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My point was people already bitch about shit other people own--big houses, private jets, hummers, stupid donks, animals, etc.

People bitch about things I own. I own a $1400 bicycle with $600 wheels--having upgraded from a $500 bicycle, ho-ly shit who knew?! People think it's their business to tell me I'm a horrible person for not buying a $50 40lb piece of shit from Toys-R-Us which would be "just as good" but fuck 'em.

I'm buying a $5000 piano--a Kawai CA-93--and people are telling me I don't need it and/or that a $300 piano or a plastic Yamaha $500 keyboard is "just as good" and rattle on and on about this like it's somehow hurting their quality of life.

You should see the way some people react when I talk about getting granite counter tops--apparently me having granite makes their quality of life poorer because everybody has granite and it's "overdone" (in the same way, I guess, that everyone having a refrigerator is overdone? Granite is fucking fantastic--yes, cement counter top is respectable, easily repaired, looks good, etc--but granite is really, really fucking awesome).

Vibram FiveFingers.

What the fuck do I care about what you think about my Google Glass?

Maybe if you stopped bragging about how much you are paying for stuff people would get off your case.

My point was people already bitch about shit other people own--big houses, private jets, hummers, stupid donks, animals, etc.

People bitch about things I own. I own a $1400 bicycle with $600 wheels--having upgraded from a $500 bicycle, ho-ly shit who knew?! People think it's their business to tell me I'm a horrible person for not buying a $50 40lb piece of shit from Toys-R-Us which would be "just as good" but fuck 'em.

I'm buying a $5000 piano--a Kawai CA-93--and people are telling me I don't need it and/or that a $300 piano or a plastic Yamaha $500 keyboard is "just as good" and rattle on and on about this like it's somehow hurting their quality of life.

You should see the way some people react when I talk about getting granite counter tops--apparently me having granite makes their quality of life poorer because everybody has granite and it's "overdone" (in the same way, I guess, that everyone having a refrigerator is overdone? Granite is fucking fantastic--yes, cement counter top is respectable, easily repaired, looks good, etc--but granite is really, really fucking awesome).

Vibram FiveFingers.

What the fuck do I care about what you think about my Google Glass?

I compromise: VFFs absolutely rule. Nearly as good as going barefoot, but with the protection from broken glass, rocks, etc.

http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/

Most physically-comfortable footwear I've ever worn. Also the most socially-uncomfortable.

Improper mechanics in your feet cause problems every where else...Running is one thing, walking around in any shoe with an elevated heel is just as bad...

Vibram makes "shoes" called five fingers, which are the closest thing you can get to running/walking barefoot.
http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/

If you insist on fashion...
http://www.nike.com/nikefree/

There has been some research (reg.req.) on the benefits of barefoot running. BUt, the article also mentions having to pull glass from your foot...

I've tried running barefoot once, on the beach, but wouldn't dare doing it on my standard run through the city. Does anyone here have any experience with the ultra thin Five Fingers running shoes (basically protective gloves around your feet)? Sure, you look like a dick -- almost as bad as Crocs -- but they appear a great alternative.

I would never run on sand or grass. You can't see what is lurking underneath. I run on gravel track in the Bronx's Van Cortlandt park three times a week. One benefit of staying on the gravel is that the glass that is there shimmers in the light (even at night when wearing a 3 watt LED headlamp). The other benefit is that the shod runners have usually ground the glass up into less threatening glass pebbles that end up pounded deeper into the gravel.

I used the five fingers for one run. Great for walking around the city. Running? Still too heavy and restrictive for my tastes.

Does anyone here have any experience with the ultra thin Five Fingers running shoes (basically protective gloves around your feet)? Sure, you look like a dick -- almost as bad as Crocs -- but they appear a great alternative.

If I'm not barefoot, or at work, then I'm wearing my FiveFingers. The FiveFingers feel like a sock, though slightly stiffer on the bottom.

On a side note, glass is not really that much of a danger to someone who has been walking, or running, barefoot for any amount of time. The sharp part of the glass is on the sides, you step on the top (flat side).

the shoes with separate toes are found at http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/ This is as close as you can get to running barefoot without running barefoot.

I've got a pair that I had a friend bring back from a trip to the US. I love them, but if you're one of the genetic freaks like me who has a longer second toe, they can be a little uncomfortable. Mine have stretched to fit, but it took a while.
If you can, I strongly recommend you do a test fitting in a store before buying, as the sizes are not quite the same as standard shoe sizes. The guide on their website is pretty good and worked for me, although this guy thinks it's a bit off.

Also, one of the other toes is coming apart due to some dodgy stitching, but it's past the 90 days return and in the wrong country, so I'm out of luck with that.
(I seem to have had a run of bad luck with Vibram - the Vibram soles of my expensive hiking shoes have recently cracked across the middle).

I'm surprised no one's mentioned Vibram Five Fingers. I use them for parkour conditioning. http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/

True, it's not nice to run into broken glass or just dog crap. That's why there's new breed of minimalistic shoes. They're designed to look like shoes (which is important for social reasons, like not getting kicked out restaurant or workplace) but don't limit your feet the way traditional shoes do. Additionally wearing *some kind* of shoes is important for hygiene and aforementioned avoidance of injuries. The important thing: soles need to be very thin and flexible, and there should be lots of room for toes.. Some examples: Vivo Barefoot serries, with kevlar soles http://www.terraplana.com/ Nike Free serries http://www.nike.com/nikefree/ Vibram Fivefingers (Danger: look awkward) http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/

http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/

There has been some research (reg.req.) on the benefits of barefoot running. BUt, the article also mentions having to pull glass from your foot... I've tried running barefoot once, on the beach, but wouldn't dare doing it on my standard run through the city. Does anyone here have any experience with the ultra thin Five Fingers running shoes (basically protective gloves around your feet)? Sure, you look like a dick -- almost as bad as Crocs -- but they appear a great alternative.

Vibram makes a "shoe" that looks like it's basically a rubber wrap for your feet. Has anybody had experience using these? They seem to be a good balance between a shoe (not getting cut up by rocks) and barefoot (no padding, flexible sole), but I don't know anybody who has actually used them.

How do they figure? I know when I'm running Apollo (AIM client) on my iPod Touch and switch over to Safari to browse, I'll get pop-ups from Apollo when people IM me. Not being a programmer, I gotta ask, doesn't that make Apollo (and it's appropriate daemon) a background task while I'm in Safari? Same thing with having music playing, with Apollo running, while using Safari. Seems to multitask alright to me. Not as friendly as true OS X but not bad for a device that weighs as little as my shoes at 4.2 ounces.

One morning the fate of the free world depended on my screener's determination on if a pair of Vibram Five Fingers was a shoe or not. Never mind that I own bulkier socks than this, but apparently it's a shoe.