Make this more prominent; I didn't see any mention of it. Just "Give us $400 for our awesome class".
>Would a google hangout with Dr. Ostrowski make a difference ?
Absolutely. An AMA wouldn't hurt, either. Also, sign me up for your newsletter. Email's in my profile.
I've been considering an AMA on Reddit, even though I actually had to quit the site three months ago to get to where we are. AMAs on HN are a little tricky as the commenting system is so...unique.
Either way, I'll add your email and keep you updated.
I like your idea, and I love your goal, but it's going to take more than that to make me a customer who forks over hundreds of dollars. You've got the attention of the technorati; I'd first focus on how you can convert them to paying customers, then deal with the plebs later.