(Part 2) Best products from r/Bitcoin

>> Do you want to cut environment laws to save a few bucks.

>The EPA and BLM (Bureau of Land Management) seem out of control. This was an interesting and enlightening read: https://www.amazon.com/Government-Bullies-Everyday-Americans-Imprisoned/dp/1455522775

You are right about zoning laws but that is the cause of not putting industrial or certain housing into other communities, and people trying to control their neighbourhoods, those rules start out that way and then end up catching other people leading to more complicated laws. Though I am less knowledgeable about the BLM. I also wonder though which exact rules.

The EPA is really hard to say, but it depends on what law, have not read into it the exact rules that people want struck down or regulation decreased. But they are the reason they exist is that you can't just build whatever you want whenever you want. Also making sure things run in for the best case of public health and the countries environment. The problem is two competing approaches, one is NIMBY who force regulations and second is gutting it in places that matter leading to issue like Flint etc. Their focus has been messed with needs organizational restructure not gutting. Also they are responsible of making sure that companies comply with air pollutant contents, water pollutant contents, waste etc. Also protecting certain habitats in America, that personally I would rather see live on than be bulldozed. There are some that are crazy that you can wonder why, but those are usually due to laws for one issue ending up expanding into something else.

>> Remove labour laws to allow corporations to have a stronger control over their employees.

>I don't subscribe to the need for extensive labor laws. As long as people are not compelled (slave labor) it's just another voluntary trade. With the information we now have at our fingertips, IMO, the risk of abuse is much lower than it may have been at one time. The ad-hoc economy that seems to be popping up (Uber/Lyft/AirBnB/Private Amazon Delivery) seems to be another indicator that there will be many opportunities to essentially work for yourself.

Those are horrible jobs. People who use Uber make less than an average taxi driver. It is a good secondary income, but should never be considered primary. And Airbnb is horrible, one crazy party and you are stuck with huge insurance claim. One death and good luck with even being able to rent it out in a year. An accident and you could be liable for huge damages. There is a reason why hotels have regulations. It's also takes away alot of bargaining power from employees. For example if an employee gets injured at work can he sue if he is forced to sign an agreement that the company is not liable for injuries. Another issue is trying to control worker hours to make sure you don't end up forcing people to work crazy hours. Most of these rules are created to help people working under big business but end up expanding to small business. Which to be honest are some of the worst offenders, by making people do work without the required equipment. Etc.

>> Honestly if benefits could be offloaded to the government in a universal sustem like universal healthcare based on the taxes on income and letting stares decide the way they want it to function, it removes another cost to businesses and simplifies the healthcare issue.

>I'm going to have to disagree with you there. Have you ever dealt with medicaid, medicare or social security? I think the answer is again with private industry not government. Where I do agree is decoupling health insurance from employment. I think a compelling argument can be made that private industry can provide catastrophic insurance (much less expensive than today's plans) and people can save and pay for their own health care or purchase a gap insurance. I'd like to see how a less molested market affects the pricing of care and drugs.

>Preexisting conditions is the nut I think no one has been able to crack as the safety net eliminates the need for paying anything until you are diagnosed. The state answer seems to be to force everyone to pay, even the young and healthy. I disagree with the government compelling action like this.

The issue is you have three bodies, that are not only dealing with themselves but with the private industry. Healthcare insurance is for profit. You remove profit you take away a huge chunk of spending. Healthcare insurance should not be as big of an industry. Germany has a public private hybrid but it is only the hospital's or medical facilities that can be private. Canada has a public system and their overall cost per patient is less than in America. The main reasoning can easily be attributed to early detection, which when people don't have to worry if they are covered or not or its cost can get done. For me it's maslow's triangle, take away a necessity and the person can focus on something else and better themselves.

>At a fundamental level I view government as mostly unnecessary in everyday affairs. For those that feel uncomfortable at the thought I can relate the this best via analogy. There are big differences between ebay and craigslist. Both have differing control and feedback mechanisms yet both can be used safely by taking different types of precautions. Users know the relative risks and consequences of craigslist (no reputation to rely on, potential shady characters, no refunds) and adapt to those risks for the opportunity and/or the savings. Ebay may make people feel more secure, but you're paying for that security and it is by no means required, nor is it inherently unsafe to use craigslist, just requires different behavior. The flaw in the analogy is that ebay's services are generally not priced ridiculously and they are held to a standard of profitability while the government has no such standard and waste and graft is everywhere.

Big government for me is different from many other ways, I believe in the constant updating of the laws, but needs to be focused on is less control on people's personal lives like surveillance and certain rules. Yes it has expanded in many ways but neither government will ever decrease it. They just have their own version of big government they shove on people.

Also eBay and Craigslist are not a good example of managing a country. As both have very different goals. One is for profit and one is management of a country. I mean if you want to see a profitable country look at Singapore and Dubai. They have giant governments yet are really profitable. So was UK and Switzerland. They have a bigger role on citizen lives than the US has.

For me smaller government is decreasing inconvenience but also removing as much of the issues about necessities or how to pay for everything by alleviating costs and letting people focus on taking risks like starting a business etc.


>Re: the prison industrial complex, I share your concern but can't suggest I know enough about the details to offer any value. Intuitively it seems there's massive potential for corruption. And the incarceration rate seems strangely high. Perhaps having less laws to break would be a good start.

I GOT IT! YES! Now I have to wait for the goddamn blockchain to catch up so I can import the private key. Is there a way to get the coins more quickly given the private key?


EDIT: Got the coins out finally. Blockchain.info was being a bit glitchy on me, but it's all good now.


Thanks so much, OP! That was a lot of fun! I look forward to all future scavenger hunts! :D

DOUBLE EDIT: Sorry, I forgot to include the answer! The 'Xxxx Xxx' referred to "Baby Ray", which is a reference to the glorious Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce, the greatest BBQ sauce of all time. As OP said, it is the PERFECT ingredient for a summer picnic. I'm so pumped right now! It's 4am here, I should probably go to bed.

Hey there,

Great idea that you chose to focus your research on Bitcoin.
When I first tried to grasp the inner workings of the technology, I found this post to be extremely useful: http://www.michaelnielsen.org/ddi/how-the-bitcoin-protocol-actually-works/ (it's a bit older, but still perfectly suitable for your purpose). Moreover, this article gives a good technical overview (http://www.ieee-security.org/TC/SP2015/papers-archived/6949a104.pdf) and this one is for a less technical audience (http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/aea/jep/2015/00000029/00000002/art00010). Finally, if you want to have a more comprehensive introduction to the system, get yourself a copy of "Mastering Bitcoin" (has already been suggested here) and of this new book (https://www.amazon.com/Bitcoin-Cryptocurrency-Technologies-Comprehensive-Introduction/dp/0691171696%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q%26tag%3Dduckduckgo-ffsb-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0691171696). The latter is an excellent introduction into the technical and economic building blocks. There are plenty of other valuable resources publicly available, but the previously mentioned articles and books should be sufficient to get you started.

Good luck with your thesis!

A free market is the most efficient way to distribute scarce resources. Economics if the study of how this distribution of scarce resources happens.

Your ideals being well meaning are not rooted in reality. As of right now we don't have unlimited power sources, or even super efficient ones. We are coming to the point at which the basic necessities for humans can be provided with little effort, 3d built homes, food in abundance via advanced farming techniques (without oil though?), ubiquitous transportation thanks to computerized transport, an abundance of energy via new nuclear/solar/wind technologies. These will make the basic human life easy, but if you want to enjoy the scarcer resources, the nice property, the awesome vacations, the trip to Mars, then you will need to work and be more productive than the next guy. It is Basic Economics!

Since you like sci-fi, read about how this society deals with scarcity, this is the model we are moving towards.

http://marshallbrain.com/manna1.htm

I'm a web developer, so of course I know what an API is.

Bitcoin isn't going anywhere. Bitcoin handlers are already integrated into browsers. In fact it's part of the HTML5 spec.

Are you familar with email:blahblah@blah.com ?

You can also do

bitcoin:someaddress

This will automatically open your wallet and prefill a few fields.

http://blog.coinbase.com/post/78127728420/support-for-bitcoin-payment-urls

Coinbase just implemented it for their wallet. Any wallet can do the same, because this is how open source protocols work. Your bitcoin wallet is gonna be just like your email app today. You can run a bitcoin client on your desktop, phone, or in the cloud if you trust those people with your money. The choice is yours. The risk is on you.

The browser that you're using right now already supports bitcoin. So it's already part of the internet whether you like it or not. There are going to be websites that require you to have bitcoin. Games and paywalls are gonna use crypto currencies because it's easier than Paypal or any other 3rd party system. This is because the developer/website gets their money instantly regardless of the country they live. A 12 year old can create an app anywhere in the world and get paid directly. This is unprecedented.

Why don't we have paypal: or visa:? Because those systems are closed source, proprietary, have non standard APIs, are restrictive depending on the country, and are a central authority.

Bitcoin is an open source protocol that anyone can investigate and learn the inner workings of. It will continue to get better as technical issues arise, because there are thousands of smart developers out there who love this shit. Bitcoin is the future of money on the internet and I can say that with absolute confidence because I know developers and we are personally making it happen. We are innovating faster than ever before and now that global payments are essentially solved, we're gonna see another leap in what the internet can provide.

If you want some insight into where we're headed, read this book.

http://www.amazon.com/Sovereign-Individual-Mastering-Transition-Information/dp/0684832720/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1393650820&sr=1-1&keywords=sovereign+individual

It talks about crypto-currency to the T and it was written in 1997.


More disruption! AKA innovation.

http://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/1z8n4n/i_dont_get_angry_when_i_see_a_layman_ridicule_and/

I think you need to decide if you want to be more of an investor or a speculator. I don't really have advice for speculators.

If you want to be an investor, I have found these books useful; Economics in one lesson is good, and if you are really keen The intelligent investor.

These books are highly focused on fundamentals of the economy and investing in something that help you think to recognise the fundamental reasons why something is or could become valuable, and not fall in the emotional pitfalls by speculating on emotional impulse based of a graph, media soundbites and reddit fomo and fud.

When you understand the fundamental reasons for a (un)healthy economy and currency first, then it should hopefully become clear why the fundamentals/monetary properties of bitcoin - once you learn those - can contribute to a much healthier economy and why has to potential to become very valuable itself.

I'd suggest to also research articles that teach you about 'the origins of money'. A useful take-away to realise is, is that historically money has always been attempted to be forged. A currency that has a monetary property that is extremely difficult forge, has more potential value.

Ohh, jeez, you can buy the Bitmain Antminer here.

The smaller ones in between the Antminers are these, but for $10 more, you can get like 5 times the Mh/s with the Antminers. The Antminers are a lot more worth it; I just wanted something to fill in my empty spaces.

The cooling fan is this, but I've got a bigger clamp fan blowing on it so the whole rig doesn't burn my house down. Though, I haven't had much problem with heat. The cooling fan does enough to keep them cool, but when I had no cooling fan, it was hot enough to burn my skin and I found that out the hard way. The clamp fan is just there for insurance.

The Pi is gonna need a 4GB SD card, so make sure you've got a reader for that.

And you're correct. This is the least profitable thing you can do, my setup cost me roughly $150 a month and a half ago, and they've made me $2 worth of Bitcoins (.004 Bitcoin) that haven't even been transferred to me because Slush's pool send threshold is .01 Bitcoin. Though, the whole setup barely puts any strain on my electric bill.

It was fun putting it together and making it work, and it's a great conversation starter, but it has yet to prove me any monetary worth at all. Maybe I can buy something cheap on Overstock in a couple months, or I'll get really really lucky and mine a block.

If I may - I humbly recommend to read a proper book on bitcoin, not some fluff piece.. Just assuming from the way that you chose your post title that you might be interested in a more substantial bitcoin reading :) Please ignore if that's not the case, don't wanna ruin your reading pleasure or anything.

Economic perspective: The Bitcoin Standard - The Decentralized Alternative to Central Banking

Not technical at all, very beginner friendly, but also not a lot of practical information: The Internet Of Money

Gently technical, beginner friendly: Inventing Bitcoin: The Technology Behind the First Truly Scarce and Decentralized Money Explained

Technical deep dives:

• Mastering Bitcoin (also available for free online, as it's an open source book)
  
  
• Programming Bitcoin
  
  
• Grokking Bitcoin

The cheapest way is to just run Bitcoin Core on your daily PC for a few hours a day(after downloading the blockchain) to help the network or if you can let it run, just leave it on. Once you download the ledger you can start accepting connection on Port 8333 so open port 8333 on your router so you can accept transaction updates to the ledger.

​

To run a separate system that you don't need to build a whole PC for you can get a MINI PC. They can run from around 100 USD. The specs are what you want to consider. The cheaper you go the less you'll get. like I said anything over 2GB of Ram, a Celeron processor and at least 500 GB storage to start should be good. Upping your HDD space will be the only future purchase. Probably should get a external since it will be easy to bounce the Bitcoin data from a small HDD to a bigger one at a later time when you run out of room. current size of the block chain is around 300GB i think.

​

You might not be able to get a mini PC with a decent Processor but here's a decent start. https://www.amazon.com/Fanless-Desktop-Computer-Windows-Mounting/dp/B07QY8LDGX/ref=zg_bs_13896591011_10?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=BKDSFWSFC4043GVBYNDJ

​

here is a bit of a better one with Ubuntu already installed. Still a weak Processor though.

https://www.amazon.com/ACEPC-x5-Z8350-Computer-Ethernet-2-5-Inch/dp/B07WCF1GKR/ref=zg_bs_13896591011_4?_encoding=UTF8&refRID=BKDSFWSFC4043GVBYNDJ&th=1

​

Also running on Windows is ok and will work fine. But Linux Distros like Ubuntu are lighter and most times faster less resource hungry. You DONT have to, but it really helps because there wont be any bloatware with Linux and it wont do anything you don't want it to unlike windows with their crazy updates and bloatware apps you wont use. Also most Distros will ask if you even want to install 3rd party applications so its nice to have the option to exclude programs that would otherwise just use up resources.

Things to note:

Running a node is fairly straight forward you should Read thoroughly here https://bitcoin.org/en/full-node because if you run a node and do not finish downloading the blockchain and do not accept connections on 8333 you will essentially be doing no good for the network. Also broadband speeds are a must since you will essentially be dedicating some of your bandwidth to the Bitcoin protocol. It isn't much, but I run a Network monitor on my PC, and over a week the node used around 50-60GB depending on the activity on the blockchain. that's not much but on metered connections you will blow through any Data caps from your ISP, especially if you use your network for other things like video streaming.

> Who?

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Swan-Improbable-Robustness-Fragility/dp/081297381X

> And yes. But that's just because that we can apply the Central Limit Theorem and assume the profits each day is normally distributed

> the central limit theorem (CLT) states that, given certain conditions, the arithmetic mean of a sufficiently large number of iterates of independent random variables, each with a well-defined expected value and well-defined variance, will be approximately normally distributed, regardless of the underlying distribution.

it's just a hunch, but models based on stuff like that might be the reason why the financial system is blowing up. When I read stuff like "independent random variables", the ludic fallacy (also from that book) comes to mind.

I can really recommend the book I linked above. Probably a good idea to write that thesis first, though ;)

Umm, actually these topics are not really suitable for "media" given the complexity. The topic goes as far back to Plato's Laws, to many archaeological texts, speeches from Roman Senators of why Carthage must burtn, Poetic works such as Ezra Pound's Cantos, which eloquently highlights the conflict of gold in the foundation of the United States, to well - people like Adolf Hitler himself and what he accomplished with no gold.

These are academic subjects, and are best studied in books.

If you would like my best recommendation on how money has functioned throughout history, this is the most current and thorough.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0198709579/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The book is narrative, and easier to understand for most people. This is why I recommend it. But there are many books on the archaeology of money going back to the 19th century. Really, no one who seriously studies the topic believes gold was ever significant in the rise of civilization.

> Could you stop with the ad hominem?

Can you please stop using ad hominem incorrectly? "means responding to arguments by attacking a person's character, rather than to the content of their arguments. When used inappropriately, it is a fallacy in which a claim or argument is dismissed on the basis of some irrelevant fact or supposition about the author or the person being criticized."

I'm not attacking your character, I called your comparison ignorant, because it is.

> You've missed the point -- the point is that the market can't tell if the egg is broken or not; and behaves the same way for those twenty years until it is put to use (or not in the case of the broken egg).

I didn't miss your point at all. Your thought "experiment" is famously well known as Schrödinger's cat. The thing is, you can't use this paradox in economics. "The problem with Schrödinger's thought experiment is that the scientist doing it has to open up the box to see how the cat has fared. But the act of looking destroys the superposition. The quantum states “decohere” or collapse into one classical state or the other. In other words, whenever you actually look in the box, the cat is always either dead or alive."

You can't assume that simply because a bitcoin is not being used that it will never be used again. There has to be a consensus and way to prove to 100% of a degree that it will never be used again before it truly lowers supply.

> The act of holding is one of NOT spending. And as you seem happy with the idea that spending alters things, then so too, by definition does not spending.

Now, I'll agree that what I'm about to say is debatable, but inflation exists to encourage spending. Without it it's likely economies would collapse. Bottom line, not spending hurts instead of helps.

> Everyone does not do that though. And as I explicitly said -- that wasn't what I was advocating.

This is called Tragedy of the Commons - "an economics theory by Garrett Hardin, individuals acting independently and rationally according to each one's self-interest, behave contrary to the whole group's long-term best interests by depleting some common resource."

This is what I'm trying to give light to. Although you may think differently, your actions are in fact contrary to the whole group's long-term best interest.

> What on earth do you think "supply" means? You do understand that supply is a fluid thing, when we talk about supply and demand it is "supply at a particular price".

You are completely crossing supply with market cap. Price is completely irrelevant to supply when trying to analyze overall supply. And what price? Price compared to dollars? To gold? To tulips? It's completely arbitrary.

> I might be willing to sell my services at $100 an hour but not at $10 an hour -- hence, when I withhold my services at $10 an hour, the total supply of that service in the economy at that time is lowered.

This is called Fair market value. You don't set this, the market does. And if you think you do, well, then you're going to go out of business FAST!


> If I am a baker, and I choose not to bake some loaves does that not lower supply?

No, if it never existed in the first place it has no impact on the supply. A thought doesn't affect supply.


>If I am a baker and I choose to bake those loaves, but then throw them away, how is that any different from my not having baked them at all? Supply is lowered.

When you bake them, supply increases, when you throw them away, supply decreases. You may end up with the same total supply as there would have been if you had not baked them at all, but nonetheless, you still affected total supply during the time they existed. How do you not get this??

I don't mean to be argumentative, but I'm done trying to teach Economics 101 to you. None of your arguments have any backing and are completely suggestive. Do yourself a favor and please look at the links hyperlinked in this post and read this book. It will help you greatly.

Let's make this one happen!

I can invest some time and capital and would recommend redesigning software and UI of existing portable devices that feature GSM connectivity and a camera, for possible QR code integration and optional hot wallet features. MP3 idea of yours is included but what I am thinking off has much more into it.

Sure, as a cold-storage hardware wallet your proposal works well but it wouldn't help spreading bitcoin use. Ain't nobody gonna carry around an MP3 and USB cable and a portable QR code reader, if a phone can do that too.

But how about a basic GSM phone in a watch, capable of handling SMS, voice, and some basic data to push transactions to BlockChain (at least 2G)? The potential for the developing world in particular would be immense. There are existing solutions fashionable and colorful enough that we could launch big and strong.

For under $45 retail (much less when wholesale, I bet), we could start off with good looking, loss-proof, drop-proof devices on the lines of:

• http://www.amazon.com/Watch-Unlocked-Camera-Mobile-Screen/dp/B00AIIMSRW/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1396234055&sr=1-3&keywords=watch+with+camera
  
  
• http://www.amazon.com/Super-Watch-Touch-Screen-Phone/dp/B0044R0K1E/ref=sr_1_15?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1396234055&sr=1-15&keywords=watch+with+camera
  
  
• http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Unlocked-GSM-mobile-watch-phones_1427820196.html
  
  
• http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/2013-New-Smart-Watch-with-camera_1407914478.html
  
  
• http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/New-GSM-mobile-phone-watch-with_622461608.html
  
  
• http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/GSM-watch-with-camera-MQ998-Call_1691152605.html
  
  
• http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Sports-watch-GSM-mobile-phone-watch_1052736319.html
  
  If we managed to pair one of these with existing wallet solutions such as Electrum (that could recover funds even after losing the device), we would spearhead mass adoption in especially under-banked areas.
  
  What do you folks think?

ColdTi: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077CYKHZ6

That’s what I have... it’s really hard to engrave. It’s makes it indestructible but hard to stamp. I wouldn’t recommend.

I think I’m going to get this to replace it if I can’t get it engraved well. CryptoCurrency https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CLMK3WJ

If I end up with enough value stored in those words I’ll get a safe deposit box or a permanent safe to store it in.

Several ways to gift btc -

1. If you have a coinbase account , you can simply send btc via
   Email, even if he doesn't have an account, and if he doesn't claim it it will automatically come back to you in 60 days
   
   
2. Create a paper wallet and gift it to him . Paper wallet should be 12 or 24 word seed phrase and not the obsolete standard that includes a BTC private key
   
   
3. Buy a hardware wallet like a ledger or trezor and place some btc on it and give to him
   
   
4. Consider more secure means of backing up your 12 or 24 BIP39 backups in case of floods or fire - https://cryptosteel.com/
   Or https://billfodl.com/products/the-one-and-only-billfodl
   or https://bitkee.com/ or https://cryptokeystack.com/
   
   or a metal backup plate like safe seed
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Safe-Seed-Recovery-Passphrase-CryptoCurrency/dp/B07CLMK3WJ/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=bitcoin+safe+seed&qid=1573784209&sr=8-2
   
   
   and than load up a wallet with btc that you backup to it
   
   
5. Buy a btc physical coin that you send btc to -
   
   https://www.casascius.com In person or bulk only 500 for 0.39 BTC
   
   https://www.titanbtc.com/ 105 USD - ~2k USD
   
   http://www.lealana.com/ various prices
   
   https://www.infinitumbitcoins.com/ 179 to 339 USD per coin
   
   https://denarium.com/ 19.9 € to 2199 € per coin

> why are you in to crypto?

Because bitcoin is sovereign money and so long as it remains decentralized it will resist state monetary control. This mostly has to do with printing money, inflation, etc.

It is not a conflict to believe in bitcoin and also believe in taxation. Taxation is essential for civilized societies to exist.

Thomas Piketty has already proven that taxation and healthy regulation who's purpose is public benefit leads to the most healthy economies. Its corrupt politicians pandering to specialized industries, monopolizing industries and creating bad regulations/laws that favor these special interest groups that fuck society. I encourage you to read the book, he's an economist that worked for over a decade with big data scientists to gather empircal data to back up his proposals. There's a difference been economic theory and economic reality, Piketty engages in the reality part.

https://www.amazon.com/Capital-Twenty-Century-Thomas-Piketty/dp/067443000X

> Do you want to cut environment laws to save a few bucks.

The EPA and BLM (Bureau of Land Management) seem out of control. This was an interesting and enlightening read: https://www.amazon.com/Government-Bullies-Everyday-Americans-Imprisoned/dp/1455522775

> Remove labour laws to allow corporations to have a stronger control over their employees.

I don't subscribe to the need for extensive labor laws. As long as people are not compelled (slave labor) it's just another voluntary trade. With the information we now have at our fingertips, IMO, the risk of abuse is much lower than it may have been at one time. The ad-hoc economy that seems to be popping up (Uber/Lyft/AirBnB/Private Amazon Delivery) seems to be another indicator that there will be many opportunities to essentially work for yourself.

> Honestly if benefits could be offloaded to the government in a universal sustem like universal healthcare based on the taxes on income and letting stares decide the way they want it to function, it removes another cost to businesses and simplifies the healthcare issue.

I'm going to have to disagree with you there. Have you ever dealt with medicaid, medicare or social security? I think the answer is again with private industry not government. Where I do agree is decoupling health insurance from employment. I think a compelling argument can be made that private industry can provide catastrophic insurance (much less expensive than today's plans) and people can save and pay for their own health care or purchase a gap insurance. I'd like to see how a less molested market affects the pricing of care and drugs.

Preexisting conditions is the nut I think no one has been able to crack as the safety net eliminates the need for paying anything until you are diagnosed. The state answer seems to be to force everyone to pay, even the young and healthy. I disagree with the government compelling action like this.

At a fundamental level I view government as mostly unnecessary in everyday affairs. For those that feel uncomfortable at the thought I can relate the this best via analogy. There are big differences between ebay and craigslist. Both have differing control and feedback mechanisms yet both can be used safely by taking different types of precautions. Users know the relative risks and consequences of craigslist (no reputation to rely on, potential shady characters, no refunds) and adapt to those risks for the opportunity and/or the savings. Ebay may make people feel more secure, but you're paying for that security and it is by no means required, nor is it inherently unsafe to use craigslist, just requires different behavior. The flaw in the analogy is that ebay's services are generally not priced ridiculously and they are held to a standard of profitability while the government has no such standard and waste and graft is everywhere.

Re: the prison industrial complex, I share your concern but can't suggest I know enough about the details to offer any value. Intuitively it seems there's massive potential for corruption. And the incarceration rate seems strangely high. Perhaps having less laws to break would be a good start.

Excellent job by Scott- he is doing so much to help make Bitcoin more legitimate in the eyes of the uninitiated. For those who are interested in a more detailed resource about Bitcoin and Bitcoin regulation, Scott actually wrote the foreword for my new book, Bitcoin Pandemonium: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00M8MQ462

Doesn't steel rust? Besides, is it really a concern to spend like $20 for a couple of titanium plates to store what could potentially be worth thousands of dollars? But yeah sure, anything works. Just write it somewhere durable, and not paper.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Lucas_Jr.

further reading: on basically all 4 bullets https://www.amazon.com/Fooled-Randomness-Hidden-Markets-Incerto/dp/0812975219/ref=pd_sim_14_2/133-0444399-0427912?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0812975219&pd_rd_r=20G8KZ7HRQTB9EV8KRMF&pd_rd_w=QI4pT&pd_rd_wg=y8262&psc=1&refRID=20G8KZ7HRQTB9EV8KRMF

further further reading on the last bullet, and the actual explanation of "black swan" that is starting to show up in crypto but totally incorrectly used https://www.amazon.com/Black-Swan-Improbable-Robustness-Fragility/dp/081297381X


you could also dig into efficient market hypothesis.

also, if you're into technical analysis/charts, this could shake your views a little but it's good to be challenged

Bitcoin and Crypto currency Technologies: A Comprehensive Introduction This book is great for learning all about Crypto

Here's another great read that mentions crypto-currency.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Sovereign-Individual-Transition-Information/dp/0684832720

I bought this...

https://www.amazon.com/TopHat-Technologies-ColdTi-Cryptocurrency-Storage/dp/B077CYKHZ6/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1542318097&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=cryptosteel&psc=1


and some lettering stamps, works great and costs less

> The black swan theory or theory of black swan events is a metaphor that describes an event that comes as a surprise, has a major effect, and is often inappropriately rationalized after the fact with the benefit of hindsight.
(Wiki)

From the decent book: http://www.amazon.com/The-Black-Swan-Improbable-Robustness/dp/081297381X

LMAmazonTFY

Top result for "usb fan" in Amazon electronics

You can order at www.bitcoinmoneybook.com for US orders

International orders on amazon Bitcoin Money: A Tale of Bitville Discovering Good Money https://www.amazon.com/dp/0578490676/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_DFhRCb9YC51C8

Anyone know where to get those USB fans?

Edit: Looks like these? http://www.amazon.com/ARCTIC-USB-Powered-Portable-Cooling-Solution/dp/B003XN24GY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370030944&sr=8-1&keywords=usb+fan

These two are supposed to good for beginners

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0578490676

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1641990503

For an investor, this book is quite pro-sound money

https://www.amazon.com/FAKE-Teachers-Assets-Making-Middle/dp/1612680844

I was a TA for that class. Can highly recommend the class material and especially Joe's book which the class is based on. https://www.amazon.com/Bitcoin-Cryptocurrency-Technologies-Comprehensive-Introduction/dp/0691171696/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1501196273&sr=8-3&keywords=cryptocurrencies

I'd highly recommend checking out the book "The Soveriegn Individual", and while it was published in 1999, it predicts the rise of "cyber money" and the collapse of Nation States. It's quite an interesting book and brings a whole new perspective to why we live in the types of societies we do and how technology will change that in the future.

The books is 40% off at Amazon right now.

https://www.amazon.com/Bitcoin-Money-Tale-Bitville-Discovering/dp/0578490676/ref=sr_1_3?crid=30EP2GIAEO3XZ&keywords=bitcoin+money+book&qid=1556771854&s=gateway&sprefix=bitcoin+money%2Caps%2C172&sr=8-3

It does have some wonderful illustrations by /u/helloluis and Timi Ajiboye, but no characters with a cowboy hat.

If you want a character with a cowboy hat, there's this book by the Bitcoin Rabbi.

FTFY the link https://www.amazon.com/Sovereign-Individual-Mastering-Transition-Information/dp/0684832720/ref=cm_wl_huc_item

https://www.amazon.com/Sovereign-Individual-Mastering-Transition-Information/dp/0684832720/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1484515082&sr=1-1&keywords=sovereign+individual

This book will tell you everything you need to know about moving the economy into cyberspace, the implications are enormous.

Add Sovereign Individual to that list.

If you're looking for something more concise (as an intro to economic thought), Economics in One Lesson is a go-to resource. (Also avail. for BTC. :D)

• https://np.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/dnqwn0
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Sovereign-Individual-Mastering-Transition-Information/dp/0684832720
  
• https://hackernoon.com/why-everyone-missed-the-most-important-invention-in-the-last-500-years-c90b0151c169

I'd say he's still around.

• I have a picture of him in my office.
  
• He's also on the cover of this book.