Tuesday night, or more like Wednesday way early morning was a night that I’ve been looking forward to for a very long time: Opening night of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. It was heart-wrenching to hear Snape utter the “Avada Kedavra” killing curse to Dumbledore, as one of my heroes was brutally slain. Even though the movie lacked a main conflict and strong plot, there is no way for me to hate anything Harry-related, so I still enjoyed the movie.
Let me shed light on my level of Harry Potter mania. First of all, the books of the Harry Potter series are my favorite books of all time. I have read each book over 5 times. I even brought the Book 6 with me so I could read it here at UCLA, even though it did not fit in my bag. I just wanted to be caught up and prepared for the movie! I mean, I was pretty upset when I never got my own Hogwarts letter. It was a depressing day. Since then, I’ve wondered what House I would be sorted into. The reason why I adore Harry Potter is because it feels like I have grown up with Harry, Ron and Hermione. And it feel so personal to watch the first Harry Potter movies and compare them to the later ones, because the actors have all grown up so much, and are practically peers. Harry Potter truly is a cultural phenomenon of the 21st century.
Harry, Ron and Hermione: the Sorcerer's Stone
They've all grown up!
Personally, I believe that Harry Potter is such a phenomenon because it involves a whole new world, the ubiquitous fantasy of using magic. The world of Harry is an impossible reality, but it fits in really well with the SciArt umbrella theme of “Imagine the Impossible.” How cool would it be if we could just wave our wands and clean up any mess, become invisible under an Invisibility Cloak, Apparate (miraculously moving from one location to another), Transfigure our shape into any animal, move objects using your mind, and just have magical powers in general? The world that J.K. Rowling created appeals to people of all ages since it includes the common dream of using magic and is the perfect fantasy, and therefore impossible. But at the same time, I think scientists and artists refuse to believe that anything is truly impossible.
Impossible is nothing, to athletes like David Beckham, too
However, some of the impossible seeming ideas might actually become possible in the near future. For example, yesterday, we watched some videos during the morning presentation about new technologies that are currently being developed. Some of the technologies included MindFlex, a game in which you could move a ball, hands-free, through an obstacle course, using brainwaves.
MindFlex
In conclusion, maybe we will soon reach the realm of impossibility with science and art in the very near future. I can’t wait, I’ll have my wand reserved at Ollivander’s already!
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10274050-1.html