Color Bubbles Views
July 10, 2009 -- Shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow, bubbles are a joy to children young and old. For inventor Tim Kehoe, however, creating a bubble with a single color that won't stain when it pops has been a 15-year, $3-million obsession. Two weeks ago, the world's first colored, non-staining bubbles, Zubbles, went on sale.
The simple chemistry of bubbles -- two layers of soap sandwiching a layer of water about a millionth of an inch thick -- has foiled virtually every attempt to modify them. Bubbles that last a little longer or can be blown a little bigger have since been created, but adding color, what some toy manufactures have called the holy grail of toys, has remained frustratingly elusive.
Standard food coloring or dyes have no effect; they simply run down the sides of the bubble, creating a drop of color on the bottom. Other dyes can stain bubbles, but when they pop they also stain clothes, dogs and eyes, as Kehoe discovered during one accident. Other tests, including one for a bubble dye that washed out, didn't fare much better.
Apple's iPhone provides for many conveniences as a cell phone, but there is a decided lack of personalization that the owner can add to it. Changing the color of the bubbles that contain the text being sent or received from the short message service cannot be changed by the owner unless the iPhone has been modified. The modified iPhone allows the owner to change the color of the bubbles, and it is not illegal to do--although Apple frowns upon the practice. Changing the color of the bubbles will let you add a more personal look to your iPhone.
Color Bubbles Images
