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Unconferenz Is About Passion

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Plain and simple, what can I say but the Unconferenz gatherings are about passion. It’s passion that brought together individuals with different backgrounds and interests to discuss their different backgrounds and interests at Unconferenz 2011. This past weekend at Windward Community College, you could have joined other passionate people to talk about topics like:

  • productivity tips
  • design
  • innovation
  • travel
  • Hackerspace (coming soon)
  • food
  • personal informatics
  • outsourcing your cooking and cleaning
  • virtual assistants
  • gadgets

My Takeaways

Innovation in any business is needed but is very difficult to grasp and hence foster. Need to check out Innovation Hawaii.

Mac OS X Spaces and virtual desktops. Several vouched for virtual desktops (Spaces in Mac OS X) to boost productivity. The main key is to assign apps to specific spaces to segment your work and mind set.

PogoPlug. Yeah, I got one but there’s so much this tiny server can do. Thanks to @ryankanno for the show and tell of his hacked PogoPlug.

The Android Nook. You can mod the Barnes and Noble Nook Color into a low cost Android-based tablet.

Yubico and YubiKey. Ryan Kanno provided a strong case when describing the YubiKey security key and Yubico password management system. For around $40, this security system is worth the hassles of dealing with bogus online charges and purchases. My YubiKey is on order.

Parrot AR Drone. Possibly the coolest toy ever. This “helicopter” is remote controlled by the accelerometer in the iPad and iPhone.

And just a few pics of the passion at Unconferenz 2011.

Thanks again to Burt Lum for a great event!

O-M-G, I’m Getting O-L-D!

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What’s this? I’m having an allergic reaction to the Hawaiian vog? Thought I was getting sick but after the rain and return of the tradewinds, my symptoms have gotten a lot better. The vog never bothered me before and I always wondered what people were complaining about.

Along with the new vog allergies, I’ve been listening to 96.3 KRATER and 94.7 KUMU on the radio. OMG! Signs that I’m getting OLD.

I need to do something to recapture my youth… dressing like the Bieber is too over the top… what else can I do? Hmmm, maybe betting braces is the thing…

An Evening of Sustainable Cuisine

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The Halekulani hotel presents a Weekend of Sustainability and invites you to an Evening of Sustainable Cuisine.  Highlighting local food products, this event showcases:

  • Roy Yamaguchi (Roys Restaurants)
  • Ed Kenney (Town and Downtown)
  • Vikram Garg (Halekulani)
  • Julie Reiner (Master Mixologist from NY)

Cost is $125 per person. See the below flier for more information.  Click for a larger view.

The Best Barf Buckets

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No offense to the food of Zippys, and I do like their chili. But the plastic containers used for the tub size of Zippys chili by far are the best buckets for barfing. These tubs are big, strong, sturdy, and easy to wash.  When the kids are feeling ill, these buckets make an appearance.

Umm, thanks Zippys, in more ways than one!

Reading Flux Hawaii’s “From Strippers to Madams”

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I recently got a hold of the Flux Hawaii magazine and flipped through the Spring 2011 Women’s Issue. I had never seen this quarterly lifestyle publication, but it’s self-described as:

the only magazine propelling an entrepreneurial generation toward positive social and creative action within our communities through a thoughtful cultivation of dialogue and a strong commitment to quality of design.

One of the articles I found interesting was “Women’s Work: From Strippers to Madams.” This article gives a “glimpse at Honolulu’s skin industry from World War II to today” and incorporates subject matter knowledge from an Ivy League educated, Government and Economics major who also minored in Asian Studies. Some of the better takeaways:

I think there is a cultural tradition of acceptance of hostess bars, probably coming from a mixture of the geisha traditions in Japan and sex work in Southeast Asia brought back by the military.

One major reason why mama-sans in Hawaii exist is pure economics. This type of job is one that requires no education, and no background check, and of course can be very profitable… It is probably one of the few jobs for women that allows them to be the boss without having to compete against men.

Want more? Pick up an issue of Flux Hawaii and follow them on Twitter and Facebook.

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