Plans are in the works to hold a WordCamp conference right here in the Aloha State. Whether you are a hardcore WordPress hacker, a happy WordPress user, or want to know more about WordPress, this event will be for you.
The explosive growth of WordPress has been nothing short of a revolution for online publishing. It’s become a key tool for individuals, groups, and Fortune 500 companies alike. Your neighbor might use it to blog about her cats, while CNN uses it to power its immensely popular Political Ticker.
There is a massive community of programmers, designers, and marketing professionals invested in improving and maximizing WordPress. A WordCamp brings all these groups together to “learn from each other, figure out the future of publishing on the web, and have a good time.”
Mullenweg, who says WordCamps are his “favorite events,” said he’d love to see it happen and may even return to attend.
Lew is eying October for WordCamp Hawaii, and I’ve already made contact with WordCamp gurus Matt Thomas and Maya Desai to get things rolling online. The most important part, however, will be bringing together the diverse bunch of Hawaii WordPress users so that we can collectively make the most of this fantastic tool.
Are you a WordPress user, or WordPress curious? Make yourself known! Let’s do this thing.
Kodomo No Hi, or Children’s Day (formerly Boy’s Day), is traditionally celebrated on May 5 in Japan, but the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii gave locals a head start with its “Keiki Fun Fest” on Sunday. There were all kinds of activities from kids’ games to calligraphy, crafts and gifts for sale, demonstrations and live performances, and food (including “tako balls” and the famous KC Drive Inn waffle dogs).
The centerpiece for us was the formal kimono dressing and portrait sittings. They’re part of the Japanese tradition of Shichi Go San, which translates simply to “Seven Five Three,” a rite of passage for boys three and five years of age and girls three and seven years of age. It’s usually observed in November, but again, the JCCH was happy to offer it early. Our sons, Zac and Alex, are five and three years old, so this was their year. We signed Katie up as well, even though she’s ten (and even though she did Shichi Go San when she was five — yeah, not the best timing).
The kimono dressings are done by Masako Formals, and the portraits by King Digital Imaging. And the package is not cheap. But the dressing alone is impressive, and as out of touch as I am with my Japanese heritage, it meant a lot to do something traditional… if not for our kids, at least for their grandparents.
We were really pushing our luck, too. It was risky enough subjecting our kids to a formal dressing and portrait sitting (and to be sure, we saw several kids that couldn’t take the long process and had meltdowns before they could finish). But when I realized that we somehow had all three of them in full costume at the same time, I prevailed upon the haggard photographer to attempt a shot with them together. Miraculously, it worked.
Enjoy the video! You can also watch or download it in a variety of formats via my videoblog.
Scaling down somewhat from the huge shoot at Kalaeloa on Wednesday, the “LOST” crew headed out to upscale East Honolulu today to film at a mansion in Kahala. Specifically, they returned to Hurley’s mansion as last seen in “Tricia Tanaka is Dead,” a $5.5 million property that’s actually on the market.
There wasn’t much to see from the street, but when a group of extras made a run for craft services they were impossible to miss. Party hats, loud shirts, a couple of cheesy plastic lei… it certainly looked as if Hurley has something to celebrate.
A young woman in a party dress was especially starstruck, in love with Jorge Garcia, charmed by the babies Aaron, and impressed by Naveen Andrews (Sayid)… who was there with Andrea Gabriel (Nadia).
What was the occasion? Who else was there to celebrate? I guess we’ll just have to wait for the season finale to find out.
A keynote by WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg. Talks on Apple OSX Leopard (by Rolf Nordahl of the MacMouse Club) and digital photography (by Dwight Okumoto of the Professional Photographers of Hawaii). A swap meet to buy, sell or trade computer or camera gear, an Apple and Macintosh “Fixit Clinic,” and a photowalk around Manoa. What else do you need?
The 2008 Mac a’hiki TechFest will be held tomorrow at Krauss Hall on the UH Manoa campus, and whether you’re a rabid Mac fan or an Apple-curious geek, it’s definitely the place to be. The fun kicks off at 9 a.m., the swap meet opens at 10 a.m., and Mullenweg takes the podium at noon. Door prizes will be given out throughout the day.
SPOILER ALERT! It was a big day for “LOST.” A week after a big shoot in Kaimuki, the crew moved to an even bigger stage on the other end of the island. A huge crowd of extras reported to the old Barbers Point Naval Air Station in Kalaeloa, taking over a massive hangar at the Ewa airfield. Inside Hangar 111, home to the University of Hawaii Pacific Aerospace Training Center, a historic scene was unfolding.
Back in February, I was elated to break the news that KITV news anchor and reporter (and “LOST” celebrity) Jill Kuramoto was expecting. Well, this morning, the good word came from coworker Rich Fewell (via Twitter): “Jill K had her baby!”
The details later arrived at the Inside KITV blog courtesy online editor Brent Suyama:
Jill gave birth at 3:20 a.m. to a nearly 6 lbs. boy named Jace Randall. Everyone, including mom baby and new father David are doing well. Jill will be off the air for a couple of months while she cares for her newborn. We wish her and the new family the best. By the way, Jace’s birth comes just days before Jill’s birthday.
Cheers to the Maui Brewing Company, which won three medals at the 2008 World Beer Cup. The Valley Isle brewery boosted its capacity earlier this year, but it looks like it has managed to sustain quality as well as quantity. According to the judging results announced last week, the Maui Brewing Company’s “CoCoNut PorTeR” beat 65 other entrants to win the silver medal in the Herb and Spice Beer category, and its “Bikini Blonde Lager” topped 32 others in winning the silver medal in the Cellar or Unfiltered Beer category. “Maui Pale Ale” won the bronze medal in in the American-Style Pale Ale category.
You know it’s crunch time for the “LOST” production crew when the work week stretches to six days. My friend Ian Kitajima stumbled across the production crew at the First Hawaiian Center in downtown Honolulu on Saturday. I had to wait until this morning to see if another friend who works in the building had heard anything. The grapevine in the tower turned up only one “star” for the weekend shoot: Yunjun Kim. Since the second-floor Contemporary Museum space previously served as the corporate office of Sun’s father, the powerful Mr. Paik, I suspect that the Korean mogul — and his extensive corporate interests — will reemerge in the growing web of “LOST” conspiracies.
Everyone is a geek about something. And whenever geeks of different stripes cross paths, sparks fly. Curiosity is stoked, ideas erupt, and the conversation can flow from frivolous to intense. The success of cross-disciplinary gatherings like Unconferenz proved that the meeting of diverse minds can make great things happen.
And it’s in that spirit that the Hawaii Geek Meet — taking place tomorrow, Sunday, April 20, at Magic Island — was born. But instead of meeting rooms and presentations, instead of downtown lunches or evening mixers, this gathering moves everyone outdoors. If there’s one thing most geeks need more of, after all, it’s sunlight.
The Hawaii Geek Meet is purely for the fun of it, the social side of networking, and hopefully also for allowing everyone to include their families and kids as well. Some of the coolest geeks I know are also parents, and it’s about time we let the next generation of geek hang out, too.
The Hawaii Geek Meet was proposed on a whim at a Bytemarks lunch in February, after Burt Lum had talked with Aaron Dragushan of Manoa Geeks about bringing various groups together. It wasn’t long before the definition of “geek” was expanded to be as inclusive as possible. Invites flew to user groups, fan clubs, builders, designers, creators, teachers, and more. Ham radio operators, photographers, programmers, new media makers (bloggers, podcasters, and vloggers), geocachers… even journalists and politicians who have a geek streak.
Just check out some of the groups that will be there tomorrow. Chances are, there’s one or two there that you’ve always meant to check out, but never found the time. Now, at one event, a dozen flavors of expertise and personal passion can be sampled. It’s a buffet of brilliant minds.
And if the great people and great conversation isn’t enough? If the beautiful Hawaii scenery isn’t enough? Come for the food. It wouldn’t be a picnic without the potluck. There’ll be at least three grills cooking up some delicious grinds, a stack of pizzas (courtesy Lava.Net), snacks, drinks, and desserts. Bring something if you can, but most of all, bring yourself!
Bring your interest group, friends, family and kids, and meet new people at a first-of-its-kind open meetup in the park. Everyone is a geek about something, so everyone is welcome.
“Your guide to free booze.” It doesn’t get much more direct than that! Myopenbar.com is a sharp, edgy guide to hotspots in the country’s hippest metros — New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago. And now, you can add Honolulu to the list.
The knowing mind behind the new Honolulu gateway is the tireless island übersocialite Christa Wittmier. If you don’t know Christa (and everyone knows Christa), suffice it to say she’s the first and last word you need on local happenings.
“Myopenbar.com started in NYC with a group of snarky writers that had a blog and talked about whatever was happening with an open bar,” Christa explains, obviously sensing the synergies immediately. “It only took two conversations to convince the founder, Seva Granik, that Honolulu has a metro worthy of its own listing, and once he saw what we are all doing over here he was totally on board.”
Christa, like Myopenbar.com guides across the network, isn’t afraid to have an opinion. The site is more than a directory — it has tight and bright reviews that tell you where you should go, not just where you could go.
“It’s edgy hipster writing, in the same style as Vice magazine, and strictly editorial. Meaning, it’s not just an event listing. All events are rated based on the writer’s own opinion and are researched by the team responsible for each city,” Christa adds.
The brand new Honolulu section is being soft-launched this week, so grab a sneak peek before the rest of the cool kids stake their claim on being in the know. Sign up for the email newsletter, too, and get Christa’s unmatched wisdom delivered to your inbox each week.
“It comes every Tuesday evening and will tell you everything golden for the week,” she promises. “If anything, you will be entertained, if not drinking for free, and experiencing some culture!”
Plans are in the works to hold a WordCamp conference right here in the Aloha State. Whether you are a hardcore WordPress hacker, a happy WordPress user, or want to know more about WordPress, this event will be for you.
Back in February, I was elated to 
