Hi Steemers!
I'm Michael Kean, known locally by some as Mike the Computer Guy.
I'm self employed, running a small IT Consulting and Web Hosting business from my car, home and home office in a small town called Guyra in Australia.
I've been doing this since November 1997
So, what am I doing posting here?
Back in 2011 I first heard of Bitcoin on Steve Gibson's SecurityNow podcast, and grasped the concept. Living in a cold climate, I thought 'why not make a mining machine to keep the bedroom warm' - so bought a fancy video card and power supply , made a computer out of parts and set it to work.
(Above: Not exact computer, but same case.)
Over the next two years, it made 10 Bitcoin - a small fortune now, somewhat less back then.
Some bad misfortune then struck and my partner was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer; and over the following nine months we did some touring of Western Australia etc before the inevitable loss of mobility, and eventually the 18 hour death rattle.
Then came some travelling, some depression, etc. I took a year off work because basically I couldn't handle complex tasks for a while. Those who have lost a partner will know what I mean.
Anyway, Good news :) I found a new partner online in Ireland - a lovely Irish lass; and after some time set about importing her! We have since married and all is well.
Of course, all this cost money; and much of my savings and my Bitcoin collection was used at the time - so I'm more or less back at square one. But that said, those ten Bitcoin helped me:
- Get Caz to Australia
- Pay for wedding
- Help three family members out of tight financial spots
There are flow-on effects from all that too :)
- Several people given good care by Caz in nursing homes etc.
- Family members taken out of potentially life-threatening situations
- General improvement in life and outlook
So, I have a fair bit to thank Bitcoin and 'luck' for.
I carried on mining it for a while with a Prospero x1; but a few months ago a lightning strike near the windmill blew it up. The WiFI had stopped working much earlier, so unfortunately it was connected by Ethernet, making a tasty target for ADSL Lightning to Ground.
The recent sudden ascention of Bitcoin prices has brought my attention back to cryptocurrencies - and reading the 'concerned' posts on https://www.reddit.com/r/btc/ where they were discussing BIP 148 etc; I thought it's time to get back into the Crypto world.
After some research into Ethereum, though I'd try mining that; but after spending a day building a new rig, found that it's impossible with 1 and 2GB video cards now; so after a look around for any other viable alternative I was eventually able to set it to work mining (Zcoin)[https://zcash.flypool.org/miners/t1W1pBsaXuSoKddGuLbPkotprsz5awAsVPH]. (Zcash being like Bitcoin but with the option to have the transaction amounts hidden, and has jumped in 'value' rapidly recently, possibly providing a temporary asic-proof option for miners.)
It seems to be profitable at the moment, and once again it's winter so it's handy to have a slightly warmer room. I might try a newer card as an investment; but I'm still paying off the wedding so I have to decide is it better to pay the credit card or hope for better returns on my tiny Crypto remnants.
This has also led me to find Steem, and in particular eSteem which looks quite promising.
It wasn't long ago that I posted this on Facebook:
I was walking down the street when my Moto 360 buzzed - looked down and saw the above notification on it. I though 'yeah so? It's not my job to keep you entertained.'
Recently I heard Steem mentioned on some random YouTube video while I was doing other things, and then again on an episode of TWiT while I was in the shower.
So, here I am. Checking out what's new. I'm still a bit puzzled exactly as to how people are rewarded money for posts - I think it's because they are effectively given shares in the Steem blockchain pool which is deflationary similar to Bitcoin and thus likely to appreciate relative to fiat currencies - but it still feels like it's pulling money out of nowhere when looked at as a 'closed system'
Anyway, I've had a play with the eSteem app, and posted a couple of n00b comments; but I'm starting to see the potential now. If the author of eSteem can get the performance optimised so it doesn't jump about when scrolling, and can find a way to load a long comment chain without freezing for over 30 seconds then I think it's in for a real chance at competing with Facebook. Hopefully he can learn some tips from apps like "Reddit Is Fun" which only downloads media as they approach the scrolled area. I've no idea what the API is in the background however, so it might be a limitation of Steemit as well.
I feel it's vitally important that Steem works well on Mobile to attract a large audience. The web version is quite temperamental in Chrome on Android, with the text entry area occasionally going blank, and the tags section whinging because keyboards like to capitalise the first letter.
As for myself? I'll keep posting here randomly with thoughts, stories, etc. This is an interesting new world, somewhere between Facebook, Blogging and Reddit; and hopefully with less negativity than those three can attract. Feel free to ask questions :)
thanks for sharing due.. its inspiring me.. welcome to steemit.. :)
You're welcome :)
.
Thanks :)
Yeah. You can do a lot with just a laptop and an inverter.
Years ago I had a 12 volt monitor that went on the glove box lid so I could repair a PC in there if I had to.
Sometimes I think I would like to get a van, but I have two offices now so that'll do.
Hi! We are @valhalla-hash nice to meet you. We like to welcome you to the amazing awesome steemit! You will definitely LOVE IT.
Following link may help you to get started:
New Users Guide: https://steemit.com/welcome
IF you find this useful feel free to up vote, or every follower is highly appreciated.
Enjoy your steemit ride!
Welcome to steemit! :)
Upvoted!
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