Geary,
I don't want to come down too strongly on one camera over another, but I would offer the following links which have had some sway on my thinking of late.
Comparison between the Nikon D70, Nikon D100, Canon Digial Rebel
Ken Rockwell review
I used to have an A1 and loved it. The good thing about the old film cameras is that the film they shot was always state of the art.
Personally, I try not to get too deep into the technical stuff. My MO has always been to do a flurry of investigation every decade or so and then read a few pages of the manual and get on with it. As with any type of technology, he who buys last wins.