I like @smooth's idea about n with dynamic threshold to discourage self-voting. It seems simpler, efficient, and fair.
Yes, he was talking about that last night and it seems like either the "n log(n)" or the dynamic threshold would be a better algorithm than the current one. I think either one of those, in conjunction with a larger share of curation for payouts, would correct a lot of the payout disparities for both posting and curating.