I'm sure you'll get multiple answers, but Bitshares solved these problems in 2014 with Proof-of-Authority (aka Delegated Proof-of-Stake). Seconds between blocks

I'm sure you'll get multiple answers, but Bitshares solved these problems in 2014 with Proof-of-Authority (aka Delegated Proof-of-Stake). Seconds between blocks produced, and the transaction fees are like $0.005 or something ridiculous. The code was forked to create the Steem blogging platform, and now EOS is in development to essentially back Ethereum-like smart contracts with the DPoS model. Ethereum is trusted, and Vitalik is a great project leader. If they can solve distributed smart contracts with his new plans, that would be huge. For now, it seems like the middle ground is where it's at.