3-2-1 Contact (1980)
3-2-1 Contact is an American science educational television show that aired on PBS from 1980 to 1988, and an adjoining children's magazine. The show, a production of the Children's Television Workshop, teaches scientific principles and their applications. Dr. Edward G. Atkins, who was responsible for much of the scientific content of the show, felt that the TV program wouldn't replace a classroom but would open the viewers to ask questions about the scientific purpose of things.
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Episode 1 - Japan: Precious Oysters, Rare Salamanders
Release Date: 1987-10-12David and Kaori visit the Mikimoto Pearl Farm and see the 100-year process of culturing pearls. David and Kanae Nishio go wading in a forest stream, hunting for a giant salamander. This information supplied by Chuck N. Thank you, Chuck.
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Episode 2 - Japan: Landslide!
Release Date: 1987-10-13Impeding Japanese throughout is the erosion of Mmighty .t Fuji. David sees what steps are being guarded to help the Japanese society in spite of it. Included is a building where rainstorms and landslides are simulated.
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Episode 3 - Japan: Paper and Kites
Release Date: 1987-10-14David and Kaori visit the Furutas, whose family has been making paper by hand for two centuries. They follow the Furutas as they make a batch of fine paper. David, Kaori, and Chizuru Ishizaka join a kite expert and test a kite designed to fly in little wind. This information supplied by Chuck N. Thank you, Chuck.
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Episode 4 - Japan: Earthquake!
Release Date: 1987-10-15David and Kaori get a glimpse of architects designing buildings that can resist the force of some natural disasters.
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Episode 5 - Japan: Judo and Computers
Release Date: 1987-10-16How would you like to write your messages in a strictly-ordered way, knowing that one mistake could change the meaning of your sentence? It can happen in English, but it's easier to write Japanese wrong. David and Kaori visit a software researcher and test out software that is designed to read and identify handwritten Kanji characters. (David puts his skills to the test and fails.) David and Kaori also participate in a grueling judo workout, after which they learn about a computer that helps train judo students. Finally, Kaori shows David the next closest thing Japanese language has to the English alphabet.
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Episode 6 - Detectives: Skin and Bone Detectives
Release Date: 1987-10-19Archaeologists are seen trying to demystify the Mayans, Egyptian mummies, and a prehistoric cave where flint was mined.
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Episode 7 - Detectives: Tool and Trash Detectives
Release Date: 1987-10-20There are ""archaeologists"" in Arizona that are analyzing modern humans from samples of their trash! It's a far cry from the tools of ancient man, or so you would think.
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Episode 8 - Detectives: Wildlife Detectives
Release Date: 1987-10-21This show observes owls in the wild and the ecosystems in a salt marsh.
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Episode 9 - Detectives: Dinosaur Detectives
Release Date: 1987-10-22In the centerpiece of this episode, a museum moves a large dinosaur exhibit into place.
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Episode 10 - Detectives: Pattern Detectives
Release Date: 1987-10-23Can you tell a pattern when you see it? A combination of new and recycled material shows all sorts of patterns in nature.
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Episode 11 - Architecture: Raising the Big Top
Release Date: 1987-10-26Basic architecture can be whittled down to beams and a sheet. This is seen through circus tents, the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome and other things.
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Episode 12 - Architecture: Home
Release Date: 1987-10-27The frame is vitally important to anything architectural. We see how animals make their perfectly-designed shelters, how the Japanese can join two boards without glue or nails, and find the traditional Kenya home.
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Episode 13 - Architecture: Stack It Up
Release Date: 1987-10-28How do you build the world's largest Gothic cathedral? It all comes down to using marble cut in certain ways. The arch and the buttress are featured in the ongoing construction of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.
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Episode 14 - Architecture: Made to Fit
Release Date: 1987-10-29There is a branch of architectural science called ergonomics, which states how things are built to fit certain people. David Quinn sees if he can improve the ergonomics of a kitchen.
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Episode 15 - Architecture: Light But Strong
Release Date: 1987-10-30The shape and composition of architectural materials can prove vital for various reasons. The I-beam and the triangle brace are highlighted in this episode.
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Episode 16 - Mammals: Rats and Bats
Release Date: 1987-11-02Hard to believe mice and rats are mammals, as are bats. But this program shows why rodents are classified this way.
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Episode 17 - Mammals: Keeping Warm
Release Date: 1987-11-03Fur and hair are mammals' chief arsenal to stay warm. But what about sea otters?
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Episode 18 - Mammals: Live Birth, Warm Milk
Release Date: 1987-11-04This show witnesses the births of elephant seals and wildebeests. Also seen are young black bears and kangaroos.
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Episode 19 - Mammals at Play
Release Date: 1987-11-05Play is an important part of growing, as we see from watching babboons, chimpanzees, sheep dogs and even kids playing.
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Episode 20 - Big Mammals: The High Cost of Living
Release Date: 1987-11-06There is a price ecosystems pay when big animals are confined. This program shows the elephant, the rhinoceros and the tapir groping with spatial problems.
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Episode 21 - Modeling: Things on Wheels
Release Date: 1987-11-09Models are used to test ideas before they become large-scale. A class of intermediate-school students go through modeling tactics in building a spring-driven car. We also see newsreel clips of models that produced both commonplace items and inventions that didn't pan out.
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Episode 22 - Modeling: Through Ice and Air
Release Date: 1987-11-10Models observed in this episode include those of Canadian ice shields, fast bicycles, and modern airplanes.
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Episode 23 - Modeling: The Earth
Release Date: 1987-11-11Surveyors are seen at work, as are schoolkids who devise a map of their own neighborhood.
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Episode 24 - Modeling: Knees and Small Things
Release Date: 1987-11-12Models are shown in museums and in the medical world.
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Episode 25 - Modeling: Spaces
Release Date: 1987-11-13Much of this program focuses on a zoo's constructing an uncannily accurate rain forest for its animals.
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Episode 26 - In the Air: Finding Your Way
Release Date: 1987-11-16Built largely on material recycled from Season 1, this episode includes insight on how pigeons and bats negotiate their world. Bats rely on sonar, but as for pigeons and how they navigate, that's a different story.
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Episode 27 - In the Air: Drifting with the Wind
Release Date: 1987-11-17Main Concept: Variances in wind currents can be used to create different forms of transportation such as soaring, gliding and hot air balloons. Even inanimate objects like a kite depend on the wind to function properly. Wind power is introduced with Flying Scooters at an amusement park. Hopey learns about the sport of ""soaring"" by taking a trip in a glider sail plane. Repeat of a sequence from the episode Hot/Cold: Temperatures on Earth/In Space: In the mountains of Colorado, Lisa participates in a balloon race to better understand why a hot-air balloon rises. David visits a local Kite Club in Tokyo where he meets a Japanese ""kite doctor,"" who uses science to improve a kite's performance.
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Episode 28 - In the Air: Born to Fly
Release Date: 1987-11-18Jan Carter, Entymologist at the Cincinatti Zoo and Botanical Garden teaches us about the life cycles of the butterfly. David speaks with Glen Wiggins, curator at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto Canada, about Dragonflies and their wings and Moths and their Proboscis. Then there's a recycled segment from season 1, Episode 22, where Marc visits a beekeeper. Then back to David and Glen Wiggins about Beetles. This show's information is supplied by Chuck N. Thank you, Chuck.
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Episode 29 - In the Air: Fat Things That Fly
Release Date: 1987-11-19Hopey finds a hibernating ground for ladybugs. David observes beetles at the Royal Ontario Museum. Todd gets fooled by Barbara Reinalda and her softball pitches.REHASHED FROM SEASON 1 (Show 8): Trini takes rides the Goodyear Blimp around New York City.MUSIC VIDEO: Airborne.
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Episode 30 - In the Air: Unbelievable Flying Objects
Release Date: 1987-11-20David visits Aerovironment Inc. where they are building a full scale Pterodactyl model that has been designed based on the few clues scientists have about the real animal. Then David visits Burt Rutan, designer of the Voyager, the first plane to travel around the world without stopping. There David and Burt discuss the custom airplane designs and experimants Burt has made. This information is supplied by Chuck N. Thank you, Chuck.