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VIDEO: Could It Be? American Claims To Have Surfed 100-Foot Wave

Credit Francisco Salvador / via Twitter

Garrett McNamara surfs a huge wave in Nararé, Portugal.

By editor

Originally published on Tue January 29, 2013 5:46 pm

5:36 pm

Tue January 29, 2013

Stefan Kudelski, Who Made Sound Recording Portable, Dies

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Credit Courtesy of the Kudelski Group

Stefan Kudelski poses with the Ampex-Nagra VPR-5 portable recorder in an undated photograph. The devices were used to record the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico.

Credit Courtesy of the Kudelski Group

Kudelski with actors Maggie Smith (left) and Maureen Stapleton at the 1978 Academy Awards. That year, Kudelski won a Scientific and Engineering award for improvements "in the Nagra 4.2L sound recorder for motion picture production." It was one of four Oscars awarded Kudelski in his lifetime.

Credit Courtesy of Jim Anderson

A Nagra recorder used to record a 1976 interview at the University of Chicago for the NPR Program 'Folk Festival USA.'

Credit Courtesy of Randy Thom

Randy Thom, director of sound design for Skywalker Sound, with his Nagra 4.2. While filmmakers now use smaller and lighter digital recorders, Nagras are still used to record gunshots and other very loud sounds.

Credit Courtesy of the Kudelski Group

Stefan Kudelski poses with the Ampex-Nagra VPR-5 portable recorder in an undated photograph. The devices were used to record the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico.

By editor

Originally published on Wed January 30, 2013 6:42 am

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While few outside the film and radio industries may recognize the name Stefan Kudelski, his Nagra recorder — meaning "will record" in Kudelski's native Polish — transformed the world of sound recording for radio, television and film.

Kudelski, inventor of the first portable professional sound recorder, died Saturday in Switzerland at the age of 84, according to a statement from the Kudelski Group.

4:47 pm

Tue January 29, 2013

Senate Confirms John Kerry As Next Secretary Of State

Credit Alex Wong / Getty Images

Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) has been confirmed by the senate to become the next secretary of state.

By editor

Originally published on Tue January 29, 2013 4:58 pm

The United States Senate voted today to confirm Sen. John Kerry as the next secretary of state.

Just five days ago, Kerry, a democratic senator from Massachusetts, testified before the committee he chaired. As NPR's Michele Kelemen reported at the time, the hearing was a love fest.

Kerry is decorated Vietnam war veteran and the son of a diplomat. He has served in the Senate since 1985.

4:38 pm

Tue January 29, 2013

Hey, Kid, You Could Be A 'Disaster Hero'

Credit Disaster Hero

In Disaster Hero, disaster specialist Dante Shields (far right) and his sidekick Mika (seated) guide players through games about emergency preparedness.

By Lydia Zuraw

To teach kids about coping with trouble, even the doctors in the emergency room figure a video game is the way to to go.

So the American College of Emergency Physicians has created Disaster Hero, an online game, that can help kids learn what to do before, during and after earthquakes, floods, hurricanes and tornadoes.

The game is geared toward children in grades 1 through 8. There are three levels pegged to kids' reading ability.

4:35 pm

Tue January 29, 2013

Union Backs 'Bar Exam' For Teachers

Credit Rebecca Cook / Reuters/Landov

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, says a bar exam for K-12 teachers would test a person's knowledge based on the subject he or she was hired to teach.

By Claudio Sanchez

Originally published on Mon February 4, 2013 2:29 pm

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The system for preparing and licensing teachers in the U.S. is in such disarray that the American Federation of Teachers is proposing a "bar exam" similar to the one lawyers have to pass before they can practice.

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5:40 pm

Tue January 29, 2013