BlackBerry’s Backstory

https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/dovetail.prxu.org/140/01d33fe4-821b-4667-aa47-8ca96f79eae0/KERA_Think_06-04-15_HR_2.mp3 Just six years ago, half of all smartphones sold were made by BlackBerry. Today, it’s hard to find anyone who still uses one. This hour, we’ll find out what happened with Globe and Mail business writer Sean Silcoff, co-author of Losing the Signal: The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of BlackBerry.

Read more

Alexander Graham Bell On Tape

Anytime you check your voicemail or call Grandma, thank c. This hour, from NPR headquarters in Washington, we’ll talk about the father of the telephone — and his other pioneering works — with Carlene Stephens, curator of the National Museum of American History exhibition “Hear My Voice: Alexander Graham Bell and the Origins of Recorded Sound.”

Read more

From Oops To Outer Space

Scientists have found the birthplace of stars and planets, begun to understand dark energy and found black holes — all using information from the Hubble Telescope. However, it almost didn’t make it off the ground due to an engineering error. This hour, we’ll talk about how five astronauts risked their lives to repair the telescope.

Read more