To do: Learn JavaScript properly

I read an article today on using JavaScript for image previewing without any extra markup, and was, needless to say, suitably impressed. And slightly scared that if I were locked in a room with a computer and no access to the Internet, I couldn’t possibly write something like that. I can hack bits of JavaScript together and come out with something that works (heaven help anyone who has to comprehend it or, worse still, subsequently extend it), but it probably isn’t Doing Things Properly — ironic, because Doing Things Properly is what the whole CSS/(X)HTML web standards groupies thing is about. I’m vaguely ashamed that I can be passionate about presentation and content but completely fail to “get” the behaviour layer of things.

As AJAX becomes more prevalent, there’s less and less excuse (or scope, whilst remaining in the industry!) for failing to comprehend these things. And that scares me a little, whilst being incredibly exciting.