I have to get more involved in bitcoin but I dont know what to do.
- i want to mine; since you basically cant buy ASICs, i'm probably going to build a small GPU rig (i know its not very profitable--i dont care, i have to do this)
- i studied math and computer science in college, but i havent coded since i started playing poker. i have saved up some money and i kinda wanna get back into programming
- i've brainstormed with friends about various bitcoin businesses to start but either the business already exists or theres a good reason it doesnt exist yet or its a project far beyond the scope of my capabilities
For mining, expect to lose money, but just do it for fun and to learn. You will learn, and then it's just a cost of education. Think of it as buying a textbook.
I can identify with exactly what you're going through. While I'm not a poker player, I make my living in software, but have been thinking about how I can get deeper into bitcoin on a meaningful level.
You may not have coded anything in a long time, but the desire to get back in is powerful. I write software, and have been thinking myself about the exact same thing - writing BTC software - the lure is there.
If you're just getting back into programing, then I'd suggest that you look at the software that is available, where it is available, and look at what languages can best help you achieve what you want.
When I got back into programming, I just jumped in and didn't really consider the languages too much, when I probably should have.
Anyways...
There is a MASSIVE space open for BTC programming.
I do a lot of work for the top mobile phone company in the world, and I have access to truckloads of information that the public doesn't get to see for a long time. (I of course cannot give specifics due to NDAs.)
Right now, I'd say that there are incredible opportunities open in the mobile space for bitcoin software. Have a look there.
Your best ideas will be things that you probably can't execute, but just try going a bit smaller if you can't manage to get a team together, or if you can't get investment for bigger ideas.
BTC will be insanely big in mobile.
At the moment, I'm thinking about a few different components that I'd like to develop... but just not sure what I want to do. I'm already busy enough, so whether or not I can actually get a decent BTC app or component off the ground is a big question for me.
But do think mobile -- that is where it's at.
On the other side of the bitcoin, think about simple apps vs service-based apps. I really hate SaaS as I think it's just pure fucking whoredom gone berserk, but given the market... sigh... yeah... if everyone else is ass-raping customers, you might want to consider it as well. Mostly because the non-ass-rapers get pushed out of the market because consumers are so idiotic when it comes to software licensing.
There are lots of platform advantages as well. So, consider the platform and sign up for multiple platform developer communities to check out what they offer.
Anyways, I think that post was partly for me to think about what I'd like to do now, and not just for you. But I hope it's useful for you, and thank you for posing those questions!