The color that things should be
The interaction between surfaces and the light they emit can be very complicated, but a decent abstraction for most surfaces is to define two types of reflected light: diffuse and specular. Diffuse light is light that is scattered evenly by the object. Take a piece of cardboard and hold it facing the light. See how it's bright? Hold it perpendicular to the light. See how it's darker? That's diffuse light. Cardboard is rough, so it scatters light very well. Specular light is coherent reflection. It's light that's literally bouncing off at the opposite angle. How coherently that light is reflected is determined by the smoothness ("shininess") of the object and whether that object is flat. Specular light is view dependent: as you move around a shiny object the location of the shiny bits moves. Diffuse light is *not* view dependent. A basketball will be just as brightly lit on the side toward the light no matter where you are standing. Light is additive. A black shiny object like an cue 8 ball has a lot of specular and very little diffuse. A white matte object like a sheet of paper has very little specular and a lot of diffuse. It's easier to see "black shiny" than "white shiny" because with "black shiny" you only see the specular highlights, without the diffuse competing for the eye's attention. It's easier to see the shine on a black object than a white object for this reason.
If you have a matte, scratchable, dentable object especially if it has an irregular surface like a camera the best color for that object to be is black. Black shows stains less, is less marred by fingerprints and pizza grease, and darker shadows cast by surface irregularities don't show up as easily on black surfaces.
If you have a shiny, scratchable, dentable object like an iPod the best color for that shiny object to be is white. Black shiny objects show their damage more, because the only thing they reflect is specular which depends on the smoothness of the now-damaged surface. White shiny damaged objects also reflect specular unevenly, but that unevenness can hide beneath the diffuse light emission easier. White *cars* are particularly good since white car paint is usually applied without a glossy clearcoat, over white primer. You usually have to scratch down to the metal before the surface isn't white anymore. They're also cooler in summer, which means the plastic cooking inside won't age as quickly.
The first-generation iBooks were shiny white, which is a good color for shiny things. The new MacBooks can be purchased in matte white or matte black. Matte black is a better color, but it's probably not $150 better.
As yanners constantly reminded me (before she disappeared to London and stopped talking to me) I'm a utilitiarian. The above is a utilitarian's perspective, disregarding aesthetical concerns. It also ignores special cases such as camouflage.
If you have a matte, scratchable, dentable object especially if it has an irregular surface like a camera the best color for that object to be is black. Black shows stains less, is less marred by fingerprints and pizza grease, and darker shadows cast by surface irregularities don't show up as easily on black surfaces.
If you have a shiny, scratchable, dentable object like an iPod the best color for that shiny object to be is white. Black shiny objects show their damage more, because the only thing they reflect is specular which depends on the smoothness of the now-damaged surface. White shiny damaged objects also reflect specular unevenly, but that unevenness can hide beneath the diffuse light emission easier. White *cars* are particularly good since white car paint is usually applied without a glossy clearcoat, over white primer. You usually have to scratch down to the metal before the surface isn't white anymore. They're also cooler in summer, which means the plastic cooking inside won't age as quickly.
The first-generation iBooks were shiny white, which is a good color for shiny things. The new MacBooks can be purchased in matte white or matte black. Matte black is a better color, but it's probably not $150 better.
As yanners constantly reminded me (before she disappeared to London and stopped talking to me) I'm a utilitiarian. The above is a utilitarian's perspective, disregarding aesthetical concerns. It also ignores special cases such as camouflage.