Off-Ramp for December 5, 2009

Mercer 6084

Taschen's Big Book of Intimate Portraits of LA

Off-Ramp host John Rabe went to the gala unveiling (a benefit for the LA Conservancy) of a new Taschen book called “Los Angeles: Portrait of a City,” which historian and preservationist Chris Nichols says is “without a doubt the most comprehensive visual history of L.A. ever attempted."
Mercer 5198

The Rosetta Stone gets a high-tech face lift

You've heard of the Rosetta Stone? What about the Rosetta disk? It's a coaster-size disk that's got more than one-thousand of the world's languages and it's designed to last 10,000 years! The Rosetta Project's Laura Welcher explains the challenges of designing a Rosetta Disk that'll last 10,000 years and how the Rosetta disk will be a key for future.

Rabe Takes on World, Universe in Blog

Off-Ramp host John Rabe has a blog that's been called a "must read," and not just by him. Check it out, and please comment.

Brian Watt Brings Jets Home in Air Traffic Control Simulator

KPCC's Brian Watt recently reported on how the FAA is training new air traffic controllers. In his KPCC news piece, he talked with the people who run the facility, and with controllers-in-training, but listeners didn't get to hear the remarkable simulator in action... Now they can!
Mercer 6116

Wired Magazine's "Vanish" Contest -- A Special Report

KPCC's Alex Cohen reports on Evan Ratliff's attempts to stay on the grid, but vanish -- even as Wired Magazine put a bounty on his head.
Mercer 6067

Mateo Stoneman's Secret

Mateo Stoneman made his Anglo media debut in March of 2008 on Off-Ramp. The white mariachi, who I said has "the voice of an angel," was the biggest hit we ever had. Hundreds of listeners bought his CD because of the broadcast, some of them a dozen at a time. For an LA Times profile, the reporter did something I never thought to do -- a criminal background check -- which revealed ...
Mercer 5161

My Metallica

Metallica plays the Honda Center Thursday, December 10th at 7pm. The heavy-metal band was born in LA, but it found stardom in San Francisco. Metallica's biggest fan? KPCC's Steven Cuevas.
Find an archived Episode: