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Poor Radio Reception

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Any Lexus owners out there have poor radio reception with the stock deck? We got a used Lexus that’s newer than our (former) Toyotas, but the radio reception is so bad.

Driving my normal routes, the FM radio reception is staticky and even drops out at certain spots. This didn’t happen with the Toyota stereos. I figured this wouldn’t have been an issue for the luxury Lexus line, but it is, and it’s real bothersome. 

I talked with Bill at Progressive Auto Sounds in Aiea, and he said changing the deck wouldn’t necessarily improve radio reception. It may or it may not. An alternative is to stream radio broadcasts via a smartphone and apps like Tunein or iHeartRadio. But then, I’d still need to change the deck with a newer one that can connect to my iPhone. Guess I’ll be listening to static…

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Target Kailua Soft Opening

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The Target location in Kailua had their soft opening today with the grand opening scheduled for Sunday, March 8. Open to the general public for the first time, the people of Hawaii didn’t disappoint. There was an expected line to get in as many thought today was the official grand opening.

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The shopping carts were quickly snapped up as the people kept on coming.

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I didn’t grab a cart but instead, opted to zip around unencumbered, and you know what? From what I saw, this Target looks like any other Target you’ve been to. Check out the familiar bath section.

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Here’s the electronics section.

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The groceries.

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Although I love the layout of the milk containers. Reminds me of the Matrix movie for some reason.

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The toy section was happening as serious Hot Wheels collectors picked through the virginal batch of cars. I found the latest Lego Minifigures series along with the newest line of Lego Elves.

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Some of the sale items advertised in last Sunday’s ad were wiped out already on the first day of shopping.

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Sadly, no new flavors of Mountain Dew Kickstart were available like at the other locations. Just the usual ones.

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The Target dog wasn’t on-hand today but his replica was. But I didn’t take a selfie.

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The Starbucks inside wasn’t as crowded as I expected, and there is another location just down the block.

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All shopping carts were accounted for, and you had to hunt for one.

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The plentiful parking disappeared as well. The connecting lane joining Safeway was still blocked off. All I can say is that Boots and Kimo’s is gonna be nuts with this Target (and its parking) open across the street.

Be sure to watch the local news tonight for in-depth coverage. Every channel was there. Anyways, here are more of my rushed pics. I didn’t want to stay too long as more and more people entered the building. Although I must say that since this location is so huge, even with all the shoppers, the store didn’t actually feel cramped or crowded. It was a comfortable shopping experience despite the craziness.

Driving in
Sale items gone already?
Hawaii News Now
Line at Starbucks
Police on scene to monitor traffic
Parking lot full
Yellow Spring Oreos!
News interviews
The Matrix of milk
Lego Minifigs
KITV4
KHON2
Groceries
There’s a backup generator
Parking all gone
The shoppers kept coming
Lego Elves
Take a selfie with the Target dog
Shopping carts went fast
Free shopping bag
Baby registry
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Target Kailua Almost

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The newest Target in Kailua is set to open this week, and here are a few more pictures before the opening.

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Coming (oh so) soon

 

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Doors open March 8

 

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Interesting parking lot covering

 

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Lots of parking in-between

 

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Tons of parking in general

 

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Like the design touches

 

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Guess What Starbucks Drink This Is

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Can you guess what unofficial Starbucks drink is being crafted in this scene?

Here are some hints. You see the cup oversized for the contained espresso shots? See all that ice? The deliberation at the condiment bar is already captured in the picture. All that’s left is to add the (free) dairy for the one and only ghetto latte!

Oh and for the demanding oat-y types, the popular Hawaii oat cake is back.

Yup, looks the same as before. While I have heard they are tasty, I just can’t bring myself to buy one.


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A Shoutout from Gregg Hammer

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What a way to start Thursday morning! I had just pulled out of my driveway for my morning commute with the radio tuned to KRTR 96.3. Aunty Mildred Kaneakala was kicking off the morning’s Story Time when I heard my name on air. Wait, what was that? Did I hear Gregg Hammer as Aunty just give a shout out to his/her favorite blogger?!? Why yes I did (see the Instagram comments)!

Wait what? Did I hear @the.real.gregg.hammer mention my name this morning on Story Time?

A photo posted by @geewhy on

Sadly, I wasn’t ready to record the audio or fast enough to get the delayed playback on the Tunein app. So no recording, just memories of this special good morning! Thanks Gregg and keep everyone laughing in the mornings.

MyFab5 Hawaii’s 25 Most Instagrammed Restaurants of 2014

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MyFab5 collated Instagram pics and put together this list of Hawaii’s 25 most Instagrammed restaurants of 2014. Some of these make sense and some are surprising (to me) like Duke’s Waikiki for coming in at number 1. I guess lots of tourists making their mainland friends jealous? Breakfast is a popular Instagramming time with about 11 of the 25 pics. Only four pictures of “desserts” from Duke’s, Mama’s Fish House, Bubbies, and Leonard’s. The only pizza on the list is a yummy, hearty shot from Buca di Beppo, courtesy of @abaggy.

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Looks ono for sure! And if you want more onoliciousness, check out the rest of @abaggy’s foodie-focused Instagram feed.

Order an Ariana Grande from Starbucks

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Are your childhood memorizes scarred after watching a dark remake of the Power Rangers? Need something to pick you up and restore your sweet memories of the colorful rangers not shot up and bloodied?

Head on over to Starbucks right now and cleanse yourself by ordering the “Ariana Grande.” Yes, the pop singer’s name naturally fits into the Starbucks menu, but what will you get with this off-menu custom order? How about a drink that’s going to have extra everything? As in:

  • Start with the base of a grande-sized “Cotton Candy
  • Frappuccino” (which is a vanilla bean and raspberry Frappuccino from Starbucks’ secret menu).
  • Add extra mocha syrup.
  • Add extra mocha chips.
  • Blend.
  • Top with extra whipped cream.
  • Finish with a generous caramel drizzle.

From Buzzfeed.

Extra? Check. Sweet? Check. Feeling better? Check. Until that is the sugar high is replaced by a precipitous sugar low that draws you to search out the even darker NSFW version of the Power Rangers remake…

Overcoming My Hangup with Desk.PM

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As I write this blog post using the Desk app, I’m beginning to understand my hangups using this dedicated blogging app full time. It’s the learning curve, dummy.

Years back when I got in to blogging, I used MarsEdit as my blog authoring tool of choice. As Internet connectivity became faster, more ubiquitous, and more stable, an offline app for writing wasn’t as critical. That started my transition of using the web-based WordPress interface for blog posts. Over the years and versions, the WordPress interface changed and improved, most recently adopting a distraction-free look in Version 4.1.

So there I was, surrounded by connectivity and familiar with authoring posts in WP. I knew how to tag and categorize posts. I knew how to set featured images and place and resize images. All of this basic stuff I didn’t know how to accomplish in Desk. Even titling a post was strange for me using Desk, so why change? 

It’s about the writing. As I learned more about using Desk, I started seeing how this app allowed me to focus on writing by truly removing any distractions and barriers. Typically when I log into WordPress, I immediately see the blog stats that I spend time analyzing, looking at popular hits and searches. Did I also mention that I secured my WordPress authentication which poses another (necessary) hurdle to get to writing? Even with my intent to write a blog post, there are enough distractions getting me to that point. Not so with Desk. Fire it up, get a blank page, and write. 


However, I can’t say that I’ll stick with Desk forever. There are times I need to get into WordPress and muck around. That and there’s still that learning curve with Desk to understand what it can and cannot do. But in the meantime, I’ve been writing more and more using Desk. 

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Checking Out Apple CarPlay

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Like me, you may have heard of Apple’s CarPlay “system” that links your iPhone with your vehicle but never saw CarPlay in action. Today, I got a first hand look at CarPlay via the Alpine iLX-007 in-dash receiver. An aftermarket car stereo replacement, the iLX is CarPlay personified. Connecting your iPhone to the iLX brings up the familiar iOS screen on the 7-in display. Everything looks and behaves similarly to regular iPhone interactions. The apps, the home button, iTunes music, maps, Siri – it’s all there.

I had to admit seeing CarPlay in action was pretty cool. The learning curve of operating the iLX is negligible since it is  the iOS that you’re already comfortable with using an iPhone. No need to figure out how to set music stations, make a phone call, or otherwise operate the unit. The Maps application for navigation was the most compelling since it eliminates the need for any other in-car navigation system. 

But there are some limitations with the fledgling CarPlay. For the iLX-007, you have to physically connect your iPhone to the receiver via a USB-Lightning cable. And if you’re ever without your iPhone, the iLX is essentially non-functional. There’s no real built-in capabilities since mostly everything resides with the phone. 

The one aspect of CarPlay that I found underwhelming is its overall implementation, or really, lack thereof. CarPlay seems like a literal translation of iOS from your phone to your car’s in-dash display. While there are some changes to the user interface to accommodate the attention of drivers, it still looks like and feels a lot like iOS.

I was hoping that CarPlay would do more like become the central processing unit of your vehicle, maybe even its soul. Currently, CarPlay doesn’t revolutionize or innovate the driver’s experience. It reminds me of the Motorola ROKR E1 aka the Apple iTunes phone. If you remember this iPhone precursor, the ROKR could play music by including iPod features. Useful? Yes. Innovative? No, not compared to the revolutionary iPhone. 

So while I’m digging the concept of CarPlay version 1.0, I’m already waiting for version 2.0.

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