Karla Kane

These days, Patton Oswalt’s primary job is being a dad. But even after starring in the Pixar hit Ratatouille, shining in indie darlings like...

As a professional photographer, Mike Rasay has shot three NBA Finals, but he prefers the excitement of his day job at Santa Clara University, where he's the head of day-to-day operations for the school's satellite program. Long seen as the little sister to Stanford University, SCU's satellite program owns the impressive distinction of being the only university to trust undergraduate students as operators of NASA missions.

Bell makes a point of attempting to shake people out of their preconceived notions, not that he believes he'll save the world. A disciple of Jon Stewart's school of blending humor and insight while covering the news, he sees the praise that he and others originally heaped upon this style of comedy as a bit naive.

Translating readings from the brain into an input for a computer that spits out corresponding motions isn't an easy task, nor does it fit into any one field of study. So, Shenoy founded the Neural Prosthetic Systems Laboratory at Stanford and oversees a multidisciplinary team of researchers specializing in bioengineering, electrical engineering, neuroscience and more.

This week Silicon Valley is popping off with a diverse set of musical events. Ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro brings his unique skillset to the...

Nothing can stop them. The gates of business schools yawn open every summer and disgorge new legions of MBAs, coming to make their bones in the valley. The rents and property values pierce the skies and reach the orbit of Saturn. Once a refuge for endangered creatures of all sizes, San Francisco is today a bleached coral reef. Fresh indentured slaves arrive from Uttar Pradesh by the planeload, clutching visas that evaporate at the mere frown of a supervisor. The roads back up to Vacaville. The crux, perhaps: the insanely great iHorror Apple-caused traffic snarl at 237 and 880 in Milpitas. This reliable jam is so dreadful that it cannot be described in the tongues of men, but only in the shrieks of an electrocuted cockatoo. And we learn, just as the Ohlones learned, as the ranchers learned, as the farmers learned after them: life in a boomtown can really suck.

The New Ballet School's company dancers will perform a series of new works by local and national choreographers as a part of the young organization's New Works Program.

We've all been on the receiving end of a self-serving gift. It could be the husband who gives an iPad when we really wanted a Brazilian blowout. Or it could be the wife who gets a couples vacation to a seaside B&B when all we asked for was a Fitbit (you know, to track all the steps we're not taking). This holiday season we figured it's time to stop worrying just about ourselves and consider not only what we want but what could also benefit others. Our 2016 Gift Guide includes off-the-grid presents that fall into three categories: gifts that makes people healthier, support local ag and the environment, and boost businesses that pay it forward by donating proceeds and time to the community. A few of them even accomplish all three. So, without wasting another moment, here are 32 gifts to tickle any friend or family member's fancy while supporting a worthy cause. (Spoiler alert: The last one is beer.)