Small, but good group of photos for this mandate. My comments, as usual,
must be taken with huge grains of salt since I really don't know what I'm
talking about. A few thoughts:

Michael Benveniste:
http://www.pbase.com/shootin/image/70573037

Well, there's a lot going here, don't you think? Possible fetishes include
revenge, weaponry, media hype, global domination, and so on. I like the shot
a lot; good idea, well executed, and it fits the mandate nicely. It also
seems very fitting for these perverted times we're living in. Good job,
Mike.   A+

Bowser:
http://www.pbase.com/shootin/image/70573093

Yes, I have one. Yes, that's mine. I hate the damned thing, but my employer
seems to like to keep me on a leash, so I use it. Like the caption says,
Blackberry lust has really gotten silly. Anyway, I took the shot one morning
during the commute, since I had decided to use the BB as the central object
in the shot, and was looking for a proper setting. So I decided to drag out
the camera, mount the fisheye, and see what it looked like. Nobody else on
the highway even noticed. They were busy yakking on their own phones.   B

Quercus:
http://www.pbase.com/shootin/image/70573179

Damn, how could I have not considered an MP3 player, especially an iPod, the
little darling of the portable music set? I'll tell you how; I bought one,
but never see it. My teenage son seems to have monopolized it so I forget it
even exists. But iPods, and Zens and now Zunes have achieved fetish status,
fer sher. The shot leaves me a little cold, however. I like the composition,
but it seems underexposed, or lacking contrast. Kind of dingy and washed
out.   B-

Duncan Chesley:
http://www.pbase.com/shootin/image/70573199

Another MP3 player, this time an iPod, what looks like one of the newer
black iPod video models. Again, certainly qualifies as a 21st century fetish
item. At first glance, I would have liked a little more detail on the iPod,
but upon further review (yes, it's football season here in the US) I like it
as is. The combination of iPod, screen, and book elements in this
arrangement works very well! Good job, Duncan.   A-

Jim Kramer:
http://www.pbase.com/shootin/image/70573231

Well, I assume your fetish item is chat rooms, newsgroups, or some sort of
internet-based communication. No question, a fetish item. I would have
preferred a more detailed shot of a chat room; one with some type of lurid
conversation taking place. You know, the kind of conversation that takes
place between US Representatives and Pages, but no such luck here. Not too
bad, but it leaves me wanting more.   C+.

Al Denelsbeck:
http://www.pbase.com/shootin/image/70573276

Ah, yes. A digital photo that comments on the banality of digital
photography. A comment truly worthy of Mad Magazine, no? Sort of reminds me
of one of my favorite quotes from Mad (by a "hippie" couple commenting on
the latest avant-garde film): "it was incredibly symbolic how the director
injected symbolism into scenes symbolically devoid of symbols." How many
fetishes? Let me count the ways: chat rooms, bottled water (I still don't
get why we pay more for a bottle of water than Coke; must be expensive to
take the Coke out of the water), phones, cameras, headsets, technology in
general, and extremely noisy digital photos. Crappy photo, but good Bowser
points for trying.   B

Mardon:
http://www.pbase.com/shootin/image/70573597

I knew someone in this group would submit a pic of some photo gear! No
question, especially for this group, a fetish item. Not tied to this
century, but hey, this century is still young, so why not? Technically, not
a great shot, though and I would have preferred something utterly razor
sharp to depict this fine lens. However, it's not bad at all.  B-

Paul Campbell:
http://www.pbase.com/shootin/image/70594975

Another MP3 player shot, another iPod, the true benchmark of portable
players, no question (with all due respect to the other excellent players).
All the previous comments regarding iPods and MP3 players apply here, but
this shot, taken with such excellent gear is my favorite of the iPod shots,
no question. Yes, I know, totally senseless, but I have no intention of
trying to make sense in my life. Too much damned work. But the Pentax gear
here is wonderful stuff, and reminds me that it was Pentax (Asahi?) that
introduced the first multicoated lenses back in the sixties (I think).
Anyway, nice arrangement of elements, good placement of the "mug-me white"
headphones. Being the sharpness freak, I'd like a sharper pic, but this
isn't bad.  A-