Thanks for the compliments Phil! Though I think I'm doing okay, I'm always looking at the problems with my pics and it is good to get encouragement, especially from the guys who know their stuff.
I actually bought this camera mostly for scenic shots, landscapes, and general snapshot use. For those uses, I would love to use a very high-res SLR rig for a few (I think it would be wonderful if I could make just one or two high quality 16x20 prints) shots, and I'm sure a lot of bells and whistles would help make all of the camera-side elements a little easier to manipulate.
BUT, as I think we've been reiterating a few times through out this thread, crap-in, crap-out. Equipment is not a valid replacement for technique. Some of the big tips I keep in mind when taking photos are:
a) light. You need to experiment to arrange for good coverage, no unwanted reflections, no strongly cast colors from different types of light.
b) positioning. Having ample light doesn't mean you can place your subject any which way to get a perfect photo. I have found that I sometimes need to prop something underneath the knife to angle it, or I need to adjust the position of the knife to minimize shadow. Reflectors are great for helping reduce shadow intensity, but shadow position plays a role too.
These two can be helped a lot with a good light tent. Then you can use a variety of light sources with relatively good diffusal and plenty of coverage. Without a tent though, I think there's a lot of adjustments and moving things around to get a more ideal shot.
c) camera steadiness. Cameras can somewhat stabilize for the user so you can get fairly OK freehand shots, but ensuring a good steady base gives you so many more options and details are much easier to pick up. A good 2-megapixel camera on a tripod can produce better looking photos than a 6-megapixel camera in shaky hands.
d) practice. I think this is the most important thing. Some images just won't turn out great. Get a few extra shots in, see where your problems are, make little adjustments, and try again. A digital camera is wonderful in that if you have a good power supply and memory, you can just keep on taking photos until you're blue in the face. You're not wasting film, so why be conservative and restrained with your photo experiments?
I know there are many other "tips" one could post, but I'm posting from the amateur perspective, and I think these help fill in the gap between saying "I have a camera but I can't take pics" and "Wanna see this pic I just took today?" That is IMO the gap many of us are trying to cross