As Peter Cohan wrote this weekend, sadly, some folks were killed over the holiday weekend due to what could be easily argued as Black Friday madness. In the zeal for saving a few dollars on cheaply-made, bargain-basement disposable consumer goods, one man was trampled to death as he opened the doors of a Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) store, while two other people were shot to death outside a Toys R Us store. Joy to the world, the materialism has won.

Although I enjoy covering the Black Friday event every year, the industry-made madness has become such an event that actually dumps respect for human beings into the garbage disposal, so that those crazy souls wanting to save 30% on shoes or a flat-screen television can get their fix.

I mean, is this what the holidays have come down to? The New York Times has a decent perspective on this. But, of course, America has always been about materialism and consumerism. Those are the factors that have made the U.S. the reigning economy worldwide. It's a free country for anyone to do as they wish, from billion-dollar companies to consumers with change in their pockets purchasing power. If we're all trained like Pavlov's dogs come the day after Thanksgiving -- credit cards in hand at 5:00am -- then it's no surprise some folks will die for the self-indulging greed of other human beings. Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) is cracking down this holiday season when it comes to the famous "Black Friday" sales that happens the day after Thanksgiving. Black Friday is widely considered to be the busiest shopping day of the entire year and it's when many retailers go into the black for the year -- in other words, they become profitable on that day.

In recent years, newspaper ads from Wal-Mart and other large retailers have found there way onto the internet weeks before the ads are supposed to be available, enabling people to find out about these Black Friday sales quite a bit before the retailers want to announce them. Last year alone, I found scanned newspaper ads all over the place on the web, with large collections found at consumer forums like FatWallet.com, bfads.net and GottaDeal.com.

This year may be a bit different as Wal-Mart's legal team takes a more proactive approach. Their message to websites and forums which are considering displaying Wal-Mart's Black Friday ads before Thanksgiving: don't do it. The retailer's legal team is rounding up the usual suspects early this year, telling them that displaying the retailer's ads before their official November 19 release date violates copyright laws (among other things). Will threats curb the amount of Black Friday newspaper ads we'll all see come Thanksgiving? I suspect that it may cut down on their availability, but I doubt it will eradicate them entirely from the internet.

Looking for toy and game bargains come this Friday, aka Black Friday? You've got it with some of the below choices, with many popular toys -- and even some games -- selling for less than $20 this Friday (and most likely Saturday as well). With the recent launch of the Sony Playstation 3 and the Nintendo Wii gaming consoles, console specials and associated games probably won't be featured heavily (if at all) in Black Friday deals with the launches having happened so recently. So, for less-expensive tastes, how about the below goodies:

Wal-Mart
Candyland Dora the Explorer Edition -- $9
Bratz sleepover doll -- $10
Disney princess director's chair -- $10
Playstation 2 three-game pack assortment -- $10
Cabbage Patch Kids Snuggle Beans assortment -- $10
Hot Wheels 20-car assortment -- $10

Target
Bratz doll -- $10
Cabbage Patch Kids cry and drink baby dolls -- $15
Bratz Babyz bride and groom set -- $15
Barbie mini-kingdom carriage and dolls -- $15
Star Wars transformer -- $15
Yahtzee turbo board game -- $15

Toys R Us
Dave Mirra freestyle BMX (Playstation 2) -- $5
Monster House DVD -- $8
Trivial Pursuit Star Wars Saga edition -- $10
Crayola super coloring kit -- $10
Leapfrog Books rainbow fish book -- $10
Magnetix 100-piece tube game set -- $15

Got gaming on your list? Target will be selling the Nintendo DS Lite for $129.99. Currently, it is listed for $224.99. There will definitely be more high-tech toy specials going round the ads this Friday, so keep your eagle eye out like I know you will. One word -- leave the kids at home with the significant other or a family member for this shopping experience (that goes without saying).

Looking for the perfect gift for the husband, dad, or grown son on your list? My advice: Skip the clothing racks and go straight for the hardware aisles. Another tie, sweater or pair of pajamas reeks of domesticity, comfort and a kind of quiet fading into the sunset. Instead, set his pulse to racing with a gift that shows you think he's a real man, a take-charge kind of guy, king of his castle and all that.

Some high-quality tools should do the trick. And, at these prices -- a leaked Sears circular indicates half-off sales for Craftsman tools -- quality tools are a great investment. How about a new socket wrench set, grip sander or miter saw? BFads.com is showing that you can purchase a DeWalt Heavy Duty Grip Sander for $29.99 with rebate at Ace Hardware.

The trick is to get tools that are so cool that he'll be happy to have them even if he never plans on using them. No home should be without a really nice cordless electric drill, for example. Shop at Big Lots on Black Friday and you can pick up a Stanley 150-piece "Fast Change Drill and Drive System" for $39 (listed on Gotta Deal's Black Friday site). Think of that: You get to give to give speed, drilling and driving -- all in one box!

The Wall Street Journal had a story [subscription required] a month or so ago in which readers complained about the ubiquity of digital cameras, reporting that at weddings, so many of the guests were snapping photos that there were no pictures of people enjoying themselves -- only meta-photos of other cameras. I'm certainly the worst kind of offender; my mom's been known to tell me that it still happened even if I didn't get a picture of it! (My answer: no it didn't!)

Is there a technology backlash? Are consumers deciding to forego the digitalization of every minute of their lives and just frickin' enjoy them for a minute? Ummm, nope. If the leaked sales for Black Friday are any indication, come New Year's Eve, there will be ever more amateurs making high-resolution memories of that New Year's kiss.

I remember it used to be $100 per megapixel, but now you can get massive resolution for a miniature price. But how many megapixels do you (and your gift-ees) need? And can you really get a good 6MP camera for $99? Here are some of the sales we've found for this Friday:

Sears
Polaroid i630 6MP Digital Camera $99
Kodak EasyShare 6.1MP Digital Camera and Printer Dock $329.99
Kodak EasyShare 7.1MP Digital Camera with Printer Dock $244.00 Doorbuster Sale

Wal-Mart
Casio Elixim EX-Z60 Digital Camera $199.88
Kodak Z612 Digital Camera $329.76
Kodak EasyShare C633 Digital Camera and Printer Dock $189.74 Doorbuster Sale

Best Buy
Canon PowerShot 6MP Digital ELPH Camera $219.99
Kodak 5MP Digital Camera $79.99 Doorbuster Sale
Nikon Coolpix 5.1MP Digital Camera $119.99

Why not start small when you're shopping for your holiday gifts? No, not small in storage capacity or features. Just in size and price. To misquote an old adage, storage capacity will double in amount as it halves in price, and it's never seemed more true than in reviewing the leaked ads for this Black Friday. Who has the best deals on tiny and useful peripherals this weekend? According to our sources at BlackFridayAds.com, these are a few of the highlights:

Storage
Polaroid 2GB Secure Digital Memory Card, $29.99 at Circuit City
PNY Attaché 1GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive, $14.99 at Best Buy
PNY 1GB Secure Digital Memory Card, $14.99 at Best Buy
SanDisk 2GB SD Memory Card, $29.99 at Best Buy

Peripherals
HP Deskjet 3940 Color Inkjet, $24.99 at Circuit City
Linksys Wireless-N Wireless Router With 4-Port Switch, $129.99 at Best Buy
Motorola Bluetooth Headset, $14.99 at Best Buy