bitcoin mining

I have seen a lot of these bitcoin mining websites where you can buy electricity or whatever it is for X number of thousand dollars and then you are in a pool. It all looks fantastically easy and secure, but which one of these websites can you trust?

In recent days, I have been reading a lot about bitcoin to try and get myself into things. There are 80 years to go before the last bitcoin gets "mined" - but is there a website that shows real-time data on how many btc's are already mined and how many are being mined per hour or per day?

Does someone has a guide to Bitcoin Mining. I find it very difficult to see where to get started and what is required. So far I got an idea that you must buy some hardware on Amazon since you can't any longer just use your computer. What else is required and what capital is required to make...