The setTimeout makes sure the transition between different objects looks pretty.  I set showBalloon to false, which triggers a 0.2s fade (set in the CSS).  I need to wait for that fade to finish before setting showBalloon to true.  otherwise the two commands run over each other, and the previous objects balloon content shows above the new balloon for a split second.  I could avoid this if i get rid of the fade in/out, but I think it looks nice.