Tonight’s Blood Moon
Cloudy skies made it difficult to spot the blood moon eclipse, but I finally got a clear shot.
Life
Almost Frozen
So Disney’s Frozen has become the highest grossing animated film of all time, and Frozen-themed costumes are impossible to come by. So it’s no wonder there are diehard fans who love to dress as Elsa and Anna.
I’m have no idea who the character on the right is, and yes, I paparazzi-ed this pic.
Heartbleed Hawaii
So you have to have heard about the Heartbleed vulnerability right? Where the security software used by many Internet services has a flaw that can allow protected information out into the public. This is an oversimplification, but just know that this flaw is bad, and the ramifications could be unknown for a long time, if at all.
Services and sites are quickly fixing this flaw by patching with updated software. But this flaw has been there for two years, so who knows what has happened during that time. The simplest recommendation is to change your account password for affected systems (and even non-affected systems just to be on the safe side) and only after the vulnerability has been mitigated – no sense change your secure password if the site can’t keep it secure. There are other tips as well besides changing your passwords.
Mashable has put together a good collection of popular online services and their stance with regards to Heartbleed. But what about locally? Are popular Hawaii sites affected? Seemingly not. By using Heartbleed scanning tools, you can get a quick assessment of the Heartbleed status of any site. I ran through some Hawaii sites, and here’s what I found.
All in all, pretty good. No definite vulnerable sites found, and the “unknown” results could be traps to stop Heartbleed attacks. But again, to be on the conservative side, you could inquire about Heartbleed compliance.
Any other Hawaii-centric service you want added to the list? Let me know by adding it to this list.
Update: April 10, 2014, 8:28pm HST
Added another Heartbleed test provided by Lastpass.com
Meeting Mele
So there’s a pig hanging around the workplace. Yes, a real pig of the animal variety. She’s small (for now) and named Mele which you have to pronounce as Mayyyyleeeeeeeee.
When You Need to Lube
The belt of your Horizon treadmill like the GS1050T model, then this silicon lube is for you.
Horizon Fitness Silicone Treadmill Belt Lubricant
Did Peet’s Kailua Peter Out?
This is purely speculation based on appearances only, but the new Peet’s location in Kailua seems to have petered out. Previously, there had been a banner announcing the coming of Peet’s. That banner is now gone (although hopefully temporarily). The store is still not in business, but there is a piece of paper posted on the door (couldn’t see the sign from the street).
One day, I have to peek in the window to see what’s up. Online, Peet’s job listings don’t show Hawaii (at all) so that’s not telling, and the locator listing doesn’t show any in Hawaii even though Peet’s is in Waikiki. I’m hoping Peet’s is still coming to Kailua.
Thoughts About the Fence on Kamehameha Highway
So Hawaii News Now is working on a story about fence that splits Kamehameha Highway in Pearl City. You know the one. It was decorated in March 2011 but then it wasn’t in November 2012. Now, in 2014, the entire fence line is coming down for rail construction.
What was the impetus for the fence to begin with? To prevent pedestrians from perilously crossing anywhere along the multi-lane roadway? To minimize the headlights of opposing traffic? I’m not sure. But I can understand the need if there was a long history of accidents, deaths, and other mishaps that a simple fence would alleviate. I just don’t know the background.
Why the decorative fence? I admit that at first glance I thought the fence was tacky. Maybe if the pattern was the same throughout then it wouldn’t seem like it was trying to be “artistic.” On the other hand, a plain chain link fence would probably look worse, annoying the community. Go fancier with tiles, vinyl, or a rock wall, and costs would probably be too exorbitant. So this decorated fence was probably a livable compromise. With the rail construction going on, the “fence” now looks like this which is ultimately worse.
Those are my thoughts on this fence. What do you think?
Gelato Is Mightier than Tea (and Coffee)
Who knew the power of the gelato? Here I thought this unconfirmed construction on the upper floor, center stage area of Ala Moana might be a new Starbucks stand. Once the site of the seemingly popular Planation Place Tea Garden, neither tea nor coffee could hold this high ground, yielding to Aloha Gelato.
(Darn you Twitpic for making your embedded images so tiny!)
Truthfully, looking at their menu, Aloha Gelato does serve tea and coffee and gelato of course, so all of these guesses are correct in a way.
Thanks to the watchful eye of @yoda808 for the heads up.
Z’s Bakery & Deli Now Open in Kailua
Open this week is Z’s Bakery & Deli in the former Great Harvest Bakery location in Enchanted Lakes. When I visited, the bakery stuff was there, didn’t see any deli goods, but in their first week of business, things were still settling down. For now, cash only.
Z’s has some fancy packaging for their baked goods, a little too fancy though. I’m thinking these won’t last long, replaced by something cheaper.
The baked goods looked kinda pale, needing some color. The apple muffin was really good with apple strewn inside the middle. The scone was okay. I thought the cream cheese-infused scones of Great Harvest was tastier. They had a few more items to pick from, but I’d go with the apple muffin.
Five Things I Learned from SharePoint Saturday Honolulu
I attended my first SharePoint Saturday event, and only in Honolulu, Hawaii can a Saturday event be held on a Friday. What did I learn from this event? Five things.
1. Dux Raymond Sy Is an Asian Original
Who is Dux Raymond Sy? That name hits you first – Dux? I had seen that name at Barnes & Nobles on the book SharePoint 2010 for Project Management
Then @meetdux starts playing his list of songs – electronic, techno, and dance remixes. Once the music pumps the audience and himself up, Dux goes to work, ripping into his keynote “How to Inspire, Transform, and Drive Purposeful Collaboration.” #ShiftHappens he yells but alas, he didn’t break into a rap. Wait, this keynote and event was about Microsoft SharePoint? It didn’t matter to Dux as he started the revolution for purposeful collaboration and enterprise social. You feeling the love, y’all?
2. SharePoint Doesn’t Suck. You Suck.
Later in the day, Dux gets to the point SharePoint users secretly think – SharePoint sucks. But then he fires back, “No, you suck!” It’s all a matter of perspectives. In the context of expectations and requirements for SharePoint, we really do suck. We expect this platform to do everything well and alleviate all our business pain points yet we (meaning organizations) never spend the time to figure out our requirements.
3. What Is Enterprise Social?
Getting social into the enterprise doesn’t mean bringing in Twitter, Facebook, or Yammer. It’s all about the business and using social in the enterprise to address the business needs. That last part is all the difference.
On the topic of social (not enterprise social), there wasn’t much social traffic on #SPSHNL, the Twitter hashtag for the event.
Granted, attendees were recommended to join the Yammer channel for this event so maybe that’s where the social happened?
4. Maximize SharePoint Out of the Box
In more than one breakout session, I heard the tenet of maximizing the out-of-the-box features of SharePoint first and foremost. If you can’t make it work with SharePoint’s built-in features, look for third party solutions then lastly custom develop a solution. The main reason for this rationale is cost and sustainability of SharePoint. Custom solutions cost more upfront and to maintain over the long haul. So the push is to learn SharePoint and its feature set and frame your solutions knowing SharePoint’s full potential (SharePoint Designer included).
5. You Are Not Alone and Winning Makes Everything Okay
Okay, I won’t say SharePoint sucks, but it’s kinda funny (bordering on tragically funny) sitting among other SharePoint users, managers, and admins who share similar stories and experiences about how SharePoint sucks isn’t ideal. I don’t know how to explain it, but it felt like I was in a SharePoint support group airing out issues, trying to cope, and not feeling isolated.
So maybe SharePoint is just okay, not delighting or enchanting, with some esoteric features, but you’re not alone if you think so. And there are prizes. Winning makes everything okay.
Thanks Hawaii SharePoint User Group for hosting this event and please bring back Dux for more events.
Bonus. Here’s a sixth thing I learned from SharePoint Saturday Honolulu. I learned how to describe this shape in words without using the terms square, triangle, or diamond.
Who I Would Nominate for a Navy Embark
I can’t believe it’s been nearly two years since I participated on an embark of the USS Nimitz during RIMPAC 2012. The sights, the sounds, the surprises, and the memories.
If I could, who would I nominate for an embark?
The Ambassador of VH07V
In the footsteps of the original Ambassadors of Aloha, Ed Sugimoto has to be a natural pick. So what if he wasn’t named Top40Under40 by the Pacific Business News, Ed’s an entrepreneur, cultivating and spreading his VH07V brand. I’m not saying Ed should be giving away free VH07V shirts during the embark (well, maybe stickers), just embody aloha while on this amazing tour. And no Ed, Oceanic Cable’s Oahu Wifi ain’t gonna work.
The Digital Artist
From past embarks, there have been countless pictures, movies, and words recounting experiences. But how about original artwork inspired by the magnitude of a Navy vessel? In short, I want to see what Valentino Valdez comes up with – illustrations, posters, shirts, sketches, or even toy mashups.
In Reel Life
Matt Spencer knows his movies. It’s that simple. He watches, critiques, and promotes films all the time and then some. When Matt’s not watching movies, I think he’s reading about them or planning his upcoming viewing schedule. What does movies have to do with a Navy embark? The U.S. Navy in the movies? Surely, you’ve seen a flick or two. From Matt’s point of view, I want to know how realistic the scenes are, which movie has the most accurate portrayal of Naval operations, what actor or character does the ship’s captain remind Matt of? How can Matt relate his experience in terms of films – that’s his reel challenge.
The Inspired
On the surface, Gary Nacapuy looks like a casual Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter denizen. Now go beneath the surface, and you’ll see a growing world of software development. Coding, developing, engineering is where Gary thrives. Combine his passion with the inspiration instilled from a Navy embark, and I’m excited to see what follows.
The Entertainer
Now why would a local celebrity, entertainer, and radio celebrity like Gregg Hammer go on a Navy embark? To broadcast his firsthand experiences with his audience. No, this isn’t a public relations ploy, as a car fix-it guy, Gregg will love visiting the engineering deck, listening to the crew talk in detail about hydraulic fluid, valves, radiators, and arresting cables that catch landing aircraft. Don’t you want to hear Gregg’s tales and adventures during your morning drive in traffic?
My Brother-in-Law
He asked to go after hearing my stories. 🙂
Bonus: The Rainbow Warriors
As far as Navy exercises go, the Rim of the Pacific aka RIMPAC is as international as it gets. Similar is the international makeup of the University of Hawaii men’s basketball team. Of course, this will never happen since I’m sure there’s some NCAA infraction or regulation standing in the way, but it’s fun to dream. Imagine seven-footer Davis Rozitis cramped for a COD launch. Can Isaac Fotu get his hair into a safety helmet? Heck, imagine any of the Rainbow Warriors walking the onboard passageways ducking through every hatch. Although it would be cool if the team had a shoot around with service members inside the hangar. Just make sure the ball stays inbounds, the Pacific Ocean is very unforgiving to errant passes.
And there’s my list of fictional nominees. Of course, this list has no significance, but as I’m grateful that my embark was the result of others’ nominations, I have a duty to pay it forward.
Confusing Parking and Driving Lanes at Ala Moana
I won’t get into the details of the confusing parking situation and driving lanes at Ala Moana. Just be ready and go with the flow. But check it out, this confusion even extends inside the mall stores. If you wanted to enter (or exit for that matter) the Brug bakery in Shirokiya, make sure you don’t head for that opening. You’ll get denied.
