With ASICMINER? That's exactly right. About a year. I haven't done the math, but the outstanding shares are fixed (no dilution). Average dividend payout is around .02 (on the high side) to 0.003 (on the low side) BTC a week, per share (every Wednesday, I believe). I could be wrong, tho. Not sure if I read the schedule right. Pass through shares are trading at 0.77 BTC. https://btct.co/security/ASICMINER-PT
Ya, I'd think about it. Batch#3 sold out last week tho. We just missed it. Rumor is Avalon is gunna take a break from production to retool or something. Who knows.
Speculating on speculation.... People got deep pockets and are willing to gamble, i suppose. The dynamics of the whole thing are quite fascinating.
Depends who you ask, but they offer the most liquidity. If you want to use paypal/visa or something you can buy them slightly cheaper at btc-e.com. You can get them through the bitpay option*
Portability for one, but I agree with your arguments. My only interest arises out of trading the volatility in some OTC optionality along the lines of MPEx. I bot it solely bc of the dot-shot chart.
A great example of Bitcoins value <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Ilh5iUQIb4s" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
In short, you are saying that it's a great illicit monetary tool. I agree, if bitcoin was a fairly stable and liquid currency, it would be a perfect tool for buying drugs, money laundering etc. Except, there is one problem - at one point or another, you have to pay for bitcoin using regular US currency. So, it would take a very simple step for the Big Brother to follow your "private and safe" transaction - a reporting requirement for anyone who wants to purchase or sell bitcoin. It would make bitcoin at more disadvantage to even gold and precious stones - at least I can pay cash for a batch of uncut diamonds and stuff 'em up my ass before I am flying to Uruguay.