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The easiest thing for someone new who is just experimenting is to pick a reputable software wallet. Mobile environments tend to be more secure than desktop, so I'd go with those. There's a vast selection of mobile wallets to choose from, but I recommend something like BlueWallet to get you started.

When you create your first wallet, you'll be prompted to write down a 12 / 24 word seed phrase. That's your backup. Keep it written down on paper and never store it digitally.

Even if you loose your phone, you can restore access to your funds so long as you have the seed phrase. It's very important you keep that seed phrase hidden away, because anyone who has it can steal your funds.

That's step #1. If you end up dealing with larger sums you really cannot afford to lose, you'll need to step up your security. When you get more confident, you can look into hardware wallets / cold storage systems, passphrases, multi-sig, etc. There's an entire industry based around keeping your private keys secure, and it takes time to learn and explore. Don't rush!

For further info I recommend checking out the r/bitcoinbeginners sub-reddit and BTC Sessions on Youtube (@BTCsessions)

I think seed phrases are an abomination and no one should use them :)

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been working on new songs with my band for our second EP...the plan is to hit the studio this December to record it

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KYC is often a requirement for travelers because it provides a credible threat of financial or legal consequences for the traveler if they misbehave or commit fraud.

If a guest trashes their hotel room, abuses staff, runs up an unpaid bill, uses stolen credit card info, etc, KYC data gives the hotel (or its insurance company) a way to recoup their losses by pursuing damages in court from the abusive guest.

In a way, honest guests are forced into surrendering their identity as a way of putting up collateral to ensure they behave well during their stay. Hotels can't safely offer their services without such collateral.

Perhaps instead of their identity, customers who prefer to retain their privacy could offer, y'know, actual collateral, vis-a-vis bitcoin.

The traveler deposits some agreed quantity of bitcoin in a 2-of-3 multisig contract. The collateral is released back to the customer (minus the hotel fees) if the hotel and traveler both agree. But if the two aren't in agreement, they bring in a mutually trusted auditor who can attest to the correct outcome and divide up the collateral accordingly.

One might envision this as a service hired in advance by both guest and hotel. This service acts as an escrow who attests to either "the stay went smoothly" or "dang that guy behaved terribly", or anywhere in between, according to the findings of their investigator. Since the majority of hotel stays go smoothly, this service could make big bucks. In fact, this service could be generalized to work in almost any industry that requires KYC data as collateral.

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