Hawaii Blog

“Flashforward” is a new show on ABC, a sci-fi drama that the network is pushing very hard on fans of “LOST.” My wife and I have been watching it, and finally enjoying it after a very wobbly start. Last night, the tenth episode of “Flashforward” aired, and while it was among the best episodes so far, it’ll also be the last new episode until March 2010.

As it turns out, the episode featured a Hawaii connection.

After I posted a quick comment on “Flashforward” to Twitter, I heard from Honolulu attorney Mark Murakami and Kailua resident Malia, who both pointed out that one of the actors in a pivotal twist near the end of the episode was 1990 Kalaheo High School graduate Karl Herlinger.

He portrayed one of the “bad guys” masquerading as an ambulance EMT that kidnapped Dylan, son of scientist Lloyd Simcoe. According to Malia, he will appear in at least two more episodes next year.

As it turns out, Herlinger has had a busy year. Also in 2009, he’s appeared in both “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” and “Without a Trace” on CBS, the USA series “Monk,” and the edgy sci-fi series “Dollhouse” on FOX.

According to the March 1995 newsletter of the Kalaheo High School Foundation, Herlinger graduated from UCLA with a degree in theater and moved to New York to pursue an acting career. He was “well-remembered for his performance as Tevye in ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ at Castle Theater.” An April 1997 blurb notes that he also has a sister, Lisa Herlinger Thompson, who graduated from Kalaheo in 1986 and was also working as a performer and dancer in New York.

A more complete and current biography was published in the foundation’s April 2008 newsletter:

Karl Herlinger ‘90 is an actor, singer, ventriloquist, dancer (modern, tap, jazz, hip-hop), pianist, guitarist, body-surfer, mime, and Bunraku puppeteer. Prior to his current project to develop a ventriloquism show, Karl performed in Slava’s Snowshow (Russian clowning) and, since 1997, in productions of the international dance/theater company Thingsezleem. A graduate of the UCLA Theater Department, Karl received further training in NYC at Circle-in-the-Square, Gene Frankel Theater, and Robert Castle (Strasberg Institute). His New York theater performances include roles in The Idiot, The Greeks, All God’s Chillun Got Wings, Slava’s Snowshow, Mistral, and others. Internationally, he has performed in St. Petersburg, Moscow, Dublin, Warsaw, and other cities. Karl’s film credits include the lead in Pretend, The Metamorphosis of Narcissus, Apocalypse Bop and other film/TV/video projects, including a co-star role on NBC’s Law and Order. Karl and his wife live in L.A. with their 10-month old daughter.

Check out his official website at KarlHerlinger.com.

In October 2005, the members of the HawaiiThreads.com message board were asked about their “Christmas Wishlist.” Though the first answers ranged from “world peace” to kitchen appliances, local activist and big-hearted gadfly Lynn Vasquez-Dela Cerna had a simple answer. “I do have something to wish for,” she wrote. “I wish for all the children of [Mayor Wright Housing] to have a pair of rubber slippers so they won’t have to go bare footed.”

Mayor Wright Housing is a public housing project in Kalihi, known to most Honolulu residents as crime-ridden monument to broken dreams. Lynn, also known as “Aunty Lynn Pupule” (“pupule” meaning crazy or wild), was a long-time resident of MWH, a newly minted blogger, and a force of nature online. And her spontaneous wish, posted to a message board four years ago, has since grown into Auntie Lynn’s Christmas Wish Slippah Project.

That first year, backed by several individual and business donors, Lynn distributed 500 pairs of slippers to MWH youth. By 2007 — with local web guru Blaine Fergerstrom helping with logistics and online fundraising — food, toys, and other supplies were delivered along with over 1,000 pairs of slippers, and the project expanded to include homeless kids on the Leeward Coast. And last year, the Slippah Project grew by leaps and bounds, and reached over a dozen communities across Oahu as well as to Kauai, Maui, and the Big Island.

This year will mark the Slippah Project’s fifth year. Fundraising has begun again. But yesterday, this grassroots movement passed a long-sought milestone.

“With the help of another legendary local woman, Kehaulani Watson, we officially became The Slippah Foundation, a genuine, Hawai’i 501c3 nonprofit corporation,” Blaine wrote. “The board consists of Lynn, Kehau and me. You can now make your checks to The Slippah Foundation.”

To help The Slippah Foundation continue to spread joy to families in need, you can donate online at Slippah.org, the preferred and most convenient fundraising option. However, if you want to make sure every cent reaches the children, you can mail a check to:

The Slippah Foundation
1689 Piikea St.
Honolulu, HI 96818

What’s next? The distribution caravan to the Leeward Coast will take place on Saturday, Dec. 19. The “Slippah Christmas Celebration” at MWH will be held on Monday, Dec. 21. The event will be sponsored by KauKau Wagon, with volunteers from the MWH Tenant Association and Hawaii Literacy.

It’s been a joy to watch The Slippah Project grow from a message board post into a bonafide charity campaign. And kudos to Lynn and Blaine (and a multitude of donors and volunteers) for keeping the flame burning all these years. Who would have thought that the simplest of island footwear would come to represent happiness and hope to hundreds of Hawaii families?

A month from today, using a cell phone (or other handheld device) while driving will be illegal on the Big Island, as a ban passed in June takes effect Jan. 1, 2010. This in the wake of a similar ban in Honolulu. The Oahu ban cleared store shelves of hands-free bluetooth headsets this summer, and my coworkers and I had to turn to Amazon.com when we missed our chance at Costco. With the Christmas shopping season upon us, a similar crunch likely faces Hawaii County retailers.

Twitter Giveaway

The folks at leading headset manufacturer Plantronics are now hoping to catch the attention of Hawaii shoppers. They’re launching a “Use Your Head, Not Your Hands” Twitter promotion today in which they’re giving away three headsets a week in December, plus a grand prize of two headsets and a $1,000 gas card. Entering is simple:

1. Follow @plantronics on Twitter.
2. Send a tweet including @plantronics, #behandsfree and a link to www.plantronics.com/handsfree during the Sweepstakes Period (December 1-29, 2009).

Plantronics explains: “We’re giving away three premium headsets, the Discovery 975 or the Voyager PRO, every Tuesday from 12/1/09 to 12/22/09. A Grand Prize including both headsets and a $1,000 gas card will be given on December 29.”

Plantronics Headsets in Review

I was already a happy Plantronics customer. The company’s headsets were part of a special gadget show that we recorded for our KIPO radio show, Bytemarks Cafe, in July. (The original audio file is gone, but Todd posted a copy of our conversation on his site.) My cohost Burt Lum and I had local geeks Todd Ogasawara and Paul Lawler in the studio to discuss our favorite gadgets. Paul had nothing but praise for the Plantronics Voyager Pro (included in the giveaway), and I talked about my Plantronics Voyager 855.

Last week, the company provided me one each of the two headsets included in this Twitter promotion for review. I’ve even posted a full gallery of photos of the Discovery 975 and Voyager Pro headsets on Flickr. Since I’ve already got a desk drawer full of bluetooth gadgets, though, I’ll be giving them away now that I’ve put them through their paces. More on that below, but first, my take on these Plantronics headsets. [Read more →]

When I’m not blogging, I’m browsing. Here are sites and pages that I bookmarked on November 29th:

• Wide heads give hammerheads exceptional stereo view: Comparing the hammerheads with pointy nosed species, the team found that the scalloped hammerheads had the largest monocular visual field, at an amazing 182 degree, and the bonnethead had a 176 degree visual field.
• Bishop Museum Tries To Revive Past King’s Voice: King David Kalakaua was on his deathbed in San Francisco when the historic recording was made by a representative of the Thomas Edison Company.
• Hoku Announces Amendment to Contract With Jinko: Both companies have agreed to reduce the term of the sales agreement by one year, and to delay the first shipment date from December 2009 to December 2010. This will result in a ten percent reduction of the total volume of polysilicon to be sold by Hoku to Jinko.
• NASA selection small business high-techprojects for development: NASA has selected for development 368 small business innovation projects that include research to minimize aging of aircraft, new techniques for suppressing fires on spacecraft and advanced transmitters for deep space communications.
• University of Hawaii announces Hawaii IPv6 Task Force: UH began to implement IPv6 on network connections in 2001 to participate in international telemedicine demonstrations with Japan. The university has currently implemented IPv6, in parallel with IPv4, on its statewide network and over its national and international connections.
• Oceans absorbing carbon dioxide more slowly, scientist finds: The world’s oceans are absorbing less carbon dioxide (CO2), a Yale geophysicist has found after pooling data taken over the past 50 years. With the oceans currently absorbing over 40 percent of the CO2 emitted by human activity, this could quicken the pace of climate change.
• National Science Foundation grant to fund new telescope instrumentation: The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo has received a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to fund major research instrumentation for the University’s Hoku Kea Telescope atop Mauna Kea. Funded through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009, the award totals $141,664 over a 3-year period.
• Windward traffic cams: These will be the first traffic cams in Windward Oahu tied into the city’s Traffic Management Center. Currently, the city has 131 cameras in use at major intersections between West Oahu and Hawaii Kai.
• Hawaii and Alaska students study life of humpbacks: A U.S. Department of Agriculture grant allows students in Hawaii and Alaska to experience both. “Our grant is unique in that we’re meshing the two together. So we’re actually sharing resources and sharing our students across the two states.”

Check out all my bookmarks on Delicious.

It was one year ago that local designer Valentino Valdez unveiled his customized Twitter T-shirts. They’ve now become an icon of local Tweetups and tech events, and have been snapped up by Twitter addicts the world over. This morning, “Black Friday,” Valentino has unveiled the VALDEZign Store. And to celebrate the occasion, he’s offering $5 off his popular Twitter shirts (regularly priced at $30 to $35) today only.

In addition to the Twitter shirts, Valentino has introduced new designs. The “I Love Hawaii Libraries” shirt (in light and dark colors) can be customized to proclaim your love for a specific library branch. Proceeds benefit Friends of the Library Hawaii. On the more whimsical side, there’s “Frog the Bounty Hunter” and “Adobo“ — a playful parody of the Adobe logo that’ll tickle any local geek.

Check out the VALDEZign Store, and follow Valentino on Twitter and on Facebook.

Of all the seasons of “LOST” we’ve had so far, the fifth is perhaps the most deserving of careful scrutiny and repeated viewings. So Tuesday, Dec. 8 is a date many fans have circled on their calendars. That’s the U.S. release date of the Season 5 DVDs (lucky fans in the U.K. have had the DVDs since Oct. 26). In the lead up to the DVD release, ABC will be posting “sneak peeks” online, including deleted scenes, cast and crew interviews and a glimpse inside LOST University. [Read more →]

When I’m not blogging, I’m browsing. Here are sites and pages that I bookmarked on November 22nd:

• Ahi quota hits as demand jumps: Just when the demand for sashimi escalates in the holiday season, the supply is likely to shrink, thanks to a new international fishing quota that will kick in next month.
• Benefits of Eating Fish May Depend on Preparation: You’ll get more heart-healthy benefits from omega-3 fatty acids if you eat baked or boiled fish instead of fried, dried or salted fish, according to a new study.
• UK to pull out of Gemini Observatory: The UK is “almost certain” not to continue participating in the Gemini Observatory after 2012 according to a statement by the Gemini board of directors.
• Lava Cave Minerals Actually Microbe Poop: Colorful cave deposits long thought to be ordinary minerals are actually mats of waste excreted by previously unknown types of microbes, scientists say.
• Living the Biotech Funding Nightmare: Martin Sabarsky is living this harsh life. The chief operating officer of the 5-year-old HR BioPetroleum — an algae biofuel start-up with operations in both Hawaii and San Diego — is the epitome of today’s early-stage biotech executive.
• Ponzi scheme entangled Waipahu firm: Executives of a Pennsylvania company that solicited investors for a Waipahu-based renewable energy firm were charged this week for allegedly running a $30 million Ponzi scheme that targeted elderly investors.

Check out all my bookmarks on Delicious.

SPOILER ALERT: “LOST” is filming today near Hawaii Pacific University in downtown Honolulu today. Thanks to an email alert widely circulated among HPU staff and students, and a post from an HPU account on Twitter, fans had ample notice to head over to check out the filming. [Read more →]

SPOILER ALERT: This morning, local blogger Vernon Brown was attending a shipmate’s re-enlistment ceremony at Pearl Harbor when he spotted the “LOST” crew setting up for a shoot. He posted the news to Twitter, along with a few pictures. Meanwhile, long-time lostspotter Eric, who works at Pearl Harbor, sent in word of the shoot a few minutes later. Suffice it to say, more than a few fans were able to stop by today.

[Read more →]

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 creating a Honolulu-based local news service that will produce original, in-depth reporting and analysis of local issues in Hawaii… Although we haven’t fully defined our coverage areas yet, we know the focus will be public affairs and civic matters that impact communities across Hawaii. We’re still very early in the process of building this new organization. In fact, we don’t even have a name for it yet. However, we’re ready to hire an Editor — someone who shares our passion for the mission and can lead the team.

Although Hawaii will be the starting point for Peer News Inc., the larger vision for Omidyar’s new company is clear. The news industry is in upheaval, and the media landscape is being radically transformed. While the value of journalism is clear, the business model is collapsing, and meanwhile, everyday people are becoming part of the global news nervous system.

I’ve long been a believer in the potential of “citizen journalism” (or “participatory journalism” or “crowdsourced news” or whichever term you prefer). I nabbed HawaiiNews.com years ago with the dream of turning it into an independent, community-driven news hub. But, like many, I haven’t cracked the code of building online news into a sustainable business. In his announcement today, Omidyar seems confident that it can be done.

“We believe that a strong democracy requires an engaged society supported by effective news reporting and analysis,” he wrote. “And, we believe that this can be done in a profitable, sustainable way.”

The potential of Peer News, given Omidyar’s expertise and resources, is not lost on the tech industry at large. Prominent technology writer Dan Gillmor writes:

One message is for the local newspapers: Watch out… Maybe Pierre and his team have cracked part of the code for sustainable digital journalism. Maybe not. But the fact that they’re going to try, with some serious resources behind the effort, is great news.

One of Omidyar’s advisors is Howard Weaver, former vice president of news at McClatchy. Weaver now blogs regularly on the changing news media landscape, and today he shared his thoughts on the Peer News vision:

I’m interested for a lot of reasons, but I’d sum it up this way: the new venture intends to demonstrate that a digitally native, technologically fluent web organization can profitably serve targeted readers who want sophisticated journalism focused on local civic affairs… I applaud any effort to create the journalism democracy needs — profit, non-profit, hybrid or otherwise — but my heart and my guts both tell me that journalism that meets real needs can pay its own way — and should.

I actually got to meet with Peer News co-founder Randy Ching last summer, when the first seeds of this project were being planted, and even then I thought they were onto something. Today, Omidyar says he hopes to launch in early 2010, which is right around the corner. But with a strong vision and an agile, passionate team, I have no doubt great things will happen. Ultimately, this grand experiment can only be a good thing for Hawaii, and hopefully for journalism in general.

Interested in applying for the job of editor? Fill out a form (and submit your resume as a PDF) here.