The Crypto Quest

Mining can get incredibly confusing to dive straight into, so like many things, let's hope to simplify it. Ethereum (ETH) is one of the top currencies to mine with ram-heavy GPUs. Put your card in on whattomine.com and see what coins are most efficient for you to mine. All my cards mine ETH efficiently, so that's what I've gained the most experience in (using Windows 10). For reference, I am currently using an Rx570 4-Gig and 1050-Ti. If you need a refresher on some mining terms, visit my blog post Crypto Cheat Sheet . For this guide, we're going to use Claymore's Dual Miner with reasons being: it's easy to begin, can be customizable when you're ready to get advanced, mines both Nvidia and AMD (even mixed), has a low fee, transparent, updated, and it can mine two types of coins at once without much detriment to the ETH hash rate. This is also going to be for pool mining instead of solo mining with the reason being that if you're just getting in

So you're getting into crypto and you've heard a few stories about people getting hacked like this guy who lost it all over a used hardware wallet or if you've heard about the Australian man who lost 14 BTC linked below. So I've compiled a list of some things you can do to keep your crypto safe! Remember that in many cases, all someone needs to take your investments away is just a private key. If you're unsure about private keys and other terms, I also wrote a beginner's vocab guide for this . The list below covers things that can help keep anyone more safe and secure, but of course does not cover every unique situation. Make sure your operating system and security software are up to date Just thought I should throw that out there if it wasn't obvious. 2FA - 2-Factor Authentication. This is by far one of the easiest and best ways to secure your accounts on many platforms. 2FA sends a code to another device (usually your phone) that you need to use

For those who watched Blues Clues, here's your Handy-Dandy Notebook! (Cheat sheet) Getting into the world of Bitcoin cryptocurrency ("crypto" for short) can be very confusing, especially considering many of the terms are crosses between technology, cryptography, stocks, and finances. Here's an easy cheat-sheet that will be updated over time that you can always reference back to until you can use the terms in everyday sentences! General: Cryptocurrency : The Magical Internet Money as a whole! Cryptographically structured with blockchain technology. Cryptography : The art of encryption. Blockchain : The technology of a digital ledger that records transactions. It is transparent and unchangeable. Decentralized : The idea that instead of having a central bank or system that one group controls, computers all around the world build and confirm a public blockchain. Altcoin : (Currently) Any cryptocurrency that is not Bitcoin. Wallet : Like a physical wall

Passive income! Beer money! Honestly I've probably already mentioned something about this IRL so does it need a huge intro? These have been confirmed (by a colleague) to have active payouts. I'm still waiting to hit the threshold on most to cash out (as of Jan 2018) Also for many of these, be wary that they may not have secure connections (https) and can be spammy with ads. Let's be honest though, if you use the internet often enough to be successful with this, then you know how to deal with popups. Security Tips: use an old computer or laptop (laptops use less power) and wipe it of any confidential information. A fresh OS install would be best. If you don't have access to this, always use InPrivate (or whatever variant) browsing. Make or use an old/spare email address as you will get spam email . Lastly, make a password (or multiple with a mnemonic) you haven't used anywhere else so you're not giving out your actual password to these semi-sketchy sites. Al

Where do you actually have crypto? Where is it held and how does it move? The answer is Wallets! Here we'll explore the different types of wallets and how to make some. Remember from the cheat sheet I posted that a crypto wallet is similar to a physical wallet in that it holds your currency, but unlike a physical wallet that can hold multiple currencies all at once, Cryptocurrency wallets can only hold the currency they are designed for. If you send coins the wallet can not take, they are gone forever . For example, if you try to send Bitcoin to an Ethereum wallet, the coins will go into the abyss. There are several different styles of wallets with their own individual pros and cons. Also from the cheat sheet, I go over public and private keys and addresses, make sure you understand those (especially private keys) before tackling wallets! It's also a good habit to practice sending small amounts with new wallets until you get the hang of it. To start, wallets are d

Today I'm going to show you what a friend taught me about how to use some easy tools to buy Bitcoin and some altcoins WITH NO FEES! You're probably already using most of these tools anyways! At this point, you should at least be familiar with wallets, addresses, and exchanges. If not, Check out my blog post on Crypto Vocab Basics to get familiar. Until then, you begin the process with Coinbase, the most popular Bitcoin exchange. If you're not already on Coinbase, they have a free Bitcoin incentive if you use this link! This is just a referral link that will support us both with $10 in bonus Bitcoin when you spend your first $100 (instant 10% return), and to let me know that you appreciate learning the fee-free way of doing things! Probably a good time for a note: ALWAYS check the URL when you click on a link and make sure that you are securely connected with "https://" in the address bar. Get some practice making sure everything is accurate! For more sec