They say hindsight is a wonderful thing. Well, easier said than done, more like. I got into crypto currencies back in 2014, just before the next big "boom" cycle was about to hit. I'd also like to say I've pretty much seen it all when it comes to the good and the bad times, in this game. Although I do admittedly keep drifting back to more of the bad, seeing as how magnitudinal some of those opportunities and disappointments presented to me were, back then. So here are my top 3, in no particular order really, of some major cock-ups I've been through whilst involved in this "wild west" of a space.
1: The Ethereum DAO:
Funnily enough, I didn't actually buy any DAO tokens. Oh no, the problem was a little different but just as frustrating. I literally witnessed first-hand the entire collapse of the project that fateful day via Poloniex. And because of it, I clearly remember seeing Ethereumdive from a staggering $12 all the way down to $2. Now, back then Poloniex still had the chat channel called Trollbox in full effect. The name has it spot on as almost everyone was saying Ethereum was now dead and we should all just stay away. So, thinking this was sound advice and best to just sit and wait, I inadvertently watched the opportunity of a lifetime slip away forever.
2: Ripple:
You know Ripple, right? That so-called "bankers" coin? The one nobody should touch because it goes against everything us libertarians stand for and just supports the evil powers-that-be? Well, in 2014, I bought 500,000 of them before discovering this amazingly useful information. But being new to the space and realizing the error of my ways, I quickly offloaded back to fiat, still biding my time for a "proper" currency to invest in. Thank God for those guys helping me out of getting involved in a project that goes against "crypto decentralization" as well as everything else "good" in this space. Fast forward a few weeks later and the bull run began...
3. Suckered In:
Not too long ago actually, I discovered an up-and-coming crypto-based project called Titanium. Everything looked legit and so I decided to throw one whole Bitcoin at it. You know, if you're gonna venture into such an incredible project like Titanium, you might as well go full-on mental, right? Well, the first few signs of worry occurred when the website ICO page failed to update after it had concluded. Shortly after, the man behind it all, Michael Stollaire, went AWOL. The next piece of info hurled my way? Titanium turned out to be a scam and he'd just run off with millions of dollars... Including my damn Bitcoin.
Well, these are a few stories that I'm sure at least some of you can relate to, in some form or another. As time passes, I suppose you "can" eventually look back and laugh. Although at the time, it feels like the end of the world. But such is the space we've all chosen to be a part of. Crpyto is anarchy. And if it's a shake-up we want, it's a shake-up we're damn well gonna get! Sometimes, not exactly how we'd want it to be though.
