Thanks for writing this and also for posting it here as well as on Motherboard. I wanted to comment there but couldn't.
You've got most things down correctly, but the part about the steemit website being programmed to release Steem power over two years in 104 payments is not correct. The steemit website has nothing to do with this, it's a feature of Steem the blockchain.
Steem Power is a built in smart contract that locks down Steem in return for voting power and inflation protection, and this smart contract can only release the funds back to liquid Steem in equal weekly payments over a two year period.
Steem Dollars is simply another smart contract that is essentially a promise by the blockchain to give the holder back 1 US $ worth of Steem at any time in the future when he requests it, with the slight drawback that this promise of payment of debt will take a week to complete.
RE: My investigation into Steemit for VICE Motherboard.