Good news for the impending relocation

Let us all bejewel ourselves and gyrate lewdly in time to the dulcet tones of a man who sounds like he may have a sinus infection, for Bollywood movies will now be available on demand in the U.S.

That's right, Cox Cable and Time Warner have both rolled out services that will offer viewers 24-hour access to such gems as Krrish, Don, and Jaan-e-Maan.

I'm a little late to the party, I guess, because I now see press releases about this from last November, but no matter. I never before had the palpable prospect of being deprived of Shah Rukh Khan or the beloved Amitabh; just one more reason to believe that the transition back to an orderly American life will be somewhat less jarring than imagined.

Copywrong

On Monday, the Bush administration announced that it had put 12 countries -- including India -- on a "priority watch list" for failing to sufficiently protect U.S. producers of music and movies from piracy.

I'm not sure whether they're targeting cheap pirated CDs and DVDs or the larger issue of intellectual property rights, but I certainly hope they're not going to lead a crusade against masala-fied adaptations of Western culture. Because really, where would we be without silver screen gems such as Fight Club: Members Only (Fight Club), Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai (My Best Friend's Wedding), and Deewane Huye Paagal (There's Something About Mary)? Whither the dulcet tones of Pretty Woman (originally by Roy Orbison) or Saiyan Dil Mein Aana Re (Spice Girls, who I realize are not technically American, but potato, potahto)?

iPod-free and proud, I guess

So I've been considering buying an iPod, if only because I got a rather fat bonus at the end of the year and I think I deserve a fun toy.

However, as some of you may have seen, according to a new index (somewhat like ye olde burger index), India is the second most expensive place to buy the iPod when accounting for purchasing power parity.

Adjusted for U.S. dollars, the 2GB iPod is most expensive in Brazil -- $327.71; in India, it is $222.27. (In the U.S., the fourth cheapest place to procure the iPod, it runs $149.)

So no iPod for me; I remain decidedly anti-evil. However, I would really, really like some sort of device into which I can dump my spicy and excellent indie hits, primarily downloaded gratis from FreeIndie. Any suggestions for reliable, durable, well-designed, reasonably priced toys in the subconty?

(Image from Anti-iPod)