Conferences, Clarity, and Smokescreens

Before saying anything else, I'd like to thank the organisers of JSNation for inviting me to speak in Amsterdam. I particularly appreciate the folks who were brave enough to disagree at the Q&A sessions afterwards. Engaged debate about problems we can see and evidence we can measure makes our work better. The conference venue was lovely, and speakers were more than well looked after. Many of the JSNation talks were of exactly the sort I'd hope to see as our discipline belatedly confronts a lost decade, part