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Surface : A design blog

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August 18, 2007 4:24 PM PDT
(Credit: Roger Arquer)

Did you grow up hearing that fish will grow as big as their bowl (or pond or ocean)? So that if you keep that carnival feeder fish in a tiny bowl it will stay tiny, but if you put it in the pond it'd get even larger? Well what about letting the FISH choose? With these nested "Russian Dolls" tanks, suddenly it is in the fish to choose whether they want to get bigger...and bigger...and it looks like at a certain point there is no turning back! (Although it can still see where it came from at all times.) Really, it is all a metaphor for life as we know it...cleanly and gorgeously abstracted to the world in the fish bowl

Roger Arquer's latest project, entitled Fish Bowls, presents 15 variations of the standard fishbowl... As Dezeen's article says, "Each piece examines a topic or suggests a solution to an issue," says Arquer. "'Dear Neighbour' (above), for example, tells us about the delicate relationships we have with our close neighbours, 'Suicidal Tendencies' prevents your fish from committing suicide, and 'Russian Dolls' (below) gives your fish a chance to decide how big it wants to be. I once read that a fish grows according to the space it has, that's what inspired me in this case." A few more bowls to get you started below...

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August 6, 2007 12:44 PM PDT
(Credit: Tetramine Day)

Tetramine Day! All Tetris lovers should get over to Bologna Italy for this giant meetup September 30. The catch? All you have to do is bring a tetramino made out of 60x60x60-centimeter squares, like the one you see here to the left. Designers, i think this means you can get creative on it, and decorate your tetramino as you wish... Still baffled as to how to make a giant tetris piece? Check out the video!

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July 21, 2007 9:21 PM PDT
(Credit: Jealous Computers)

Beware of JEALOUS COMPUTERS! Apparently they have started to attack (particularly N95 owners)... here you see a few poor victims of a laptop bite and a keyboard to the face. Not pretty. Well Nokia has really gone all out on this viral N95 site... I just wrote up a big piece on this over at NOTCOT, and it was too hilarious, bizarre, and nicely designed not to share with you CNET readers too. Basically they have created a whole series of PSAs, posters, tshirts, and even a mug (well, half mug, and well they have a cool pic, but it seems that the computers at the factory they were meant to be made at started to attack) on the Jealous Computers site, and here's the most interesting part: submit your own attack stories and YouTube videos, and get a free shirt! The mens red says "I survived a jealous computer attack" and the girls pink says "Keep small pets away from jealous computers" - nice motivation to get the viral rolling.

Check out my screenshots and video summary, and experience it for yourself at Jealous Computers.

July 1, 2007 11:29 PM PDT

(Credit: Jean Aw, NOTCOT)

OK, honestly, did you notice that Apple bothered to indent the button on the cover of the iPhone box? And have the whole phone slightly embossed? Let us not forget how far those design geeks at Apple go. That bag was incredible too, no creases! And it fit the iPhone boxes perfectly...three stacked would be just right, or perhaps two and some accessories. And the plastic piece that held up the iPhone when you first opened the box. What about that thick foam in the top of the lid? They really did think of everything. I just took some photographs and gushed about the design over at NOTCOT, but I couldn't resist mentioning it here too...after all, we all know that design is about far more than just the products themselves. Feel free to take a peek at more pics of all the details about the iPhone packaging that I couldn't help gushing about here.

P.S. Yes, I have heard that I might have a packaging fetish. It certainly was one of my first design passions as a kid.

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About Surface : A design blog

Jean Aw is a 24-year-old design addict, shopaholic, tech connoisseur, design writer, world traveler, UX designer, and entrepreneur. While usually in Los Angeles or San Francisco, she is very mobile, hopping around the country and across the globe, entrenching herself in international culture and design hot spots. She often finds the most incredible things in the most unlikely of places and loves bringing them to her readers, often leaving them wondering whether the treasure came in the existence or in the discovery. When not tending to Notcot.com and her network of design sites, you can find her here giving a dose of gorgeous, lust-worthy designer goodness for everyday living.

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