I have been studying and working with Bitcoin for 14 months now.
Over this time have learned a great deal about the subject.
First and foremost is the innovation that has occurred.
The real innovation is not so much the technical ability of computation across the internet, but rather, the awareness Bitcoin has brought to the collective mathematical mind on the planet.
I have watched the blogs and observed the behaviors of smart folks, tech folks and scammers; a community of individuals, a cross section of the social order.
Bitcoin has been unable to scale-up due to many factors.
But, even though I am not a code writer, I can observe a pattern forming.
A multiplication effect is occurring using the risen awareness of what mathematical information can do across the internet and I see a new generation of cryptography forming.
I believe Ethereum and Bitshares maybe the next step.
JM2cents