On the show this week, you’ll hear the remarkable stories of four Japanese Americans, a doctor who was one of only two women in her 1941 medical school class, a couple who’s story is hard to beat- they founded San Jose Taiko, and a man who’s name is familiar to all of us. We named our airport for him- Norman Mineta.

Finally, I hope you have an appetite because we’ll also learn a lot about making sushi from local chef- Kazoo. Here’s a sneak peek:

John Gregg &

If you like history, we’ve found just the ticket and it’s free! This is Us recently visited History Park where you can take a big step back in time and emerge in San Jose-1890. Many of the 27 buildings you’ll see there are authentic, historic structures, moved to the park for preservation. A few have been replicated. The effect is fascinating.

You can stroll through the “town” or ride, in 1890’s style, on the old San Jose trolley. When you get tired, take a seat in O’Brien’s Candy Factory or watch the squirrels play from a park bench in the plaza.

The antique buildings are just the beginning. Docents, portraying people from the past, can be found in the print shop, the one room school house, theDashaway Stables even the doctor’s office. We were able to interview many of these characters for upcoming episodes of This is Us including Charlie Parkhurst, the colorful stagecoach driver (pictured above), who drove between San Jose and Santa Cruz. Join This is Us for backdoor tours of History Park on March 10th & 17th.

This is Us also profiles famed play write and noted film director Luis Valdez, the creator of Zoot Suit and the highly acclaimed film La Bamba. The father of Mexican American Theater and El Teatro Campesino, Valdez reveals his journey from migrant farm worker to Hollywood fame.

Along the way, you’ll also meet San Jose’s Greg Smestad, an 8th generation Californio, who’s family forged the Anza Trail. If California history and the story behind the story gets your attention, well, we’ve got just the ticket for you with another episode of This Is Us.
In case you are double booked, you can see it again on Saturday 2/20 at 1:30 p.m.

Here’s a sneak peek!

For the rest of the recipe, join us February 10th at 6:30 on KTEH 54 / Comcast 10.

S V Leadership Group members gather at Brocade's Future Home

Mayor Reed and I…..and about 60 other members of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group met for lunch at 95 Headquarters Dr. That address is home to Brocade’s new corporate campus. It’s so new, it’s not complete.

As the building is under construction, we were led to the 7th floor by construction workers in hard hats. A delightful Lunch was served in black lunch pails. We ate a tables draped with red cloths that contrasted nicely with the bare aluminum frame work for future walls. The heating system is also in the future. The thermos of hot tomato soup was the most popular item in the lunch pail.

The get-together kicked-off Mayor Reed’s reelection campaign. Reed spoke the need for improved schools, improvement in transportation and transparency in government. He spoke about San Jose’s future and his desire that San Jose remain the capital of Silicon Valley and Silicon Valley be the capitol of innovation.

At first the shell of a building seemed an odd setting for a luncheon but as I made my way out through the construction zone, I saw what I hoped was also in the future - people at work.

This Commodore Computer pin is one of the most recent submission to our “Net@40″ virtual scavenger hunt for internet related memorabilia. If you have something really rare, the Computer History Museum may invite you to add it to their collection - you could have a cool plaque with your name on it at the CHM!
Take a look at some of the other photos here.

This clip is about the symbolism used in the show.

This clip is about the location used to shoot the village sequences.

This clip is about the actor, Patrick McGoohan, who played “The Prisoner”

You are invited to add your internet story to our virtual time capsule and join our scavenger hunt for internet collectables.
Your finds will be displayed on our website and there will be weekly awards for the most significant treasures.

The most valuable finds may be put on display in the Computer History Museum. Imagine ­ your name in the Museum.

Join the party

KTEH signs on in 1964

On Monday, October, 19, 1964 at 9:27 am KTEH was born….27 minutes late.
Here’s how it happened, According the Superintendent of Schools Bulletin.

KTEH was licensed by the Santa Clara Office of Education. The visionary plan was to “beam” instructional television into 300 area schools beginning on October 19. On October 10th
things began to go wrong.

KTEH’s one-ton antenna was to be placed on a 50′ tower. The tower arrived on the 10th, 2 weeks late and only 9 days before the inaugural broadcast was scheduled.

It was barely off the truck before The Dept. of public Works pronounced the tower “structurally inadequate.” A special team of welders boarded a jet and flew to San Jose to modify the tower. They worked around the clock using spotlights to illuminate the tower after dark. Two days before the first broadcast, October 17th, the tower was up and the antenna was in position.

In the meantime, news that the new station’s videotape player was on backorder arrived. This was an especially unfortunate development since all the programming was on video tape. The salesman, who negotiated the contract, made some quick arrangements and a borrowed tape machine arrived at 4 p.m. Thursday the 15th.

On Friday the 16th the FCC called to say the station’s license to begin broadcasting on Monday had not been granted because the request to broadcast had not been received. A panicked call went out to the Assistant Superintendent of the Post Office in Washington, D.C.. Although the package was sent “Registered Air” and marked “Special Delivery, ” the Superintendent found no record of the package but offered to start a search for it. By 7 p.m. on Friday he had located the package.

As luck would have it, the FCC was in the same building as the Post Office. The Superintendent personally delivered the package to the Chief of Educational Broadcasting at 9 a.m. Eastern time on Monday, October 19. KTEH’s License was granted at 8:56 a.m. After a short program test, the first show to be broadcast from KTEH went on the air at 9:27 a.m.

As the 1964 Superintendent of Schools Bulletin noted, “this is what comes of positive thinking.”

If you view KTEH via Comcast, you will not be effected.