Blogging the Aloha State and Beyond
Today was my youngest son Alex’s 11th birthday, and thanks to Anne Murata of the Pacific Aviation Museum and Burt Lum and his Bytemarks Meetup Group, we were able to mark the occasion with a memorable visit to historic Ford Island in Pearl Harbor at the 8th annual “Biggest Little...
As Blue Startups continues to recruit applications for its sixth cohort, the accelerator is hosting its first ever “Founders Mixer” on Tuesday to help potential enrollees build out their teams. Founded in 2012, Blue Startups is among Hawaii’s longest running startup accelerator programs, and was named one of the country’s...
With the otoba come and gone, and the formal obon services complete, this weekend brought the annual bon dance at the Jodo Mission of Hawaii. There was a little rain tonight, but as always there was a lot of music, dancing, tasty food, and fun little games for kids. The Friday night...
This weekend brings the fourth annual ‘IKE Scholars Symposium. Like yesterday’s “Project Imua” rocket launch, the symposium is a unified grand finale of sorts for students from several different college campuses. The Saturday morning symposium will feature the work and accomplishments of more than 90 engineering students, many wrapping up summer projects...
A rocket launched from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia this morning was carrying a scientific payload designed and built by a team of community college students from Hawaii. “Project Imua” was the culmination of an ambitious and unique collaboration among four campuses across the state. When I last wrote...
Airplanes from many eras in aviation will be on display and featured in flight at the Pacific Aviation Museum’s 8th annual “Biggest Little Airshow” on historic Ford Island this weekend. From military aircraft to vintage biplanes to fighter jets, pilots will prove they have the right stuff with takeoffs and...
In the abstract, knowing that Honolulu’s rail transit line won’t be completed until 2019 makes the whole thing seem far off in the future. But with construction of the first three miles of elevated guideway now completed, the massive project looms very, very near for a lot of people. I wrote in June...
Duke Kahanamoku, Hawaii’s most celebrated surfer and athlete, is the focus of a new, original exhibit that opened today at Bishop Museum. On Thursday, the museum will host documentary film screening and a panel discussion dedicated to his legacy. Born 125 years ago this month, Kahanamoku was a beach boy...
State and federal emergency management officials yesterday signed an updated Catastrophic Hurricane Plan for Hawaii, as Hurricane Hilda churns slowly toward the islands. Emergency preparedness is a common summer theme in Hawaii, with hurricane season running from June through November every year. Less than two weeks ago, the City & County...
Route 99 Hawaii, based in Wahiawa, sells a popular line of embroidered hats that proudly declare the wearer’s local pride. From “Only in the 808” and “Aloha” to designs featuring the North Shore and Native Hawaiian motifs, the company has grown from a farmers market booth to a lifestyle brand sold in more than two dozen...
Hawaii Public Radio, for which I have served as a volunteer talk show host with Burt Lum for seven years as of this week, is trying something new tomorrow with “$5-a-Month Friday.” Public radio pledge drives have been the medium’s signature fundraising method for nearly 40 years. As public broadcasting budgets relied...
Dispelling any doubt that drones have gone mainstream, Honolulu is now home to a brick-and-mortar retail and service shop dedicated to the flying machines. Drones Plus Hawaii, located across the street from the Hawaii Convention Center (1695 Kapiolani Blvd.), is one of nine Drones Plus stores in the U.S. and...
Perhaps the definitive book on Hawaiian astronomy and Polynesian voyaging, out of print for some time, is getting a comprehensive update 40 years since it was first published. Astronomy will be a recurring theme while the International Astronomical Union (IAU) is in Honolulu for the next two weeks. On Friday I recapped...
This is the true story of six strangers picked to live in a remote, high-elevation geodesic dome, work together, and have their lives monitored to find out what happens when people stop being polite, and start getting real. Well, not really. But the ongoing series of long-duration space simulation experiments conducted on the slopes...
On Tuesday, the monthly Nerd Nite meetup will mix talk of space telescopes, economics, and hiking trails with music and beer. Nerd Night Honolulu is part of a global network of events taking place in more than 90 cities. There are presentations, and they’re not nearly as time-constrained as Pecha Kucha (five minutes) or Ignite...
There is absolutely no doubt that Wally Amos loves making cookies. At age 79, he’s been at it for 40 years, much of it against the odds. And now, the latest incarnation of his cookie business has found a new outlet. “Clearly, I am proving you are never too old to quit, eating...
Back in June I wrote that the astronomers were coming, and their arrival in Hawaii is now imminent. The 29th triennial General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union starts on Monday, with some serious science stuffed into the two-week agenda. But while the astronomers will talk a lot of shop, the convention...
The Hawaii Conservation Conference kicks off on Monday, marking the 23rd year that naturalists, researchers, and cultural practitioners will gather to explore ways to better protect Hawaii’s environment and better manage its natural resources. Local, national, and international experts will spend several days at the University of Hawaii at Hilo (and one off...
On Friday morning, the NOAA research vessel Okeanos Explorer will depart Honolulu for the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument on an unprecedented deep sea expedition. A team of scientists will seek out teeming communities of diverse marine life, and conduct the first survey to map the details of the sea floor in...
Two inspectors with the Federal Aviation Administration’s Honolulu office will be the featured guests at the Hawaii Drone Club’s monthly meeting on Thursday night. The FAA’s Flight Standards District Office recently added two agents to its permanent team whose responsibilities include Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). Edward Santa Elena is the office’s Principal Operations Inspector...
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