Courtesy bollywood

Shefali Chowdhury and Daniel Radcliffe

In case you haven’t watched the new Harry Potter film yet, get to it at once: it’s brilliant, even if it’s a bit like Goblet of Fire Test Highlights. There are some genuine laughs, not to mention eye-popping, barrier-breaking special effects sequences in mid-air and under water. If you don’t like watching anything without a little bit of India in it, that’s not a problem either; watch Shefali Chowdhury and Afshan Azad play Harry and Ron’s distressed dance dates Parvati and Padma Patil. Perhaps more importantly, director Mike Newell said in a recent interview that the interchanging action/romance sequences ? in fact, the entire structure of the film ? are based on Bollywood movies he’s watched, to understand how Indian directors cram huge amounts of plot into three hours of non-stop entertainment.

For your eyes only

Ram Sabnis, a PhD holder in dye-chemistry, is an inventor who has patents in various fields, from semiconductors to biotechnology. Now he’s helped inventor Tim Kehoe achieve a 10-year-old quest to create a children’s toy ? with a dye that could have immensely important applications in a number of industries, reports Popular Science magazine. The toy in question: Bubbles with disappearing colour. Using an unstable base structure called a lactone ring, Sabnis synthesised an entirely new class of dyes that would colour the bubble initially, but lose colour on being exposed to air, water or friction. This dye could be used in a million ways ? vanishing hair colour, toothpaste and soap that would stay coloured until enough cleansing had been done, or temporary wall paint that would let you see a colour on your wall before making up your mind. The bubbles, though, exist just to make you happy.

Miss Universe 2005, Russian-Canadian Natalie Glebova, apart from being a rhythmic gymnast, classical pianist, composer, ballet dancer and rollerblader, wants to act in Bollywood. Given current trends, I wonder which of her talents directors would focus on.

Screen effect

So you’ve graduated from P2P to BitTorrent for your pirate download needs? Here’s some news: They’re on to you. This week the creator of BitTorrent, Bram Cohen, reached an agreement with seven major Hollywood studios, to ensure downloading these studios’ movie torrents becomes impossible. Until the next generation of downloading software comes along, that is.

Modern classics

Compressed text

Here’s a classic line from English literature ? “2b? Nt2b? ???”. Language-lovers and purists are all choking in anguish as Dot mobile, a British phone service, embarks on its project to condense literary classics into SMS messages ? as a study aid for students. Amidst the fierce debate, one might point out these messages aren’t replacing literature, merely, well, compressing it. And some of the proposed SMSs are great fun ? identify these classics ? “devl kikd outa hevn coz jelus of jesus&strts war,” and “5Sistrs WntngHsbnds. NwMeninTwn-Bingly&Darcy. Fit&Loadd. BigSis Jane Fals 4B,2ndSisLiz H8s D Coz Hes Proud” and “FeudTween 2hses- Montague&Capulet.”

AWARD OF THE WEEK

To international superstar Jackie Chan, for the most brilliantly original and incisive statements ever made by a foreign visitor visiting India. “Namaste India,” he said. “India is a great country. I respect Indian women.”