Bitcoin Black Friday was introduced in 2012 as a way for Bitcoiners to hack the holiday of capitalist consumerism and spread their favorite technology as a payment killing tool, and encourage merchant adoption. Thousands of retailers have participated by providing discounts to consumers who pay in BTC, however, in 2017 the celebration fizzled when the Bitcoin ecosystem became entangled in disputes about block size and Bitcoin for payments became conflated with concerns about scaling.
Being a Bitcoiner is as easy as owning any BTC number, and that is it. But when you go further and further down the rabbit hole, you’re going to see how much more this innovative technology has to bring, and you’re going to be keen to get your hands on something that can benefit you succeed with Bitcoin. There are so many cool products and services out there that improve the experience of using Bitcoin in many ways, that you can never see this magic internet money the same way again.
In order to help both fresh and experienced Bitcoiners complete their BTC gear collections, we have assembled the list below to help you engage more fully in the Bitcoin network, better secure your BTC HODLings, and overall become a better Bitcoiner.
- Hardware Wallets
Hardware wallets are totally necessary for any Bitcoiner, with no exceptions. Why? Why? And it’s a tragedy waiting to happen if you keep your coins on an exchange where you don’t monitor your own keys. If you don’t hold your private keys, someone else does, and you just don’t own those coins.
Assert your financial supremacy by having a hardware wallet for which you are managing the keys and therefore the coins. The other advantages of keeping a hardware wallet include security from hackers and some personal responsibility lessons.
2. Full Node In A Box
After you get a hardware wallet, having a complete node is an absolute must, so you can use it together. If you have a complete node connected to your hardware wallet, you can search yourself for anything that goes in and out of your wallet, without ever having to trust someone else to do it for you. Anyone with a complete node can verify BTC‘s accurate supply at any given time, which isn’t possible for some other cryptocurrencies. You do the percentages, you do the calculations.
Bitcoin is a living entity and the heartbeat of the node is its. The more nodes that exist, the stronger and more robust the network becomes. The inexpensiveness of running a full node is crucial to allow the network to communicate with everyone and everything. Everyone is on a level playing field.
There are packages out there that contain everything you need to run a complete node, including a complete version of the Bitcoin blockchain, everything in one box to date.
3. Books
Knowledge is power, and reading is one of the best ways of acquiring information about Bitcoin. Reading helps you see things from a different viewpoint and make better choices for yourself based on the experience you have learned. It is the little stuff — like reading vs. watching television — that distinguish the winners and the losers in life. Don’t get picked on the wrong side.
Learning about Bitcoin through the right books is completely vital to your education as you can’t rely on conventional schooling approaches to educate you about such a modern and innovative technique. Schools tend to push Keynesian garbage down the throats of students and seldom teach the concepts of Austrian economics behind Bitcoin. Governments and mainstream news outlets will bash Bitcoin every chance they get, so always DYOR.
4. VPNs
Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) offer protection and privacy where you may not have felt it was important beforehand. VPNs give you the upper hand over hackers or government surveillance because your VPN makes sure your location is confidential, all your data is encrypted and you can anonymously search the internet.
Say you’re out and about using public WiFi or even using their internet connexion at a friend’s place. Hackers will go all of Paul Krause on you and steal all the data that you need to have. VPNs shield you from these hackers, while surfing the internet, giving you peace of mind.
5. Headphones
You’ll find yourself listening to A Ton of podcasts as a Bitcoiner. Listening to Bitcoin podcasts has many advantages, such as: staying up-to-date with the latest news, learning new technology stuff, and getting to know other Bitcoiners better. There are so many awesome pods out there that you’ll find yourself fitting into your everyday routine as many episodes as possible.
Investing in a nice pair of headphones will create more fun and enjoyable experience listening to podcasts. With high-quality, comfortable, and clear-sounding headphones you can find yourself processing more information compared to low-quality, uncomfortable ones. And flippant sounding headphones.
These are five products typically owned by Bitcoiners, and many are now unable to function without them. Any of these items can be essential to one’s financial autonomy, education, and privacy when combined with Bitcoin.
