I've wondered, since I'm the rookie here when it comes to all things crypto, whether or not all the alt coins out there really have a chance. I can see people trying to get in on what appears to be the gravy train, genuine and scammy, so they come up with their own cool name and nuance and they produce another blockchain.

But doesn't big money tend to make or break anything, and don't they tend to move the markets wherever they go? Smart money leads. The rest of us are just in the wake.

As you say, though, at some point people start moving away from a scarcity or difficulty to mine model and start going after utility and functionality. Or at least, that's what we're hoping and all hanging around for, right? :)