@danicaswanson
Update: this morning I wrote some drafts with long responses to your excellent questions. I don't think this thread is the best place to post my answers, though.
Maybe I'll start a new thread. Or maybe I'll turn my responses into a blog post. Or maybe I'll just leave them in draft form and post a short summary. Haven't yet decided.
But I did want to thank you for asking the questions, in any case.