Bitcoins <\/p>\n
Newcomers are diving into crypto without learning what it is, veterans are watching their profits soar without spurring adoption and skeptics are judging crypto with little information, says OG Bitcoiner James Howells.<\/p>\n
Howells is famous for fighting in court to recover a hard drive from a landfill that contained 8,000 Bitcoin (BTC<\/a>) worth $700 million. While he didn\u2019t succeed, he told Cointelegraph that he didn\u2019t let the loss define him and shared his tips and 2026 resolutions for newcomers, veterans and skeptics.<\/p>\n For over 12 years, I tried everything to engage with Newport City Council:<\/p>\n \u2022Public Proposals $1 Billion and they ignored it all. <\/p>\n No response. No logic. No leadership.<\/p>\n They want me to give up, but pic.twitter.com\/z9IWrurojD<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2014 James Howells (@howelzy) August 4, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Many beginners launch straight into buying crypto on an exchange, but they should first learn what it is they\u2019re buying and the real-world problems it looks to solve, Howells said.<\/p>\n \u201cLearn how blockchains operate, why decentralized finance exists, and what problem it solves.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u201cFiat systems concentrate power in governments and intermediaries,\u201d he said, adding blockchain offers an alternative for individuals to \u201copt out of that without permission from a third party.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUnderstanding why this matters is more important than buying any coin,\u201d said Howells.<\/p>\n Once the basics are understood, Howells said newcomers should experiment with all kinds of crypto protocols, services, and wallets \u2014 without putting real money at risk.<\/p>\n \u201cYou will make mistakes, and you will lose money. That is part of learning,\u201d he said. \u201cThe key is to ensure those lessons cost pennies, not pay cheques.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNobody cares about losing $0.10 if they learned something valuable. People do care when they lose $20, $30, or more on a bad app and then blame the entire technology.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Howells’ advice for newcomers to experiment with everything had one exception: Leverage trading.<\/p>\n \u201cStay away from it entirely,\u201d he said, warning that leverage platforms benefit from inexperienced traders making mistakes who \u201cbecome liquidity for more sophisticated players.\u201d<\/p>\n Related: <\/strong><\/em>All I wanted for Christmas was my $773M BTC back<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Those who don\u2019t understand market structure, liquidation mechanics, and risk management become the product, Howells warned.<\/p>\n Howells told crypto veterans to routinely test their crypto wallet backup<\/a> seed phrases to ensure that they can still restore access to their funds.<\/p>\n \u201cTest them. You do not want the first time you need a backup to be the moment you discover it is unreadable, incompatible, outdated, or incomplete,\u201d said Howells, who added he\u2019d seen countless wallets made in 2013 to 2015 rendered inaccessible<\/a> by software rot and obsolete formats.<\/p>\n \u201cHardware changes, software evolves, and best practice evolves. If your entire setup depends on one device, one seed copy, or one location, it is not robust.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Howells wants to see more veterans teach newcomers,<\/a> focusing less on technical analysis and more on setting up wallets<\/a> and making transactions in the real world.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you have made significant gains, reinvest in the ecosystem,\u201d he added. \u201cLaunch a business, build a service, run infrastructure, or accept crypto for existing goods and services.\u201d<\/p>\n To the established and distinguished gatekeepers who blocked me for over a decade:<\/p>\n You can block the gates. But you cannot block the blockchain.<\/p>\n Crypto already won.<\/p>\n Ceiniog is coming – and your world is collapsing. pic.twitter.com\/wKSOtmw37m<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2014 James Howells (@howelzy) August 4, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Howells said crypto adoption should be \u201cfar further along than it is,\u201d and that veterans share responsibility for that.<\/p>\n Howells said Wall Street and politicians embrace crypto only when it suits their own interests and that \u201cnone of them are acting in your interests.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTheir focus is control, influence, and risk management on their own terms.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/template><\/p>\n Howells said the \u201cgravy train\u201d that we see today may not last forever and that many of the pro-crypto regulations <\/a>in place today are the \u201cvery cages that will trap users later.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey are not on your side,\u201d he said, warning veterans not to anchor their convictions around institutional and regulatory milestones and instead focus on advancing peer-to-peer crypto adoption.<\/p>\n Howells told skeptics to give crypto a go before criticizing it based on misinformed headlines.<\/p>\n \u201cUse it genuinely over a meaningful period of time. Set up a wallet, make transactions, experience custody, and understand what it enables.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n He said that most criticism targets scams and bad actors, which shouldn\u2019t be ignored, but neither should the underlying ability to hold and transfer value without permission.<\/p>\n \u201cJudge the system by what it can do, not by how badly some people use it.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Finally, Howells noted that much of the recycled criticism comes from financial institutions and nation-states that are quietly building blockchain infrastructure for custody, trading, and settlement behind the scenes.<\/p>\n \u201cThat contradiction is worth noticing,\u201d Howells concluded.<\/p>\n Magazine: <\/strong><\/em>Do Kwon sentenced to 15 years, Bitcoin\u2019s \u2018choppy dance\u2019: Hodler\u2019s Digest<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n
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\u2022AND a formal \u00a325M+ offer<\/p>\nBitcoins Newcomers must understand crypto before diving in\u00a0<\/h2>\n
Bitcoins Newcomers should carefully experiment<\/h2>\n
Bitcoins Don\u2019t leverage trade<\/h2>\n
Bitcoins Veterans, test your crypto wallet backup and recovery setup<\/h2>\n
Bitcoins Use crypto in daily life, and bring others with you<\/h2>\n
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You can pack the courts.<\/p>\nBitcoins Stop chasing Wall Street and Washington\u2019s validation<\/h2>\n
Bitcoins Skeptics must try crypto before forming conclusions<\/h2>\n
Bitcoins Watch behavior, not rhetoric<\/h2>\n