wallet) then all proper 'wallets' are KYC free.

there are webwallets. but most have it where THEY hold the private key (secret to spend the funds) and you have to rely on them 'managing' it on your behalf.
some webwallets are also exchanges. but some are not exchanges..
some webwallets also allow you access to the private key..
but most peoples rule is dont use a webwallet for any large amount. and especially dont hold for a long time in a webwallet.
and if the webwallet is also a exchange. expect KYC and more risk of them running off with your funds at some point.

there are many personal wallets such as lite-wallets like multibit/electrum which allow you access to the private key so that YOU hold the secret to spend the funds. and that private key is stored on your device.. not some website

then there are full node wallets which is where your computer is helping the network to protect everyones funds. and that private key is stored on your device.. not some website

then there are hardware wallets which is where a separate device(imagine pendrive/external hard drive) that the private key is stored on. but then requires a personal wallet on a computer or a browser extension on a computer to connect to the device to spend it

now you have learned the basic lessons
https://bitcoin.org/en/choose-your-wallet

offchain means its not handled and passed directly onchain (on bitcoins blockchain) its handled privately.
it can be in many forms but the main one in discussion right now is a future service that may have a niche for certain users. but not all users

the main group hoping to offer this commercial service is blockstream. the code is being headed up by 'rusty russel'
their project is called "lightning network" - emphasis on network because its a different network although the funds are linked to bitcoin funds

this is as laymans/basic as i can word it.. without getting too technical
how it works is that instead of standard independent tx's that get broadcasted to spend.. people fund a special address known as a multisig.
this is a transaction that needs 2 signatures to spend/move the balance inside.

now because it will only be accepted on the network if both signatures exist. these 2 people can write a transaction and secretly (away from bitcoins network (aka offchain)) both sign it. to know its a valid transaction. they both agreed and nothing else can change without both consent.

emphasis: because no other single signature can be accepted by the network, only the both signed transaction is acceptable..

so now they can privately trade and make make new transactions where both sign. which invalidate the previous both signed private transaction. and know the latest one is the most valid transaction.. thus not needing to confirm it because they both know its good

think of it like having a bank chequebook.. but requires 2 signatures.

if both signatures exist. you know one person can cash it by depositing it. so that person just by holding it, knows its as good as paid. just holding it. they can then agree to make a new cheque and both sign the new cheque and rip up the old cheque. without needing to 'deposit' the cheque each time.
they simply sit in a private room writing new cheques and ripping up old cheques each hour/day. and only need to deposit the latest cheque at the end of the week when they finally want to settle the balance and end the private trades

for instance bob and joe both deposit $10 into a dual signed account (both pay 0.01btc into a multisig) and initially say they want their $10(0.01) back
tx1
in
  bob: 0.01
  joe: 0.01
out
  bob: 0.01
  joe: 0.01
signed
  Robert
  Johnny

next time bob wants to pay joe 50c (0.005)
tx2
in
  bob: 0.01
  joe: 0.01
out
  bob: 0.005
  joe: 0.015
void tx1
signed
  Robert
  Johnny

next time joe wants to pay bob 75c (0.0075)
tx3
in
  bob: 0.01
  joe: 0.01
out
  bob: 0.0125
  joe: 0.0075
void tx2
signed
  Robert
  Johnny

if anyone tried to transmit tx 1 or 2.. the other person can transmit tx 3 and void off the other ones. thus making tx 3 the latest and most valid and trusted tx.. so they dont have to rush to transmit it. they just keep writing new transactions in private and only transmit it when they want to settle up

dont be foolish..

you can thank the devs..
they decided to make the miners accountable by violating consensus and not giving nodes a vote.. no sane and smart pool is going to change something without having the network as a whole ready to accept it first.

devs chose to make the pools the decision makers so that devs can take the glory if it happened quickly but shift the blame to the pools if it didnt happen quickly.. (standard political point the finger gaming when things go wrong.)

nodes should have had a vote first.. to then give pools confidence there wont be any large orphan risk. thats just rational logical common sense.

secondly.. LN has a niche, but is not the end solution for all users.. try researching further
its also not the open permissionless zero barrier of entry bitcoin ethos either.. hope you enjoy your research