The power supply says it can power up to 4 devices, but I only see one 12V connector on it.  Is there something that's not pictured that will allow you to use one power supply to power 4 devices?  Thanks.

There is GUI Miner out which, as I understand, is a lot more robust than the built in miner.  For an easy mining experience, I would recommend that.

Solar energy and most renewable (except perhaps hydro) cannot survive without government subsidies.  Wave energy would be really cool but no one has been able to successfully harness that yet.

I'm with you as well.  I don't want to buy and hold and have a lot more fun mining it myself.  I repurposed some computer gear and bought 2 7950s and started mining myself.  I know I won't be rich, but I really enjoy learning all of this and especially the crypto side of things. 

I took a class in cryptography and one of the topics covered was anonymous internet cash.  I've worked in Cryptography for the last three years and the crypto-side of how the cryptocurrencies work is so interesting to me.

The general consensus is that if you don't have an order in already, by the time you receive your unit, 5Gh/s will be too slow considering where the difficulty will be at that point.  The ROI would take too long to make it worthwhile.  If you think the price of BTC will go up, it's better to buy the coins and hold them.