Bit2Me Academy reports:
This text is a Spanish translation of the original post titled 'Bitcoin and Me', this article was written by Hal Finney and published in his profile of the forum 'Bitcointalk' on March 19, 2013. This content is a symbolic recognition of an essential person in the development of Bitcoin and a reference for many cypherpunks for his immense intellectual, technical and empathetic capacity.
Bitcoin & Me (Spanish translation)
“I have thought about writing about the last four years, an eventful time for Bitcoin and me.
For those who don't know me, I'm Hal Finney. I started working on crypto in an early version of PGP, working closely with Phil zimmermann. When Phil decided to start PGP Corporation, I was one of the first people he hired. I would work at PGP until my retirement. At the same time I got involved in the Cypherpunks. I made the first anonymous crypto-based remailer, among other activities.
I will now advance to the end of 2008 and the Bitcoin announcement. I had noticed that gray-bearded cryptographers (I was already in my mid-50s) tend to be cynical. I was more idealistic; i have always loved cryptography, the mystery and the paradox of it.
When Satoshi announced Bitcoin on the crypto mailing listThe reception he had was rather skeptical at best. Cryptographers have already seen too many great schemes created by unknowing novices. So they tend to react instinctively.
I was more positive. I have long been interested in crypto payment schemes. Furthermore, I was fortunate to meet and maintain extensive correspondence with Wei dai y Nick Szabo, generally known for creating ideas on which Bitcoin has been based. I had made an attempt to create my own currency based on proof of work, called RPOW. So I found Bitcoin fascinating.
When Satoshi announced the first version of the software, I downloaded it immediately. I think I was the first person, besides Satoshi, to run Bitcoin. I mined the block 70 and something, and I was the recipient of the first bitcoin transaction of history, when Satoshi sent me ten coins as proof. For the next few days I kept a email conversation with Satoshi, in which I was mainly dedicated to reporting errors and he to fix them.
Today, Satoshi's true identity it has become a mystery. But at the time I thought I was dealing with a young man of Japanese descent who was very smart and sincere. I have been fortunate to meet many brilliant people throughout my life, so I recognize the signs.
After a few days, Bitcoin was running fairly stable, so I left it running. In those days the difficulty was 1, and you could find blocks with a CPU, not even with a GPU. I mined several blocks in the following days. But I turned it off because the mining caused the computer temperature to rise and the noise of the fan bothered me. In hindsight I wish I could have kept it longer but on the other hand I was so lucky to be there at the beginning. It was one of those things where the glass can be seen half full or half empty.
The next thing I learned about Bitcoin was in late 2010, when I was surprised to find that it was not only still working, but bitcoins had a monetary value. I dusted off my old wallet and was relieved to discover that my bitcoins were still there. When the price rose to real money, I transferred the coins to an offline wallet, where I hope they are worth something to my heirs.
Speaking of heirs, I was surprised in 2009, when I was suddenly diagnosed with a deadly disease. Never in my life had I been more fit than at the beginning of that year, I had lost a lot of weight and had started running long distances. He had run several half marathons, and was starting to train to complete a full marathon. I worked up to running more than 20 miles, and thought I was ready. It was then that everything went wrong.
My body started to fail. I had difficulty speaking, I lost strength in my hands and my legs slowly recovered. In August 2009, I was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also called Lou Gehrig's disease, after the famous baseball player who contracted it.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a disease that kills motor neurons, which carry signals from the brain to the muscles. It causes weakness first and then a gradual increase in paralysis. It is generally fatal in 2 to 5 years. My symptoms were mild at first and I kept working, but fatigue and voice problems forced me to retire in early 2011. Since then, the disease has continued its inexorable progression.
Today, I am essentially paralyzed. They feed me through one tube, and my breathing is assisted through another tube. I run the computer using a commercial eyetracker system. It also has a voice synthesizer, so this is my voice now. I spend all day in my electric wheelchair. I have created an interface using an Arduino to be able to adjust the position of my wheelchair with my eyes.
It has been an adjustment, but my life is not so bad. I can still read, listen to music, and watch TV and movies. I recently discovered that I can even write code. It is very slow, probably 50 times longer than before. But I still love programming and it allows me to set goals. I'm currently working on something that Mike Hearn suggested, using the security features of modern processors, designed to support "Trusted Computing", to strengthen Bitcoin wallets. It is almost ready to be released. I just have to complete the documentation.
And of course, fluctuations in the price of bitcoins you make me fun. I live my own meat *. I got my bitcoins by luck rather than merit. I lived the crisis of 2011. So I have seen it before: what comes easy, goes easy.
This is my story. I'm pretty lucky overall. Even with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis my life is very satisfying. But my life expectancy is limited. These discussions about the inheritance of your bitcoins are of more than academic interest. My bitcoins are kept in our safe, and my son and daughter are tech savvy. I think they are safe. I am comfortable with my legacy.«
Halfinney.
In August 2014, Hal Finney passes away.
On behalf of the entire Bit2Me team: Rest in peace Hal, your great contributions to the crypto revolution will never be forgotten.
*NOTE: The original phrase is "I have skin in the game", a typical expression in the business and finance world that apparently made Warren Buffet famous, and that refers to when a person is part of the direction or management of a company or asset and also made an investment in said company or asset .
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