Blogging the Aloha State and Beyond
My latest “Civil Geeks” column for Civil Beat is an island-hopping survey of the Hawaii maker movement. I check in with The Makery in Hilo, Kauai Makerspace, Maui Makers, and Oahu Makerspace, as well as Honolulu Mini Maker Faire organizer Jon Shear. I loved interviewing some of the state’s most...
New alternative keyboards for iOS were the subject of this week’s “Geek Beat” segment for the Sunrise morning news show on Hawaii News Now. Smartphone keyboards are a pretty esoteric topic, nor particularly easy to install, but because of their system-level, cross-application nature, they offer a significant array of new...
My latest “Civil Geeks” column for Civil Beat provides an update on the XLR8UH accelerator program, a partnership between the University of Hawaii and local early-stage startup investment firm Sultan Ventures. Now 18 months in, and on the verge of announcing the members of its fourth cohort for Summer 2016, XLR8UH Managing...
On this week’s “Geek Beat” (part of the “Sunrise” morning news show on Hawaii News Now), Burt Lum and I told Dan Cooke about apps that let you host your own show online. We featured three different ways to share your conversations online: in text, video, and audio. First up...
It was a good week for car geeks, as Tesla unveiled its next and most affordable electric vehicle yet, the Tesla Model 3. It also racked up a ton of pre-orders, mostly from people who hadn’t even seen the car. We also check in on the most established electric vehicle...
Apple’s latest announcements, made at a low-key “Town Hall” hosted at its Cupertino campus, were the focus of this morning’s “Geek Beat” segment on Hawaii News Now’s “Sunrise” morning show. Burt and I talked with Dan Cooke about: The new-ish iPhone SE: Essentially the latest and greatest specs (from the...
On Saturday, the 9th annual Unconferenz will be held at the Neil Blaisdell Center. While the grassroots vibe and dynamic, open program of the very first one in 2008 still makes up the event’s core, there are a lot of bold new ideas taking shape this year. Yes, the Unconferenz still resists the...
The 16th Annual Hawaii Venture Capital Association Deal of the Year Awards were presented last night at the Waialae Country Club. I was there to support my friend and Smart Yields cofounder Vincent Kimura, who was nominated for — and won! — the award for Cleantech/Agtech Entrepreneur of the Year. While the...
With human space exploration ambitions now focused on Mars, scientists are tackling the myriad challenges that will face astronauts making the 200 million mile (or so) journey. Tomorrow, a doctor will explore how medical care and health emergencies might be handled for travelers to the Red Planet. Dr. Peter Sim...
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, a local tech company has launched a new dating and networking app that’s designed to connect people based on where and when they’re available to meet. Moment Romance launched last week on both the iOS and Android app store. While most dating apps have fallen back on...
Looking back at 365 days of blog posts, documenting everything from the local tech industry to my family’s occasional shenanigans, I’m certain there’s a poignant lesson and great epiphany to be had. Right now, though, as the illegal fireworks startle our cats in relatively peaceful Mililani on New Year’s Eve, the only thought...
‘Tis the season for year-end recaps (see today’s Bytemarks Cafe), top-ten lists (more on this tomorrow), and yes, New Year’s resolutions. For this morning’s Geek Beat segment on Hawaii News Now‘s Sunrise morning show, we covered three apps to help you keep those resolutions. Of course, our last Geek Beat segment...
The Big Island coffee farm founded by a former California winemaker and family man has launched its online store to ship its unique Kona coffee varieties to coffee lovers worldwide. Carta Coffee Merchants was in the midst of a Kickstarter campaign when I wrote about the farm back in October, and even then...
With many Hawaii born and raised professionals back home in the islands for the holidays, the High Technology Development Corporation (HTDC) is continuing its year-end tradition of trying to lure them back to the aloha state. Tomorrow evening brings the 16th annual Holiday Tech Job Fair, a free event for hopeful...
As we near the end of the year, one of the cherished traditions in Hawaii is “mochitsuki,” or the making of mochi. Japanese rice cakes are enjoyed year round, of course, but mochi is the signature food of New Year’s celebrations, and there are several different preparations and presentations. My wife and I...
The team behind KeyReply, a keyboard for iOS that allows teams to easily customize and send pre-written messages, isn’t satisfied with building and launching a single product. Earlier this month, they released KeyReply for OSX, expanding the reach of their time-saving mobile utility to serve Macintosh users. But later that same week, they released...
“Puʻuhonua o Waiʻanae” is the adopted name of the Waianae Harbor Village, a community of over 200 men, women, families and children living under cover of trees and brush near the Waianae Boat Harbor. Unlike homeless encampments in urban Honolulu that are displaced every few weeks, the Waiʻanae village has co-existed mostly peacefully...
I’m a proud alumnus of Mililani High School, and this year, I’m also a proud parent of a Mililani High School senior. My daughter Katie is developing a passion for the performing arts, and joined both the MHS theater and chorus programs. Of course that means year-end performances before family and...
The ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center in Hilo is one of my favorite places to visit when I’m visiting my favorite town on Earth. Aimed at kids and students as much as tourists, it beautifully illustrates the connection between traditional Hawaiian practices and cutting edge science. But with the Big Island spread...
A 5K run with a water slide for a finish line is set for the day after Christmas, dedicated to bringing safe water and sanitation to developing countries. Hawaii is blessed with some of the best drinking water in the country, if not the world. Rainwater filtered through volcanic rock...
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