To avoid this whenever I try to send multiple payments of $500 using bitinstant, I do one for 500.00 and another one for 499.00.

Solves any issues I've had.

I dont think it will. There will be an initial surge due to the idea of a btc competitor but the fact that the currency is produced initially from Ripple, makes me question the longevity of it.

I was wondering about why I couldn't post. Thanks for the clarification