I think so. It seems like cryptocurrencies are getting to the point where they're being utilized (as opposed to being used mostly for speculation) in consumer-facing businesses.

The NSA stuff is concerning, but I get the impression that businesses are working on creating secure and trustless infrastructure.

Good things tend to happen in tech when the mainstream isn't looking.

During bubble times, you get douchebags from MBA-land who come in and, because they generally have superior social polish to real technologists, hog the resources and funding and attention. They make a hash of it, create loads of embarrassment, and slink away after the bubble deflates. Then the real actors get to work for a while... until that generates enough success to draw in the wrong crowd, and the cycle repeats.

Progress is occurring, but there's a shitload of nonsense that can distract one away from seeing it.