Hawaii Blog

When I’m not blogging, I’m browsing. Here are sites and pages that I bookmarked on February 8th:

• $700K Mobile Command Sits For Years: A high-tech, state-of-the-art emergency mobile command unit that cost $700,000 has sat idle for 2 1/2 years after it arrived in Hawaii.
  KITV found out that most of the vehicle was paid for with federal Homeland Security money.
• Trouble on Albatross Island: The environmental group Center for Biological Diversity that it intends to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA, and the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources over the failure to protect the threatened seabird.
• National Science Foundation grant awarded to professor: A grant of $499,999 has been awarded by the National Science Foundation to Dr. Robert Cowie of UH Mānoa’s Center for Conservation Research, part of the Pacific Biosciences Research Center.
• UH astronomy chief sees stars ahead: Institute for Astronomy director Rolf-Peter Kudritzki will step down at the end of the year. He will take a sabbatical starting in January and will return to the institute as a faculty member to continue teaching and research.
• Hawaii-ecosystem researcher Peter Vitousek wins Japan Prize: A Hawai’i-born Stanford professor whose extensive research of Hawaiian ecosystems has led to breakthrough understandings of the ways in which agriculture and other human activity affect the environment has been awarded the Japan Prize, one of the most prestigious awards in science.
• Hawaii pols use less paper, save $1.2M, 8 million pages, nix staff paycut: Two years since the paperless project began, the Senate recently reported its first savings estimate: more than $1.2 million, nearly 8 million pages and the equivalent of more than 800 trees.
• Ormat Technologies Provides Puna Power Plant Update: Ormat Technologies today issued an update on its 30 MW Puna power plant in Hawaii which is currently operating at approximately 17 MW as a result of a decline of the steam supply to the power plant.
• UH Mānoa houses newest FEMA National Disaster Preparedness Training Center: The newest Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Disaster Preparedness Training Center, headquartered at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, is the newest of seven federally funded members of the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium (NDPC).

Check out all my bookmarks on Delicious.

I’m exhausted. My body is aching. My mind is spinning. But with “LOST,” these are good things. Tonight brings the Season 6 premiere, but I’m still thinking about the last few days. The “LOST” beach premiere on Saturday was fantastic, but I most cherished spending time with the fans and friends who joined my wife and I for our “LOST” travel package and tour, which spanned the weekend.

Over 100 people, coming from as far away as Norway, Turkey, Afghanistan and Germany were willing to spend several hours of their limited time in the islands with us, geeking out over the best show on television. We were thrilled. And humbled.

Thanks to Bruce Fisher of Hawaii-Aloha.com, Sakara Blackwell of DH Catering, and Hilton Blackwell of Island Adventures Tours & Travel for helping to make it all possible.

The incredible and unstoppable Christa Wittmier and the dancers of Iaora o Tahiti Nui made Friday’s dinner special. The folks at the Park Shore let me show off my “LOST” goodies in their lobby, and fed our group brunch at Lulu’s upstairs. And our all-day, island-wide “LOST” locations tour on Sunday? Incredible. June Matsumoto of the Hawaii Convention Center, Robin Naluai at Kualoa Ranch, Ed Kos of Kos Tours, the volunteers at the non-profit YMCA Camp Erdman, and my friend and radio co-host Burt Lum were among the many good people behind our great road trip.

I was having such a great time, I barely took any photos. Fortunately, there were plenty of shutterbugs (like Cesar and Bonnie), bloggers, and Twitterers documenting the festivities.

I’m still trying to gather the strength to write up our entire “LOST” weekend… but the show stops for no one, and we’ll soon be swept up by the show’s sixth and final season beginning tonight, cruising nonstop through to the epic and bittersweet end. In the mean time, here’s some notable press coverage of the weekend and of the premiere, including quotes from yours truly!

• Lost-apalooza! (Honolulu Star-Bulletin): Gary Chun hung out quite a bit, and came with us for most of our tour on Sunday.
• ‘Lost’ better absent expectations (Honolulu Star-Bulletin): My spoiler-free review of the first hour of the premiere. It wasn’t easy to write!
• For ‘Lost’ Fans In Hawaii, A Premiere With A View (Morning Edition/NPR): A piece by Hawaii Public Radio’s Ben Markus in which I embarrass my wife Jen.
• ‘Lost’ will linger on past its end date (Marketplace/APM): A brief segment on the likelihood of “LOST” sequels. I voted “no.”
• ‘Lost’ fans find home in Hawaii (Los Angeles Times): We loved meeting Maria Elena Fernandez (@writerchica) and Jose (@thephotoangel).

I also contributed to the Honolulu Advertiser’s coverage of “LOST,” including a “LOST” filming locations contest, which concluded Sunday. And, like last year, I’ll be joining the morning crew at KITV, Hawaii’s ABC affiliate, each morning after “LOST” to review the latest episode.

If you’re a visiting fan still in Honolulu tonight, you should check out Giovanni Pastrami in Waikiki. They’re going to be hosting “LOST” viewings every Tuesday, and would be happy to have you come and enjoy the season premiere tonight among fellow fans and friends! And after you’ve seen the episode, please share your thoughts for our “LOST” podcast this weekend.

When I’m not blogging, I’m browsing. Here are sites and pages that I bookmarked on February 1st:

• Report on the Task Force on Reinventing Government [PDF]: House Concurrent Resolution No. 76 established a Task Force on Reinventing Government to examine the existingoperations and organizations of Hawaii’s state government and recommend ways to makeHawaii’s government more efficient.
• Ocean Power Technologies Deploys Hawaii Powerbuoy and Wins Further Funding: Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. announces the successful deployment of one of its PowerBuoys at the Marine Corps Base in Hawaii.
• Astronomers discover cool stars in nearby space: Using the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT) in Hawaii, a discovery has been made of an object which is technically known as a brown dwarf.
• Coulomb Technologies Secures $14 Million in Series B Funding Led: Coulomb Technologies, a leader in electric vehicle (EV) charging station infrastructure, today announced that it has secured $14 million in Series B funding
• US Internet Acquires Internet Service Provider 3One Media Hawaii Corp.: US Internet, a global provider of Internet, hosting and digital phone services, today announced it has acquired 3One Media Corp.

Check out all my bookmarks on Delicious.

When I’m not blogging, I’m browsing. Here are sites and pages that I bookmarked on January 28th:

• NASA’s WISE Eye Spies Near-Earth Asteroid: NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, has spotted its first never-before-seen near-Earth asteroid, the first of hundreds it is expected to find during its mission to map the whole sky in infrared light.
• Military in Hawaii has big plans for solar power at base: The military is seeking contractors to install more solar power systems at most of its major installations in the state in what ultimately would be a leap in photovoltaic power generation capability in Hawai’i, officials said.
• Governor Lingle Authorizes $2.8 Million in Federal Stimulus Funds to Enhance Robotics Education in Hawaii Schools: Governor Linda Lingle announced today in her State of the State Address that she has authorized the use of $2,805,200 in federal stimulus funds to enhance robotics education programs in Hawai‘i’s schools.
• The Queen’s Medical Center Installs New State-of-the-Art Breast MRI System [PDF]: The Queen’s Medical Center has installed a new, advanced breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system that provides physicians with higher quality images that allow them to more confidently diagnose and accurately intervene in breast cancer patients.

Check out all my bookmarks on Delicious.

This morning, Pierre Omidyar’s local news startup Peer News hosted a conference call with journalists to provide an update on their venture, which was first announced in November. Among the key announcements made was that John Temple was coming aboard as editor, and that they were planning to launch by April or May. The company will be posting the audio from the call later today, but as TechCrunch noted, details were scarce as to their business model, with Omidyar and Temple “playing their cards incredibly close to the vest.”

Omidyar and Temple also conducted a Hawaii-only call to answer questions from the local media. “Obviously we’re not talking business model and those type of things,” Pierre warned, but the pair pulled back the curtain a little bit. I sat in on the call, and wrote up a rush transcript. It’s incomplete, and likely contains errors, but will hopefully be of interest to my fellow newsies. [Read more →]

When I’m not blogging, I’m browsing. Here are sites and pages that I bookmarked on January 19th:

• Fast-Food Fries Cooked in Higher-Fat Corn Oil, Study Shows: Fast-food chains are more likely than smaller restaurants to cook their French fries in corn oil, which is higher in cholesterol-raising saturated fats than other vegetable oils, a study from the University of Hawaii found.
• Innovation Award Winners Focus on Clean Energy: The winners have developed innovative solutions to challenges, invented and implemented new technologies with worldwide applications, and contributed to Hawai‘i’s long-term economic well-being.
• Missing moon rocks turn up: On Friday, Lenny Klompus, senior adviser to the governor, said Hawai’i’s moon rocks were never actually missing, but had merely been moved to a secure location. During an annual gift inventory on Thursday they were discovered in a locked cabinet.
• Commerce Department’s NTIA Awards Grants for Broadband Mapping and Planning in 10 States: NTIA has awarded Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs approximately $1.4 million for broadband data collection and mapping activities over a two-year period and $500,000 for broadband planning activities over a five-year period in Hawaii

Check out all my bookmarks on Delicious.

Just in from ABC, a few more details on the advance screening of the “LOST” final season premiere on Waikiki Beach on Jan. 30. As in 2006, they will indeed be showing only the first hour of the two-hour episode, and adding on the pilot of another show. But the time of the event, including the red carpet arrivals that precedes it, are set. No word yet on which cast members will be present.

Here’s the text of the one-page advisory (minus press-specific notes):

PLEASE JOIN US FOR A SPECIAL SCREENING OF “LOST” : THE FINAL SEASON

What:

“SUNSET ON THE BEACH”
Waikiki, Oahu

Thousands of fans will congregate on the sandy beach of Waikiki in Oahu to be the first to see the initial hour of the season premiere episode of “LOST”: The Final Season, before it airs nationally on the ABC Television Network. We will also be screening an episode of the hit comedy, “MODERN FAMILY,” immediately following “LOST.”

There will be red carpet arrivals before the screening, in which you will be able to interview the cast and producers of “LOST.”

“LOST” premieres on Tuesday, February 2 (9:00-11:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.

“MODERN FAMILY” airs Wednesdays (9:00-9:30 p.m., ET),
on the ABC Television Network.

When:

SATURDAY, JANUARY 30

PRESS & CREW SETUP AT 4:00 P.M.

RED CARPET ARRIVALS BEGIN AT 5:00 P.M.

“SUNSET ON THE BEACH” SCREENING AT 6:30 P.M.

Where:

SUNSET ON THE BEACH:

Waikiki Beach on Oahu between Kapahulu and Monsarrat Avenues on Kalakaua across from the Honolulu Zoo.

Who:

THE CAST AND PRODUCERS OF “LOST”

The archives of three newspapers documenting Hawaii’s 19th century history have been posted online by the Library of Congress, digitized and converted into searchable text via OCR through the participation of the UH Mānoa Library.

The archives are available via the “Chronicling America” website, and come from:

• The Daily Herald (Honolulu, 1886-1887)
• The Hawaiian Gazette (Honolulu, 1865-1916; online: 1877-1913)
• The Independent (Honolulu, 1895-1905)

According to UH, The Daily Herald and The Hawaiian Gazette issues uploaded to date represent a conservative, pro-American editorial viewpoint, and The Independent represents a strongly nationalistic Hawaiian viewpoint. The library is continuing to digitize additional publications, and will be adding to the online archive each quarter.

As of December of 2009, “Chronicling America” offers free searchable online access to 1.7 million pages from 212 newspaper titles published between 1880 and 1922.

SPOILER ALERT: While additional shooting takes place this morning at the Ilikai Marina, continuing the big stunt scene from yesterday, local blogger GeeWhy of Pulpconnection broke the news of a concurrent “LOST” location shoot on Twitter and with a blog post. The scene, fortunately, is considerably more low key than yesterday’s. In fact, it’s downright ceremonial. [Read more →]

SPOILER ALERT: It was a big day for the “LOST” crew, setting up at the marina behind the Ilikai Hotel. Early on the agenda was an ambitious stunt, but it took a second try to make a splash. [Read more →]