Mandated by whom?

Good post. Most people who argue against Bitcoin miss this point.

The blockchain is what solves the problem of consensus on decentralised networks. That's the innovation, everything else had already existed. So, what would be the point of having a blockchain on a centralised currency?

Considering the main innovation within bitcoin is the fact that it solves the problem of how to get a decentralised network to agree on a certain thing, it's strange you would even ask this.

What would be the difference between 'Googlecoin' and Visa?

People on this forum are far too concerned with perceptions.

Whether we all agree or disagree is irrelevant, he is his own man and he can do whatever he wants.

Hello, the answer to point 2 is contained within the answer for point 1

1. The economy is something of a feedback loop, so while you're correct that prices are sticky/rigid, this is a time-sensitive scenario. It takes time for actors to adjust to new realities, and some times, they refuse to do so - but that's their own problem.

2. Inflation is an increase in the money supply relative to the goods and services it is chasing; so, ceteris paribus, this would lead to an increase in prices. But like I said above, the economy is a bit of a feedback loop, and signals take, again, time to move into all sectors. And some sectors are more sensitive to inflation that others: the stock market is going up at unprecedented levels right now, the housing market is 'recovering' etc etc.

It is an economic question which can be answered simply: there is no such thing as intrinsic value. Although the Bitcoin protocol has properties built into that it has some practical utility, the value you see expressed in the price only comes from one source: the market.

You could make money from it if you're good at trading. Fundamentally, there's nothing particularly wrong with Dogecoin, but because it's not really going anywhere.

The problem isn't it being useless, it's that adding it on a protocol level would add complexity and would probably not be all that functional.

A crypto-currency that entrenches privacy protocols like Zero-coin and/or dark wallet would be great.

The only way someone can 'steal' your bitcoins is if they somehow gain access to your private key. You should encrypt your private key with another pass-code in order to increase your security.

Online wallets notify you if someone has managed to access your account too.