When I first ran across the Adidas Climacool running shoe I thought they’d be too fragile for the rugged terrain that I normally run on, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised by their robustness. I took a chance on them because they’re lighter than my old Nike Lunarl*** and look even better. True to their name, they dissipate heat and perspiration better than any pair of running shoes I’ve ever had, but you can’t run without socks — the backs will make your heels bleed after several miles.

I’ve been a fan of Ben Cooper’s solo work as Radical Face since his Ghosts album, but his new record The Family Tree: The Roots slipped right by me when it was released last October. I recently rediscovered it and I couldn’t be more pleased. Cooper’s songwriting is fictional and narrative in nature, but there’s an earnestness to his songs that comes from a limited instrument selection and a relatively narrow soundstage. It might also be due to the fact that he records all his solo work in the shed behind his mother’s house.

Micro Four Thirds is about compromise — the slimmed camera bodies forgo professional features while the lens selection is meager and sometimes quite pricey. Sigma’s 30mm prime isn’t the fastest or the sharpest, but it is undeniably affordable at $199. It’s relatively bright at 2.8 and almost as sharp as the renowned Panasonic 20mm prime. I like it because Sigma didn’t cheap out in the places that matter — it has a metal mount and a quick and accurate internal focusing mechani**. Now if only Sigma hadn’t used a plastic focusing ring...

There is something fantastically timely about Zac Gorman’s video game artwork. His visual style has grown quite strong recently, but it’s his understanding of the emotion and narrative between the poorly translated lines of retro classics that pushes his artwork far beyond realm of normal "fan art." Each of his pieces is so unique I couldn’t chose a single favorite!

I didn’t have a good reason to buy this phone — I have a Galaxy S II and a Galaxy Nexus. I bought it just for its fantastic design. It feels like the original iPhone, but **aller, faster, and more useful. I like the pocketable size, fantastic screen, and 3-day battery life. For $199.99, you just can’t do better than the HTC One V.