A collection of notes that might be useful for folks.
I started using Vim at the start of 2013 and I needed a way to attack the steep learning curve. While posts and cheatsheets abound, it was clear that usage was the key to success. I jumped in and began using Vim full-time on a new project at work, building my Vim skills as I built the project.
My study technique was to create and write this document in Vim. The value in it is mostly in the creation. So if your goal is to learn Vim, I recommend that you look at this document as an example of something that you should create for yourself. It's written in reverse chronological order, because I wrote it to serve as my reference while working. As I read and watched, I made notes on the items that were new or interesting. And of course I practiced the techniques as I made notes on them. This ensured that the next time I needed one of those techniques, I had both an awareness of it and a place to look it up if I forgot the details.
A huge amount of thanks to @alex_young for all of the great material on usevim.com. You'll see that a big strategy that I used was to go back to the earliest post and read forward, making notes all along the way. This let me work through a few posts at a time in the evenings, keeping momentum up throughout the first few months. Alex sharing his enthusiasm and knowledge of Vim is a great contribution to the community.
The first EmberConf in Portland was a huge success for the Ember community. I really valued the exposure to the broad range of participants and topics.