Interesting article getting into the nerd stuff: http://www.michaelnielsen.org/ddi/how-the-bitcoin-protocol-actually-works/
The map of coins, showing the origins and short info about 200+ altcoins: http://mapofcoins.com/# 2 years ago there were only 12, now it is above 200, just showing how easy it is to enter the digital currency market. If the number of altcoins is growing faster than interest in digital currency, that means the avaialble cash has to be spread out more evenly among them...
Be aware that the (current) price of the Bitcoin-currency is no good representation of the booming ecosystem (which is still in the pre 1995 Internet period). This year the more than $500 million investment money didn't flow into the currency itself (as in previous years) but in start-up companies and ecosystem! These are the steps needed, before mass-adoption can happen in the next 3 to 6 years. In other words: Bitcoin as currency isn't a trading-instrument but a long time investment for connoisseurs. Each week new well-known companies join, just recently Microsoft and TIME inc. As well as PayPal themselves. Just a testimony of Bitcoin's promises. All I can say, is that the current price of $300 (which is less than 5 billion market-cap) is a bargain for such an disrupting and innovative proposition. {I myself will hold my coins at least until 2017}.
Looks like the Russian people didn't think bitcoin is better than their falling rubel. Not even that event drove the price up. If in a year where it was mostly positive news and adoption in several fronts the price dropped 60% YTD, that is not good news for the future. Oh yes, my prediction from the beginning of the year (this will be the first year where price ends lower by year's end) came to be very true. Would you like to hear my next year's prediction?