If I were a cat
I'd only have one life left.
It killed me many times before, figuratively that is. Otherwise, how could I publish this if I were really dead. It reminds me of that one student who ruined Schrödinger his Quantum Mechanics lecture. (Now I'm probably going to mess up this thing about Quantum State too.) In his thought experiment there was something about a cat in a heavy metal box. And there was some other stuff that would kill the cat if it got out off its glass container. (Yes, I am horribly destroying the whole concept behind Schrödinger his brilliant scientific ideas.) Anyway to cut corners and make a long story short, the cat could be either dead or alive, at the same now.
The uncertainty principle idea of Quantum Mechanics would make it impossible to know if the cat is alive or dead until the box would be opened. Where the observer actually would make things happen, through observing. That could make one wonder what was there first, the observer or the Quantum State? (It is 7 in the morning, I'm still struggling with this concept.) After Schrödinger suggested this thought experiment to his students, one rose his finger. And asked: "What if the cat meowed?" That was a legitimate question, but it kind of ruined the point. Or maybe it helped to put the idea of Quantum State into the dustbin. Maybe Schrödinger should have proposed to use a Sloth in his thought experiment.
Somewhere in the ungraspable Quantum Essence there is a version of me making the right choices. His curiosity did not get the best of him, most of the time. If he were a cat he'd probably still have his 9 lives. Where as I'm down to one left. And yes, I even tried that 'secret' thing where I'm supposed to be able to manifest anything! Cost me at least one cat life, that. There's the link to the Quantum State idea. Just believe that something one wants is real and it will manifest itself! But, be aware, the Quantum Essence cannot be fooled, it knows what you are convinced about! Yuck, I really dislike being the observer in all of this.
Once in my young life I did make a promise not to be rich and to stay away from the ratrace world. To be as good as invisible, that was my goal. There were good reasons, at least to me they were at that age, to go through life wearing some sort of an invisibility cloak. That gave me many opportunities to let my curiosity guide me into experiences I otherwise would have missed out on. While guys of my age, at that time, would go on a bus trip for almost two days, to go to some 'De Mar' place in Spain, I would try to master programming a computer.
Also during that time I found out that, while working on electrical stuff, one should turn off the power. The combination of 220 Volts electricity and a shortcircuit caused by touch kind of feels unpleasant. Still, I lived to tell. So, somehow I actually have had a lot of luck. If guardian angels do exist then mine must have asked many times for a transfer. "Ow, come on, don't lay down in that hole and let yourself be covered in soil. The weight of that on your chest would make it almost impossible to breath. That little plastic pipe in your mouth won't help! For Pete's sake, somebody get him out off there!" Well, I was about 7 and somehow wanted to know what it was like. And I managed to convince my friends to bury me.
Once I repeated that bury thing, but then it was with bricks. (No, they were not thrown at me. although I have been stoned in my life a few times, it was more of a pleasant kind.) And while I come to think of it, not only was I close to acting like a complete idiot, my friends who made it possible apparently were not too bright either. Yes, I probably had a couple of Guardian Angels burned out before I got to 10 years of age. Well, imaginary ones, I know, it is a figure of speech. In other words I tried to challenge Karma, a lot. And somehow she still was kind to me. Mostly by letting me stay alive. So I can think about other stupid things I can do, just for the experience.
Curious as I still am, and boredom being my eternal enemy, I am always on the lookout for something interesting. While that might sound like a Chinese curse, wishing somebody an interesting life is not a nice thing in certain parts of the world, I live for that experience. And I guess somebody like Sūn Yǔchén (known maybe to you as Justin 'Steamy Tron' Sun) has gotten a pretty interesting life somehow. Mine recently led me to dive into stuff like: "Mining Bitcoin, without the needed resources!" Just doing so bu using a certain browser and it got even better when I got offered a free NFT. And that NFT would unlock free high speed BTC mining, for 3 days in a row!
Yes, I know, it is rubbish, but I just have to dig in those kind of things. My curiosity got a hold of me, this I needed to experience! Even while I read on the internet how this really was not a scam and I knew upfront it is. One thing that I already thought was strange was that the Satoshi Bitcoin I 'mined', just by using these 'honest' people their Browser, were separated from the ones I got using my free NFT. While those really kicked in, after 3 days I had enough to get payed out. Weirdly enough though, my same account had two separate 'mining' counters. The Browser one could have covered the transaction fees. And hey, I could add people too, using the 'mining' Browser, that would have me earn even more Satoshi BTC! Wow, that looks a lot like some kind of Multi Level Marketing, but without any real products to sell, as a cover up for a piramid scheme behind the scenes.
The smart mobile phone I was using for this is actually running the Komodo [KMD] Atomic DEX 24/7. And while it is doing that it does mine some Verus [VRS] coins. All of that while still not pulling more than about 4 WATT. Therefore it was quite easy to try this amazing (cough cough) no resources needed Bitcoin mining, by just using a tailor made browser. And yes, I had to get that NFT too, of course! Hey, I'm born and living in the Netherlands, so anything that has written GRATIS all over it, I grab it, just like that. Now, I know that mining Bitcoin without using resources is just a lot of shait coming from a bull. But I wanted to dive into this thing, see how it is being done. As it seems to be used by quite a lot op fellow human beings. Seems Bitcoin and Mining still are magical words that can enchant many.
Now the speed of Satoshi BTC getting added by just using the Browser, forget it. But, there is a solution! One can buy speed ups! 2x, 4x and 10x at a freaking discount, as it is close to Easter. But wait, there is more, you'll get a free NFT that unlocks 3 days of high speed mining! A 100K something speed, now if that aint gonna get me them Satoshi Bitcoin I don't know what will! In the meantime the Verus cents were slowly dripping in, while mining on 4 CPU cores. The other 4 were used by the rest of the software. And some Atomic Swaps wend through nicely. But look at that no resources using 'mining'. After 3 days that would be about 6 €uro worth of BTC.
There has to be a catch, right? If the 'no resources Bitcoin Mining' had not given it away already, then the NFT part not being able to use on the same account should. Or the 'add others' and get a part of their earnings. The extra speed multiplication one could buy. It almost shouts PONZI in ones face. But hey, I wanted the inside experience, so maybe you do not have to. And guess what, after 3 days of crazy NFT triggered resource free mining there was about 6 €uro worth of Satoshi BTC for me to pull out! Or was it? Ow come on, did you really think it was an honest deal...!?
Now, let me withdraw them Satoshi Bitcoin then! Something to play with on the AtomicDEX. There are some old Coins on there that are up for grabs. Ah, and there's the catch. First buy an NFT to release more 'mining power'. And they are far from being cheap. Not only did I have some useless Satoshi in the 'browser' part of my account, now I had some locked ones in the NFT area too. As if 'it' felt my doubt as to buy at least 10 €uro worth of a mere 20K 'power', lasting 30 days, I got presented a webpage that 'proved' this system really delivered. Of course I had a look at it and noticed the relatively tiny amounts being withdrawn.
Wait a minute, that does not make sense! How much are people paying for those expensive NFT contracts, just to get these tiny amounts out? Okay, as if I had not already came to understand how this is a clever setup Ponzi scheme. It would be interesting to watch a few of these Bitcoin addresses that 'won' them Satoshi BTC. There could be a lot going to the same wallet. But hey, maybe I'm acting way too sceptical here. Anyway it really looks like a clever setup scam. Starting with the special browser, where one can buy one time payed ever lasting speed ups. Then there's the NFT's, going way faster, but you'd have to pay a monthly price for that. And one cannot be combined with the other. In short, those who get in, paying, finance the ones getting Satoshi BTC out. And of course the ones who set this up make the most. It is set up pretty smart, but most scams are. And the really clever ones are difficult to call out on being a Ponzi, or a Multi Level Marketing scheme. But this one specifically is to me. (No, I will not advertise its name.)
There's a lot of things that I can lose myself in for a while. Also I'm bored very easily, while acting on impulse and thinking about it later. If something catches my attention as possibly interesting and manages to trigger excitement then I might even go in hyperfocus. That's were I leave behind the ratrace crazy world out there for a while to dive deep into the unknown. Probably as a cat losing another life while I'm at it. But adding another experience to my life of countless ones! Even those were I payed a lot, learning a valuable lesson, I do consider worth the experience.
Can I interest you in a fine amount of Fuji Coin? That one had a hint hidden in its name. When pronounced in a certain way Fuji sounds very close to the Netherish 'Foetsie', meaning something has disappeared. But I'll HODL them FJC for a wee big longer. Who knows what will happen next, maybe ask Schrödinger his cat? Bottom line might be that if one is not willing to take risks and to make mistakes along the way, then there can be no succes either.
Hm, wait, that is just crap to put on a tile and hang it in room 101. And I actually dislike those 'wise' statements. You know what, in life shait happens, you can bet on it, sometimes heaps of it will come ones way. In the meantime what one can maybe have a go at what might be fun or pleasurable. Or just to have another experience. Heck, some of it might even be worth repeating a few times, like having intercourse. And then there's Blockchains, Cryptocurrencies and Tokens that are either Fungible or not. Enough happening in that realm to lose oneself in more than once. And you could learn from my mistakes, or just go ahead and experience things like the wonderful Bitcoin mining without using resources yourself. Hah, those silly BTC mining farms burning GigaWatts of electricity!
Kidding aside though. If you must, better only invest what you are willing, and can effort, to lose.
Image of a Sloth, because of memories I made.'
This image is CC0 licensed.
