>The intention behind this is really not 'punishment'. Any interpretation along those lines is a misunderstanding on behalf of the person thinking it.

Agreed; that was definitely a bit of my emotion speaking there!

>I don't think most investors are looking for returns through curation rewards. Investors want ROI through passive investment. 

A good point I hadn't considered.

>The same thing could be accomplished with a swarm of dolphin votes.

I think that with my niche focus in contribution, it would be more in my own interest, and more likely that I get fewer but higher payout than swarms of "normal" Steemers...as if there are any "normal" Steemers ;>

> If we get this right, the few dollars of coins you make off your posts today could be worth thousands in a few years.

This is a key point. Right now, as we are in beta, *how the platform works is not even finalized*.  As contributors, we should be building our community involvement, building a following, and building our rep.

***

I *did* have an idea for a followup experiment, though
>Research Question
RQ: Would stevescoins become a benevolent Steemit tyrant if he controlled the bulk of Steem Power available ?
IV = the transference by whales of all available Steem Power to stevescoins, to the point that stevescoins has the ultimate voting power on the platform
DV = the level of stevescoin's benevolence in using that power to curate
Of course, for this experiment to work, whales will have to transfer all their Steem, Steem Power, and Steem Dollars to me ;>
We'll have to watch for behavior on my part that would demonstrate Acton's maxim after that!
Would I change my name to Stevus Augustus Tyrannis? ;>

Thanks for the response, Tim!