I was also at JavaOne - there's some truth in what you say, though I actually found the sessions very mixed, some excellent (not least Joshua "Effective Java" Bloch) and some less good. I just accepted that not all the presenters were as entertaining as him, but as long as the material was interesting, considered my attendance worthwhile. And if a presentation wasn't relevant, there was plenty else to do - the Pavilion in particular was a great place to meet people, and get invited to evening events, such as the excellent Sun Certification party, or a live
podcast from the
Java Posse gang. I certainly learned a lot during the week, and would go again.