Hello everybody,

My Short description on why I want to be merit source:

I have not been around for long but at least now I am willing to help. The Merit system has been one of the best things that has been introduced for curbing shitposting down. Though like always,there's some poop,there comes a "But":
The "but" factor here is that A lot,A lot of people(not only shitposters) are not happy with the merit system, and why shouldn't they be? They tried so hard(at least some of them did) and devoted so much of their time on this forum,and a lot of users became despondent when the merit system dropped their hopes when they were about to rank up that very week. And also the thing is,95% of the users are only getting merits from Meta Board/posting in merit related topics(I shamelessly include myself in the list too.),I mean look at this: Top merited topics.

This needs change,and I am gladly willing to help. I have been telling users to chill down a little,let the merit system to fall in place and within a short span of time,this place shall make things good for most of them if not everybody. Until then,there is a need for motivation,I may not be the best person when it comes to such things,but I am willing to give this a shot. 80 merit sources aren't suffice for 2218433 members. I am sorry if sound too complaining much,I personally like the merit system,so there's that.

I decided to start a thread to hand out merits to users but not for free! I ask them questions in return. Feel free to visit the thread if you want to learn cool stuff about bitcoin which you may have never come across: A simple bitcoin Q/A. Learn new and interesting stuff about bitcoin.

Finally,shoutout to QuestionAuthority as well for being so generous and helping out so many users.

So without further a do,here's my selection of 10 posts for a merit source application:

Post No 1 : Let's talk about privacy

Quote from: bitmover on March 28, 2018, 11:05:46 AM

I discovered bitcoin while studying about how to protect my privacy on the internet.

Crytpocurrencies and privacy and closely related. This way many people here care about privacy, however I still see many users in this forum who are not using basic privacy tools, like an ad block.

This simple guide is for those people.

Usually people who think they don't care about privacy say: "I don't worry about privacy because I have nothing to hide."
When you go to the bathroom you close the door, even if you have nothing to hide.

While surfing on the internet here are a few tools that will help you protect yourself against tracking and privacy invasion.

Avoid any Google product. They are not to be trusted as Google will track your data to ad services.
Browser recommendation:
Firefox / Brave browser / Tor Browser
Browser Extensions: (works even on Firefox Mobile)
UBlock (an adblocker)
Decentraleyes (blocks content delivery)
HTTPS Everywhere
E-mail provider:
Consider changing to a encrypted e-mail service, not U.S based
ProtonMail / Tutanota
Search engines:
I know how it's hard to not use Google. The best private alternative is Duckduckgo .
If you find very hard to stop using Google, consider using Encrypted Google (I really don't know if it is truly encrypted)
Encrypt your Android Device - Protect your music, photos, personal data that can only be read with a password.
Fix Windows 10 privacy configuration, to avoid Microsoft data collection.
Some good VPN (protects your traffic data and enables geo-restricted content):
Proton VPN - Free version available.
Tunnel Bear Free version available.
Nord VPN - Free version available.
To use full time you will need a paid plan on a good VPN service.
Private cryptocurrencies:
Monero (the most popular), PIVX, Dash, Zcash, Particl, among many others.

Important note: Privacy is a never ending task, as you can always do something more. Start doing what is easier for you. There are also many other useful add-ons, programs, etc. This is just a very basic guide, as I see many people who don't even use an adblocker

If you want more information about privacy, go to https://www.privacytools.io/

Edit: Added Https everywhere extension and encrypt mobile device.
Edit2: Added VPNs and private cryptocurrencies.

Post No 2 : Segwit addresses

Quote from: Carlton Banks on November 03, 2017, 11:44:16 AM

Quote from: Thekool1s on November 03, 2017, 10:11:36 AM

1) What are these Segwit Addresses?

There are 2 different Segwit address formats. They are P2SH (starting with a "3") and bech32 (starting "bc1")
P2SH can be sent to by people using older Bitcoin software with no Segwit support. This supports backwards compatibility
People sending from newer Bitcoin software that has Segwit and bech32 can send to the new address type that starts "bc1"
People sending from older Bitcoin software that has no Segwit probably cannot send to the new address type that starts "bc1"

So, if people send you BTC from old software, give them the Segwit addresses that start with "3". If people send you BTC using new Segwit Bitcoin software, give them the Segwit addresses that start with "bc1".

If you don't know if someone has the newer bech32 software or not, there's no need to worry, their software will simply refuse to send the transaction, so no harm can be done.

Quote from: Thekool1s on November 03, 2017, 10:11:36 AM

2) How are these different from normal Addresses?

You won't get the Segwit fee reduction unless you spend from one of these addresses
The addresses starting "3" are normal addresses. They already exist in the Bitcoin blockchain now. The difference is that the Bitcoin script permits a wide variety of options, in this case, using Segwit in a way that old Bitcoin software can handle (obviously old software has no clue what Segwit is, it didn't exist back then, this method works around that)
The addresses starting "bc1" are not normal addresses. They are brand new, and only work with Segwit
With addresses starting "bc1", it doesn't matter if you USE UPPER CASE. or if you use lower case. bc1bech32segwitaddressescanbeupperorlowercase is the same address as BC1BECH32SEGWITADDRESSESCANBEUPPERORLOWERCASE, neither your wallet software or the blockchain will care

Quote from: Thekool1s on November 03, 2017, 10:11:36 AM

3) How are the fees low compared to other addresses?

There are no guarantees. Bitcoin isn't like going to Walmart (where a price is the only price you can get), it's like going to an auction house. The miners control whose transactions they include in blocks, and they can do it any way they like, even totally crazy ways that lose them money.

But, you could expect to pay fees of ~50% less than non-Segwit transactions, for a regular transaction where you pay from just one address to one address (with one change address). Why? Sort of complicated, but I can explain if you like.

Quote from: Thekool1s on November 03, 2017, 10:11:36 AM

4) If i upgrade from 2.9.3 to 3.0 will i have old addresses or it will swipe them?

No. Old addresses can exist alongside Segwit addresses in the same wallet.

If you're nervous about this, just use a new wallet for all Segwit transactions. But Electrum's approach to wallet specs is flexible enough to allow it, and also the standard way of doing it, it has alot of fail safety built into the design. It should be fine (Disclaimer: I don't use Electrum wallet)

Post No 3 : Summary on Proof of Work

Quote from: bitmover on April 13, 2018, 11:09:08 PM

In this post, I will explain the basic about Bitcoin Blockchain and Proof of Work, an algorithm that validate transactions and create new blocks (mining), as detailed in Bitcoin whitepaper, by Satoshi Nakamoto. This apply also for Ethereum and other similar blockchains that use Proof of Work (PoW).

Please feel free to point out any mistakes, as I had some technical and English doubts while writing it

First, we need to understand the concept of hashing, only then we can analyze how blockchain works.

What is a Hash?

A hash is a cryptographic function that receive an input of any length and generate an output of a fixed length , an alphanumerical sequence. Simply put, it is a bunch of random numbers and letters.
This is a great website, it shows how hashing and mining works. You can enter some text there to see how it works.
https://anders.com/blockchain/hash.html
It is important to note that a hash has a fixed size, no matter how big or small the input is. Any small change in one letter in the input will generate a completely different hash (output). This is important if you have a big data, because all this data can be converted to a small hash, which will work as a fingerprint of that data.

Blockchain

The idea proposed by Satoshi is to register transactions on a block. When the proof of work solution for that block is found, it is hashed. Each block includes the previous blocks hash, forming a chain of blocks (blockchain), and each additional block reinforcing the ones before it.

Because of that process, if any transaction in a past block is changed the output hash will be different.
When you make a Bitcoin transaction and you see that you have 5 confirmations, that means that 5 blocks were mined after that transaction. A transaction with 6 confirmations is considered irreversible.

Proof of Work

In the Blockchain, all transactions are publicly announced to all nodes, as there is no central authority who validate transactions.

Proof of Work is an algorithm that rewards participants who solve a cryptographic puzzle in order to validate transactions and create new blocks (this process in known as mining).
This puzzle consists in scanning for a value (called Nonce) that when hashed, the hash begins with a number of zeros.

In this website you can see how this process works. You can try to find a Nonce that when hashed generates a hash that start with 0000 on your own. You will see that it is hard, unless you are very lucky. And you are going to be lucky twice in row, if you do go to a casino or something like that lol.

The difficult in finding that nonce increases exponentially as more zeros are required by the block. Difficult is adjusted so that one block is mined every 10 minutes.

Miners only get their reward if they are mining the longest chain, as it has the greatest processing power invested. If the honest nodes control the majority processing power, the honest chain will always be the longest and will outpace attackers chain.

To modify a past transaction the attacker would have to redo the PoW of the block and all subsequent blocks, and outpace the honest chain. For this to happen, the attackers would need more processing power than the honest chain, also known as 51% attack.

Quote from: Satoshi in Bitcoin whipepaper

The longest chain not only serves as proof of the sequence of events witnessed, but proof that it came from the largest pool of CPU power.

Post No 4 : How to properly report rule-breakers.Techniques and tips

Quote from: Welsh on May 15, 2018, 05:17:00 PM

I'll try to chip in on anything that I think is worth mentioning. Depending on what you want for the guide it would likely be best to make it complete, and include examples.

Disclaimer: This is just my personal policy/format, and isn't endorsed by the forum.

Here's my two cents:

1. When reporting a thread which is in the wrong section specify where you think it belongs, and if it's not easily identifable offer an explanation why you think so. [e]

2. When reporting a post for plagiarism include a link to the original source/post. [e]

3. When reporting a user check their post history, and identify if they are making similar posts throughout their posts. If they are report one of their posts, and leave a comment in the report field stating this. [e]

4. If reporting someone for a malicious link/malware include any evidence that you can. Sometimes Total Virus can identify malicious links/programs. [e]

5. When reporting someone for duplicate posts/threads include a link to the others. [e]

6. When reporting multiple bumps it's best to report the earliest bump and only that one, and include a comment in the report field that there's more in the thread. [e]

7. When reporting someone for ban evasion include a link to their profile, and the topic/post that proves they are the same person. [e]

8. When reporting someone for not following local thread rules. Quote the local rule, and explain why they have broken it. [e]

9. If you suspect a user of using an automated translation then include why you think so, and also a link to the translation text would be beneficial. [e]

10. If you are reporting posts similar to: "Great post", "Great project" or "This project rocks my socks off" then check the OP of the ANN thread, their website or social media and see if they are offering an incentive to post. If they are report the OP rather than individual posts. [e]

Examples:

1. A thread asking a question related to the forum which has been posted in Bitcoin Discussion should be reported as some variation of this: "Wrong section doesn't belong in Bitcoin discussion. Move to Bitcoin Forum > Other > Meta. as it's asking a question about the forum."

2. "plagiarism without providing a source: <link to original source/post>"

3. "Spam. Please check this users post history as they have made several of these types of posts"

4. "Spreading malware. Total virus has identified that this could be malware:" <totalvirus>" link.

5. "Duplicate post/thread: <link to duplicate>

6. "Multiple bumps in thread."

7. "This user is ban evading: <link to profile> here's the post connecting the two accounts: <link to connection>

8. The user that's being reported has started a discussion within the thread. "Broken local rule. 'Do not post discussion here only bids'"

9. "This post is badly translated, and doesn't make sense. Suspected automated translation. Please check here for an identical translation: https://translate.google.co.uk/#auto/ar/This%20is%20an%20example"

10. "Offering an incentive to post by rewarding those who do with a bonus, please check: <link to evidence>"

Quote from: speem28 on May 15, 2018, 02:49:40 PM

I have been waiting for this thread as I've remembered you mentioned making this kind of thread on another topic.

Question:
For checking plagiarism, isn't there any plagiarism tool available on the internet to check if either the post of a specific member is copied or not. I don't remember the name of the tools but it is easy to search for them in the forum or is it based on your experienced that pasting it in the google search is much better than a plagiarizing tool?

Yes, there's actually quite a few out there or you could just search up the sentences on Google yourself. Here's an example of one

Quote from: speem28 on May 15, 2018, 02:49:40 PM

Also, I don't really follow detecting the homograph attacks. Can you please elaborate it more?

Basically, a few users have tried to prevent staff from detecting their plagiarism by changing certain characters to others which look the same, and therefore don't impact readability. This can sometimes prevent copying a piece of text, and trying to find out it's source as the characters are slightly different. Another, method that some members have used in the past is changing words that mean the same, but aren't spelled the same. For example, one could replace "But" with "However". Which makes it harder to identify plagiarism. Online tools normally incorporate this. Plus, if you suspect a user is using one of the methods above just search up without words that are easily changed but, mean the same, and you should yield results. I'm struggling to find a way to show an example which would be clear, and concise. Hopefully someone else can chime in with an example.

Post No 5 : Best service offered on bitcointalk! ( Voluntary service to defend your case!)

Quote from: digaran on May 13, 2018, 08:56:30 PM

I will act as your lawyer in negative trust cases. if you believe that you were tagged wrongfully, I will defend you by following the forum rules.

If there are enough evidence of wrongfully red tagging the forum members, DT2 members could be kicked out from their positions.

Try my service and let us all have a healthy community.

Fee is 0.02BTC for each forum account and each negative trust.

My latest work could be found here: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=3502223.0

~~After paying me there will be no refunds, if you were not satisfied with the result, you could open a scam accusation thread against me and get me a red tag for scamming you.~~

This is self-moderated, I will only remove off topic replies, you are free to post whatever you want as long it relates to the topic.

EDIT: first case is pro-bono. means no fee.

EDIT 2: due to circumstances, I am willing to use escrow, fee for escrow is on the client. also my fee has changed to 0.02BTC

EDIT 3: disclaimer: you are paying me for my time, not for my ability to remove your red tags, I don't have any control over trust network, I could only point out abuse of power, this fee is for my time.

EDIT 4: money could stay in escrow until I spend at least 3 days and write at least 200 lines as a draft for defending my clients. after which the escrow should release the funds to me.

Post No 6 : Best ANN thread ever for the best ICO ever!([ANN][ICO] HOWEYCOINS Travel Network +++ sale 15% bonus +++ SEC-approved)

Quote from: suchmoon on May 17, 2018, 05:28:02 PM

DON'T MISS THIS EXCLUSIVE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN HOWEYCOINS TRAVEL NETWORK NOW!¹

Combining the two most growth-oriented segments of the digital economy blockchain technology and travel, HoweyCoin is the newest and only coin offering that captures the magic of coin trading profits AND the excitement and guaranteed returns of the travel industry. HoweyCoins will partner with all segments of the travel industry (air, hotel, car rental, and luxury segments), earning coins you can trade for profit instead of points. Massive potential upside benefits like:

HoweyCoins are officially registered with the U.S. government;
HoweyCoins will trade on an SEC-compliant exchange where you can buy and sell them for profit;
HoweyCoins can be used with existing points programs;
HoweyCoins can be exchanged for cryptocurrencies and cash;
HoweyCoins can be spent at any participating airline or hotel;
HoweyCoins can also be redeemed for merchandise.

Website

Whitepaper

Buy NOW!!!

¹ - bonus offer for a limited time: your IP address will be handed over to the US government.

Post No 7 : Plagiarism: the difference between "wallet" and "wallet"

Quote from: nullius on March 09, 2018, 08:47:18 PM

Quote from: LoyceV on March 09, 2018, 08:04:40 PM

While processing Bounty Content applications, I stumbled upon something I haven't seen before. I can't really figure out how it's done, but it turns out there's a difference between "wallet" (11,000 hits on Google) and "wallet" (127,000,000 hits on Google)!

You stumbled across a well-known security issue, which usually affects identifiers such as domain names. E.g., paypal.com vs. paypal.comsee, the same difference! Or the notorious whole-script confusable, appӏe.com (not the same as apple.com):

Code:

Quote from: LoyceV on March 09, 2018, 08:04:40 PM

First: how is this done? Is there some software that replaces ascii characters by something that looks like it, but can't be found through copy/paste?

Lookalike letters from different scripts such as Cyrillic and Greek are used in lieu of Latin letters. In this case, U+0430 CYRILLIC LETTER A which UTF-8 encodes to { 0xd0, 0xb0 }:

Code:

Quote from: LoyceV on March 09, 2018, 08:04:40 PM

Second: I think "wallet" is just the tip of the iceberg, but it's the only word I've checked so far. When I Google "wallet site:bitcointalk.org -imode", it gives me 66 hits.

Tip of the iceberg, indeed.

This exact issue has spawned a plethora of discussion in Unicode TR 39, Internet RFCs (see especially the RFCs related to IDN, among others), and vendor specificationsnot to mention, mountains of blog arguments. ~~I will try to gather up some links for further information.~~ A quote from UTR #39 below should give a brief overview of the types of confusables. I will try to answer questions insofar as I reasonably may.

Quote from: LoyceV on March 09, 2018, 08:41:43 PM

Quote from: pugman on March 09, 2018, 08:35:02 PM

If this is really a thing,phising sites would only become more complicated to identify in the future.

A quick check for the first domain registrar shows that it won't work.

Registries (not registrars) typically have policies about this. For example, off the top of my head / if memory serves, in .de you can register domains containing äöü but not any other non-ASCII characters. The purpose of such policies is to prevent this type of attack.

I think this should suffice for an overview:

https://www.unicode.org/reports/tr39/tr39-1.html#Confusable_Detection

Quote from: Unicode Consortium

...there are three main classes of confusable strings:

   X and Y are single-script confusables if they are confusable according to the Single-Script table, and each of them is a single script string according to Section 5. Mixed Script Detection. Examples: "so̷s" and "søs" in Latin.

   X and Y are mixed-script confusables if they are confusable according to the Mixed-Script table, and they are not single-script confusables. Example: "paypal" in Latin and "paypal" with the 'a' being in Cyrillic.

   X and Y are whole-script confusables if they are mixed-script confusables, and each of them is a single script string. Example: "scope" in Latin and "scope" in Cyrillic.

Post No 8 : Self development and BitcoinTalk [Must read for new members]

Quote from: mdayonliner on May 13, 2018, 06:52:27 PM

I understand different people have different purpose before they make a decision to do anything. My younger brother first invited me on BitcoinTalk as I have huge interests in crypto space. First few weeks were nothing special for me since I can have any information now a days from google search. But as the days were going my realisations were getting stronger that I am really learning some stuffs which I may never had any clue whatsoever, even to go for searching it. I would never encountered the topics like how to sign a message or even what is BBCode type lessons.

They say, if you hangup with 5 millionaires, you will be the sixth. You can not measure everything with money. I am here talking about knowledge and skills for life.

Here are an ongoing list of topics that benefited me to learn new skills (thanks to the BitcoinTalk community):
How to sign a Bitcoin address to prove ownership (archive): Thanks to shorena for the awesome tutorial.
How to sign an ETH address: Thanks to hilariousandco
PGP/GPG Signed Message - Public Key: I could not find an English version of the lessons however I ended up discovering the tutorial in a local board (Indonesian). I had to use google translator to understand the contents. Thanks to Husna QA for the brilliant effort.
Knowing about BBCode and learning it's use (archive): Thanks to roslinpl for the well presented topic.
Vanitygen: Vanity bitcoin address generator/miner [v0.22] (archive): I am still trying to get a grip on this. Thanks to samr7 for the resources.
How a feature can change the entire game of getting publicity: I am talking about BitcoinTalk signature space feature and idea of using it as signature campaign. I am a marketing guy, it helps me to identify strategies - specially marketing strategies.
Satoshi's own written topics/conversations: It's an exciting experience reading something satoshi himself typed.
...more will be added as I discover and learn.

==============================================================
| The BCT PGP/GPG Public Key Database: Stake Your PGP Key Here: Honorable mention. |
==============================================================

We see all these bounty hunting, easy money making, shit posting, spamming, scamming in the forum. It gives a negative impression to the visitors. But isn't it true, for the knowledge seekers (about bitcoin, crypto space, Blockchain technology) this place still is a heaven? FREE knowledge for life!

Let the conversation keep going... I would like to hear about your personal developments.

Post No 9 : Be a Merit Robinhood - merit worthy threads from Beginners & Help board

Quote from: HabBear on January 30, 2018, 09:36:42 PM

The Merit System was created to reward the posts or threads that offer great contributions to this community - be it new knowledge, great research, a thought provoking question, or a bit of comedic relief.

If we expect good contributions from each member of this community, then providing education, resources, and support to the newest members among us is the reciprocal part of that expectation.

Here's a list of some of the best posts/threads that can be found in the Beginners & Help board. I encourage all of you to continue the list going as new resourceful threads and posts are made.

And I propose that we dedicate a merit source to the Beginners & Help board to acknowledge those that seek the deep insights from our Community's elders and those that help Newbies find their way.

Cheers, HabbyB.
---------------------
The List

(1) Newbies - read before posting - This is probably the most cited thread in the Help & Beginners board, all Newbies need to read it, so many don't...until given the hyperlink. The current 29 merit is far too low compared to its value to the community.

(2) [Overview] The one thread to link them all - Arguably the most comprehensive list of education-related links and resources in this entire Forum. It's locked, it should be raised to the rafters - sticked as a banner at the top of the board!

(3) Terminology - An incredibly long list of definitions for common terminology or jargon used in the cryptocurrency world.

(4) Newbie All-Day - Ask All Your Bitcoin Questions Here! - Wow, if every Newbie could stumble upon this thread most of their initial questions would be answered.

(5) [Guide] Handling splits: UASFs, BIP148, etc. - A commentary of the highest order on coins splits and hard forks.

(6) Most Common Mistakes Of A Newbie - Asked by a Newbie, to help improve the actions of Newbies. This is the type of attitude the merit system seeks to reward!

(7) How to sign a message?! - Educates Newbies on how to add or ask for an additional layer of verification to their transactions. It's been fairly well merited, at about 100 today, and remains an important part of the education of people new to crypto.

(8 ) A warning about Alt Coins - ok, this is an old one but it needs to be resurrected. The ICO market is bigger today than any time previously and the bubble hasn't popped. And Newbies, more than any other group, need to be aware of the risks that come with chasing alt coin ICOs.

(9) Which Bitcoin Wallet Is The Most Good And Convinency - Posted by a Newbie at the time, this person asks a simple question that every single one of us asked ourselves when we were new. And this guy asked for advice from the Legendary, Hero, Senior, and Full Members of the time. This is a perfect example of how a Newbie jumps in on this Forum to get good advice from the right people, and now this person is a Hero Member.

(10) $10,000 to invest - what would you do? - Once a Newbie knows how to this thing of ours works, they need to make some decisions on what to buy. This thread provide a good discussion the various approaches to investing in crypto and how to hold on for dear life.
---------------------

Post No 10: 10 Real places where you can spend your Bitcoins today

Quote from: shahzadafzal on March 04, 2018, 10:30:59 AM

Ok so you have converted all your fiat curency into Bitcoin. Now you might be asking What actually can you buy with Bitcoin? shot answer is almost everything.
List of online stores and shops accepting Bitcoin is increasing day by day. Here is list 10 online places where you use your Bitcoin.

1. Buy apps, games and more for Windows or Windows Phone from Microsoft using you Bitcoins https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/b/home

2. Buy yourself a mattress, GhostBed online mattress retailer is accepting bitcoins. https://www.ghostbed.com

3. Overstock.com, Inc. is an American internet retailer here you can buy any thing from Furniture, Jewelry, Cloths,Shoe to any house hold items. https://www.overstock.com/

4. You can buy Gold Coins, Silver Bullion or any other precious metals like Platinum and Coopper at https://www.jmbullion.com

5. Book your next flight or hotel using your bitcoins at Expedia.com or CheapAir.com

6. Need some hemp oil handmade soap? buy it here using bitcoins http://www.bitsoaps.com

7. Are you hungry? Why not order a pizza or two in exchange for bitcoins at http://pizzaforcoins.com/

8. Crescent Tide Funeral & Cremation is a funeral service provider now accepts payments in bitcoin http://www.crescenttide.com/

9. Perhaps the most rewarding way to spend your bitcoins is by paying it forward. This charity https://www.heifer.org and Wikimedia Foundation accepts donations in Bitcoin

10. Finally here is website with a comprehensive lists of products where you can spend your bitcoins? this http://spendbitcoins.com/

Feelfee to add your comments or let us know if you find any interesting place where you can pay in Bitcoins.

There goes my list. I made sure most of them are fairly new and are under-rated.