  By charting the kinematic, chemical, and ionization conditions of galactic
and intergalactic gas over the redshift range 0 - 4 with QSO absorption lines,
the evolution of chemical abundances, the UV meta-galactic background, and the
clustering dynamics of galactic gas can be studied. HIRES/Keck Mg II 2796
profiles arising in <z> = 1 galaxies are presented and the Mg II kinematic
clustering function is given. The intriguing z = 0.93 systems toward Q1206+459
are shown and compared to z = 2 HIRES/Keck C IV profiles to illustrate how
STIS/HST can be exploited for studies of the high ionization conditions in z <
1 Mg II selected systems. The scientific motives and plans for a large Mg II
survey for 2 < z < 4 in the Near IR using the new 10-meter Hobby-Eberly
Telescope are presented.
