kqed
KQED's The Writers' Block: Alison Bechdel: Are You My Mother?
Alison Bechdel reads a selection from her latest graphic memoir, Are You My Mother? Find more readings from your favorites at www.kqed.org
QUEST Lab: Aerogel - KQED QUEST
It looks like frozen smoke. And it's the lightest solid material on the planet. Aerogel insulates space suits, makes tennis rackets stronger and could be used one day to clean up oil spills. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientist Alex Gash shows us some remarkable properties of this truly unique substance.
Nanotechnology Takes Off - KQED QUEST
From Lawrence Berkeley National Labs to Silicon Valley, researchers are manipulating particles at the atomic level, ushering in potential cures for cancer, clothes that don't stain, and solar panels as thick as a sheet of paper. www.kqed.org
Artificial Intelligence: Thinking Big - KQED QUEST
Though computers have gotten faster, smaller and more versatile, it's still a big challenge to get them to demonstrate intelligent behaviors. Will machines like robots ever match -- or perhaps even exceed -- the capabilities of the human brain? QUEST meets a robot that in ten years time could take care of tasks around the house that most of us would rather not do.
Green Building Revolution - KQED QUEST
An explosion in green building is underway, with cleverly engineered libraries, office buildings, even public housing projects popping up across the Bay Area, and championed as much by landlords trying to cut energy and water costs as by environmental groups.
The Fierce Humboldt Squid - KQED QUEST
A mysterious sea creature up to 7 feet long, with 10 arms, a sharp beak and a ravenous appetite, has invaded ocean waters off Northern California. Packs of fierce Humboldt Squid attack nearly everything they see, from fish to scuba divers. Marine biologists are working to discover why they've headed north from their traditional homes off South America.
The World's Most Powerful Microscope - KQED QUEST
Lawrence Berkeley National Labs just turned on a $27 million electron microscope. Its ability to make images to a resolution of half the width of a hydrogen atom makes it the most powerful microscope in the world.
KQED Spark - Henry Wessel
See how Henry Wessel's work has become an important part of photographic history. Original air date: July 2007. For more information, go to: www.kqed.org
Fatal Attraction: Birds and Wind Turbines - KQED QUEST
With California's ambitious renewable energy goal, the state needs wind power. But California's largest wind farm cluster at Altamont Pass unintentionally kills golden eagles, burrowing owls and other threatened birds. Now, wind companies, scientists and environmentalists are working to bird-proof these massive wind farms.
Emotions Revealed - KQED QUEST
Is your face giving you away? Meet renowned psychologist Paul Ekman, who has spent his life studying how our facial muscles involuntarily reveal emotions like sadness and anger. His comprehensive catalog of human facial expressions has become an important tool for everyone from law enforcement agents to animators.
Nature Deficit Disorder - KQED QUEST
A growing number of children's advocates and political leaders are worried that our culture's disconnection from nature is harming kids. Concerns about the long-term consequences on children's physical and emotional well-being have spawned a national movement to "leave no child inside." QUEST explores why we need nature, and efforts to encourage children to play outdoors.
Green Burial - KQED QUEST
Tired of toxic embalming fluid, rainforest wood caskets and other ecologically unfriendly practices, a new generation of undertakers is attempting to green up the funeral industry with burials that go easy on the land.
KQED Spark - Anna Halprin
Get words of wisdom from modern dancer Anna Halprin, who is in her eighties and still working. Original air date: March 2006. For more information, go to: www.kqed.org
KQED Spark - Ron Nagle
Visit with the multi-talented Ron Nagle, first in his ceramic studio and then in a recording session. Original air date: March 2009. For more information, go to: www.kqed.org
KQED Spark - Ruth Asawa
See how renowned sculptor Ruth Asawa has passed along her love of art to her family. Original air date: May 2005. For more information, go to: www.kqed.org
Journey Into The Sun - KQED QUEST
Scientists at Stanford University and Lockheed Martin are playing pivotal roles in a nearly billion-dollar NASA mission to explore the sun. A spacecraft launched in early 2010 is obtaining IMAX-like images of the sun every second of the day, generating more data than any NASA mission in history. The data will allow researchers to learn about solar storms and other phenomena that can cause blackouts and harm astronauts.
The Physics of Sailing - KQED QUEST
Northern California has a storied, 500-year history of sailing. But despite this rich heritage, scientists and boat designers continue to learn more each day about what makes a sail boat move. Contrary to what you might expect, the physics of sailing still present some mysteries to modern sailors.
Science of Big Waves - KQED QUEST
A monster lurks just off the coast of Northern California. Known as "Mavericks," this surf break north of Half Moon Bay generates some of the biggest waves in the world, and draws the big wave surfers that live for them. But what makes these waves so big? QUEST talks with scientists who are getting to the bottom of it and the big wave surfers willing to take their lives in their hands for the ultimate thrill ride.
KQED Spark - Halau 'o Keikiali'i
Catch the aloha spirit as it spreads across the mainland through the work of groups like Halau 'o Keikiali'i. Original airdate: May 2003. For more information, go to: www.kqed.org
KQED Spark - Jim Denevan
Watch Jim Denevan tranforms the beaches of Northern California into an expansive but ephemeral works of land art. Original air date: May 2005. For more information, go to: www.kqed.org
Super Laser at the National Ignition Facility - KQED QUEST
It's the largest laser beam in the world and it's being built in the Bay Area. The National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory will shoot tremendous bursts of energy at an area the size of a pencil eraser. The goal? To recreate fusion -- which powers the sun and some nuclear bombs -- perhaps harnessing a new source of clean energy for the 21st century.
KQED Spark - Hung Liu
See the process behind Hung Liu's series of figurative works that uses images from vintage photographs. Original air date: February 2005. For more information, go to: www.kqed.org
Cool Critters: Fruit Bats - KQED QUEST
Flying Foxes are a type of fruit bat - they subsist mainly off fruit juice which they obtain by squeezing pieces of the fruit pulp in their mouths. Quest visits the Oakland Zoo to meet their Malayan & Island Flying Foxes and find out more about these fascinating and charismatic critters.
KQED/PBS Documentary - Amateur Rocketry & Mavericks Explorers STEM Education Program
KQED Quest features Maverick's Tom Atchison and Steve Jurvetson, in an exciting documentary about amateur rocketry and civilian space exploration as a platform to engage the next generation in STEM education and space exploration activities. The Mavericks Explorers STEM education space exploration program is featured along with model, hobby, and experimental rocket groups and is to be broadcast nationally on PBS starting April 25, 2012. Please support the Explorers Program and the Mavericks Civilian Space Foundation and our ability to continue to develop and deliver opportunities like this to students with a tax deductible donation at our website: www.rocketmavericks.com
Bio-Inspiration: Nature as Muse - KQED QUEST
For hundreds of years, scientists have been poaching design ideas from structures in nature. Now, biologists and engineers at UC Berkeley are working together to design a broad range of new products, such as life-saving milli-robots modeled on the way cockroaches run and adhesives based on the amazing design of a geckos foot. QUEST visits their labs to find out what's so special about these crawling and scaling animals.
KQED Spark - Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Meet the Lawrence Ferlinghetti you didn't know -- you might already know him as a poet, but did you also know that he's a painter, too? Original air date: March 2007. For more information, go to: www.kqed.org
KQED This Week: April 6, 2012
News Panel: Oikos University Shooting, Yahoo Layoffs, Chevron's Tax Surprise, Baseball Season In the wake of the devastating shooting at Oikos University in Oakland, hundreds of community members attend an international prayer vigil. Meanwhile, Mayor Jean Quan calls for a renewed effort to curb gun violence and improve access to mental health services. Yahoo hands out pink slips to 2000 employees, implementing the most significant layoff in the company's history. New CEO Scott Thompson is expected to make further cuts this year as part of a monumental corporate restructuring. Oil giant Chevron is dealt an unexpected blow as the Contra Costa County Assessment Appeals Board slaps an additional estimated $26.7 million in taxes on its Richmond refinery, claiming the property was previously undervalued by the county. As baseball season kicks off the San Francisco Giants sign a record $127.5 million deal with All-Star pitcher Matt Cain and unveil plans for "Mission Rock," a new waterfront development next to AT&T Park. Guests: Mina Kim, KQED News Lisa Vorderbrueggen, Contra Costa Times Kara Swisher, All Things D Rachel Gordon, San Francisco Chronicle
The Science & Art of Cheese - KQED QUEST
Cheese. It comes in more than 2000 varieties -- hard, soft, fresh and aged - and it's been with us for thousands of years. Take a journey to Cowgirl Creamery in west Marin to learn how artisan cheese is made and how scientists are putting cheese under the microscope to gain new insights about this incredible, edible food.
Amazing Jellies - KQED QUEST
They are otherworldly creatures who glow in the dark, without brains or bones, some reaching 100 feet long. And they live just off California's coast. Join two top marine biologists who have devoted their careers to unlocking the mysteries of jellyfish and alien-like siphonophores.
Asteroid Hunters - KQED QUEST
Everyone knows that eight planets orbit the Sun. But thousands of other objects, including icy comets and football field-sized asteroids, are also zooming around our solar system. And some of them could be on a collision course with Earth. QUEST explores how these Near Earth Objects are being tracked and what scientists are saying should be done to prevent a deadly impact.
KQED Spark - Ali Akbar Khan
Learn why more than 10000 students have beaten a path to the classroom of North Indian musician Ali Akbar Khan. Original airdate: April 2003. For more information, go to: www.kqed.org
KQED Spark - Tommy Guerrero
Native San Franciscan Tommy Guerrero is a legend in the skateboarding world. Though he still skates and designs skateboards, lately Guerrero has been following his musical passions. Spark checks in on one of San Francisco's most versatile performers. Original airdate: July 2004. For more information, go to: www.kqed.org
KQED Spark - David Choe
Meet the South Bay graffiti artist David Choe searching for a new direction and using art to find his way. Original air date: July 2004. For more information, go to: www.kqed.org
KQED Spark - Wayne Thiebaud
Visit with Wayne Thiebaud in his studio as he prepares for a traveling retrospective of his work from the past 50 years. Original air date: March 2009. For more information, go to: www.kqed.org Download the corresponding educator guide for classroom activity ideas and further information about this subject at: www.kqed.org
Decoding Synthetic Biology - KQED QUEST
Imagine living cells acting as memory devices; biofuels brewing from yeast, or a light receptor taken from algae that makes photographs on a plate of bacteria. With the new science of synthetic biology, the goal is to make biology easier to engineer so that new functions can be derived from living systems. Find out the tools that Bay Area synthetic biologists are using and the exciting things they are building.
KQED Spark - Julia Parker
Travel to Yosemite with Julia Parker who is helping revive the art form of Native American basket weaving. Original airdate: May 2004. For more information, go to: www.kqed.org
Future History: Plastic Water Bottles - KQED QUEST
What does our use of bottled water say about us? Take a look from the perspective of an anthropologist from the distant future.
The Science of Taste - KQED QUEST
Did you know that about 95 percent of what we think is taste is actually smell? Or that the way we perceive flavor comes from a complex relationship between our senses, emotions, and memories? Those are just two of the surprising facts QUEST uncovers in 'The Science of Taste.' As scientists decode how our taste and olfactory receptors work, top California chefs are taking that knowledge and creating alchemy in the kitchen
Cool Critters: Great Horned Owls - KQED QUEST
Want to find out why Great Horned Owls can turn their heads 270 degrees? Join us as we meet Olivia the Owl at the Oakland Zoo.
Ugo Conti's Spider Boat - KQED QUEST
Bay Area engineer Ugo Conti has sailed the world, but has always suffered from seasickness. A queasy stomach became his motivation to design "Proteus" -- a spider-like sea craft made for smoother sailing. He designed the Wave Adaptive Modular Vessel to cross the ocean while flexing with the movement of the waves. And it may change the way people take to the high seas.
QUEST Lab: Bridge Thermometer - KQED QUEST
The roadway across the Golden Gate Bridge rises and falls as much as 16 feet depending on the temperature. When the sun hits the bridge, the metal expands and the bridge cables stretch. As the fog rolls in, the cables contract and the bridge goes up. Curators from the Outdoor Exploratorium in San Francisco have set up a scope two miles away so you can see how the bridge is moving up or down depending on the weather.
KQED Spark - Sandow Birk
See why Sandow Birk believes that San Francisco is the perfect setting for a journey through heaven and hell. Original air date: June 2006. For more information, go to: www.kqed.org
KQED Spark - Keith Knight
See how artist and rapper Keith Knight draws on his own life for his comic strip, the K Chronicles. Original air date: August 2003. For more information, go to: www.kqed.org
Amateur Astronomers - KQED QUEST
Some of the most passionate astronomers don't even need to leave their own backyards. QUEST meets the amateur stargazers in the Bay Area who are making important observations about the cosmos and inventing tools at home to do it.
SETI: The New Search for ET - KQED QUEST
Is anyone out there? For over 40 years scientists have been searching for extraterrestrial intelligence, but they've found nothing. Now the new Allen Telescope Array, a string of 350 radio telescopes, is being built 300 miles north of San Francisco and is breathing new life into the search.
Video Games: Access for All -- KQED QUEST
Can someone who's quadriplegic or hearing impaired play a video game? QUEST takes you to the international Game Developers Conference celebrated recently in San Francisco, where a group of gamers used colorful tactics to convince mainstream developers to make video games that are accessible for everyone.
HIV Research: Beyond the Vaccine - KQED QUEST
Over the past 15 years, the number of people who die of AIDS each year in the United States has dropped by 70 percent. But AIDS remains a serious public health crisis among low-income African-Americans, particularly women. And in sub-Saharan Africa, the virus killed more than 1.6 million people in 2007. QUEST meets two Bay Area research groups studying innovative approaches that could lead to new treatments and possibly a cure.
KQED Spark - Web Extra of Anna Halprin
This Web extra from Spark is an excerpt from choreographer and performer Anna Halprin's dance piece "Intensive Care." Originally released: March 2006.
KQED This Week: 2011 Year in Review
Belva Davis and four seasoned journalists recall some highlights of 2011. It was a year dominated by partisan gridlock in both Washington and Sacramento, despite efforts by Gov. Brown to make a dent in California's ongoing budget problems. Protesters made their voices heard from Tahrir Square, to Wall Street, to Oakland and beyond, while the last American troops departed Iraq. We also look ahead to 2012, and the upcoming presidential election. Guests: Carla Marinucci, San Francisco Chronicle Tom Vacar, KTVU News John Myers, KQED Public Radio Paul Rogers, San Jose Mercury News
KQED Spark - Binh Danh
Discover how Binh Danh invented his own photographic development process which he's coined "chlorophyll prints." Original air date: May 2006. For more information, go to: www.kqed.org
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