One of those objects that I'm dying to touch: This Zoom Tube 8x32 Monocular Telescope by California-based Nocs Provisions ("Nocs" being short for monoculars/binoculars).

This lightweight 9.5 oz (270g) water-resistant monocular has a wide field of view (384 feet @ 1,000 yards), is tripod-mountable with a standard 1/4-20 fitting and has an eyeglasses-compatible eyecup.

It can also be coupled with a useful if unwieldy-looking $27 photo rig adapter so you can snap photos through it with your smartphone, as if you've slapped a 400mm camera lens on it.

Really great surfacing work here. It's tough to say without touching it, but I'd guess the origin point for the radiating striations is the central balance point of the object. And in addition to the looks and want-to-touch feature, "the ribbed housing absorbs impact and provides grip," the company says.

While the striations scream 3D-printing, which is in fact how the company prototypes their products, the company says that the texture was "Inspired by vintage BMX mushroom grips and the artwork of Frank Stella inspired by the natural patterns of sand that form in the dunes, and the swell formations of the ocean: seemingly symmetric and geometric, yet each line, each wave, completely unique."

The newly-launched Zoom Tube runs $75 and is supposed to start shipping any day now (mid-September was their target). Providing reassurance, the company says they offer a "No-Matter-What Lifetime Warranty."