If a person, multiplying two numbers together once every second, tried to do as many multiplications as the new UIUC’s super computer Blue Waters can do in a second, it would take them about 300 million years. This hour on Focus we talked about the technology and the problems Blue Waters is trying to solve.
Simply explained, Blue Waters is a very big, very fast computer. This hour on Focus, host Jim Meadows talks with Bill Gropp who is Director of the Parallel Computing Institute and Deputy Director for Research at the Institute for Advanced Computing Applications and Technologies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He’ll tell us what makes Blue Waters so powerful, why the technology is worth the investment and what problems researchers hope to solve with one of the world’s largest super computers.
Do you have fond memories of Roger Ebert? What do you think of when you hear “circus?” Do you have questions about the UIUC’s new super computer Blue Waters? Find out more about what’s coming up next week on Focus and join our conversation.
Coming up next week on Focus, we’re remembering Pulitzer Prize winning film critic, screenwriter and journalist Roger Ebert, talking about super computers and learning about how the circus is very serious business in other parts of the world. Find out more and our conversation!
What color is your thumb…green or black? This hour on Focus, we talked with Eduardo Torrealba who has been working on a project to help you if you answered “black” and Sandy Mason, UI extension horticulture expert.
Over and underwatering plants is one of the key reasons why those of you who answered “black” are having trouble keeping your plants alive. This hour on Focus, we’ll talk with Eduardo Torrealba. He’s the CEO of Oso Technologies, a new company formed in Urbana. He and his colleagues have developed a new product called Plantlink that’s designed to help novice gardeners help their plants thrive and conserve water. Sandy Mason, University of Illinois Extension Horticulture Expert, will also be here to answer questions about your lawn and garden.
What is it about James Bond? Why did the character spark such a following and why does the character endure? This hour on Focus, we talked about Bond, his cars and his legacy.
This week marks the 60th anniversary of the release of Ian Fleming’s “Casino Royale” that introduced the world to the now infamous mystery man, James Bond. This hour on Focus, we’ll talk with Michael VanBlaricum, a UIUC alumnus and founder of the Ian Fleming Foundation, about Bond’s legacy. John Cork, co-author of the book "James Bond: The Legacy" and a documentary film maker and writer known for his knowledge of the character, also joins us.
Are you reading a book right now that you can’t put down? This hour, host Jim Meadows talks with NPR’s Guy Raz about NPR’s Three Minute Fiction contest. Then we talk about spring and summer reading recommendations.
Leave a message after the beep… Make it 600 words or less. That’s the prompt NPR’s Three Minute Fiction gave listeners for Round 10 of their popular flash fiction writing contest. This hour on Focus, host Jim Meadows talks with Guy Raz, former host of Weekend All Things Considered and current host of the TED Radio Hour. Three Minute Fiction is Raz’s brainchild, and during the first half of this show, he tells us how surprised he is by the continued popularity of the contest and what his favorite stories are.
Then during the second half of the hour, we’ll talk with Kelly Strom. She manages adult fiction at the Champaign Public Library and will tell us more about new fiction titles for this spring.
Last night, “The House I Live In” aired on WILL-TV. Today on Focus, we’ll talk with the writer, director and producer for the film Eugene Jarecki about the film and the statements it makes about the War on Drugs. After the show, don’t miss a free, online screening of the film with a discussion to follow!
This hour on focus, host Jim Meadows talks with Eugene Jarecki, writer, producer and director for the documentary “The House I Live In.” Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, “The House I Live In” is filmed in more than 20 states and captures heart-wrenching stories from those on the front lines of the U.S.’s war on drugs — from the dealer to the grieving mother, the narcotics officer to the senator, the inmate to the federal judge — and offers a penetrating look at the profound human rights implications of America’s longest war.
The premier for the 6th season of MadMen was last night on AMC. Are you a fan of the show? Love it? Hate it? This hour on Focus, guest host Chris Berube talked with three UIUC professors who have just published the book “Mad Men, Mad World: Sex, Politics, Style and the 1960’s.”
The premier for the 6th season of MadMen was last night on AMC. Set in the 1960’s in New York, the television drama follows the lives of advertising executives on Madison Avenue. Some have criticized the show for its portrayal of race and gender politics, while those same elements of the show have drawn critical acclaim from others. This hour on Focus, guest host Chris Berube talks with Robert Rushing, Lilya Kaganovsky and Lauren Goodlad of the UIUC about the show and their book “MadMen, Mad World: Sex, Politics Style and the 1960’s.”
Are you a fan of AMC’s “MadMen”? Who do you think is the best James Bond? Is it time for the US to end the war on drugs? Find out more about what’s coming up next week on Focus and join our conversation.
Coming up next week on Focus, we’ve got a little something for everybody – from James Bond to gardening, we welcome you to join our conversation!
Are you a dog or a cat person? Maybe you’re neither? Both? This hour on Focus, we’re talking with two area veterinarians and welcome your pet questions, no matter what breed of species you love and care for.
This hour on Focus, we’re talking about pet care. Sally Foote, a small animal vet from Tuscola who specializes in dog and cat behavior, will be here to walk us through some of the best ways to help scaredy cats (and dogs) through thunderstorm season, and Dr. Brendan McKiernan, who directs the UIUC Veterinary Teaching Hospital, also joins us. We welcome your questions this hour!
Dr. Foote will be giving a public talk on pets and thunderstorms at Prairie Land Feeds on Sunday April 7th. Find more information here.
Calling them unmanned aerial vehicles sounds just as scary as calling them drones, but what do we really mean when we talk about this technology? This hour on Focus, we talked about drones, how they are being used and how they’re not. We also heard from an Urbana man working to advance the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in journalism and to inspire high school students to study math and science.
The technologies encompassed by the term “unmanned aerial vehicle” are vast and include everything from hobbyist drones that look like toy helicopters to units that are equipped with cameras and are being used to monitor crop damage. This hour on Focus, host Jim Meadows talks with Matthew Schroyer, a graduate of the UIUC who is also the founder of the Professional Society of Drone Journalists. We’ll talk with him about the things drones could help us do, and we’ll ask him about the privacy concerns the technology raises. Chris Anderson, CEO of 3D Robotics, former Wired editor and founder of the website DIY Drones and Nancy Cooke, Professor at Arizona State University and Science Director of the Cognitive Engineering Research Institute in Mesa, Arizona, also join us.
Watch a video of Matt explaining and flying his drone.
Are you excited by the possibilities of this kind of technology? Or does it scare you? Why? Join our conversation. Post in the comments section below or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter @Focus580.
