A Rookie Guide to Digital SLR Cameras is a great article that is going around which gives you the ups and downs for new, or potentially new DSLR owners. A bit slanted towards Nikon it seems, but as a Pentax user I couldn't care less, and quite frankly, it really doesn't matter for 99% of the users out there. My philosophy has always been to tell people to go and handle the cameras and make sure you feel comfortable with the feel, controls, and weight, as if you're not comfortable you're going to tend towards not using your new $1000 toy and it'll be a moot point anyway!
That said, Pentax is the only way to go. That and VIM. And OS/X. Oh, and your favorite band sucks.
:)