Yes, elastic is my preferred method at the moment. However, it can get a bit confusing as soon as you introduce images into the mix. Often the confusion gets fixed quickly, but I have one project that I’m working on where the images – some problems just can’t be fixed. Perhaps when it won’t work I need to take a different tack on the whole thing.

Obsolete advice… yes, I know of one case in particular where an author doesn’t agree with what he wrote before – the post is still there though.
Also, I sometimes find that sites promoting fluid layouts are ugly… maybe I’ve just come across the wrong ones?

I think those two books are on my Amazon wish list… Ahhh perhaps some day!

If the web site were a stand-alone application running on your desktop, most people would expect that standard application to be sizeable (as is the browser itself).

Then there is that whole font size issue ;-), units, and how much scalability to allow the user. Whether IE, Firefox, or Opera, the first thing I do on a lot of sites is click on the “font increase size” button. Second, I grab the browser’s corner and pull it to a size that makes reading comfortable.

Be wary of obsolete info/advise on the web when it comes to CSS and web design, among other topics. I bet the ratio of valid to obsolete favors the later :-(

Checkout:
CSS Mastery by Andy Budd
Transcending CSS by Andy Clarke
http://www.csszengarden.com/