Compared to Bitcoin, gold doesn't seem real...

[cbeast]

Compared to Bitcoin gold doesn't seem real... secure. Sure you can keep it in a vault, but then you can't spend it. If you do carry it around, it's far more noticeable for robbers to steal than cash because it's heavier. It's harder to hide in your home because of metal detectors. Even vaults aren't safe without armed guards, which are expensive and sometimes untrustworthy. Bitcoin can be secured in ways that are impossible to steal, even under duress with five dollar wrenches. That way, they can't even be stolen by home invaders. Bitcoin may be volatile, but gold can be easily stolen. They are easily hidden and layered with decoys. They can be time locked better than any bank vault. Bitcoins can protect some of your wealth even when you are wrongfully judged by an imperfect society. With Bitcoin, you can travel the world and know your wealth is secure. You can have much faster access to liquidity with Bitcoin if you really need it. Bitcoin just makes you feel so much more secure. It makes you feel like credit cards used to before all the identity theft and privacy issues. Why would anyone feel personally secure with gold?

[Beliathon]

Compared to Bitcoin gold doesn't seem real... secure.

That's because it's not. The only way to make gold even approach bitcoin's level of security is if you're a billionaire who can afford to store his gold on a space station or on the moon. Other than that, you can't even play in the same league as bitcoin security-wise.

[Billbags]

The level of security and protection that Bitcoin gives us without having to relying on violent institutions like governments is amazing. Bitcoin takes away the threat of violence because no one knows our true identity or physical location, so no one can come take what we have or do harm to us.

[colinistheman]

Compared to Bitcoin gold doesn't seem real... secure.

That's because it's not. The only way to make gold even approach bitcoin's level of security is if you're a billionaire who can afford to store his gold on a space station or on the moon. Other than that, you can't even play in the same league as bitcoin security-wise.

Hah, and then how do you spend it. Totally impractical

[Melbustus]

Agree with OP.

The idea of gold as money is somewhat similar to the core idea of Bitcoin, but with many fatal implementation bugs.

[Bitcoin Magazine]

i buy RandGold (Nasdaq: GOLD) cause it has my name in it.  Rand.  liek Rand al'thor

[Flashman]

Bitcoins can protect some of your wealth even when you are wrongfully judged by an imperfect society.

Ask Ulbricht how that went.

[countryfree]

Sorry, but I think gold is much more secure.
I have a deposit box in a bank which has never been robbed, while I've already lost loads of data because of hard disk failures.

[Melbustus]

...while I've already lost loads of data because of hard disk failures.

Sounds like you're doing it wrong.

It's *far* easier (and cheaper) to secure (and transport) non-trivial quantities of bitcoin than non-trivial quantities of gold, for all the reasons OP noted. Dismissing all those reasons because *you* are not good at backing up your own data does not refute anything.

[Billbags]

Sorry, but I think gold is much more secure.
I have a deposit box in a bank which has never been robbed, while I've already lost loads of data because of hard disk failures.

That box of gold can be seized by authorities at any time. Remember over the last 2 years bank accounts and safety deposit boxes have been being seized in large numbers for suspension of money laundering(for no reason other than to ask you where your money came from). It cost $20,000 to get your money/gold back if you can prove where every penny came from. Most of the accounts had $30,000 or more in them and are owned by "mom & pop" businesses, but the Feds are making a lot of money seizing accounts of innocent people right now.

[franky1]

the federal reserve needs a building costing millions to make, needs its own police force, accountants and many personnel. to transport it the fed needs expensive bulletproof transport.

... bitcoin only needs a pen and paper to write down a long sequence of characters and then divide it up/rearrange it into a form only the holders mind can re-organize.

[Rannasha]

while I've already lost loads of data because of hard disk failures.

If only there was a way to preemptively make a copy of your data so you can restore it when a disk fails...

[jonald_fyookball]

Bitcoins can protect some of your wealth even when you are wrongfully judged by an imperfect society.

Ask Ulbricht how that went.

Ullbricht acted like a moron in not protecting all those coins properly.
Like the old saying goes: "a fool and his money are soon parted."

[Hippos4ever]

At least it (gold) is safer than trusting your banks, or PP am I rite? 

[Bitcoin Magazine]

Bitcoin transactions have weight.  So do gold bars.  What's the differences?

[franky1]

At least it (gold) is safer than trusting your banks, or PP am I rite?  

cash under your matress is better than banks in some cases and also useful for some purposes. but for long term safety without risk of government intervention (inflation, austerity, taxation, asset freezing, and many other things.) gold is more secure, but bitcoin is even more secure. the only issue is the predictability of future value.(dont confuse third party removal security vs value/future wealth security)

gold is predictable because its controlled by manipulation of government. but bitcoin is more fluid and people once seeing an exchange manipulating values. can simple ignore that exchange and build better ones.

bitcoin can be protected in soo many ways, either personally etched into metal, wrote on paper. stored on PC locally, stored on remote system. handed to local friend handed to remote friend. the idea's are endless

 

[TaunSew]

Well that comes down to scale.  It's alleged the exchanges are already exchanging in fractional reserves and manipulating the price of BTC.  Wait until the bigger real world whales start coming in like private funds, banks and governments who can crush those exchanges in a heart beat.

[cbeast]

Well that comes down to scale.  It's alleged the exchanges are already exchanging in fractional reserves and manipulating the price of BTC.  Wait until the bigger real world whales start coming in like private funds, banks and governments who can crush those exchanges in a heart beat.

They are allegedly doing the same with paper gold. It doesn't seem to make it any more or less secure. Besides, we only have open exchanges because they are still unregulated. Regulated exchanges will be less able to engage in such activity. That's when real world whales will fill the regulated exchanges through licensed brokerage firms.

[TippingPoint]

If you buy some, it will probably seem real.  The market for gold is much larger.  It has greater liquidity.

[cbeast]

If you buy some, it will probably seem real.  The market for gold is much larger.  It has greater liquidity.

I had some gold jewelry stolen from me once. Does that count?