Blogging the Aloha State and Beyond
UH journalism professor Gerald Kato recently dug up this old video that SHOPO, the Honolulu police officers’ union, made in 1995 during the fight over the Uniform Information Practices Act (UIPA), or HRS 92F, which defined public records and codified the public’s right to access them in Hawaii. They argued...
One of my favorite New Year’s traditions is mochitsuki, or mochi making, which is a Japanese tradition that’s common in Hawaii. Last Saturday, the Jodo Mission of Hawaii in Makiki (where I serve on the Board of Directors) held its annual mochitsuki, or mochi making event, which puts out hundreds...
Last weekend’s bon dance at the Jodo Mission of Hawaii in Makiki, where I serve on the board, afforded an excellent opportunity to create a time-lapse video of the event. I used only my iPhone, the free version of the “iMotion HD” app [iTunes], and iMovie. And I was helped...
When my friend and fellow geek Burt Lum suggested we start a local chapter of Hacks/Hackers, I was initially skeptical. Frankly, both of us have an unhealthy tendency to jump into the latest cool tool or group, and we’d just had a Sunlight Foundation meetup. But when I finally looked...
Globetrotting dancer Matt Harding has, at long last, posted his latest “Where the Hell is Matt?” video. And among the many clips making up the montage, we see him attempting a fire dance in Kihei on Maui. The two-second scene appears along with other dances in places ranging from Texas to...
This past weekend’s opening college football game between the UH Manoa Warriors and the Colorado University Buffaloes was broadcast live on ESPN. And during one of the commercial breaks, both universities got some airtime to show off their stuff. For UH, the theme of the day was “Lifestyle.”
Square is a startup that hopes to do nothing less than transform the way people pay for goods and services. The company was started by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey (who recently returned to Twitter while continuing to lead Square), someone obviously no stranger to disruptive technologies. A tiny, cheap card...
The first ever (and hopefully annual) Eisa Drum Festival took place on Saturday on the Great Lawn of Kapiolani Community College. It was a great event, and lead organizer Shari Tamashiro — along with advisors Norman Kaneshiro and Derek Ichiro Shiroma, and countless other volunteers and performers — deserves a standing...
A video is making the rounds on YouTube, Facebook, message boards and blogs, said to depict five unidentified flying objects, or UFOs, hovering over the Makua military reservation on the island of Oahu. It spread like wildfire through online communities focused on everything from aliens to government conspiracies, then started...
It’s not the world’s largest manapua, but it sure looks like it could be. A group of local media makers documented the construction of a massive, 13,300-calorie manapua in a video titled,“Epic Kaukau Time: Manpua Man Manapua.” (Rated PG-13, per Cynthia Hoskins, so click with care.) The “Epic Kaukau Time”...
“Where the Hell is Matt?” It’s a question for the ages. Or at least those of an age to remember the earliest days of web video. Who The Hell is Matt? Six years ago, former video game designer Matt Harding decided to travel the world. A video clip of him...
The Online News Association was founded in 1999, and I signed up pretty early in its history, full of ideas for Islenews.com (which became HawaiiNews.com which is now HawaiiStar.com). My dream of building a robust grassroots local news site is still just a dream, but fortunately, the ONA has soldiered...
I returned to Honolulu from Seoul today, twelve hours before I left. Spending three days in South Korea was an incredible experience, and I can’t wait to return. Thanks again to Hawaiian Airlines for the opportunity to document their new nonstop service between Honolulu and Incheon international airports. Our trip...
Ryan Higa, a Waiakea High School graduate now attending film school at UNLV, is the first person to hit 3 million subscribers on YouTube. Higa’s “Nigahiga” channel crossed the threshold yesterday well ahead of fellow YouTube stars Ray William Johnson and Shane Dawson. Notably, channels for individuals largely outpaced companies,...
When it comes to covering the weather, local television news outlets aren’t shy about emphasizing the appearance of their reporters over their meteorological data. This may be even more true in Hawaii, where the weather doesn’t change much. The “Real Weather Girls” app for iPhone and iPad takes this concept...
“Alegría” is one of the longest-running, signature productions by Cirque du Soleil, and tonight the traveling show kicks off a two-week run at the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to stop by yesterday to see some of the final rehearsals and preparations for the...
The “Breath of Life” blew out a big candle last night. One year ago, the Polynesian Cultural Center unveiled its new evening show, “Hā: Breath of Life.” The ambitious, 90-minute production took three years and $3 million to prepare. And by all accounts, it was worth it. The show staged...
The short independent film “Hawaiian Ghost Story” is one big step closer to becoming a reality. As I blogged last week, the project was in the running for $50,000 cash and a $200,000 finishing contract in Openfilm’s first “Get It Made” competition. And today comes official word that it garnered...
In anticipation of the Sept. 20 series premiere of CBS’ reboot of “Hawaii Five-0,” the network has announced a video upload contest on its site. Fans are encouraged to upload their “best interpretation” of the show’s iconic theme song (or, at least, up to 30 seconds of it), and the...
“Hawaiian Ghost Story” is a feature film that doesn’t yet exist. But there is a story to be told, and people willing to tell it. As with most creative projects, all they need is some funding to get it started. And with your vote, they could get it. Above is...
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