I've been reading up on SVG. It's really cool. The troubling part is the effects. They are very powerful but the interface is really raw. What I need is a set of recipes for various Photoshop or Fireworks effects, like Inner Glow, Outer Glow, Bevel, Eboss, Drop Shadow, etc.
Anyway, to demonstrate the coolness, here is an interactive SVG map of the US. You will need to get the SVG plugin from Adobe if you don't have it already.