
#cryptointerview with $CRYPTO Wonder Woman @bitcoinmom
- How you started in $CRYPTO?
“Back in 2013, my husband, a retired currencies/futures trader, discovered bitcoin and gave me some for my bday. Down the rabbit hole I went. My 1st BTC transaction was a charity donation to @BitGive. “@bitcoinmom” was invented in Nov ’13 around the time of some US Congressional hearings about BTC, as a way to say, “Hey, not all bitcoiners are about buying drugs or porn.” It was when I saw my 1st @aantonop video that I really started to understand the breathtaking promise of this technology for the world. Soon after in 2014, we hosted a meetup at our home and invited Andreas, and we were all transfixed as we talked with him for hours on a freezing Chicago winter night by the fire in our living room. Magical.” - What else do you do to contribute to the $CRYPTO community?
“I’ve got a Ph.D. in literature/culture, which has given me a broader perspective on the historical significance of the crypto revolution. I’ve also done my best to understand bitcoin at a deeper technical level because I want to understand my investment as well as I can, and it’s just fascinating. I learned so much about cryptography and bitcoin by participating in @coin_artist’s crypto-art puzzles w/ the smartest hacker/solver team in the space. @Pamelawjd and I co-founded the Chicago Bitcoin and Open Blockchain community meetup, which now has >1000 members. I copyedited @aantonop’s book The Internet of Money, a collection of his transcribed talks. Since I don’t code, I’ve tried to support the project with whatever skills I can muster. We all have something to give to support bitcoin’s success.” - How do you explain $BTC/$CRYPTO to your kids?
“We’ve got 6 grown kids in a blended Brady-Bunch-type family, and they’ve all probably thought we were a little crazy with our bitcoin obsession over the years, although they’ve enjoyed our bitcoin-themed Christmas shopping sprees, fueled by Gyft cards. Luckily, one of them (who codes) truly caught the bug: our oldest, @JackMallers, has become a bitcoin developer and built a Lightning Network wallet called Zap that works great for LTC and soon will work for BTC.” - Whats more profitable in the long run trading or mining?
“Both can be very profitable, but I recommend just buying and holding BTC. I’ve never mined. And I’m really not much of a trader; I’m an investor. Mostly BTC, but also a little ETH/ETC, and LTC. My husband is the veteran trader, but I earned some serious cred in our family by participating in the ETH presale without telling him until recently, when I traded it back to BTC. He says it’s the best trade he’s ever seen :D As a devoted HODLer of BTC, I’m proud to say I’ve never sold any.” - #1 recommendation to $CRYPTO noobs?
“Listen to Mom: never ever invest more than you’re willing to lose. Ever.
Oh, and don’t store coins on an exchange if you aren’t actively trading them. And remember: if you don’t have your private keys, they’re not your coins.”
Nothing else to say than we need more moms and dads like Brooke.