This Way Up for Tuesday 25 December 2012
The Best of This Way Up 2012
Extra Virginity - Tom Mueller
Tom Mueller, the author of 'Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil'.
The Science of Yoga
From bikram to iyengar, can yoga really help you to lose weight, get fit and relax? We speak to award-winning science journalist William Broad.
The Granny Cloud
Hundreds of English grannies (and grandads!) are helping Indian children learn via Skype. The idea's the brainchild of Professor Sugata Mitra.
Neckties
From the cravat to the Windsor, the tie still has an important place in our schools, boardrooms and rugby clubs. With Thomas Fink, the author of 'The 85 Ways to Tie a Tie', Shelley Macrae of the Sander Tie Company, Dr Jane Malthus and image consultant Samantha Hannah of ECO Style Consultancy.
Ambergris
The recession-proof treasure found washed up on beaches around the world and worth up to $30,000 a kilo! With author Christopher Kemp, Anton van Helden from Te Papa and Haami Te Whaiti.
Caspian Sea yoghurt
Deb Gully shows us how to make yoghurt at room temperature without a kitset in sight.
Refugee bikes
Recycling old bicyles for new residents of Aotearoa. With Faisal, Diana Swarbrick, Arif Saeid and Priscilla Pawson from Refugees as Survivors.
Talking plants
Plants respond to light and chemicals, and can even make sounds. But are they able to communicate? Dr Monica Gagliano of the University of Western Australia is investigating bioacoustics in plants.
Browning onions
Many recipes say you can caramelise onions in about 10 minutes. But can you really?! We put the claims to the test with chef and restaurateur Julie Clark.
Lance Armstrong
According to ex-pro cyclist Paul Kimmage, 86 percent of Tour de France winners over the past 40 years have been implicated in doping! He looks at the Lance Armstrong case and what's going to happen with his seven Tour de France titles.
History of Anaesthesia
It would be unthinkable nowadays to have an operation without the option of some kind of anaesthetic. How times have changed! With Waikato DHB anaesthetist Aidan O'Donnell, the author of 'Anaesthesia: A Very Short Introduction' (Oxford University Press).
History of Anaesthesia
It would be unthinkable nowadays to have an operation without the option of some kind of anaesthetic. How times have changed! With Waikato DHB anaesthetist Aidan O'Donnell, the author of 'Anaesthesia: A Very Short Introduction' (Oxford University Press).
Minecraft
Minecraft's the computer game where you mine for stuff and then make things out of virtual blocks. With Minecraft devotees Stella and Lukas and Gus Mastrapa of Wired.
Parklets
Madeline Brozen of the Complete Streets Initiative wants to turn car parking spaces into mini green public areas called parklets.
Apples: crispness
Dr Roger Harker and Jason Johnston of Plant and Food Research are trying to work out why people like some apples more than others.
Small solar in Africa
Sanjit 'Bunker' Roy is training illiterate African grandmothers to be solar engineers at his Barefoot College in India.
Revolutionary rest home
For the past 30-odd years, registered nurse Alison Neill has been running Moreh House in Fairlie in Canterbury. It's a rest home with a difference.
History of the pallet
Tom Vanderbilt of Slate.com's been looking at the history of the shipping pallet, an object as important as the shipping container in keeping goods moving smoothly around the globe.
Photo detective
Lynette Townsend and Anita Hogan of Te Papa are trying to track down the families of over 100 soldiers who fought in the First World War. All they have to work with are some old glass negatives found in an attic cupboard!
Preserving history
Professor Helen Leach has been studying hundreds of jam, pickle and chutney recipes in old magazines and cookbooks to uncover this country's hidden history of fruit and veg preservation.
Consider the Fork
Food writer Bee Wilson covers a host of kitchen and food-related innovations, including chopsticks and the gas-fired oven, in her book 'Consider the Fork: A History of Invention in the Kitchen' (Particular Books).
Online learning
First it was music and films, then journalism and shopping. Now tertiary education is set to be disrupted by the internet as many universities start putting their content online for free. Dennis Viehland is an associate professor at Massey University who's interested in the area.