Taking self-custody of bitcoin for the first time is a powerful feeling. Bitcoin has a strong component of self-responsibility. And equally as powerful for myself, was after the hardware backups had been cloned and all, I memorized my seed, binding the bitcoin to my person. To know that my money, the bearer assurance of which, in the absence of hardware, exists nowhere but as knowledge inside my head...sci-fi-esque, damn under-appreciated too. Some are quick to point out head injuries and other wildcards, but they may be suffering a head injury of their own, forgetting as I said in sentence three, that the backups are there. Probably, 99% of people don't lose access to their bitcoin from head injuries, but 99% wouldn't have lost access to their bitcoin if they'd memorized their seed, like dumpster boy, still digging for that hard-drive. So the grasshopper attack...
A grasshopper, according to the National Bartenders Association, is 1 ounce green crème de menthe, 1 ounce white crème de cacao, and 2 ounces of heavy cream. Is alcohol and drunkenness a danger for people that commit their seed to memory? Or are drugs for that matter? Could it maliciously, subconsciously, drunkenly, be massaged from your cortex? Bitcoin has a strong component of self-responsibility. I quit drinking because I memorized my seed.
The bigger danger is likely telling people, IRL, that you memorized your seed.
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Yes. I view seed binding as an excellent exercise in stoicism — focus on the things within your control, preparing for challenges, discipline, and all that.
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You put yourself more at risk of a 5 dollar wrench if you memorize your seed, so you'll need to be very careful with your opsec.
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This is why I have a wrench seed; it's the same seed using a different passphrase, with a small amount of coin. No extra memorization requirements, the passphrase is generic. Also, this is the seed my hardware wallets open to when the duress or security PIN is entered on them. As well, my loved ones have this same wrench seed set as a watch-only wallet on their phones, so in the event any bitcoin is sent from it, it likely means I'm in trouble, and they'll be notified in a decentralized way that timestamps the event. I like my security in a feedback loop.
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I far more fear the Tequila shots attack.
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unexpected twist, congrats
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This is just an excuse for not memorizing my seeds, but if reading minds is ever possible, or is already possible, the government / deep state will be the first to know how to do it, and there’s no way they decide to let us know that they do
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Yes, Inception style. In that case, nothing is indeed safe. Probably not in our lifetimes, but we'll have to innovate around it. I've always said Inception is going to age well.
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Memory is fallible, I wouldn't trust it for long term. Short term, Yes, get you over the border or something like that but in the long term I mean 20 years, I don't know. My idea is to develop a unique system, Your own system. Say, split the seed into 4 sections and hide them in 4 diff locations and try to remember that. Whatever works for you. 12 Apostles (if you are religious), 12 churches, or 12 football teams in reverse order. Something that is unique and will stick with you for a long time, You can even leave yourself "breadcrumbs" like reminders in wall pictures and share it with your wife/partner/soulmate. Memory alone? naa, I wouldn't trust it. Your mileage may vary tho.
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Unique systems are a really bad idea. Craig Raw has some advice on best practice for cold storage on his website which I think would be good for most people to look at:
For true cold storage on Sparrow, you need to:
Connect to a private Electrum server Use a good, unique password on your wallet Employ at least a 2-of-3 multisig setup Require hardware wallets from different vendors for a quorum Secure the hardware wallets (and backups) in different locations Minimize the time your cold storage wallet is open in Sparrow (mixing to cold storage is one good reason to keep it open however)
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True, there are creative ways to go about mitigating this risk. However I’m not convinced that it’d be so difficult for the slave masters to somehow coerce us into unknowingly communicate some type of mental cues that would allow them to run a brute force style campaign and potentially guess our passcodes. Apple iPhone FaceID, can those same eyeball sensors monitor where on the key board your eyes are darting to/from as you type? This would give a hacker a nice edge unless I’m missing something.
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Bitcoin has a strong component of self-responsibility. I quit traveling because I memorized my seed. 😅
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