Walking: You're doing it wrong
I first saw this link with tzikeh (subject line stolen from her) and have enjoyed reading up on this. I thought that imbri6 would particularly enjoy this article from the New York Times Magazine: "You Walk Wrong: It took 4 million years of evolution to perfect the human foot. But we’re wrecking it with every step we take."
There is also a site for folks who prefer going shoe-free: The Society for Barefoot Living (again, mainly for imbri6), where it lists the basic facts and debunks myths about going barefoot (e.g. it is not illegal to drive barefoot, it is not against the law or the health code to go into establishments including restaurants). The FAQ is particularly fun, especially the bits about "isn't it gross" and "responses to comments by passers-by."
The comments on the article had critiques of the main barely-shod shoe styles, particularly those listed in the article, including Nike Free (where the lower the number, the more flexible and more barefoot-like the shoe, so 7.0 is a more rigid shoe and 3.0 is the more flexible; I like the maroon Mary Janes at the bottom of the page), Vivo Barefoot (I particularly like the black Odette shoes--which, ironically, are the type and style of flexible, low-profile shoes/slippers I tried to wear for most of my life; my feet are so flexible that rigid shoes are just plain uncomfortable), and Vibram Five Fingers (which I think would drive me nuts as I HATE having things between my toes, but otherwise, wow, do these look comfy and flexible apart from that). Too bad they're all really expensive; I would quite love to try a few of them.
There is also a site for folks who prefer going shoe-free: The Society for Barefoot Living (again, mainly for imbri6), where it lists the basic facts and debunks myths about going barefoot (e.g. it is not illegal to drive barefoot, it is not against the law or the health code to go into establishments including restaurants). The FAQ is particularly fun, especially the bits about "isn't it gross" and "responses to comments by passers-by."
The comments on the article had critiques of the main barely-shod shoe styles, particularly those listed in the article, including Nike Free (where the lower the number, the more flexible and more barefoot-like the shoe, so 7.0 is a more rigid shoe and 3.0 is the more flexible; I like the maroon Mary Janes at the bottom of the page), Vivo Barefoot (I particularly like the black Odette shoes--which, ironically, are the type and style of flexible, low-profile shoes/slippers I tried to wear for most of my life; my feet are so flexible that rigid shoes are just plain uncomfortable), and Vibram Five Fingers (which I think would drive me nuts as I HATE having things between my toes, but otherwise, wow, do these look comfy and flexible apart from that). Too bad they're all really expensive; I would quite love to try a few of them.