I appreciate the tag @blockurator, because the bid bot thing is definitely a situation that needs exploring. Well, maybe situation is too dramatic a word, but it is something that has been coming up since I first joined Steem in late 2017, so obviously needs to be addressed.
I can see both sides of it - I've used bit bots before, and I do think they have their place, but there's also so much abuse (like shit posts paying out hundreds). Not sure of the answer, but I found your experiment very thought provoking. Thanks for doing this.
You're welcome. Provoking thought is really the point.