Any Safe Expandable Content Techniques?

Contemporary info please, I bet it's changing fast.

[capt earthworm]

I read the topics I could find on this site including the google knowlegebase, and others... about seo-questionable design techniqes that also have legitimate uses, and how we should _just avoid them_ because they can get us blacklisted hard.
I'm talking about overflow:hidden, visibility:hidden, divs that are hanging off the page or z-tucked under other content(but come popping into view via javascript when you click a button).

I'm sorry but that just raises my hackles...having to throw away a huge chunk of my 'toolbox' and specifically all of the techniques which allow a clean uncluttered design with "expandable/explorable" content available on the same page, because of jerks.

In most cases non-cluttered design is more of a priority than hardcore seo to my clients (bands), people are more likely to go looking for them by name than stumble upon them by subject search.

However I can't very well be using techniques that have high chances of getting the sites banned from google and other big players altogether; I would hope a person can at least find them on the first couple of pages of results if they search for the unique band/company name.

<core of question>

Has anything changed in this area of visibility:hidden, etc.; css and dhtml display-control, over the last year?

I'm holding onto the hope someone will tell me (based on good info) that google's content algorithms and emphasis on links are so good now that they no longer have to care about spam in the page and don't have to penalize people for legitimate uses of techniques that have been so often abused.

On a similar note, how do the bots tell the difference between a javascript popup menu/tooltips and divs full of spam? Does anyone know which specific DHTML techniques for showing and hiding content are safe and which to watch out for?

And one last set of related questions in this long post.....

Is there a way to request a human review by google, etc., or explain to them myself why the risky code is there?
I feel there could be no doubt that my intention was benign if the layout was viewed by a human or I got a chance to talk to one.
Is there a place (or a good set of search terms) to find out as much as google's willing to tell about current policy in these regards?

</core of question>

I know I won't get much sympathy from those who have already bit the bullet and been forced to abandon much of your preffered 'toolbox'.

Please help if you can. Things seem to change so fast and I'm glad the spammers are kept guessing, but maybe someone has recent experience.

Thanks
Justin