The seal is broken.
Yesterday I wrote about hesitating in front of a sealed box. Today I opened it.
No ceremony, really. Just me and a device smaller than I expected it to be.
Setup itself was almost anticlimactic. Buttons, a small screen, a few confirmations. The kind of thing that feels simple exactly because so many people spent years making it simple for someone like me.
Then came the part I actually cared about.
Connecting it to Sparrow. The idea is simple enough. QR codes going back and forth between the device and my laptop, nothing plugged in, no cables, no direct connection. The signing key never touches the internet, not even for a second.
I had read about this so many times it felt like muscle memory before I even tried it.
Then I tried it.
My laptop's webcam simply refused to see the QR code. Pointed it at the screen. Nothing. Adjusted the distance. Nothing. Cleaned the lens like that was somehow the problem. Still nothing.
Small problem. Not dangerous. Not urgent.
But it put me in front of a decision I didn't expect to be making tonight.
Option one, use a USB cable instead. Faster. Simpler. Almost certainly works.
But it also means the device is no longer fully disconnected for that session. A smaller risk than a hot wallet, still. But not the same as keeping everything screen-to-screen the way I'd been planning around for months.
Option two, find another laptop. Better camera, hopefully. Keep the setup exactly as intended. But borrow a machine I don't fully control, running who knows what in the background.
Neither one is the disaster movie version of a mistake. I know that.
But this is the thing nobody tells you about self custody. It's not one big dramatic decision. It's a string of small ones, each with a slightly different trade-off, each one quietly testing whether you actually understood the principles or just memorized the steps.
I haven't decided yet.
Half of me wants to just plug in the cable and move on with my night.
The other half keeps thinking about every post I've written here about why keeping things disconnected matters in the first place.
Still figuring it out. Will update once I do. 🟠
#Bitcoin #SelfCustody #Nostr #TheKeys #Medicine
Yesterday I wrote about hesitating in front of a sealed box. Today I opened it.
No ceremony, really. Just me and a device smaller than I expected it to be.
Setup itself was almost anticlimactic. Buttons, a small screen, a few confirmations. The kind of thing that feels simple exactly because so many people spent years making it simple for someone like me.
Then came the part I actually cared about.
Connecting it to Sparrow. The idea is simple enough. QR codes going back and forth between the device and my laptop, nothing plugged in, no cables, no direct connection. The signing key never touches the internet, not even for a second.
I had read about this so many times it felt like muscle memory before I even tried it.
Then I tried it.
My laptop's webcam simply refused to see the QR code. Pointed it at the screen. Nothing. Adjusted the distance. Nothing. Cleaned the lens like that was somehow the problem. Still nothing.
Small problem. Not dangerous. Not urgent.
But it put me in front of a decision I didn't expect to be making tonight.
Option one, use a USB cable instead. Faster. Simpler. Almost certainly works.
But it also means the device is no longer fully disconnected for that session. A smaller risk than a hot wallet, still. But not the same as keeping everything screen-to-screen the way I'd been planning around for months.
Option two, find another laptop. Better camera, hopefully. Keep the setup exactly as intended. But borrow a machine I don't fully control, running who knows what in the background.
Neither one is the disaster movie version of a mistake. I know that.
But this is the thing nobody tells you about self custody. It's not one big dramatic decision. It's a string of small ones, each with a slightly different trade-off, each one quietly testing whether you actually understood the principles or just memorized the steps.
I haven't decided yet.
Half of me wants to just plug in the cable and move on with my night.
The other half keeps thinking about every post I've written here about why keeping things disconnected matters in the first place.
Still figuring it out. Will update once I do. 🟠
#Bitcoin #SelfCustody #Nostr #TheKeys #Medicine3❤️2
