the "icelander should cpu-mine idea" is a drop in the bucket, I think. not enough hashing power.
paying for scrypt hashing power could work (either outright or using bounties for pools to find blocks < 5400).
The problem is: we're driving away the icelandic noobs who must think this coin is broken (which it is... confirmation times in the range of days can be called "broken", like banking system) or this crypto-stuff just doesn't work.. must be a fad.
Hmm.. Maybe the hashing power itself is not much, but encouraging ppl to solo mine would make them (us?) a community: "I can help, it is we against the greedy mean multipool miners" and more aware of the crypto coin functionality in general. It would also point out the real reasons for slow transactions (not enought mining power) to the major public.
And they might surprise us.. who knows how many miners there would be in the end?
Anyway, a few difficult days now won't be a catastrophe, unless the problems stays for a longer time.
that have stuck through thick and thin. Ive done some btc giveaways when things got really tough. Please feel free to join and show your support for auroracoin. Ive been mining there myself nonstop for months as I believe in this coin.