Which is why I recommended it.  

And I put "compile" in quotes because this was the term the OP used, apparently in reference to creating a new wallet.dat file based on the output read from an old one ("compile them into a wallet.dat using pywallet").  I knew that creating a new wallet.dat using the data read using pywallet hasn't traditionally been possible, but since I knew you were working on it recently, I didn't want to rule out a new feature categorically, however unlikely.  I'm not unfamiliar with Python, pywallet,  berkeleydb, or the wallet.dat format.

Daniel, if I were you -- and assuming you have enough in that wallet for this to be worth your while -- I'd find someone skilled in Windows data recovery.  Maybe your friend understands this.  Get him/her to make a non-destructive copy of the file.  I just don't know enough about Windows file systems to tell you to just make a copy -- I'm worried that this could further damage the file.

But once someone who understands data recovery on Windows helps you to make a copy, you can play around all you want with pywallet, berkelydb's data dump tool, and a hex editor until you (hopefully) find your keys.  Note that pywallet cannot "compile" wallet.dat files (unless it's recently added this functionality).  Instead, pywallet reads wallet.dat files and "dumps" out the private keys to the screen in json format (along with some other data).

Here's a thread that talks about recovering data with a hex editor, thanks to John Tobey's expertise.  He also includes a brief Perl script to help recover deleted wallet.dat, but it only works on Linux partitions.

Good luck.

Daniel, if (and only if!) someone can tell you a non-destructive way to make a copy of your restored copy of the wallet.dat, it would be worth a try to run pywallet on it:

https://github.com/jackjack-jj/pywallet

Then run:

python pywallet.py --datadir='/your/data/dir' --dumpwallet

Note that the datadir will be something like "%APPDATA%\Bitcoin" if you're on Windows.

But before you do any of this, make sure you figure out a way to safely make a copy without doing any additional damage to the file.  I don't know enough about the Windows file system to tell you how to do this safely (any Windows devs here know how?).  Maybe one of the EaseUS recovery utilities would help?

pywallet has helped a lot of people in the past dump the private keys of a (slightly) damaged wallet.  If this doesn't work, some of the more advanced berkelydb data dump tools might help.  PM me if you succeed in safely making a copy and need help.

Yes, as CIYAM wrote, it includes the change addresses up to the first 100 transactions.  At that point, it generates an additional pool of addresses that must be backed up for the next 100 transactions.  The 100 is the default setting -- that can be increased or decreased in the config file.

You don't have to poll.  You can start up bitcoind with the switch '-blocknotify='<cmd>' and put whatever command you want to run in the place of <cmd>, for example a shell script or python script that asks for the balances of the addresses you are tracking.  It will only notify upon each additional block confirmation.

This is correct.  If you are only interested in the balances of addresses in *your* wallet, you absolutely can find these using the litecoin api on your pool server using the calls I mentioned above.

It's only if you're interested in the balances of addresses *not* in your wallet that you have to worry about building a db or calling an external API of another site that has done this.

Are you wanting your wallet balance?  Or the balance of an address in your wallet?  Those two are very easy to do via the litecoind RPC interface (I assume it's the same as bitcoind's). 

The command 'getbalance' returns your wallet's balance (I'm assuming you're not using accounts).
The command 'getreceivedbyaddress <litecoin address here>' gets that litecoin address's balance.

You can find out info on these and other RPC calls here:
https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Original_Bitcoin_client/API_calls_list

And information on JSON-RPC here (including some PHP code):
https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/API_reference_(JSON-RPC)

Now, if you are looking for the balance of arbitrary addresses -- addresses that are not in your wallet -- this is considerably more difficult.  You would have to build your own db of transactions by address, or somehow use an existing implementation that does so (maybe ABE for litecoin?).

Made a few additions.  It's a good list.  I like it as a foundation for consumer Bitcoin use.

But I like the idea of Bitcoins for commodities, too.

I like your thinking.  I'd be much happier building a Bitcoin economy than watching the coin go to $1000.  Sure, I'd make good money, but that's not why I got in.  However, after watching Bitcoin volatility for the past 2+ years, I've always thought that the only way to attain a non-volatile coin was to first reach a high market cap.  Now, it may be that this is wrong, and that the best way to attain a non-volatile coin is to build a real economy first.  

BTW, where do you get the $5 figure?

Mike, this is good to hear.  I've been holding back on doing a Bitcoin-accepting app for Android simply because I thought it had little chance to get it on Play.  I may go forward now, with the understanding that it's still a risky undertaking but that there's at least a fighting chance.

Plus his show's sole sponsor is a...wait for it...: bank.  Yes, that's right, Ally Bank (formerly GMAC) is the sole sponsor of Planet Money.  See here: http://www.npr.org/blogs/ombudsman/2009/12/ally_bank.html

No conflict of interest there.

He's not proposing regulation.  In fact, he's proposing a market solution.  For the record, I'm also anti-regulation.  Everyone should always be free to do whatever the hell they want with their coins, for now and forevermore.

It will if your favorite Bitcoin-using merchants aren't using some instant exchange and gets caught holding a bag of Bitcoins worth half of what they were when people bought their merchandise with them for the second time in a month.  If those merchants are good businessmen and not a Bitcoin fanatics, it could definitely effect your ability to purchase things online (i.e., they'll just drop it).  We've got a lot of new merchants accepting Bitcoin now.

I hope you're right and I'm wrong.

I want the same thing as the manipulator?  You mean I want the price to go up?  Well, here's the thing: that's not what the manipulator wants.  He/she only wants the price to go up X amount.  Then it's kill the coin, buy up, sell slowly toward the top, rinse, repeat.

One of the main reasons I want the price to go up is so Bitcoin can't be manipulated by every 2-bit millionaire.

This I absolutely agree with.  No arguments here.  This is probably the best approach to take.

OK, so it looks like whoever pumped up the currency the first time is going at it again.  This is not a normal recovery.  And I fear Bitcoin's hopes of being a currency may not survive a third major crash.  So here's the thing: we can stop this thing.  In the meantime, buy/trade/sell, I don't care.  But when the ddos'ing starts again soon, and this big entity dumps a whole sack of coins and brings down the price by $40, please, please don't panic sell.  If we don't panic, it will recover and then keep going up.  

The fundamentals are there, merchants right and left are picking up Bitcoin -- it's all over the fuckin' evening news and The Colbert Report, for God's sake.  A $1000 coin is in sight.  But we'll never get there if we let this entity keep dropping our holdings like flies each time he ddos'es the exchanges and dumps a couple of thousand coins.

Just stay calm when the time comes.  You'll know it when you see it this time.  Until then, day trade till your heart's content!

PS: You don't have to run go sell your Bitcoins now, you'll know when it happens next.  All the exchanges will be offline or hard to reach.  My guess is that they'll probably get it up to at least $200 before they try again.  bitashley's approach (see below) is probably the smartest strategy against this.

Actually, anyone interested in Bitcoins and travel should know that 9flats.com, airbnb's primary competitor in Europe, accepts Bitcoins.  So you can go book a summer apartment in Paris in exchange for Bitcoins:

http://www.9flats.com/

Why pdf?  Can you please post a text file, or a LaTex file if formatting is an issue?  A lot of us are very wary of scripted malware in pdfs taking our Bitcoins.

Just FYI to all Ripple users, a Bitstamp representative has just confirmed that there are currently some "problems with the Ripple network".  It's not clear if he's referring to the entire Ripple network, or just their connection to it.  In any case, you may want to hold off on Ripple transfers through Bitstamp for the time being.