As you may have noticed, Dots & Thoughts does not use JavaScript (almost) at all. The only JS snippets are for the stats tracking (Mint) and the Twitter feed (JSON).
JavaScript is a great and simple way to add sexy bits and animations to your web pages. But it is clearly overused (like I did on WooConcept). Most of time, you don't need JavaScript or it doesn't add value to the user experience.
I have to admit that D&T is a test lab for me, and I wanted it to use the latest coding trends. The code is made of HTML5 and the styles do rely on CSS3. CSS3, this is the trick. Almost every animations we usually build with JavaScript can be achieved with CSS3.