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Urban Geek Pau Hana We’re three Code for America fellows –...

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:31:24 -1000

Urban Geek Pau Hana

We’re three Code for America fellows – Sheba, Mick, and Diana – and we’re partnering with the City of Honolulu to take on challenging problems using technology, as well as to increase civic engagement on the island. The 3 of us are very interested in how cities and citizens can work better together, as well as in code, design, and user experience. We’ll be working with Honolulu to create applications and other solutions to help solve issues for citizens.

We’re here in Honolulu for 5 weeks, and we’d love to meet with and talk to as many people as we can – so we can better understand both the needs of the residents, as well as what’s already being worked on. After our 5 week stay we’ll be returning to San Francisco, where Code for America is based, to spend the rest of the year working on implementing the ideas that come from our experiences in Honolulu.

We’d love to see you at a casual pau hana. Come mingle with Code for America and many other new friends, and enjoy discounted drink prices this Thursday at Manifest!

Thursday, Feb 9
5-8pm

The Manifest
32 North Hotel Street
Honolulu, HI 96817

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Sun, 29 Jan 2012 11:39:02 -1000

On Feb. 25, the fifth annual Unconferenz will be held at...

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:24:56 -1000

On Feb. 25, the fifth annual Unconferenz will be held at Kapiolani Community College. This longstanding grassroots technology event has been the brainstorming launchpad for a number of interesting and promising initiatives in Honolulu. Mark your calendars, and please join us!

Photo

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 13:05:58 -1000

stevenespaniola: Travelocity Ad = FAIL “Hula is the language of...

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 20:48:49 -1000

stevenespaniola:

Travelocity Ad = FAIL

“Hula is the language of the heart, therefore the heartbeat of the Hawaiian people.” - King David Kalākaua

Over the years there have been many commercial ads that laugh at, poke fun of or mention my Hawaiian culture in a lighthearted manner. Normally, I shrug them off as ignorance and move on, however I recently stumbled upon a poster ad (above) by Travelocity while traveling on BART (San Francisco’s mass transit system) that stopped me in my tracks, jaw dropped. […]
We need to put an immediate stop to these types of ads the moment we notice them so that we can educate the masses about the importance of hula and our culture. If you are reading this and share my thoughts, please take a moment to send Travelocity your feedback by clicking on the link below:
Travelocity Feedback: http://bit.ly/v8QNQP

BART Complaint Line: 510-464-7134

Mahalo for listening!

Steven Espaniola

My video response to “Update! Location and current...

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 10:59:07 -1000

My video response to “Update! Location and current weather! Go!”

Via Makana: This video was taken on Nov. 12, 2011 in Honolulu...

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 11:30:23 -1000

Via Makana:

This video was taken on Nov. 12, 2011 in Honolulu on the grounds of the Hale Koa Hotel. My guitar tech shot it with a camera phone during my performance for the World Leaders Dinner at APEC, which was hosted by the First Family.

He had to be extremely discreet as Secret Service had warned those on site that any phones used to capture photography or video would be confiscated. Since he has a guitar tuner app on the phone we were able to justify having it out, but grabbing video was not easy. We were under constant surveillance. Personally I like to have video of every performance. It’s my art and my right.

About an hour into my set of generally ambient guitar music and Hawaiian tunes, I felt inspired to share some songs that resonated with the significance of the occasion.

I sang a few verses from “Kaulana Na Pua” (a famous Hawaiian protest song in honor of the anniversary of our Queen’s passing), then segued into Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower”, Sting’s “Fragile”, and finally my newest song “We Are The Many”.

My goal was not to disturb the guests in an offensive fashion but rather to subliminally fill their ears and the entire dinner atmosphere with a message that might be more effectively received in a subconscious manner. I sweetly sang lines like “You enforce your monopolies with guns/ While sacrificing our daughters and sons/ But certain things belong to everyone/ Your thievery has left the people none”. The event protocol was such that everyone there kept their expressions quite muffled. Now and then I would get strange, befuddled stares from heads of state. It was a very quiet room with no waiters; only myself, the sound techs, and the leaders of almost half the world’s population.

If I had chosen to disrupt the dinner and force my message I would have been stopped short. I instead chose to deliver an extremely potent message in a polite manner for a prolonged interval.

I dedicate this action to those who would speak truth to power but were not allowed the opportunity.

Contained on this brand new full length album of rarities are...

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 10:07:00 -1000

Contained on this brand new full length album of rarities are many previously unheard tracks along with the live version of “Cloisonn” heard on the official video of the song, a fantastic remix of “You Probably Get That A Lot” from the Elegant Too, plus the band’s now legendary appearance on The Onion AV Club’s Undercover series performing “Tubthumping” with the AV Club Choir. Rollicking new music from TMBGs Other Thing Brass Band sessions fill out the set.

popspotting: Harold Perrineau has released a new single with...

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 12:36:00 -1000

popspotting:

Harold Perrineau has released a new single with Tom Tom titled “Movin’ On”! If you only know Harold as “the ‘WAAAAAALT!’ guy, you’ll be happy to hear he’s massively talented at making other sounds. Check out the music video, and download the single on iTunes!

Thank you for thinking different. Rest in peace, Steve Jobs.

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 14:14:17 -1000

Thank you for thinking different. Rest in peace, Steve Jobs.

Real-Life Angry Birds! How awesome is this? Sure, there are...

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 20:09:40 -1000

Real-Life Angry Birds! How awesome is this? Sure, there are other takes, from backyard hacks to giant renditions in a Chinese theme park, but this full-size, human scale “Angry Birds” setup is the best looking I’ve ever seen, and was immediately playable by anyone. This was built by the folks at HONBLUE and JetGraphics and set up at the Pacific Building Trade Expo at the Hawaii Convention Center. Very cool.

As Google continues to struggle with the ‘real name’...

Sun, 21 Aug 2011 17:26:31 -1000

As Google continues to struggle with the ‘real name’ debate on its new Google+ social network, Googler Wen-Ai Yu announcedthat they’re now adding “verification badges” to selected accounts. Her post is a transcript of her YouTube video explaining the new feature. My “verified name” profile on Google+ can be found here.

popspotting: Have a cluckety-cluck day! Awesome. Today only,...

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 05:42:30 -1000

popspotting:

Have a cluckety-cluck day!

Awesome. Today only, $10.

alohakatie: Joey Richter at Comic-Con!

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 14:19:18 -1000

alohakatie:

Joey Richter at Comic-Con!

One way to fix a broken heart… “Do a Doobie”...

Sat, 16 Jul 2011 12:25:00 -1000

One way to fix a broken heart… “Do a Doobie” by Matt Makaha, available on iTunes!

popspotting: “Breaking Bad” and LEGO. Awesome. [Orion Pax]

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 21:03:57 -1000

popspotting:

“Breaking Bad” and LEGO. Awesome. [Orion Pax]

Dewey, Cheetham & Howe? A glimpse of what almost was....

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 15:34:00 -1000

Dewey, Cheetham & Howe? A glimpse of what almost was. Earlier this year, the rear window of Jen’s van shattered. Half our friends said it was vandalism or an accident, the other half said it could’ve been extreme heat and excessive interior moisture (it had been flooded during a rainstorm the preceding weekend). I decided Tom and Ray Magliozzi, of NPR’s “Car Talk,” might have the answer. Our submission earned us a callback and we made it to a second round, but ultimately didn’t make the show. Still, it was fun talking with their staff, and seeing their mock law firm, “Dewey, Cheetham & Howe,” on our Caller ID.

popspotting: New ‘Super 8’ Trailer (via MTV)

Sun, 05 Jun 2011 17:44:52 -1000

popspotting:

New ‘Super 8’ Trailer (via MTV)

Flower (Taken with Instagram at Wahiawa Botanical Garden)

Thu, 02 Jun 2011 06:34:43 -1000

Flower (Taken with Instagram at Wahiawa Botanical Garden)

Craigside and Nuuanu (Taken with Instagram at 15 Craigside)

Tue, 24 May 2011 19:26:05 -1000

Craigside and Nuuanu (Taken with Instagram at 15 Craigside)