<p style="text-align:center;"><img class="aligncenter" style="border:0 none;" src="http://www.remain-silent.com/cm/PC/airsphere.jpg" alt="air sphere" width="450/"></p>
The Air Sphere is a rather nifty portable ball of a circulator fan designed by <a href="http://www.anddesign.jp/">&amp;design</a> in Japan. &amp;design's manifest states that they design is <em>not bound by the form of the product or the meaning of its graphic element. Their work is to be used by all people for any use</em>. I find this limitlessness to be somewhat freeing and similar to my own philosophy that everything can and should be used anywhere that it successfully functions. Short of putting my duvet on the kitchen floor of course.

As of now the Air Sphere is in prototype status but I believe it could be a really useful asset to a kitchen. A continuous problem I have in my tiny kitchen is being able to have an area that stays cool. Sure I have a window but lack of counter space and ceiling width makes the inclusion of a tabletop or ceiling fan 'undoable'.

The Air Sphere is not only aesthetically rather cool but its design makes it highly portable. Hung over a ceiling hook or laid on a counter it takes up little if any space. Imagine a collection of these fans hanging from the ceiling a la the '<a href="http://www.nova68.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&amp;Store_Code=nova68&amp;Product_Code=SPHERE19">Sphere Chandelier</a>' cooling one area of the kitchen space. It looks cool, its slimmer than a ceiling fan and you could control the intensity of the breeze by adjusting each individual fan. I know i'd go for it!

<em>image via <a href="http://www.anddesign.jp/">&amp;design</a></em>