Bay Curious

Take a trip around the San Francisco Bay and get to know our local foghorns -- where they are, how they work, who turns them on. Reported by Laura Klivans. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Paul Lancour, Ryan Levi and Suzie Racho. Additional support from Julie Caine, Julia McEvoy, Ethan Lindsey and Howard Gelman. Holly Kernan is Vice President for News. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question or sign up for our newsletter at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice.

If you live in the Bay Area, a foggy day can be a good excuse for some guilt-free time indoors. If you live near the water, days like that bring something else: foghorns. Reported by Laura Klivans. Produced and edited by Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Suzie Racho, Paul Lancour and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice.

In the 1960s, San Francisco was in the midst of a sexual revolution. Officials across the Bay in Oakland wanted none of it. Reported by Adizah Eghan. Produced and edited by Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice.

When Sutro Tower was first proposed, nearly everybody hated it. How did it get built? Reported by Jessica Placzek. Produced and edited by Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice.

The Big Apple, Sin City, the Big Easy -- all famous nicknames for American cities. But have you heard of Man Jose? This week we explore if San Jose should be called Man Jose. Reported by Jessica Placzek. Produced and edited by Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice. And use the #BayCurious hashtag!

f you’ve walked past Adobe’s corporate headquarters in downtown San Jose, you may have spotted them: four big orange LED lights that look like flat-head screws, turning in apparently random patterns. This week’s Bay Curious question comes from listener Geoff Morgan, who wanted to know: What do the turning wheels on the top of the Adobe building mean? To start with, it helps to know Adobe makes computer software for people who work with words, pictures and sound. “At the core of our DNA, really, is art and technology,” says Siri Lackovic, the company’s senior brand strategist. That’s why you’ll find clever art installations all over their office towers. Siri is one of the two people on the planet who know the whole story behind the glowing orange orbs Geoff noticed. The other person, of course, is the guy who came up with the concept, New York artist Ben Rubin. “The hope is that someone would look up and say: ‘What is that?’ ” Ben says. “What is that thing trying to say, you know? What is its message?”

We've all seen the signs warning us of eyes in the sky looking for speeders. A Bay Curious listener wanted to find out if someone really was up there ready to hand out tickets. Reported by Kelly Dunleavy O'Mara. Produced and edited by Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice.

Take a trip to Recology's Recycle Central, where San Francisco's waste is sorted and sent off for processing. Join the Bay Curious team as they test your trash I.Q. Reported by Lindsey Hoshaw. Produced and edited by Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice.

After patients were released from mental hospitals, there wasn't always a place for them to go. On this week's episode, we explore if deinstitutionalization was a factor in the Bay Area's homeless crisis. Reported by Jessica Placzek. Produced and edited by Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice.

The busy streets of San Francisco seems like the last place you'd find wild parrots. And yet, there they are. How'd they get here? Reported by Jessica Placzek. Produced and edited by Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice.

Long associated with the Bay Area, the word 'hella' has gained widespread use. But how was the word born?

Long associated with the Bay Area, the word 'hella' has gained widespread use. But how was the word born? Ask a question at baycurious.org Follow Olivia Allen-Price @oallenprice

Sometimes the noise on BART is so loud you can hardly think. Why such a racket? And could it possibly damage your hearing? Sam Harnett and Eli Wirtschafter help host Olivia Allen-Price get to the bottom of this weeks questions, which comes from listener Eric Bauer. Ask a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice

Ships from the Gold-Rush era are hidden deep underground throughout the city. How did they get so far from the shoreline?