Past Programs
January 2008
In the January, 2008 edition of Tech Closeup, we learn how scientists dealt with the 1969 Apollo moon landing and how a naval battleship played a key role. Also, we take a closeup look at how new technology is allowing patients to stand or sit for their MRI exams. And we take our cameras to a "gene factory" where hundreds of DNA strands are being made and shipped each month.
June 2007
In the June, 2007 edition of Tech Closeup, we find out how surgeons are using new technology in the operating room. And join us for a tour of IKEA and see how they are partnering with PG&E and Lawrence Berkeley Labs to save energy. Plus, Cristina King takes us behind the scenes at Great America in Santa Clara, CA, where technology plays a huge role in amusement park fun!
May 2007
In the May, 2007 edition of Tech Closeup, we visit with Tim Roye, the voice of the Golden State Warriors, as he broadcasts a game using high tech tools unseen by the audience. Also, we go to the Maker Faire, where inventors showcase new products that are innovative, creative, and just plain weird! And join us for a tour of a Silicon Valley company that is leading the sports brodcast industry in on-screen graphics.
April 2007
In the April, 2007 edition of Tech Closeup, co-host Cristina King has her face
analyzed using new scanning technology developed by San Jose's Brigh-Tex Bio-Photonics. Also, a look at the students in the Cupertino School District where a sizable grant has given middle school teachers the opportunity to blaze new trails in classroom computer learning. And a profile of iControl, a Palo Alto company that is revolutionizing the home security market!
March 2007
In the March, 2007 edition of Tech Closeup, we look at Squid Labs, where no idea looks too crazy from their headquarters in the control tower of a naval air station! Also, looking for buried treasure is just one of the attractions as the "geocaching" craze sweeps the nation. And ever been followed by a robot? For the team at OLogic, this is just part of their daily lives!
February 2007
In the February, 2007 edition of Tech Closeup, we meet the team at Onomy Labs, where new technology is re-shaping how museums and companies are getting their messages across. Also, we see how ByteShield may have found the answer to software piracy. And at one U.S. airport, passengers have a look at the future of security screening technology.
January 2007
In the January, 2007 edition of Tech Closeup, we meet NETGEAR's CEO, Patrick Lo, in a revealing interview. Also, learn how technology is helping the blind navigate around a school campus. And hear how speech recognition technology is changing our daily lives.
December 2006
In the December, 2006 edition of Tech Closeup, we look at a high tech company that is helping police reduce crime by analyzing the sound of gunfire. Also, find out how Microsoft's Bill Gates joined the party at The Tech Museum to honor high tech inventors from around the world. And see how Professor David Cope uses his own software to make beautiful music.
November 2006
In the November, 2006 edition of Tech Closeup, join us for a look at the amazing new world of "haptic" technology. Also, we examine the use of software tools to help the elderly improve their memory skills. And take a walk back in time as we tour a new exhibit at the Computer History Museum that focuses on chess masters, both human and electronic.
October 2006
In the October, 2006 edition of Tech Closeup, we look at how a new software program designed for NASA's astronauts is training them to drive on the moon! Also, we show how the new city library in San Mateo, CA is re-defining how technology is changing every reader's experience. And a new exhibit at The Tech in San Jose, CA shows how new innovations are helping protect and conserve our resources.
September 2006
In the September, 2006 edition of Tech Closeup, see how technology is reshaping mass transit! Also, we take a look at companies such as Micron and Planet 82, where new technology is transforming the consumer electronics world. And see how a local art museum has created exciting exhibits using technology, and how new tech tools are changing the ways people can tour museums around the country.
August 2006
In the August, 2006 edition of Tech Closeup, see how one company is capitalizing on the sharing of photos, videos, instant messaging, blogs and chat rooms to create a whole new virtual community. Also, we take a look at the growing phenomenon of combat bots and the annual games where people from around the world meet in friendly, but fierce competition. And see how the most widely circulated weekly newspaper on the West Coast - India West - moved its production process into the modern age of computerized publishing.
June 2006
In the June, 2006 edition of Tech Closeup, we profile cars that drive themselves. It's not so farfetched, as the founders of "Team DAD" show in this story on the latest advances in robotic technology. Also, meet police, fire, and other emergency services agencies throughout the Bay Area and see how they are getting together to ensure that vital communications channels stay open, preparing for the worst. And join us at the Digital Clubhouse, where high school students meet with families who have lost their sons or daughters in the Iraq War to create powerful and moving digital memories.
May 2006
In the May, 2006 edition of Tech Closeup, we profile Forterra, whose video game technology is used to train doctors, hospitals, police and fire agencies for true-life emergency scenarios. Also, meet the team at R2 Technology, a company who has pioneered "computer aided detection" to diagnose early stage breast cancer in women. And join Cristina King and noted industry analyst Rob Enderle on "Fast Forward," a brand-new segment on "Tech Closeup" where we'll examine the latest trends and technologies in the consumer electronics world.
April 2006
In the April, 2006 edition of Tech Closeup, we profile a company that can tell you whether your driving habits are costing you money and predict the weather before the "pros" do. Also, meet the team at Neoconix where pioneering technology is changing the way that circuit boards are made. And join us on a virtual tour of "View From Space," a new exhbit at the Tech Museum in San Jose that lets you see hurricanes form on a globe more than 6 feet in diameter.
March 2006
In the March, 2006 edition of Tech Closeup, we take a closer look at the growing problem of e-waste and what solutions are being discussed. Also, join us as seventh grade girls actually start their own companies and get venture funding for them during an amazing evening at Google. And see how community groups are working together to help those who have suffered from homelessness or substance abuse find new opportunities in the high tech world.
February 2006
In the February, 2006 edition of Tech Closeup, we take a look at Sensory, where new technology is creating "smart chips" that recognize speech as well as any human. Also, join us for an unusual "peek behind the curtain" as "Tech Closeup" profiles the world of venture capitalist funding, where the pressure is intense and the stakes are high. And see how students at the California School for the Blind are using sophisticated technology tools to do the same daily activities as those in the "sighted" world.
January 2006
In the January, 2006 edition of Tech Closeup, we celebrate one year on the air! Marc Levenson and Cristina King host our special anniversary program from the top of Silicon Valley, at the Capital Club in downtown San Jose, California. Cristina King narrates a segment that originally aired in early 2005 on Raji House and how Umang Gupta and his wife, Ruth, devoted themselves to a very special care facility for Bay Area families. And Marc Levenson looks back at a story last year and describes how Attensity has developed powerful technology tools that have attracted the interest of the CIA and others in the war on terror.
December 2005
In the December, 2005 edition of Tech Closeup, we meet Trip Hawkins, one of the true pioneers in the high tech industry, as he talks with Marc Levenson about social computing and how games for cell phones may become a multi-billion dollar business. We also get in touch with the latest in fingerprint scanning technology and see how one company is using biometrics to capture the hearts and minds of supermarket shoppers throughout the South and Midwest. And see the winners of of this year's Tech Museum Awards who've built new technologies that benefit people of many nations around the world.
November 2005
In the November, 2005 edition of Tech Closeup, we tour the "Game On!" exhibit at the Tech Museum in San Jose with Marc Levenson and London curator Conrad Bodman, and learn about the evolution of the multi-billion dollar video game industry over more than four decades. Also, we go inside the 2005 Foresight Nanotechnology Conference and see what top industry experts are saying about the latest developments in nanotechnology. And Cristina King shows us how a group of Microsoft employees are volunteering their time at a local area food bank.
October 2005
In the October, 2005 edition of Tech Closeup, we profile Reactrix, where an amazing interactive technology places you physically in the middle of an advertisement! Also, we interview Patrick Lo, CEO of NETGEAR, who takes us on a tour of the "digital home" and explains how the development of wireless technology is reshaping our daily lives. And Cristina King shows us that science learning is alive and well at two elementary schools in Los Gatos, California.
September 2005
In the September, 2005 edition of Tech Closeup, we profile the Stanford Linear Accelerator, where scientists have found a way to uncover historic writings by Archimedes that have been hidden from public view for centuries. Also, we interview Steve Russell, who talks with Marc Levenson about one of the very first video games, Spacewars, and the early days of computer technology. And Cristina King examines how Silicon Valley families are using technology to care for the Bay Area's senior citizens.
August 2005
In the August, 2005 edition of Tech Closeup, we profile Attensity, where scanning and indexing books as large as Moby Dick is just routine. The company's unique ability to diagram sentences instantaneously has caught the interest of the CIA and homeland security agencies. Find out why! Also, we interview executives from Ajira Technologies and Aldo Ventures to hear the latest on the outsourcing of technology jobs overseas. And we visit an elementary school in San Mateo, where a high tech company's employees have gone "back-to-school" for Junior Achievement.
July 2005
In the July, 2005 edition of Tech Closeup, we ask the question: Is the video phone finally about to become the new standard? We profile SightSpeed, an unusual Berkeley-based firm who has pioneered innovative technology to deliver premium-quality video phone services for consumers and businesses. Also, Sonia Arrison, Director of Technology Studies for the Pacific Research Institute, talks about new findings on electronic voting, the fight against SPAM, the phenomenon of "blogging," and recent moves by Microsoft, Apple and Intel. And Cristina King takes us to Castilleja School in Palo Alto where an all-female robotics club entered a national competition for the first time and got some surprising results!
June 2005
In the June, 2005 edition of Tech Closeup, we ask the question: How large is your circle of friends? A growing number of Internet-based companies are building new technologies for online social and business networking. We focus on one of them - LinkedIn. Also, Julian Chang, a former Vice President for AT&T and now a leading broadband consultant, talks with Marc Levenson about the explosive growth of cell-phones and how future developments in wireless technology are going to shape consumer habits for many years to come. And Cristina King profiles LoopNet, an online commercial real estate firm whose employees are volunteering their time to build homes in the Bay Area for low-income families as part of the Habitat for Humanity program.
May 2005
In the May, 2005 edition of Tech Closeup, we ask the question: Is Silicon Valley leading the pack in computerized record keeping? Our cameras take you inside El Camino Hospital to show the latest in medical technology. We also talk to Michael Tiemann, a leading software expert, who describes the debate over "open source" vs. "proprietary" software. And we feature two enterprising realtors in Santa Cruz who are developing new web tools so that prospective home buyers can beat the high cost of housing in the Bay Area.
April 2005
In the April, 2005 edition of Tech Closeup, we ask the question: Is nanotechnology the Silicon Valley's "Next Big Thing"? It could be if the team at NASA/Ames has a say in it. Marc Levenson profiles this exciting new technology. We also talk to "The Biogoddess," Cynthia Robbins-Roth, who has plenty to say about stem cell research, the human genome project, and the future of biotechnology.And we profile Benetech, an unusual Palo Alto company who has found ways to use technology to develop new tools for the social good.
March 2005
In the March, 2005 edition of Tech Closeup, we profile AAE Systems, a Sunnyvale telecommunications firm with an innovative technology that is being used in the far corners of the world. This company had to dramatically re-invent itself in a classic Silicon Valley story of riches to rags to riches again. We also interview Peter Neumann of SRI International, a leading expert in the technological and policy implications of electronic voting. And we feature Plaza Maria, a low-income housing project in San Jose where donations of computers and wireless equipment have bridged the digital divide.
February 2005
In the February, 2005 edition of Tech Closeup, we feature a profile of Network Physics, a classic Silicon Valley start-up story of near failure and renewed success. We also interview Tim Harrington of WhereNet, Inc., a top expert on the revolutionary new technology called RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), which is dramatically changing how inventory of any kind can be tracked and monitored. And we take a close look at Umang Gupta, CEO of Keynote Systems and his wife, Ruth, who co-founded the Raji House in Burlingame, the only respite care home of its type for parents of developmentally disabled children in the Bay Area.
January 2005
In the January, 2005 edition of Tech Closeup, we feature an interview with Ankit Fadia, a 19 year-old Stanford student who has become one of the worlds top experts on cybersecurity. We also profile Metreo, an exciting start-up company based in Palo Alto, CA. And we explore some excellent work by the Oracle Education Foundation to help teach boys and girls in East Palo Alto how to use computers and enhance their learning in their spare time.
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"Tech Closeup" Awards:
Accolade
Award
Winner
2007
Finalist,
California Greenlight Film Festival
Action on Film Festival (Long Beach, CA)
Hometown Video Festival Award Winner 2007
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