Perspective:
If the range of people that step into Sleepy Sam Slim's Local Home Brew store(LHBS) are anything like my LBHS then, everyone from the beginners (We all were once one) to the professional brew masters step through the doors. The beginners will take this and it will make them better brewers and they will learn with each batch, For me this is a Hobby, I take everything with a grain of salt. I read everything I can and use what makes sense to me, toss the rest out. It does make sense to trust the experts, and Palmer certainly qualifies in my book as one. However there is good info at the Mainbrew website, take what makes sense and make it your own.
In the beginning I went with the 1,2,3 process which was easy to follow and understand. But as I have grown as a brewer, I realize that there is no hard and fast rule when it comes to beer. I do feel that you need to give the yeast time to do its job and using the Hydrometer is the only way to know when that is done. In the beginning the "Bloop" method was fine, but I came to realize that it can not replace the Hydrometer.
For the Beginner: Keep It Simple and you will make good beer! The more you brew, the better your beer will be. To make Great Beer is the quest we are all on. For me, that means learning everything I can and applying them to my processes.
Brew and be happy with what you make. After all, How bad could it be, Your making BEER!
Cheers
Preston