The Bitcoin system, which is a very ingenious system, has the potential to provide a direct service, but does a bitcoin itself provide a direct service to people?  The only direct service the Bitcoin system that one could argue it currently provides is to "send" bitcoins to others.  But if a bitcoin does not provide a direct service, why are people willing to exchange goods for them?  I believe there is among Bitcoin users a widespread misunderstanding of Bitcoin, and after so much discussion on this thread, a misunderstanding of the concept of money itself.  This calls into question the value of the Bitcoin system since it's only direct service is to allow people to "send" an alleged good which provides no direct service.

I could create a ledger with some paper and a pencil, calling the numbers in the ledger "nums", and after someone fulfills some requirement I can write +50 "nums" to their account.  Then, for example, they can then have me write -25 "nums" to their account and +25 "nums" to someone else's account.  But what direct service do "nums" provide?  Why would anyone want to pay a cost (whether it's meeting some arbitrary requirement or offering a good) to acquire any "nums"?  The only difference between "nums" and bitcoins (and this difference is actually irrelevant) is one of who or what is trusted.  Even assuming you had full trust in me and my ability to keep the ledger accurate and secure, "nums" still provide no direct service to anyone.  My ledger service has the potential to provide a direct service, but the "nums" it keeps account of do not provide any direct service, so would my ledger service actually be providing a direct service to people by keeping account of "nums"?  I don't think so.