Sometimes it feels like the whole world has turned into a Portlandia sketch, the one where Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen are cajoled by everyone (the bank teller, a garbage man, and even Carrie’s mom) to “come to my DJ night.” But all jokes aside, as a music fan, more DJs is a good thing. The more DJs there are, the less likely I am to hear the same old “untz-untz-untz” when I head out to my neighborhood bar. But learning how to DJ is quite daunting—the gear can be expensive and complicated, not to mention wickedly heavy. Stanton’s SCS.4DJ changes all that.

If Saddleback’s Classic Briefcase Thin wrote a book it would be How to Win Friends & Influence People. Everywhere we go with it, this bag inspires conversation. People just want to look at it, feel it, know what the beautiful leather is all about. Even after several months, we’re still ogling it. It’s beautiful, yes. But it’s not perfect for everyone.

Wacom’s Inkling is a fabulous concept: draw in your own notebook, with a real pen, and easily download digital versions of those drawings onto your computer. In theory, it improves on existing digital tools--support for layers makes it more flexible than a scanner, and real ink and paper offer better feel and control than a tablet. The Inkling should be a perfect bridge between digital and analog art. Unfortunately, the product still has a few kinks to work out before we can truly sings its praises. The Inkling certainly does what it sets out to do--it effectively captures a digital likeness of anything you sketch. We just wish it did a better job.

With the rising cost of health care in the U.S., it’s no surprise that a small cottage industry has popped up for gadgets that allow us to skip costly doctor visits and monitor our health from home. One of the more intriguing devices is the Withings Blood Pressure Monitor, a $129 solution for tracking weight, fat/lean mass, BMI, heart rate, and blood pressure daily through an iOS device.