Aside from the crunch of crampons on ice, the only sound is meltwater running over the glacier surface in a perfect zigzag stream.

BBC: The perfect trip: Switzerland

Estonia, ranked 113 in the Fifa world rankings, offered little to worry the Wales defence as the home side looked comfortable in possession on a perfect surface at Parc y Scarlets.

BBC: Wales 1-0 Estonia

Though frustrated on that occasion, Miller was the most impressive player in the opening exchanges, with the fine playing surface and pleasant weather creating the perfect conditions to test the Steelmen for fatigue.

BBC: Rangers 2-1 Motherwell

Adelson, typically, was consumed with things large and small: the precise replication of the Campanile di San Marco and the Bridge of Sighs, the tassels on the curtains, the question of whether it was cheaper to rent or buy cranes (he bought), the color of the canals (he ordered them drained and their surface repainted, for a more perfect blue).

NEWYORKER: The Brass Ring

Vaporizing nickel onto the surface and removing that screen leaves behind a near-perfect grid of metal, hexagonal dots.

FORBES: Magazine Article

On the surface, the social-networking site would seem a perfect example of the old entrepreneurial model, with Mark Zuckerberg (setting aside the pesky question of whether he really invented the thing) as a sort of modern Alexander Graham Bell.

FORBES: Capitalism, Invention, Innovation and Entrepreneurialism: Words That Do Have Meanings

Designer Yu-ri Lee's "Tripod Burner" is little more than a three-legged gas stove that supports the cooking surface of your choice, but because of its unique shape, makes the perfect companion for a small tailgating party or romantic picnic in the woods.

ENGADGET: Bonfire, the Tripod Burner: all the fun of a cookout with none of the work

"The pencil skirt has the perfect shape to highlight a print because it's a really clean surface, " said designer Joseph Altuzarra of the high-waisted, nipped-in style to which he returns season after season.

WSJ: Rethink: Pencil Skirts | Off Duty Spring 50