Bitcoins-- Why all the interest?

Have you heard about bitcoins?  Well this has been the latest in the news and tech industries.  Check out the following to find out more:

Wired Magazine "The Rise and Fall of Bitcoin"
http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/11/mf_bitcoin/all/

Bitcoin
http://bitcoin.org/en/

WSJ  What is a bitcoin? video
http://live.wsj.com/video/what-a-bitcoin/D79FF38C-7816-435B-B3B0-F9B177BCA0A8.html#!D79FF38C-7816-435B-B3B0-F9B177BCA0A8

NYTimes

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/12/21/into-the-bitcoin-mines/
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/27/bitcoin-and-the-fictions-of-money/
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/01/24/bitcoin-is-not-yet-ready-for-the-real-world/
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/technology/bitcoin-timeline.html#/#time284_8230