At the time you posted, rortan75, the volatility was nothing compared to what it is now. For now the volatility is very high because of the hysteria around the price. Price can range of 100$ in a single hour
Well volatility is all relative in fact. It should be thought of in terms of percentage amounts instead of dollar amounts. I do believe the volatility has increased slightly of late but not majorly.
We are on the rise due to growing acceptance and popularity. It's obvious Bitcoin is going to be seen as volatile because it's gaining so much value.
I remember reading about it long ago and it was explained that as time goes by and number of users grow the price is going to go up but volatility will decrease. It's easy to make 1000 people panic and sell because they read a negative opinion from someone they respect. It's much harder to make 1 million do the same.