I put 1/4 of a bitcoin in a landfill… \ stacker news ~BooksAndArticles

2308 sats \ 14 comments \ @brandonsbytes 23 Feb BooksAndArticles

So, my Bitcoin story starts back in 2012. I was recently married, and I had a graduate degree in literature. So, I was high educated and highly unemployable! I started learning networking and programming, but just the very basics. Trying to figure out what even an IP address is and linux and the command line?! I stumbled, somehow, on bitcoin, and got a miner setup on my white macbook.

I remember, actually, before mining, I did those websites where you could watch ads and earn bitcoin. I did that, but eventually gave all that to the EFF. But, I did somehow, I can hardly remember, manage to get bitcoin loaded and mining via the command line and some GUI program at the time. It is a little hazy now. And eventually, I had 0.25 bitcoin, and I thought “man, this has taken forever. it’s not worth it.”

Looking back, I sort of knew the value proposition, but I couldn’t understand it. And I got so busy needing to find a job because we had kids on way that I moved on. I kept focusing on networking and programming. But, I always thought of bitcoin as that cool computer thing I did when I really needed some confidence that I could become a “computer guy”, so in that way Bitcoin has paid dividends even if it’s been in fiat.

The laptop I mined on? Threw it away years ago. I did save some sort of old key on a drive, but I actually think in my ignorance, it is not “the” key. I tried a few years ago to figure out what it is for and couldn’t.

Anyways, that’s my bitcoin story. I like to think by losing that 1/4 bitcoin, I made all our zaps just that much more valuable.

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136 sats \ 4 replies \ @freetx 23 Feb

Well, its like the Laszlo pizza story... we must not be too critical of the past.

The human mind is a strange thing, and there exist something like a "mental optical illusion" when it comes to viewing the past. We cannot, in fact, view the past honestly. All of our present-time knowledge is imposed upon the past in way that makes it almost impossible for us to really see the past for what it was.

Consider a present day example. Imagine I sent you 10000 blue pixels....yes effectively a png of 10000 blue pixels....and someone else said "if you send me that pic I'll send you 2 large pizzas". That other person was not a wall street exec dressed in a suit, but rather a 18 year kid who liked to smoke weed.

You would probably feel like the "png for pizza" was a pretty good deal. Who would ever know that would become worth $500M....

But funny enough, even this contrived present-day example is clouded by the past. Thanks to bitcoin, we now mentally know about "digital scarcity" and know that purely digital things can become worth lots of money....

My point is that we must drop all those anxieties about "I should've held on to that..." etc because it was literally a different world with different rules.

5 sats \ 0 replies \ @brandonsbytes OP 23 Feb

that is a great point. it is truly different. and you could do it endlessly with altcoins too that have shot to the moon. but, then it’s just gambling. I like bitcoin now because of the utility and the value it provides. that’s enough for me.

21 sats \ 2 replies \ @ek 24 Feb

Well, its like the Laszlo pizza story... we must not be too critical of the past.

It's not though. Laszlo was the first person to write GPU mining code after Satoshi iirc. So the 10k bitcoins he spent on two pizzas were probably nothing. There was an interview where he mentioned he doesn't regret a single thing about buying the pizzas. In fact, he set a price for all the other coins he mined and will mine. He knew exactly what he was doing.

When lightning came out, he did it again iirc.

515 sats \ 1 reply \ @freetx 24 Feb

Yes, I know that. I was saying: "Just as Laszlo didn't have regret, neither should you".

31 sats \ 0 replies \ @ek 24 Feb

Ah ok, sorry, makes sense.

I seem to get triggered when I think people misrepresent the situation around the two large pizzas haha. Bad habit.

Experienced too many people making fun of him with no clue about bitcoin

151 sats \ 1 reply \ @Atreus 23 Feb

At least it was only 1/4 bitcoin right?

20 sats \ 0 replies \ @brandonsbytes OP 23 Feb

21 sats \ 0 replies \ @Taft 23 Feb

Said story, man! It's not that you lost 1/4 BTC, but you lost the golden opportunity to mine Bitcoin over the years following 2012.

I wonder how many others have thrown away such opportunities. 🤔

However, as BitcoinLovers always say, you (we) are still on time to stack some sats.

21 sats \ 1 reply \ @gmd 23 Feb

Thank you for your service 🫡

99 sats \ 0 replies \ @brandonsbytes OP 23 Feb

21 sats \ 1 reply \ @Fabs 23 Feb

Could've been much worse, still hurts, though.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @brandonsbytes OP 23 Feb

yeah, it doesn’t bother me. No reason to live in regret. But, as Bitcoin gets more and more valuable will I? I still think not. I’m not one to look back much.

21 sats \ 1 reply \ @justanumber 23 Feb

Man, that's tough but, like you say, it was a journey and everything you did lead you to where you are today. I don't have a story like that, as I didn't even get that far, but I have defining moments that I can think back to when I was super curious about bitcoin as a gen X, technologically challenged mother XD. But I got suuuper busy with the kids and everything life was throwing at me. I wish I'd acted much earlier on my curiosity and been less distracted with pointless crap but, like you, my journey got me and my family to where we are today.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @brandonsbytes OP 23 Feb

wherever you go, there you are. it’s funny how “fate” becomes so obvious as you get older because everything that happens truly seems inevitable. could things have been different? yes. but, they aren’t. and that’s what makes it fate.