What do crossword puzzles, waffles, maps, double-entry ledgers, musical notation and Excel all have in common? GRIDS! The grid has been an organizing principle in human societies from the ancient Babylonians through Modern Art. People have used grids to plan great cities, paint paintings and design skyscrapers. The grid is omnipresent in our world. Tonight on Inquiry we have a wild and freewheeling discussion with HANNAH B. HIGGINS, Associate Professor in the Department of Art History at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Hannah has written a wonderfully unique history of human design titled THE GRID BOOK.
Sunday, May 31, 2009 - 4:51pm
William Masters and Virginia Johnson revolutionized our medical and personal understanding of human sexuality by studying real couples and individuals having sex in a laboratory environment. Their best-selling book of their research, HUMAN SEXUAL RESPONSE, catapulted them into celebrity status in the 1960s and redefined everything people thought they knew about female sexuality. In their private counseling sessions they had nationally known politicians and movie and TV stars as their patients. But the personal relationship between Masters and Johnson was complex and controversial. Tonight on Inquiry, we speak with writer THOMAS MAIER about his revealing new biography MASTERS OF SEX: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WILLIAM MASTERS AND VIRGINIA JOHNSON-THE COUPLE WHO TAUGHT AMERICA HOW TO LOVE.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009 - 2:21pm
Most histories focus on the men
who conceived the Panama Canal,
particularly President Theodore Roosevelt and chief engineers
John Stevens and George Goethals. In her latest book
author Julie Greene shifts the focus away from those at the
top, instead telling the story of rank-and-file workers on the
ground. This is the most detailed account of the men and women
who toiled to make the Panama
Canal a reality. Join host Al Vuona for a discussion with the
author.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009 - 2:01pm
Host Steve D'Agostino talks with Colin & Carrick McCullough of "Our Renewable Energy".
On May 4, the McCullough family of Sutton began traveling the U.S. in its veggie-powered Beetle visiting renewable energy sites and sustainable companies to make eco-videos for kids.
They’re crossing the U.S. -- in their vegetable-oil powered Beetle, of course -- visiting renewable energy sites -- solar, wind farms, wave and tidal power, geothermal, hydroelectric, biogas -- and meeting people who have made important contributions to sustainability.
They’ll be making a series of video profiles at stops along the way, and at the end of their 2-month
adventure will be putting all the videos together as a documentary for kids to see what kind of solutions are out there.
The McCullough have created a website, OurRenewableNation.org, that has a quick 3-minute video which explains the trip, and you can see their list of destinations.
In recent years, the McCulloughs have produced a series of online videos that demonstrate the need
for clean energy, now-9-year-old Carrick McCullough has narrated and appeared in almost all of them, and they have been seen by more than 200,000 people.
Thursday, May 21, 2009 - 1:32pm
Antimatter has long captured the public’s imagination. It has been used to fuel starships in Star Trek or as a terrorist’s bomb in the book and film of Angels and Demons as well as numerous other sci-fi stories and movies. But does antimatter really exist? The exciting answer is: it does, but typically very briefly. Tonight on Inquiry we speak with FRANK CLOSE, OBE, professor of Physics at Oxford University and a Fellow of Exeter College. Professor Close talks about what we know about positrons, anti-protons and even anti Hydrogen and how scientists at CERN have been using antimatter to unravel the conditions that existed in the universe a billionth of a second after the Big Bang. This is “big science” the reality of which is more is amazing and thrilling than all the stories and movies. Professor Close’s book is titled ANTIMATTER.
Thursday, May 21, 2009 - 10:47am
The history of the music and recording industries in the last 30 years is a sorry story of consistent short-sightedness and resistance to technological innovation. Tonight’s guest, journalist and editor STEVE KNOPPER, has written a lively insider’s story of how the record industry was dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st Century when they were confronted with CD technology, MP3s, file sharing and Napster The final nail in the coffin was smartly served up by Steve Jobs and the I-Pod. Tune in tonight and find out if there is any future for the consistently behind the times recording industries. Knopper’s dynamic history is titled: APPETITE FOR SELF-DESTRUCTION: THE SPECTACULAR CRASH OF THE RECORD INDUSTRY IN THE DIGITAL AGE.
Thursday, May 21, 2009 - 10:12am
Famines are one of the most feared human disasters. But what causes famines is more complex than just a shortage of food. Politics, geography and economics all also play a part in creating conditions that can cause famines. Tonight on Inquiry we welcome CORMAC ó GRÁDA, Professor of Economics at University College Dublin and an expert on famines recent and historical. Professor o Grada discusses the causes of famine worldwide, and how we can hopefully prevent future famines. His most recent book on the subject is FAMINE: A SHORT HISTORY.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009 - 12:05pm
How have art museums been affected by the recent economic slump? How must art museums evolve to attract new visitors and supporters in the 21st Century? These are just some of the questions that I asked tonight’s guests on Inquiry: DENNIS C. KOIS, Director of the Decordova Sculpture Park and Museum and NICHOLAS CAPASSO, Senior Curator at the Decordova Sculpture Park and Museum. Kois and Capasso talk about the considerable challenges of presenting cutting edge contemporary art to a public that may be largely unfamiliar with the work and the real need for better art education in our schools.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009 - 9:23am
Joe Grafton of the New England 10% Shift & Grace Ross of Worcester Local First.The 10% Shift represents organizations of Local Independents in over 20 communities in every state in New England. They are promoting a New England-wide campaign asking citizens, businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies to shift 10% of their annual purchases from non-local businesses to
Local Independents, which in turn will build stronger and more independent regional economy.
These New England Local Independents are asking the Governors and Lieutenant Governors of the six New England states to personally sign the Pledge; endorse The Declaration of Local Independents -- a document outlining the philosophy behind the 10% Shift -- and actively support the 10% Shift in their states.
Campaign organizers say they understand that moving state procurement policies and practices toward a 10% Shift will take considerable time and effort.
My guest is: Joe Grafton, executive director of Somerville Local First and coordinator of the New England 10% Shift.
Monday, May 18, 2009 - 2:49pm
For anybody who has struggled through a class on calculus, you probably think that the devil invented mathematics. But is “mathematics” something created by human minds or does mathematics exist separate from us, like the galaxies, moons and stars? This is not just a philosophical question because the most complex and abstract discoveries in pure mathematics seem to end up having practical applications in the real world. As Max Tegmark of M.I.T. has said: “the universe IS mathematics.” Tonight on Inquiry we attempt to answer these heady questions when we talk with MARIO LIVIO, Senior Astrophysicist and head of the Office of Public Relations at the Hubble Space Telescope Science Institute about his thought provoking book IS GOD A MATHEMATICIAN?
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