The most recent read has been "Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping" by Paco Underhill. The caveat to the reader is that I know very little about retail shopping (other than being a consumer) and the motivation to read the book was a recommendation that came out of a discussion on consumerism.
Underhill claims to be an anthropologist of sorts, but the book is largely anecdotal - the anecdotes are fascinating, but this isn't science. That said, I think it will be difficult for me to walk into a store for the next few months and not look at display layouts and customers.
He speaks about "transition zones" at store entrances that are largely ignored (shopping baskets, displays, promotional signs) as consumers are focusing on opening doors and not colliding with other consumers.
Male vs female shopping patterns are claimed to be different - "men are from Sears hardware, women from Bloomingdale's..." Shopping is more ritual for women according to Underhill and being with a man breaks that ritual.
Some of his speculation is just that (including a cute note on Harley Davidson targeting old baby boomers twenty years from now) and his notes on e-commerce are as speculative as the business models of people who participated in the sport. The book also gets repetitive towards the end - a good edit job and a 200 page length would have vastly improved the reading experience.
So the book gets a conditional recommendation. Buy and study it if you are associated with, or fascinated by, retail stores. Check out your local library if you are merely somewhat interested in some of the underpinning of the retail experience. I have the sense that a better author could have turned this into a best seller.
A month or two ago I spent some time conducting some bench tests on the optics of consumer digital cameras with the intention of putting up a webpage on the subject. Unfortunately this is quite a bit of work and finding test cameras isn't easy, but I was able to check out some of my 35mm, medium format and digital equipment as well as the digital cameras of a few friends.
The bottom line is that most digital cameras I tested have terrible optics. Barrel distortion and chromatic aberrations are on the level of some of the very low end point and shoot film cameras.
So why aren't people complaining? My suspicion is that imperfections in the design of the color ccd arrays and distortions introduced by image compression are actually larger than lens problems - so much larger in cameras with three megapixels or less that they dominate the error budget. The camera manufacturers need small lenses with large optical zoom factors to please the consumer and it is much easier to use a cheap lens.
I also suspect that most people don't care. A good photographer can do magic with a throwaway film or cheap digital camera - things that most of us could never do with ideal equipment. Most people only want snapshots and the convenience of the digital format combined with the much lower cost of ownership if you do a lot of photography are simply too compelling.
So how is that for dodging a digital camera recommendation (my apology to Susan)? If you are looking for something now, are not a serious amateur and only intend to make small (4x6) prints, I would go for a two megapixel camera. Check reports on
http://www.dcresource.com/
http://www.imaging-resource.com/
and
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/
A first order pass at a store or Consumers Reports might narrow the choices enough to be worth the effort.
I would also try them out in a store as human factor issues vary greatly from camera to camera.
If you are going after 8x10 prints and, or are more serious, I would look at 4 megapixel and larger cameras. Of course if you are professional you are ignoring all of this...
Given enough money I would go for this
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/ND100/D10A.HTM
but only because I have a sizable investment in Nikkor lenses. Then again I would probably pocket the money and wait a year...
Finally - a truly frightening submission from Nancy. Nimoy sings.
http://www.tolkiencollector.com/bbaggins.mov
shudders ...
This is worse than someone yodeling the classics...
5:43:46 AM 
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