Can't do animated gifs for channel avatars, since they're not allowed and the backend converts all types to jpeg anyway.

Or I'm pretty sure it does, like it does with member avatars.

For sidebar content, I suggest you search youtube or vimeo for awesome slowmotion fire. Maybe a picture of that monk that put himself on fire in the vietnam war.

Oooh, and Tobias Fünke auditioning for that one part: "OMG, IT'S A FIRE... sale"

For the icon I suggest something simple and telling, like
http://www.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/4415674/2/istockphoto_4415674-flame-symbols.jpg
or
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2191/2417164282_3cedc64029.jpg
or
http://theoffutts.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/flame.jpg

If you want CSS stuff done, let me know, I'll help ya out. I never did it for talks, since I wanted to keep it nice and neat.

Thanks Gwiz. I'll find a good jpg avatar.

Other than knowing that CSS is a programming language, I don't even know what I WOULD do with it. Colour schemes? Layout? Suggestions?

I think that you mainly can fiddle with the colors. Not all that much "big" layout stuff, without potentially wrecking the site.