It’s pretty much been a year since I’ve posted. Right on brand!
Low Tech Magazine – I love the tone: “Doubts on progress and technology”.
CryptoTab – This reminds me of those late 90’s early 00’s “pay to surf” schemes for which I absolutely never built automated tools to exploit.
I wish there was an app… – A live feed of human app despair. Let me try it: “I wish there was an app that will blog reliably for me.”
ShadyURL – Don’t just shorten your URL, make it suspicious and frightening. I’ll admit I laughed to the point of tears when I found this. *chef’s kiss*
Mighty – Stream your browser to reduce memory and increase speed on low end devices. I had to “request access” and if granted will post a review. I’m intrigued as I’ve dabbled in game streaming.
ThisWordDoesNotExist.com – The name says it all. You might want to consult the Urban Dictionary before casually using anything “made up” IRL.
VRcompare – Compare VR headsets before you buy an Oculus.
mmm.page – A fun, visual, drag-and-drop website builder for people looking to build unique websites.
Fluid Paint – I’m not sure what this is for, but it’s cool and oddly satisfying.
Another month has passed, and my link collection grows. I’ve started Tweeting long-form articles I read, which will leave the links I share here for tools, services and other neat websites.
List of best-selling game consoles – It’s not mystery what the top console is (PlayStation 2: 155 million) but the rest of the list might surprise you.
QR Code Feedback Creator – I like the simplicity of this tool for gathering feedback using QR codes. Now, if only one of my clients would be interested!
UniFi Dream Machine – UniFi devices have their fans, and haters. I almost pulled the trigger on this router when Comcast instituted data caps in my region due to it’s ability to throttle individual devices and robust reporting.
GlassWire – In related news, when I was playing bandwidth wack-a-mole, I needed software to track and report on usage. GlassWire has a simple, modern UI, and is free (nagware).
Web Scraping 101 with Python – I probably saved this because I thought “this will come in use … some day”. So here I am, posting it to my “online brain” for later.
Sundayy – Weekly social media – or something like that. I like the idea, appreciate the effort but doubt this will go anywhere. The journaling crowd probably loves it.
Take time each day to reflect intentionally and slow down
Once you reflect go live your life, there are no feeds to check
Reflections are revealed once a week on Sunday
See your friends’ week as they lived it, in their own words
Sundayy App
BOINC – Using your computing power to search for aliens? So 1990’s. Using your GPU power to mine crypto? Lame! Donating your computing power to science? Now that is something worth doing in 2021 – at least if your electricity is clean!
After a month-long foray into power intensive GPU cryptomining I had a minor crisis of conscious and embarked on a quest for a more environmentally ethical cryptocurrency.
My journey actually began with Chia Network, a blockchain network created by BitTorrent creator Bram Cohen. However I soon realized after researching more, that I had far too little HDD storage space to allow for any reasonable return.
BTDex Home Page – I still don’t know what a DEX solution is.
BTDEX was recommended as the all-in-one solution for beginner miners, and that’s where I started. There’s versions for Windows, Linux and Mac.
Hardware
I chose a spare Toshiba laptop running Windows 8 (don’t ask) with 0.49 TiB or roughly 538 GB of HDD space. Not a lot in the modern world of storage but enough to dabble and that’s all I need.
Set Up
BTDEX Software Mining Tab – I know what *some* of this means.
Installation was a breeze, although the software requires Java which I’m not thrilled about.
The process begins with plotting or allocating space on your HD for use by the network. I chose the pre-calculated amount (which I confirmed was appropriate) however I found the interface to be confusing, and still find myself stumbling around, helped only by my experience with other mining software.
Plotting takes significant time, based on several factors but mostly the overall performance capability of your computing device. With my Intel i5-3337U 1.8 GHz CPU and 8 GB of RAM, plotting 0.49 TiB took almost 20 hours, which was actually impressive because my first attempt used the “low priority” setting and the time estimate was 10x as long.
Mining
Once my plotting was complete, and I joined a Mining Pool (which requires a small BURST fee), I was able to start mining.
Built into BTDEX is a handy calculator which informed me I would earn approximately 0.13 BURST per day with my single plot. Certainly not enough to be considered “profitable”, but that’s not my goal here and this is my first (smallish) plot so I wasn’t expecting much.
Once I can stake, or “commit” some BURST, my mining returns will increase.
Community
Burstcoin on Reddit – Although if you want live action use Discord (links below)
I have to say I’m rather impressed by the Burstcoin community. Shortly after I published this blog post and promoted it on Twitter, I started receiving a small flood of likes and retweets from other Burstcoin enthusiasts.
When I replied to one asking for some help with my initial plot, they directed me to Discord where I found even more community members willing and able to help me quickly!
Links
Super helpful was jjos both on Discord, and with this helpful article he wrote on how to mine Burstcoin with BTDEX.
As I make progress (or not) with Burstcoin mining I will post updates here and may possibly publish a follow-up article on how to run a node, which is another way to earn Burstcoin. Stay tuned!
Please Note: As an affiliate of BetterHash, I earn from qualifying purchases.
I will freely admit it; I’ve been bitten by the crypto bug which turned into a raging crypto mining infection (mother nature please forgive me). I started my journey with Minerstat, then ventured into NiceHash land, which led me to BetterHash.
I’ve been dabbling in all 3 for the last 3 or 4 weeks and it’s been a helluva ride. With crypto prices surging and waning seemingly daily. Influenced by the fiscal policies of China and the whims and tweets of Elon Musk. The experience of crypto mining has been a range of emotions typically ending in self-loathing and doubt.
Enough with the blithering, you came to read about BetterHash and that’s what I’ll deliver!
BetterHash is Easy
Similar to NiceHash, although in my opinion slightly easier, BetterHash is a great way to dip into the crypto mining world. Install the software, run the benchmarks and start mining with your CPU and GPU. What you earn is converted into BTC and deposited into your account of choice (more on that later)
BetterHash Miner Activity Page Showing Hashrates and Revenue Estimates
Hashrate is Good
Hashrates for BetterHash are on par with Minerstat, and NiceHash.
Typical Anti-Virus Drama
As with all miners, you’ll need to tell your anti-virus to calm down (see the FAQ) Disabling your AV only works as a temporary solution so take the time to add exceptions.
BetterHash General Info Screen showing Confirmed and Estimated Income
Interface is Clean and Practical
Lacking some of the polish of NiceHash, I actually like the UI of BetterHash as it feels like the software I’ve used for the last 20 years. The defaults are nice, as they hide the mining command-prompt windows, and BetterHash nicely minimizes to the system tray and starts up with Windows.
Scheduling is Easy
BetterHash has easy scheduling (just click time blocks), which is great for running your mining rig at night (when it’s cooler), or during off hours.
Website is Decent
The BetterHash website is decent, although like all crypto mining websites I think they could do a better job of explaining how the financials work and some of the interfaces are a bit hard to find.
BetterHash Reddit Community is Small, Very Small.
Small Community
Compared to NiceHash the BetterHash community (measured by Reddit subs) seems small. This worries me, as I hope there’s enough action to keep the developers interested.
Profit Switching Supported
I have not tried it yet.
BetterHash BTC Transfer Website Interface Showing Free Coinbase Transfer
Free Transfers to Coinbase
This is an important part of any review as you should have a clear understanding of the fees involved in moving your crypto. While most services will allow you to buy and use with no fees, once you want to withdraw or transfer your money there are typically fees involved. Two things you should determine; The minimum withdrawal amount, and the fees. BetterHash has a minimum withdrawal amount of 0.0010 BTC, and charges a fee of 0.0002 BTC. However, they claim (I haven’t verified) that transfers to Coinbase wallets are free (see screenshot above)
