BBQ with cousin & friends tonight. One is a coiner (sadly, of the crapto variety). In 2017 I talked to him about Bitcoin, but he ended up becoming a shitcoiner out of get-rich-quick greed and falling for the "too expensive" trap. After 5 years of 24/7 chart-watching/day-trading (installed monitors in bedroom, kitchen and bathroom), he's still not rich, just a bit better off. Of his $5k initial investment, he bought some small piece of land (worth $10k) and a 75" TV, and was left with the $5k he started with -- I've already talked about his case here in WO -- not that anyone cares, but it can serve as a lesson to some, if Jay's batslappenings are not enough. Now, cousin focuses on what he does best: handle the meat/BBQ matters (he's really good at that). I just go there for the good company (they're all great guys/gals) and to eat. Easy life. Thank you, Bitcoin.
It feels like we might have "battomed out". Just tried to send $10k to Kraken to BTFD, but bank says "recipient account blocked". Tried the remaining 3 IBANs. Still blocked. Tried $5k. Still blocked. Fuck you, fiat system. Looks like I will have to open another account on some crypto-friendly bank.
Can't wait to re-read the current WO posts in 2025, by which time we'll be in 6 digits and slowly marching towards the $million/coin mark. There will be dips along the way, but hey, what's new? The $100k party is already so last year... The $million party will be so awesome. There won't be any OPSEC issues, as we'll all be meeting in Bob's Virtual Ranch using our $10k VR gear, which will stimulate all 5 (6?) senses to the point of not being able to tell the difference from RL. The only remnants of the past will be BitcoinTalk, which will still be powered by SMF 1.1.19, and proudhon, who will still be predicting doom and gloom backed by math & science (and still be the party's biggest whale).
Aim for 1 BTC (not less than that, more if you can).
In 2017 I was vacationing with extended family for a cousin's wedding, we had a whole compound in Italy to ourselves, it was great.
Another cousin, about my age, talks to me about crypto (he knows I had BTC), so we talk a bit about it, next thing I know he has invested in all kinds of shitcoins from his phone, some of which I'd never heard of... He was working for a casino company at the time, I wonder if that influenced him. He got out after some weeks when still up, so that's good, doing crazy trading for nothing isn't great, unless you can really limit yourself to an initial investment and some top ups similar to DCA. But if you're basically gambling, that's usually not how it goes.
Too bad about your bank and Kraken. I just closed my first bank account I had since I was a teen because the bank (an online bank from the start) fell behind in tech and services, and wasn't too crypto friendly (didn't block Kraken though, but called me about it a few times).
I hope you're right for 2025. Also looking forward to great VR tech, I think for complete immersion some kind of plug into the brain will be needed.
When I was a student I lived in Paris and went to that computing school where I was the only one who cared about what was inside a computer, so I skipped it half the time. Instead I played on my computer that had cost me years of saving christmas gifts etc., and also what I had made during a summer job : latest CPU, latest graphics card, 2*22" iiyama Diamondtron monitors that made the desk all bendy, joystick. The game was X2:the threat across both monitors, the graphics were so great that it still looks pretty good : https://store.steampowered.com/app/2800/X2_The_Threat/
When playing this for hours on end, at some point I really felt like I was this pilot trading and fighting across the universe, it was incredible.