I remember buying jeans on a trip to Beijing in '01 and thinking: As a child of the '70s and '80s, I never thought I'd be trying on blue jeans in a store in Communist China.

Nor did I ever expect Chinese design to compete on the world stage, and while their cars still have a ways to go, they've arrived in terms of appliances. Haier's double-drawer 'fridge-freezer is bumping into LG territory, and if I saw the photo cold, I wouldn't doubt you if you told me it was designed in Italy.

The center-mounted LED features a neat, high-tech update to leaving notes on the 'fridge: a video camera that lets you record messages. You can record abusive messages to yourself regarding self-control--"Sure you wanna finish that, fatso?"--or nag your roommates not to touch your potato salad.

via appliancist