Nice catch with the property node example. I think I recall that the LV execution system only has 1 UI thread...that might explain the laggy updates.
No, neither of those ideas is helpful in this application. I want to present a smooth UI that can go toe-to-toe with competing products written in other languages. Choppy redraws and laggy updates do not bode well for LV. 
Let's see what NI folks have to say when the work week starts again.