Hello folks, this thread's top post has been updated to note that much of the original content is drastically out of date and that there was consensus for a new thread management plan, meaning there is now a new thread to cover and keep up to date on all the good things regarding the protocol.

Link to the new thread

URL, if you prefer: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5077258

We'll lock this thread soon, but wanted to give a chance for any of you to wrap up any ongoing conversations here first