My tinfoil-hat theory: Diaspora is an inevitable failure deliberately planted and promoted behind the scenes by Facebook, as part of a strategy to discourage would-be social networking startups.
Comments like "I have lost my faith in the Diaspora core team"; "so still useless"; "still think the diaspora-design is an non-starter"; "Isn't this project pretty much dead already" and many, many more like them...
These type of comments just seem off in some kind of way; like they are trying too hard to push something; like I'm watching a news headline attempting to create a scare where there is none.
I read such comments and think "Meh, the internet was born unsecured yet I do sensitive transactions now." <sarcasm on> Thanks to all the astroturf, I couldn't dig through the noise to find similar reactions expressed in earlier HN posts.<sarcasm off> Maybe Diaspora needs it's own Rally to Restore Sanity to counter the March to Keep Fear Alive.
Message to Diaspora: Whether you incited a genuine vocal minority or are getting astroturfed, don't be fooled. Most are rooting for you so... keep coding. I'll call bs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/bs_game) for you.
Your tinfoil at is worn in vain.