SoHa Living Coming to Kailua
With the GNC Store moving down the street nearby the UPS Store, their vacancy is being taken by SoHa Living. Yeah, there’s a Kailua vibe to this Kahala retailer.
Scream Machines at Bishop Museum
Bishop Museum’s latest attraction is Scream Machines, the Science of Roller Coasters. Typically, these exhibits are somewhat static even though they’re touted as interactive, but I must say there’s fun stuff to do at Scream Machines. At the entry way, you can watch a model car zoom through a fictitious mini roller coaster. If it were to scale, no human could survive the ride.
Off to the left is a simulator taking passengers on virtual rides on America’s most famous roller coasters. Now this was pretty cool. Although the video of the simulation wasn’t high definition, the rides were believable enough, and you could see and hear differences between wooden and steel coasters.
The inner displays focus on the science of the roller coasters, analyzing speed, height, curvature, angles, and more. Roll balls down the tracks to see the impact of the differences.
Think you understand all the physics and science of roller coasters? Now go build one yourself. Not a real coaster per se but a customizable track with turns, loops, falls, and everything else you learned.
I don’t have pictures of the Revolver demo where participants stand on a spinning platform to learn about angular velocity. Walk a straight line? Real tough. Roll a ball in a straight line, and it curves, or does it? This was a fun demo to wait for. And if you’re feeling nauseous from all the movement, there’s a display explaining what the human body is going through when you upchuck. Basically, it’s like this.
Oh and on a totally unrelated note, the orange and navy VH07V shirt looks great in the sun or under black lights.
Selenelion, Syzygy, Celestial Geometry on Wednesday
Are you ready for the total eclipse of the moon along with the rising sun? This so-called selenelion is supposedly impossible according to celestial geometry. But nope, this syzygy where the sun and the moon are perfectly aligned 180-degrees apart is happening.
When all of this is happening, I have no clue – Tuesday night/Wednesday morning or Wednesday night/Thursday morning. Can someone let me know in plain English and what time is this visible in HST?
Here’s my picture of the Blood Moon in April 2014.
Update: Here’s the Hawaii-centric information from the Star Advertiser.
Update 2: If you’re going to take pictures of the lunar eclipse, here’s an article that gives you camera settings to start off with.
Ariane Flies Hawaiian
Just to let you know, Ariane flies on Hawaiian Air or at least her stock image is used on Hawaiian’s web site.
How to Get Teased by a Clover?
You visit the Aina Haina Starbucks location with the only Clover Brewing System on Oahu and learn that it’s still not in production. Only this time, it’s not the hardware; it’s the “software.” As in the workers aren’t trained to operate the Clover.
Sad but then again, patience is a virtue I hear. And an iced coffee stylized in the Waterlogue app is pretty cool looking.
Pepper’s Place Kailua Now Closed
After 18 years, Pepper’s Place in Kailua is now closed as of September 30, 2014.
Stocked Up on VH07V
At the Rice Fest over the weekend, I stocked up on more VH07V gear. Got the navy with neon orange (though the shirt looks black) and a new gray fade design with the shaka.
Oh, and a discount from the VIP mailing list!
Cool Tea Names and an Oat Cake
Starbucks latest line of teas has some cool names. We’re talking Royal English Breakfast, Passion Tango, Youthberry, and Pineapple Kona Pop.
Then there’s this Hawaii-themed oat cake. Yeah, I’ll pass on that lava rock of an oat cake, and what makes it “Hawaii” anyways?
Unlimited No Longer
And I feel the same. After getting the original AT&T unlimited data plan with my iPhone 3G and carrying it over for years, I finally gave it up, switching to an AT&T mobile data sharing plan. Truthfully, I never approached “unlimited” data in my usage, averaging less than 2 GB per month. So instead of keeping the cool sounding unlimited data plan, I opted for other useful services (hello text plan).
I also said goodbye to my iPhone 4. This phone really cranked up the camera quality, making the iPhone my preferred camera.
ShedRain Umbrellas (and More) at Costco
If you’re looking for a good old umbrella, Costco is carrying the ShedRain brand, specifically the Ultimate Umbrella. This model looks similar to the WindJammer model that was previously recognized in The Wirecuter’s Best Umbrella category. But at around $17, I’m guessing the Ultimate Umbrella is different than the $35 WindJammer. Three colors are available – all black, black with polka dots, and red with polka dots.
What else did I spy at Costco Hawaii Kai edition? Lactaid milk is available, but not at the Waipio location (I checked). More good news, this Lactaid lactose-free milk doesn’t taste like a cow. Can you stock up and freeze milk??
Check out these fun puzzles. Watch the piece count though since there are 100, 500, and 1000-piece puzzles available. The Hawaii-themed ones are pretty cool.
Lastly, for you mayo lovers, this is for you. A whole “vat” of mayo, Just Mayo. I feel so greasy all of a sudden.
Bonus! For big kids, there’s this toy horse just in time for Christmas.
Lanikai Juice Is Now Open Open
In the beginning of September, Lanikai Juice in Kailua underwent renovations. Fortunately, while the store was closed, the location was still open thanks to their mobile juice truck parked out front. The renovations are done and the storefront is now open open (and still crowded).
One Week with the iPhone 6
It’s been barely one week using my new iPhone 6, but here are a few more observations.
Does it bend? Seriously, what? Why is #bendgate even a thing? Um, how about not sitting on your phone to begin with. And if you had a plastic encased phone, I’m guessing the phone would crack. At least the bent iPhone 6 is still operational and it seems like Apple is replacing bent exteriors. But still, my suggestion is to not sit on your expensive smartphone.
Touch ID. I love it. Forget that the physical home button on the iPhone takes up precious real estate. The integration of Touch ID makes it all worth it. Just as fast and more convenient than taping in a password. This is the enabler of online purchasing. Yes, I am buying more with my iPhone just because it’s just easier.
Passwords and Authentication. Currently, there are limitations for Touch ID so traditional passwords, and newer authentication means are still in play. Moving to a new phone means redoing many, many passwords. This gets compounded for accounts with two-factor authentication enabled. Sadly, Google Authenticator does not retain its setup when moving to a new device so you have to access your accounts, generate new codes, and scan them in. At least, LastPass has gained functionality under iOS8 and is more easily accessed to help with passwords.
Slow-Mo. A fun option to have for fun effects like when I saw the new BMW i3 EV in the neighborhood. I swear it felt like this slow-mo video when I first spotted this progressive car.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OHYcZ9jIzE]
Battery Life. Better than my iPhone 5 but not better than my Android-based LG G3. I’d say the battery lasts a day and a half whereas my iPhone 5’s battery lasted about a day. The LG G3 lasts 2-3 days easily. Leaving the house with a 40% charge would cause anxiety with an iPhone 5, not so with the 6. I’d return home hours later with 20+% remaining. Only problem is that a 1.5 day charging routine isn’t so easy to maintain.
App Battery Usage. Tied to battery life is knowing what’s consuming battery power. iOS8 has a new feature that shows the battery usage of all your apps. I don’t know how to really use these stats. Because I use Facebook quite often on my iPhone, it makes sense that battery usage is correspondingly high.
Running. I’ve been running with my iPhone 5 after my fitted case for my old school iPod Nano broke. I got used to running while holding the iPhone in my hand, able to change volume and songs easily. Running with the iPhone 6 feels the same though I doubt I could comfortably handhold the 6+ while running. The presence of the M8 motion coprocessor sure helps save on battery life. Typically, I’m streaming music from iCloud, and battery goes down nearly 10% after a 30-45 minute run. Battery drain is single digits with the iPhone 6.
Two-handed use. Get over it. One handed operation is possible, but two handed is the new reality, even with a 4.7-in iPhone 6.