Hawaii Blog

A new Internet startup poised to transform local news, in Hawaii and beyond, is now on the hunt for an editor to lead the team. Renowned entrepreneur Pierre Omidyar, founder of eBay and philanthropist, announced the search today.
Instead of sending out a press release, he posted a link on Twitter to his blog post:
We are [...]

[Read more →]

On Friday, the monthly HISciTech Tech Download networking breakfast organized by the Hawaii Science & Technology Council will feature an update on the Hawaii Broadband Taskforce. Although the HBTF was technically shut down at the end of June, there’s still no shortage of new information to process. This Friday’s event, then, is just the first [...]

[Read more →]

Mokulele Airlines, flush with fresh cash and a new hangar,  is giving away two travel passes good for unlimited flights through September. All you have to do is “Spot Scott,” Mokulele CEO Scott Durgin, in downtown Honolulu tomorrow and Thursday.
The airline will post Durgin’s location to Twitter with the hashtag #spotscott. The first person to [...]

[Read more →]

When the people who cover the news become the news, it’s often difficult to separate the story from the storytellers. On Tuesday, Alabama-based Raycom Media announced that television news operations at KGMB, KHNL and KFVE will be consolidated under a “shared services agreement.” After simultaneous 9 a.m. meetings at all three stations, the joint press [...]

[Read more →]

Summer, it seems, is the season of statistics. I’ve noticed a number of rankings in the news lately in which Hawaii has distinguished itself… for better or worse:

Hawaii tops the country in well-being, according to a Gallup survey. The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index gives Hawaii a score of 69.4 (out of 100), edging ahead of Utah, [...]

[Read more →]

Despite the gloomy economy, the frozen yogurt craze continues to spread across Hawaii. We’ve now got several Mainland chains (Yogurtland, Menchie’s, Orange Tree, Red Mango), plus a handful of independent stores. While I’m certain Honolulu can’t sustain dozens of “fro-yo” places, we’re more than happy to indulge in their tasty treats while they last.
Jen and [...]

[Read more →]

Today was the last day Gov. Linda Lingle could veto bills from the 2009 legislative session. And while she didn’t sign SB199, she didn’t veto it, either. So, despite the extensive lobbying efforts by the local technology and business community, and despite the fact that she listed it as a potential veto [PDF] weeks ago, [...]

[Read more →]

A quick update to my last post on Amazon.com dropping Hawaii affiliates. As the online giant (and many local affiliate marketers) hoped, Gov. Linda Lingle today vetoed HB1405.  Now the ball is in the Legislature’s court, as lawmakers mull convening a special session to override the governor’s vetoes. The full text of Gov. Lingle’s press [...]

[Read more →]

A largely overlooked piece of legislation sitting on Gov. Linda Lingle’s desk has been dubbed “the bill that will devastate Hawaii’s online media industry” by a local online marketer. Dean Takamine of Synertech Media is now hoping that local internet businesses and technology companies will come together and convince the governor to veto HB1405.
HB1405 basically [...]

[Read more →]

Tourism in Hawaii, like tourism worldwide, is down. The mainstream media is fading. Meanwhile, social networking and social media are on the rise, and people are looking for fresh voices and hungry for different experiences. As I reported last week, the Hawaii Tourism Authority launched the “So Much More Hawaii” blogger tour, an experiment [...]

[Read more →]