In my February Power Up post, I lamented that we had been in lockdown since December 28th. A couple of days later, we received a little reprieve and after last evening's "family meeting", we've had another. We still have a curfew; we're still obliged to wear masks in public; social distancing is more than just sensible. The second wave has passed and the vaccine rollout programme is underway.
Not quite 12 months
I say all of that like this sort of rollercoaster pattern of happenings is quite normal. Yet, it's not quite a year since South Africa reported officially confirmed its first Covid-19 case. South Africa's so-called patient zero. I use that phrase adviseadly because a friend of ours was diagnosed with that Italian flu last February, suggesting that it was already amongst us - weeks earlier than 5th March 2020.
From that single, identified case, the number has grown exponentially to 1,513,393 in less than 365 days. And still counting. Just in South Africa. And not only in South Africa.
Our Hive is also infested
It seems, though, that our hive is suffering from an infestation of another variety. I have often commented that this community is simply a microcosm of the real world. Much as I'd like to believe everyone on this social blockchain is ethical and supportive, alas, that is not the case. As I discovered when I first joined the blockchain in its other iteration.
I, li'l ol' me, was phished
It happened just under a year after I had joined the blockchain but, in reality, not long into becoming really active. My blockchain journey started off very slowly. Because I effectively disappeared for about six months, so when I effectively "re-joined", I was gullible and trusting. I should have known better. I have been around a block or three and had also seen how trolls operated on other social media platforms.
But I forgot. That's what the phishers want you to do: trust all the bees in the Hive. Because, of course, we are a community and we stick together. But, actually, not all of us do. You can read the gory details - and how I dealt with it who helped me - here.
Word to the wise: when you read the post, @hivewatchers are the Hive equivalent of @steemcleaners and do a fantastic job.
The phishers didn't (hard)fork off
It seems that along with the good guys, the baddies came along with us when we Hived of from that blockchain. The value of Hive has appreciated significantly, so the crooks are back in their droves and up to their old tricks. Unsuspecting noobs are being phished and thousands of liquid HP and HBD are being stolen.
Don't fall into the trap - here's how
I "blame" my being phished on being gullible and trusting. That's only part of it. I was stupid.
I really should have known not to click on something that
- was in a comment from an unfamiliar account, i.e. from an account (or person) that I'd not seen before. That should have been a sign, but I was only too delighted to be having some engagement; and
- it seemed too good to be true. The maxim, if it seems too good to be true, it usually is, really does apply on the blockchain and on the internet.
Source: @hivewatchersHivewatchers are warning us that this activity is happening on a number of blockchains and not just Hive. In this post they discuss this. Please read it. If you don't, please take this advice - from them - and summarised below:
- Do not click on any links provided to you through Discord, in comments, or in any sort of message
- There is, and never will be "Hive Official News" distributed via Discord direct messages
- There are never mandatory software updates and never will be for any end-user.
- The phishing message looks like this:
Back to the business of the day: why we Power Up on the first of the month?
Right now, and bearing in mind that Hive - along with other alts - and notwithstanding the volatility, has generally appreciated, it makes sense to power up and build Hive as an asset and as a crypto currency. Our wallets are part of that asset; the value of my wallet has more than doubled this year because of that and this.
So, from @traciyork who quotes @streetstyle, the brain behind the original power up day -
On the first day of the month...
• ...we ask that everyone who can do so, power up any amount of HIVE they are holding on the first of the month.
• ... we ask accounts that are currently powering down to please pause the powerdown during the hours of the first of the month.
• ... we ask that those who are trading and/or selling Hive, not to do so during the hours of the first of the month (and if possible, cancel any type of sell order on any exchanges for the same hours).To qualify for prizes
Your reputation must be above 39 and below 70.
Your total Hive Power (before the 1st) must be more than 100 and less than 8000.
You must power up at least 10 Hive on December 1st.
You must write a post about your power up on December 1st with the tag #HivePUD (International) or #HPUD (Spanish).
Helping redfish to establish a power base
Many of you will know that in celebration of my third anniversary on the blockchain, I started offering a delegations to three deserving accounts each month. After a couple of months, I increased that from 50 to 100HP per account. Over the months, for various reasons, the criteria haven't worked, so from this month, I've tweaked them.
Criteria for winning a 100HP delegation for a month
- accounts must meet the base criteria for Hive Power Up Day as set out in Traci's post
And accounts must
- be less than 6 months old
- have at least two qualifying posts since the previous power up day. Posts that qualify must have 200 words or more and exclude posts for Power Up Day, and Actifit.
As a reminder, the reason I added the second criterion is because -
Hive is a social blockchain: it's for socialising, ruminating and just generally hanging out.- a reputation of less than 61
- not more than 500 HP in their accounts before they power up - both on the first of the month
If fewer than three accounts meet the criteria, the delegation will be allocated either to a curation initiative or to accounts (randomly selected) from communities that @acidyo has identified as part of @ocd's community incubation program.
March Power Up, and potentially marching to a second tune
A year ago, I was facing the possibility - and which came to pass - of losing all my work - and income. I'll not labour the point except to say that, at the time, I effectively had three jobs (or gigs) and they all went the same way we all did: into lockdown. I spent the next nine or so months eaking out the last of my credit and the nest-egg I'd built on that other blockchain, and accepting help from a friend. To say that it's been difficult, is an understatement.
Over the last six or so weeks, my fortune has changed significantly. I'm not elaborating too much and at the risk of appearing cynical and paranoid; until everything's signed and sealed, I'm keeping mum.
Let's just say, that things are sufficiently positive for the first time in over a year, that this month, I actually splashed out and used a teeny little bit of my liquid HBD to buy some Hive to power up. The bulk, of it, however, is being saved in case we have a rainy day.
My wallet before powering up
And, without further ado, my wallet after powering up: Ta-daaa!
This has to be the biggest ever power up I have ever done. It is also the final time that I will be eligible for any of the monthly prizes - according to Hiveblocks, with that power up, my rep has just hit 70, although it still shows 69 on PeakD.
Thank you
I'd like to extend my gratitude to all the folk who have contributed to my being able to do this - and there are far too many to name - for fear I'll leave someone out. Special thanks to @hivebuzz from whome I received a delegation after last month's Power Up Day.
Oh, and if I'm a little scarce this week it's because I am in a two- perhaps three-day meeting and most definitely AFK. I'll not be ignoring anybody. And, a rep of 70 notwithstanding, I plan to continue my involvement with Hive Power Up Day, and playing my little bit in supporting redfish navigate the often murky waters of the blockchain.
Happy week!
Until next time, be well
Fiona
The Sandbag House
McGregor, South Africa
Photo: Selma
Post Script
- In search of English writing, research and editing services?
Look no further: I will help you with writing emails and reports, academic and white papers formal grammar, spelling and punctuation
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- If this post might seem familiar, it's because I'm doing two things:
- re-vamping old recipes. As I do this, I plan to add them in a file format that you can download and print. If you download recipes, buy me a coffee. Or better yet, a glass of wine....?
- and "re-capturing" nearly two years' worth of posts.
- I blog to the Hive blockchain using a number of decentralised appplications. From Wordpress, I use the Exxp Wordpress plugin. If this rocks your socks, click on the image below to sign up -
Image: @traciyork
- I also share my
occasionalinstagram posts to the crypto blockchain using the new, and really nifty phone app, Dapplr. On your phone, click the icon below, and give it a go.
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Thank you @fionasfavourites, for using the CO2 Compensation Coin (COCO / SWAP.COCO) on Steem-Engine or on Hive-Engine to reduce your CO2 footprint. You want to join? Buy some COCO / SWAP.COCO and transfer them to CO2Fund's account @co2fund.
Glad you were able to be helped through the phishing - yup - blockchain requires a whole other level of knowledge and accountability-respponsibility - and the community to help us through that learning curve.
Me too!
!WINE
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Cheers @fionasfavourites, Thank You For Inviting @artemislives To A Glass Of WINE.
At The Moment You Don't Have Enough WINE Staked To Order A Glass Of WINE From @wine.bot.
Please Refill Your Barrels By Directly Buying WINE From Marketplace & Make Sure You Have Atleast 25.00 WINE In Staked Wallet.
Total Purchase : 22090.771 WINE & Last Price : 0.290 HIVE
HURRY UP & GET YOUR SPOT IN WINE INITIAL TOKEN OFFERING -ITO-
WINE Current Market Price : 0.270 HIVE
Congratulations @fionasfavourites! You received a personal badge!
Wait until the end of Power Up Day to find out the size of your Power-Bee.
May the Hive Power be with you!
You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
Check out the last post from @hivebuzz:
Well done @fionasfavourites and thank you for that warning! Have reblogged yours and the one from Hivewatchers, it's awful to think we have some Bad Bees here but like you rightly say, this wonderful world we call Hive is also infested as:
Wonderful though that they're in the minority whereas in the real world it's a different kettle of fish, there are sharks everywhere!
Thanks, @lizelle! But you live in the land of The Shark and I in the land of the Storm(ers)! 🤣
Haha so true 🤣
Congrats on the well deserved rewards Fiona, this was an excellent Hive PUD post very timely as we all need to watch out for those Sharks!
Hopefully we'll still weather this storm.
Thanks, Lizelle. I am sure we shall!
Keep going strong, healthy bees will root out all evil hopefully.
Congratulations on your move and moving up in Hive the long journey after the previous encounter that may have put many off by leaving.
@tipu curate
Upvoted 👌 (Mana: 39/78) Liquid rewards.
Much appreciated, Joan!
Is there a pause option ?
You cannot "pause" a powerdown.
You can stop it (be doing a powerdown of 0 HIVE), then restart it later.
But the last one will run for 13 weeks.
Exactly..
Hey hey! I've been summoned @fionasfavourites so will try to answer but that sounds like it goes beyond my knowledge of what the code is in the blockchain.
As far as I know, you can only cancel the powerdown which would then mean if you wanted to power down again, it would be another 7 days from when you restarted. If you are already 3 days in to the next powerdown, you can't pause it for today, then resume the power down and only wait 4 days.
Correct me if I'm wrong here @hivebuzz :)
Well, the amount get distributed to new proportions by 13 weeks - so if I have plan to stop the power down after having the desired hive amount - it will take longer to achieve that, if you stop and start again.
Yes exactly, it restarts the powerdown and then take 13 weeks again from the restart of the power down with the current setup.
All good!
Yes, as I recall, there is. I am going to call over @hivebuzz and @nickyhavey as they might be able to give you a definitive answer. I've not powered down here, or tried to stop it, so...
Good luck and thanks for stopping by!
Haven't forgotten about this one! Powered up around 120 hive :D
Fantastic! And, of course, a post is not mandatory... 😀
Unfortunately, scammers and phishing attacks happen everywhere but we have to be even more vigilant with blockchain and crypto sites as folks are even more vulnerable when they join something they're not familiar with! Remember: out the blue, not for you
Awesome work on the power up this time and glad you managed to stake your highest amount ever! Your future you will thank you :)
Posted Using LeoFinance Beta
Usually, yes, except for what's currently happening in RL.🤞
And:
That, she will!
Fingers crossed for that!
Posted Using LeoFinance Beta
Hello, what a great post, and sorry for the inconvenience, but how much is your voting power with that hp?
Thanks for stopping by!
0.17
NO no no Fiona, you have it a little mixed up. (I'm sure you realise I say that respectfully).
I blame the &*@@#$ for being utterly +@#?$x dispicable.
Being 'trusting' and expecting to be dealt with fairly and in a decent manner is not stupid at all. As for the word gullible, that can cover a multitude of sins and some of them stem from the heinous act of... Seeing the best in people!
I gotta tell ya, I rather view this as a quality, not a weakness.
Having said that, I'm certain we are both familiar with the phrase 'once bitten, twice shy!'. It's bloody appalling that we have to learn this lesson but learn it we must. I don't doubt for a second that you felt dumb as hell afterwards, we live and learn, right? Feeling dumb and being dumb are vastly different.
I know this is a little different but the end result kinda fits I think (and you know how I love to ramble on and on haha) There are times when people have openly called me stupid and gullible for helping someone who subsequently let me down. The people who (sometimes gleefuly) 'told me so' said to me, "You won't do that again will you" they then precede to tell me that helping people out is a mugs game, that everybody is out to screw everyone else over, to which I respond, yes I most certainly will continue to see the best in others...
I would far rather be proven wrong a few times and lose a few pounds or whatever the cost than fundamentally change the way I view people. I believe that when we walk around expecting the worst we inevitably find it, I like to believe the opposite is true, which means I will probably be let down again, 'c'est la vie'.
It happened, you learned something valuable, next time it will be far harder for anyone to scam you my friend. Maybe, just maybe you learned the lesson at the perfect time! Imagine if it happened now while your wallet is a little heavier? Sometimes we have to find some light from somewhere, at any cost lol.
Jeez! Shut up Steven!!!
Yeah lockdown has been tough hasn't it. I hope your fortunes turn around massively Fiona, I sincerely do. As I said earlier today my hope right now is that the entire planet returns to 'normalish' pretty much, in the coming weeks and months.
Awesome job at highlighting phishing concerns, amazing promotion of the HivePUD and congratulations at your 70 rep and fabulous journey thus far. Onwards and upwards, good to cross paths with you again. Take good care of you and yours, very best wishes from me and mine 👍😎
Oh, this did make me laugh - and nod - a lot.
On this occasion, both do apply. But thank you kindly and point taken.
Someone once told me two things: I was too trusting and too honest. I was 22. At the time, I thought that if those were my greatest flaws, I'd take them. However, it does get one into the sh*t, Quite often. I have, over the years, developed a healthy jaundice which is often overridden. It's partly - and my ethic - why I ended up in the shtook. That said, things are really looking up. It seems like I've connected with a likeminded bunch of people.
One of the things - and I plan to write about it in time - that last year taught me, is to let go and trust the process. It was very odd how, once I did that, things began to shift.
So with that said, I am trusting the process that's unfolding this week and
hopeneed to believe the feeling in my water that this is the dream job/opportunity that I've been waiting 30-odd years for.Yes, very good to cross paths again. Thank you for your kind words and good wishes which are heartily reciprocated!
Welcome to the 7s! That must have felt awesome to see your number had ticked over to 70. I hope your good luck continues and that that the year ahead is much better than the one in the rear-view mirror!
It was! And thank you, @jayna, and I wish the same for us all!
Congrats on the power up, and I'm sad to hear about the phishing scam you got caught up in 😒
It bugs the hell out of me when good people get done over like that. Anyway, glad to see you got some help dealing with it Fiona.
Happy Hive pud day, and don't forget to... treat yo self to some pudding 😂
Thanks, Rowan...
Pud, with HP sauce?🤭
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Mmnnnn... an acquired taste 🍦🍩🍰🤣