International

Imagine an artist that can create installations that look just like Picasso, Warhol, Rembrandt, Monet, and DaVinci...more impressively, she can do it without every picking up a paint brush. Devorah Sperber creates massive mosaics using thousands of spools of thread, but the image is upside down and backwards. She relies on reflections, the physics of sight, and subjective reality to give her re-mastered masterworks an unusual, unforgettable twist.

Photos of a cute kid wearing a handmade watermelon cap & shorts combo have gone viral in China. Be afraid, Fruit Of The Loom, be VERY afraid!

The USB Tie Pin Cooler from Japan's Thanko takes Mad Men style to a newer, cooler level. The lightweight, high-power clip-on fan normally runs off a wired USB connection but includes a battery pack so you can keep chillin' out when you have to leave the office.

Hello Kitty is the iconic Japanese pussy cat that has graced everything from kids' toys and clothes to a jet. It is an image that is recognized by most people around the world -- with varying levels of appreciation. The biggest fans tend to be little girls. For adult males the perception is a bit different -- especially if they are among the disgraced members of the Thai police force.

Slice’s series of redesigned, modern and safe cutting tools demonstrates that inventors could discover that a muse may be as close as your junk drawer.

We think of flowers as some of the most delicate creations in nature. We think of bone as hard and durable. Japanese artist Hideki Tokushige disagrees with that traditional separation, and in his spellbinding Bone Flowers (Honebana), he shows that artistic brilliance can turn flowers into stone and bone into silk.

Young Italian design studio Effettievoluti, is looking for imaginative designers to run with their idea of the all-in-one piece of furniture. If you can dream up a functional and attractive chair/sofa/bed/mat, then you may earn 1,500 euros for your design!

Japan's Kyoto Aquarium makes no bones about their limited-time-only “Grilled Dog Ayu,” giving brave buyers the fish, the whole fish and nothing but the fish accompanied by lotus root chips and Perilla leaves on a crusty bun. Bonus goodness? It only costs a fin.

The “Bright Night” illuminated umbrella from Japan not only shines a welcome glow to help guide your way to home, work or play, it also makes users much more visible when walking through dimly lit urban, suburban or rural areas.

Old and busted: Missing your bus. New coolness: Misting your bus stop! The Chinese city of Chongqing is rolling out a cool mist spray system at several dozen city bus stops. Designed to operate much like the automatic misters in supermarket produce sections, the artificial clouds of chilled and purified water act to keep Chongqing's commuters as cool as cucumbers.

The Chinese-developed IOE3-Kanban camera features a 100-megapixel charge-coupled device (CCD) chip capable of producing 10,240 x 10,240 pixel images. The light and compact camera should greatly boost success in the fields of disaster monitoring, aerial mapping and intelligent transportation systems where ultra-high-resolution imaging is key.

Just when you got used to the idea of rolling robotic Roombas roaming your home on the range comes an even more unlikely vacuum: the Mocoro Microfiber Mop Ball Vacuum Cleaner from Japan's CCP.

Scallion Stockings, also known as Negi Tights (“negi” means “onion” in Japanese), might make your eyes water but at least they won't leek.

Japan's Lotteria restaurants are celebrating the first anniversary of their popular Pork Ribs Sandwich in a BIG way with a Big Rib Sandwich! The 35cm (14”) long limited-edition pork-apalooza features three boneless McRib-style patties laid end-to-end on a sliced baguette bun.

Want some bling with your burgers? You'll be lovin' it more than usual on July 6th, 13th and 20th when McDonald's Japan rolls out three very special Quarter Pounders but you'd better act fast: each “Quarter Pounder Jewelry” sandwich will be sold for one day only.

Is this the last straw? Substandard drinking straws making up 80 percent of the straws sold in Shanghai can cause a host of harmful health issues when the toxic chemicals used in their manufacture leach out into hot drinks.

Traveling with top-flight innovators is a heady experience under normal circumstances. However, when you conduct a think-tank 30,000 feet above terra firma, it's a whole new ballgame. Such was the case when award-winning filmmaker and founder of the Webbie Awards, Tiffany Shlain took to the creative skies with 130 techie-elite from the Silicon Valley. In fact, there was so much to absorb, it will take her a couple of months to document her experience on film.

There’s not much that’s lonelier than having a bowlful of tasty noodles and no one to share them with. The Anti-Loneliness Ramen Bowl allows you to slurp away while also staying in contact with your nearest and dearest.

The Sailor School Swimsuit from Japan's SchoolFiction turns any summertime siesta into an amusing expose of anime expression... not that there's anything wrong with that.

Everything is created for a purpose, regardless of whether that purpose is useful or pointless. But when 100 or 1000 identical things come together, they bring about a new purpose no one had ever imagined, and art emerges. English artist Laurence Poole understands and manipulates the evolution of everyday things into art that intrigues and inspires.