KFAI's MinneCulture Presents

The Ecstatic Underground from Noise: A Human History of Sound and Listening The sound-world of the first Christians was filled with the subdued voices, measured singing and solemn prayers that would later echo through the medieval churches and cathedrals of Western Europe. Early Christians needed to be quiet to avoid persecution - but they often weren't. David Hendy explores the  ecstatic sounds of the underground in ancient Rome. The Bells from Noise: A Human History of Sound and Listening In the Middle Ages the peal of the church bell was one of the most dominant features of the soundscape. Every time it rang out, religion’s hold over the secular world was signaled loud and clear. Professor Hendy of the University of Sussex visits one of the oldest church bells in the UK and explains that the sound’s power lay in ancient, pagan associations. Inscriptions written on bells were understood to function as spells: when a bell rang out it was believed any words on it wo...

Into Eternity from Making Contact Every day, the world over, large amounts of high-level radioactive waste created by nuclear power plants is placed in interim storage, which is vulnerable to natural and  man-made disasters , as well as societal changes. The nation of Finland is about to establish a massive  underground cave to hold thousands of tons of nuclear waste. Our world’s first permanent repository is being cleaved out of solid rock to create a huge storehouse of tunnels which must last at least 100,000 years -- how long the waste will remain hazardous .  We will hear excerpts of the film, “ Into Eternity , ” which explores the logistical and philosophical quandaries around the construction of something that if it works, might very well outlast the entire human race.

Fine Dining from The Truth Johnathan Mitchell's fantastic powerhouse radio project returns to our airwaves with another brilliant audio adventure.  The folks at  The Truth  develop these gripping stories as a collective, often improvising the dialog on location. The recordings are then taken to the studio for editing,  sound design , and scoring.  This installment was written by Louis Kornfeld and features performances from  Elana Fishbein , Nick Jaramillo, Tom Ligon , Kevin Cragg, Kerry Kastin , Brian Frange , and Bob Kern. "The art of cooking is more than just a meal; it's a dialogue spoken in that universal language beyond words. It's a communion between souls. It's an act of love..."

"I like to set up explosives. I like big booms. I mean, who doesn't?" Those are the words of Specialist Lackey, a 21-year-old U.S. soldier who served in Afghanistan. It's one of "Five Stories of War" airing on this show. Three of those stories feature reporter Jake Warga asking soldiers about the things they carry into battle . The inspiration, of course, is Tim O'Brien's novel, "The Things They Carried." Also: We feature "The Fighter Pilot," a highly praised story from Kathy Tu, a producer who isn't even sure she'll pursue radio. According to the HowSound podcast, Tu is studying to be a lawyer. Listen to the show, then go behind-the-scenes with Tu and HowSound host Rob Rosenthal to find out how Tu made this impressive, sound-rich piece .

The Noisy, Everyday World of Ancient Rome   from Noise: A Human History of Sound and Listening As the Roman empire grew, the city sucked in exotic goods, tastes, smells, and, --of course-- sounds from all around the world. In mind-bogglingly narrow street-ways you'd find b ellowing animals, street-hawkers, the babble of a dozen languages ; some inhabitants loved this sensory over-load , but others ran from it.  What would we have heard had visited the city in its heyday? And  here could Romans go to get some peace? The Roaring Crowd   from Noise: A Human History of Sound and Listening Professor David Hendy   of the University of Sussex  travels from  the barrage of sound  that was  the London Olympics to the ruins of the Roman Colosseum . He will explain to us the  visceral impact and  power of the collective crowd: how it showed approval ... and what happened when it was displeased .

Love and Robots by Anton Foek Dr. David Levy ,  an expert in artificial intelligence,  argues that the automata we once deemed cold and mechanical will soon become the objects of real companionship as well as human desire. He explores many aspects of human relationships and how they have changed over time. Levy believes it inevitable that these same attachments will eventually extend to love for robots . My Sex Robot by Audrey Quinn Brooklyn make-up artist Jessica Jacobs desperately needed a job . Because she had experience sculpting and special effects for the movies , a friend asked her to take over on a very special assignment. We'll hear how this girl-next-door became the woman behind the world's first sex robot, Roxxxy .  TI-99/4A from The Optimist What could be more fun than a Texas Instruments home computer , a dot matrix printer, and a text adventure game on a cassette drive!? Well, all of this and some poorly written BASIC progra...

The Boundaries of Love  by Daniel Estrin Yes, love has the power to  blossom in stubborn places , but can it survive in such a complex and difficult maze? We'll hear about a homosexual couple -- one gent from the West Bank and the other from Israel -- who try their best to navigate love in perhaps the harshest environment in the world for their relationship to bloom. Speaking the Truth of the Moment by Marian van der Zon A look at honesty in relationships . A quest to discover the ethics and effects of using brute honesty to negotiate the complexity of sexual and non-sexual relationships. Is anything short of total candor  sufficient? Where do the moral boundaries lie?