Monday, February 08, 2010

Newtonian Day

I am somehow having a "Newtonian" day, though Science is not my strong point - first, it was Pythagoras in the morning, when I noticed a triangular, weird looking calendar on my desk. It made me wonder why and how sum of sides' squares make up something related to the third side. (Yes, get the drift. I didn't study hard enough during school)

And now, while having tea, I noticed the tea leaves at the bottom and wondered why they assemble at the centre, and not on the outer edges. Centrifugal force should come into picture, thereby pushing the leaves to the sides of the cup. But to my wonder, it did not. I decided I get to the bottom of this (Pun intended!). Maybe, in course of doing this, I might end up discovering something radical - "Abhinav's theory of tea cups" shall we say! Hence, I turned to my trusted companion (Google) and thought I'll figure out why it happens.

Seems like Einstein uncle had better sense of tea. He already had studied this theory, and some blood separation technique is already based on this theory. I won't dump technical stuff here explaining why it happens - I'm devastated already that my attempt at making history (or science) goes in vain, and science will have to wait for some more time to capitalize on my discoveries.

Think. It's not illegal yet.

Simple, yet intriguing

Exquisite Demonstration - Pythagoras

Sunday, February 07, 2010

..have a good time

There are some movies that make you feel good. Whatever be their genre, they always end up giving you a nice time. Then there are some movies ahead of their time, because of which they end up not doing good commercially, but you watch it a few years down the line, you get the essence. Will share the thoughts about the former in this post.

Right, so. Nora Ephron's creations have been above average. There was "Sleepless in Seattle". Then there was "You've Got Mail". And now there is "Julie and Julia". First two, most have seen and appreciated, so this post won't talk about them (will just mention that "You've Got Mail" used to be one of my favorites during post-grad. I could see the movie endlessly, and would have screened it more than 50 times in one year. Some phase, huh!

Anyways, continuing with J&J. A very sweet, simple movie, with no complications. Meryl Streep, as always, is perfect, and there is no reason why she should not get the Oscar this year (though I hardly end up watching Oscar nominated movies, but with years passing by, I have started to appreciate the beauty of these movies, which are full of complications, and yet Rx Oscars. One outlier, which I just could never understand Rxed an Oscar, was "No Country for Old Men' in 2008).

Meryl's "The Devil Wears Prada" again is one of those movies, which give you a flavor of the world which one sees in awe, without actually knowing what really goes on. Agreed, I haven't read the book, and I've heard the book is good too, but somehow I don't feel like changing my perception of the movie "The Devil Wears Prada". I never knew what fashion industry mean before I watched this movie (as if I know it now! But anyways.)

J&J is a movie that runs parallel across generations. Julia (Meryl Streep) and Julie (Amy Adams) share the common bliss - cooking. Julia's writing a book about it, and Julie's blogging (notice how Nora brings technology/internet as the focal point to connect today's generation - remember, You've Got Mail. And now J&J.). Julia is so cheerful and energetic, that I frankly haven't seen anyone - sure it's only a movie, but still. Julie is her counterpart. Julia is thoughtful, Julie obsessed. I think both complement each other very well.

I was talking to someone about this movie, when I was told that if only the movie had more about Julia's life and less about Julie's (or even none about her), the movie would have been better. But I somehow think without Julie, the movie would have been a dud. Sure Meryl is THE talented one, and brings life to the character, but the story actually has been brought alive by Amy. Her dedication, her obsession, her spirit, her will is what makes this movie special.

There's another movie I watched recently, "The Boat That Rocked". Released last year I guess. Now, I am not really that much into music. Yes, I do follow some, but I only follow what I follow. Very restricted. And this movie is based on how music brings about joy in people's lives. How it can become an obsession, or maybe a mild term would be dedication. Movie's about a pirate radio station stationed in the ocean on a liner, that brings joy to whole of the UK.

Nice watch, both "Julie & Julia" & "The Boat That Rocked". Good time guaranteed.