This is a thread for Ergonauts to catch up with each other. Any topic is accepted including Ergonaut drama (cough COMET), the cryptosphere, personal life, mining, etc.
I want a place for like-minded people to have friendly (or not-so-friendly) chats.
Not really. I bought a Vii and a couple of Vegas and they have been gathering dust for a bit. Iāll get them into the new rig at some pointā¦
Life has been crazy busy: somewhat rewarding, but totally scattered, smothered, covered, and chunked.
Iām keeping a lazy eye on all the market drama as Ethereum approaches the āmergeā and Cardano approaches the Vasil hard fork. Ethereans trying to implement a deliberately centralized, custodial staking system, with high fees and demonstrated weakness in the face of censorship and sanctions.
How are you? Still on the other side of the globe?
Excellent.
I like that the masks are there on some, but not on others. And such a range of ages.
Will you stay there long, or will you keep moving?
I have 16 GPUās. If I get many more, Iāll need to put more careful thought into my electrical arrangements and cooling. Iām waiting until after the Ethereum miner diaspora settles down to decide how to play it. Not sure I want to be a pro-minerā¦ more of a hobbyist.
Cheers.
16 GPUs is already pro-miner status for some people. If you were selling daily, would you be running a profit at the moment? Thereās a local ETH miner here, but I donāt know how heās in profit at $0.25/kWhā¦ Unless heās getting free electricity.
Ah yes, the masks. Cambodia has a low usage rate compared to other SE Asia countries. Thatās part of the reason I am going to stay here and not keep moving.
I always reach out to new clients by admitting that I donāt know what Iām doing. I am never a pro, because I would get bored before that happens. If they want an engineer, they should pony up the cash and hire one. If they want a quick solution, Iām the guy.
I am, however, an old hand with an old soul. Keeping a few gpuās running is no big deal, and I can do it while juggling my many other pursuits. I donāt have the time to focus on optimizing the system. I think I mentioned that I have kids that eat like goats, and I have many other interests besides Ergo.
As for profitability, yes if I externalize the costs. They are profitable in terms of cashflow per energy consumed. But I am beginning to suspect that we are about to witness a massive wailing and gnashing of teeth in the mining industry. Another reason I avoid going pro.
I chose to bet $10k on crypto about a year ago. I mostly bought mining equipment over several months, sniping ābargainsā instead of just buying coins. I started in earnest in January of this year, I guess, after the holidays. I am definitely not profitable overall, nevermind the electricity costs. But I donāt care about the dollars. That money is gone, and now I am in the game it payed for. That is what separates speculative investments from actual work.
If I wanted to work on Ergo, I would pick up a shovel and do the real job. But I canāt yet do that, so I do what I can. I look at the GPUās as very productive employees that require almost no direction or correction.
I have been to Pakistan, but never east of that. I too am curtailing my travels due to the tensions in the world, including covid. The current is very swift now.
Check it out, looks like the Russians are taking over after the merge:
Yowsers, thatās a lot of hashrate. This is awesome.
ETA:
Difficulty just spiked to 16PH, and I am now losing money. Yay!
I got a line on some cheap watts thoughā¦ time to up my game.
Iām thinking a lot of the new miners are gonna be converting straight to bitcoin via 2miners, and that will exert downward price pressure unless the house there decides to hodl erg at the expense of btc. Today was a down day, and I am eagerly awaiting tomorrowās price action and community banter on reddit and twitter.
What a time. Thanks Vitalik.
Well, @bigoogawoogla it seems that we have arrived at a new normal.
We now have more than twice the hashrate, lots of critics, lots of engagement, increasing wallets at most price levels, and yet the price action is negative. Hell, even the juggernaut of ergonauts Charles Hoskinson has joined and dipshits keep selling.
I gotta say, as a newbie, this might be the best year ever (my second). I mean, massive drama changing the battlefield, and yet calm building and advancement on multiple fronts.
This is good theater for those that understand. We are all witnessing and participating in the unfolding of the next major change in world systems, at the same time that the old world system is folding under the weight of itās malinvestment along various fault lines.
Truly a magic time to be alive if we stay focused and push for what is right. In the end, modernity needs us, so they can either agree or argue over resources that are only scarce due to their lack of imagination, and our collective lack of trust in each other.
What are the fault lines of malinvestment?
It does seem like an ideal time to be/become an Ergonaut from an investment standpoint. Development is churning up a robust community and dApp ecosystem. As Iām continuing my travels I have the feeling that every $1 I spend is perhaps much more than that in the longrun.
Donāt be too nervous about curtailing travel due to Covid/world events! Most of the world is back to a ānew normalā (I shiver writing this). Prices are lower, and places are less crowded than usual. As for safety, I think now is just as safe/unsafe as usual. Not to mention, as Americans we tend to be quite safe. As unhelpful as our embassies are, they do protect citizens abroad. Iāve been through enough foreign government bureaucracies to see how citizens of weaker nations are treated comparatively. One memory that stands out is when I allegedly overstayed a visa in SA. There was an Argentinian next to me who was also accused of overstaying his visa. The emigration office reamed the Argentinian to force a detailed explanation for his overstaying. Eventually he was led away to a back room and I didnāt see him again in the airport terminal. For me I just said I had covid and couldnāt book a flight on an earlier day. The emigration officer didnāt ask for more information, and simply brought my passport to the same office the Argentinian was escorted to. He came back a minute later with an exit stamp and wished me a safe flight. If you are really worried about safety, just keep the embassy phone number on your mobile and get a local sim card. Supposedly if your life is in immediate danger the embassy will send someone to your location. Supposedlyā¦ Donāt take my word for it 
Oh, Iām not worried about the governmentsā¦ they love tourists. I had been thinking about going on a tour of Eastern Europe next year, but the situation there gives me pause.
There are many fault lines of malinvestment in an economic system based on proof of war. The ones that the Russians and Germans are witnessing right now, having invested heavily on their interdependence. The ones that the Chinese are witnessing right now in their real estate sector, or their dependence on chips and tech they can no longer source easily. And letās not forget the Americans and our yearly budget for āNational Defenseāā¦ malinvestment, unless you think the behavior of the others was inevitable.
Those are the big ones, but there are many others. Brazil is really feeling the pinch on fertilizer and fuel costs, as are most of the African and middle eastern states. Dollar is a wrecking ball right now, but that will come roaring back again in time. If I were a younger man, less encumbered, I would agree that now is an excellent time to travel the world and seek opportunity.
ETA, some Sunday morning music: Blue Boat Home - YouTube
Hey man been a while. Iām back from traveling and thought Iād stop in here to say hi. I read your ideas for mining with a gaming console. If we ever get to the point of easy-setup mining on an XBOX or PS, mass adoption of ERG would be inevitable 
Iāve just been back in my home state for a couple weeks. Spending days at my new office job and evenings on walks with an old friend.
I feel myself living in a small ethnic tribe. The community is curious and welcoming. The old women bow and ask me if I am comfortable when we meet on the dirt roads connecting to other villages. The local English teacher wants me to live with his family and teach at the community school. The dating scene isnāt bad either. Local parents came to me to ask if I am married, they were eager to introduce me to their daughters when they found out I am single.
Man, I found the garden and now Iām back sitting at a fucking desk. My boss is excited to teach me but I donāt care. My mind is still in a far away land where Iām respected and part of a happy community. I donāt see my future in America. To me it feels like a corporation where everyone is siloed into their group and I can never be good enough.
How are things with you?
Things are good, but I have too many of them! We are trapped by our possessions, and might be better off without them. I tend towards fixer-up-erās, so I have mostly myself to blameā¦ but that doesnāt stop me from blaming everyone around me when they break my concentration. My latest project is a 27ft RV with a V-10 engine and a bunch of systems that need upgrading. Name is Mongo.
Your boss sounds cool enough, if theyāre ready to teach - learning scratches the deepest itch. Our ignorance is the sea, and our knowledge is an island with beautiful beaches. If I were you, Iād focus on that for now and save your money for a happier future.
Iām in the NC piedmont, where are you? If itās up north, donāt rule out seasonal affective disorder!
If you want community in America, you have to make it. If you are anything like me, you will have to find a group of people already doing that. Church is an obvious start, until you realize that many of them are concentrated evil. Iāll put in a plug for the UU, if like me you are āspiritual but not religiousā. The nature of American life tends towards disassociation and cocooning; you must resist.
Thanks for keeping up this thread. If you live in the lower 48, maybe me and Mongo can arrange a visit someday.
ETA: Realistic Clock, what is your story? How did you come to the Ergo Platform?
Iāve given up on building a new community in America. Iām on the soft grind. Iām here to mine fiat and convert it into ERG. March ~6, 2024 BTC halving. Once the markets recover Iām outta here.
America is such a big, complicated beast to appreciate and be from. Speaking of which, yeah Iām from Alaska. Not really āAmericaā. Tell me if you plan to drive near the Chugach Mountains. No plans on my part to venture to the lower 48.
Back to the grind for me. Office job and investing into ERG, waiting to leave back to the real world. Day dreaming about my last dance with a hill tribe.
Tbh kind of forgot how I found myself here. At the start was mostly a fly on the wall, still am to some degree as its kind of in my nature (reserved personality). Happy I did find Ergo, seems to be a fair amount of genuine people around here.
I really enjoy reading both of your discussions and kind of just taking things in.
Hopefully the soft grind works out bigoogawoogla!
Aside: Going to leave this as a reminder to myself, want to be able to play this on the piano one day: Sheet Music for Walt
Awesome. We have such a wide range of people and talents here.
Unfortunately it seems like a bit of a sausage party, but that is typical when you are off the map.
I miss hearing from the legendary @JennieD since I left Twitter. Such a positive person, always coxing and cajoling interest in Ergo.
I think the soft grind will work, but if @bigoogawoogla aināt mining, then it aināt a hard grind!
I wish I played an instrument, and I would definitely choose a horn if I could do my life over. Hugh Masekela is my favorite. So bold and committed, so able to express his emotions through his instrument. Piano seems more intricate and refined, like being next to the heart of musical strategy. But I like tactics.
Do you write code besides sheet music?
@Grayman @RealisticClock
Are you guys putting money into any of the new projects on Ergo? Iāve been looking at SPF and QUACKS. Spectrum Finance (SPF) seems overvalued at $50 million, Duckpools.io (QUACKS) Iām not sure about. Market cap is $2 million but the service it will provide could be quite valuable in the future. The ability to lend out your ERG and earn passive interestā¦
Hmmmm. So far I have avoided DeFi entirely.
I donāt have anything against it in principle, but thatās not why Iām here.
I did buy a couple of NFTās that I like, but that is the extent of my degeneracy. Mostly I did that to support the artist, whoās video productions are available here:
Oh no, Iāve outed myself as a degen, hahahaha 
I have been thinking about the unlikely intersection of art and finance in the cryptosphere. Crypto provides a platform for connecting different minds to commons goals. Even just within Ergo there is a booming NFT market. The video you linked is another good example. I just rewatched that last week and had a sense of community āwealthā. Someone with a very refined talent for video production felt a connection to Ergo and made us that video (and the part 2, in case you havenāt seen itā¦).
I was leafing through a Stephen King book once, and read a note from the author justifying why the book is so damn long. According to Stephen King, his editors tried to cut the book size in half because 50% of the content was details that didnāt affect the conclusion of the story. Stephenās rebuttal was that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. I think this is something weāll continue to see at Ergo as we focus on open-source development.
Here is an OG example of before crypto brought finance and art together. Can you guess which project this was the original logo for?
Anyways, yeah I guess you kinda called me out for being a degen. Iām an Ergonaut, but Iām also looking to turn a profit. I think Ergoās principled approach makes it a sustainable investment, but I wouldnāt be here talking to you on this forum if I didnāt like the vision of our community.
Speaking of the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, what the heck gives a token or a coin its market cap? I get that itās the market price determined by buyers and sellers, but how are people determining the price they think they should sell at? Iāve been buying ERG all the way down from ~$16. Never sold any. Itās always felt like a good price to hold at. I guess I should set an arbitrary sell point? I have a goal for the amount of fiat I want me portfolio to be worth before I go back to traveling. Do I just set my sell point at exactly when that goals is achieved? This would have the advantage of the sell point decreasing every month as I accumulate more ERGā¦
sigh-> My goal with investing is to make money a non-factor in my deciding how to live life. Alas, to live free of money I have to think about money.
How are the kids? It seems weāre on opposite sides of the journey.
Good day Sir, may I ask where in China you have been? Coincidentally in the province of Shaanxi? Small village communities always have been a delight when I was there, especially with relatives that introduced me to all the townsfolk.
I know a miner and community contributor that resides in Alaska as well. Maybe you two are not far from each other. Perhaps he is you if youāre into fitness, pets and aviation ^^
DCA in, DCA out. Whatever your price is, spread the risk. Much less of a burden psychologically.
@zuli Are you familiar with Yunnan province? I have not been to Shaanxi, although my buddy married a girl from near the terracotta army.
Where there is 1 Alaska there is always another 
