Seems to me we're getting pretty close to "critical mass" here; that tipping point where BTC stops being "esoteric" and suddenly becomes a mainstream concept everyone has heard about.
I just hope that Bitcoin's journey will also reflect on the alts, one of these days...
I fear that it will become so mainstream that it has gotten both the gov't and the banks' attention. Just wait until the banks figure out how to get their hands on it to both trade it and control it. They will start accepting it as payment soon.