Mark your calendars, the 3rd Annual Unconferenz is happening on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010, starting at 8:00am. This year’s event will take place at the beautiful Diamond Head campus of Kapiolani Community College. The Unconferenz is a grassroots gathering of tech enthusiasts interested in exploring, collaborating and interacting. The nature of the Unconferenz is organic. Session topics are determined by what is timely and of interest to the participants. There’s a discussion going on at unconferenz.ning.com about potential session topics. At the event we will post these suggestions along with any others that come up that morning. Everyone who attends is a participant. During the sessions we encourage short presentations and long discussions. The goal of the Unconferenz is to:
Be a catalyst
Create an environment for sharing
Provide support for people and innovation
Network and connect
Start a movement
Bring your ideas, your experience and spend your Saturday expanding your mind. Hope to see you all there.
A friend of mine in college was studying to be a nuclear engineer and after graduating headed off to the Navy to do his tour of duty on a submarine. At the time I could not comprehend what 6 months on the sub really meant. I probably still don’t fully understand although having the opportunity to tour the USS Santa Fe (SSN 763), I have a much better appreciation. Leading up to the tour, the identity of the submarine was not revealed to us until we got to the docks where a torpedo weapons retriever would shuttle us to the waiting sub out in Pearl Harbor. We boarded in the protected waters of the harbor over a gang plank and down a hatch. I couldn’t help but notice how the surface of the sub looked like a soft cushioned surface. I was later told this was anechoic material to minimize acoustics reflection. Once in the vessel, the outside world is shut off except for what is received through instrumentation.
To provide a sense of what the inside of the USS Santa Fe looks like this cutaway of a typical Los Angeles class attack submarine is a good orientation. Our first stop was the Wardroom where COB (Chief of the Boat) John Davis, LCDR Mike Beckette and Ship Doc Rob Lazarin provide the overview of ship operations. Right above the wardroom is the Control Room and Attack Center. This is the hub of activity on the submarine. Steering and navigation is located here, along with the periscopes and sonar room. It is here where Commander Dave Adams ran through maneuvering capabilities of the sub and an attack exercise. During the maneuvering exercise he took the vessel into an incline which felt like a 30 degree angle. You can see here where Nathan Kam and Melissa Chang are both standing at a forward slant. CDR Adams then took it into a decline of 30 degrees and you could feel the opposite affect of leaning backward. Quite radical when you think about it. It is like being in a bus but moving in 3 dimensions. We then did an attack simulation on a surface target. Although the sub is equipped with torpedoes and Tomahawk cruise missiles this exercise used a water slug, basically a torpedo tube filled with water. The crew provided precise readings from sonar and the sub surfaced to periscope depth. The periscope was used to visually acquire the target and made multiple short viewings to confirm. Once the target was secured the CDR gave the “fire torpedoes” command and the water slug was launched. You could hear the expulsion of water and the change in air pressure within the control room.
One cannot visit a submarine without a tour of the torpedo room. This is on the deck below the wardroom. In this photo you can get a relative size of the torpedo (in green) along side Melissa talking with LCDR Dave Benham. The torpedoes are position such that they can slide into the facing tubes. The USS Santa Fe was equipped with about 30 torpedoes mounted on a sliding mechanism that allows loading into the tubes. This is not a trivial feat in such close quarters. We did not see the vertical launch tubes for the Tomahawk cruise missiles which I assume were pre-loaded. It’s one thing to load horizontal torpedoes. With the limited space on the sub, vertical missiles need to be stored within the launch tube.
Another area I found quite interesting was the air handlers in the submarine. Being underwater for extended periods of time requires special monitoring of carbon dioxide and replenishing of oxygen. These CO2 scrubbers remove the carbon dioxide from the air in the sub. Right next to it is the electrolytic oxygen generator. It takes seawater, purifies the water by removing all the salts and minerals, then adds potassium hydroxide as an electrolyte. The water mixture is then electrolyzed separating the hydrogen from the oxygen. This oxygen is then added into the air mix replacing the carbon dioxide and replenishing the depleted oxygen. The air is constantly being monitored to maintain the right mixture of oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide. Stay tuned for more as I have a video I plan to post of our visit to the sail area when the USS Santa Fe surfaces. You can also check out the set of USS Santa Fe photos on Flickr.
It’s the classic “chicken or the egg” problem. Which came first? Is it the electric car or the charging stations? As Mike Leone of HIEV explains, customers are weary of buying an electric car because of the lack of charging stations and businesses are hesitant to install charging stations because there are so few electric cars. Enter into the picture, Frank Rogers of Green Energy Outlet (GEO). Together with Leone, they install solar panels on the roof of GEO, tie it into the electric grid and install the first ChargePoint smart plug-in for recharging. It’s the first in Hawaii and the first of a wave of charging stations that, if you imagine one-day, being as easily accessible as gas stations currently are. The idea is that these charging stations can be anywhere the electric grid is. These can be installed in parking lots, gas stations and businesses. A driver simply pulls up to one of them and plugs in their car. Understandably the adoption rate is slow. You can think of it like when we went from horse and buggy to the automobile. (I’m too young but I can image.) The infrastructure to install a gas pump must have been substantial. Each gas station requires a huge tank to be buried and the plumbing installed necessary to dispense the gasoline. Now look at the proliferation of gas stations, there’s one on and across every street. It will one day be the same way with charging stations, if of course the electric car takes off.
That may still be a ways off. Hybrids extend the life of gasoline as a portable fuel source. Cars like the Toyota Prius recharge their batteries through regenerative braking and the gasoline engine. They never need to be plugged in. The major auto manufacturers have put so much development into the gasoline powered car it will be some time before they transition completely away from that fuel source. Honda has hinted about a 100% electric vehicle (EV) to be available in 2015. So perhaps by mid-decade we will start to see a sea change of EV automobiles on road.
Nevertheless, this charging station at GEO is a significant first step in the right direction. Hats off to the pioneers like Mike Leone and Frank Rogers who are bold enough to make their vision real.
As the legislature gears up for the 2010 session, the tech community is mobilizing to make the most out of what is to be one of the more difficult law-making years. In order to make up for the $1.2B deficit Gov Lingle is already looking at deferring tax returns, restricting spending and refinancing debt. It is highly unlikely lawmakers will support any tax-credits for the tech industry. Even back in October at the Rebuilding Tech workshop, Senators Fukunaga, Hanabusa and Representative McKelvey predict “programs are being cut, nobody will be giving away money in the form of credits.” So what is the tech community going to do? Mobilize for one thing. Jay Fidell, Bill Spencer and a host of others are organizing Crucible 2010: Hammering out Tech Initiatives For the 2010 Legislative Session. For anyone in the tech industry interested in efforts to introduce new bills in this session should attend this workshop being held at the Plaza Club on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2010 starting at 4:00pm. The program agenda includes:
• WELCOME – JAY FIDELL
• STATE OF TECH: JOBS AND SO MUCH MORE – BILL SPENCER (5 minutes)
• HAWAII’S FUTURE IN TECHNOLOGY – KEIKI-PUA DANCIL (5 minutes)
• THE COALITION WORKGROUP – CAROL FUKUNAGA & ANGUS MCKELVEY (5 minutes)
• RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE COALITION WORKGROUP (40 minutes)
GENERAL FINANCE – DAVID WATUMULL & KARL FOOKS
ENABLING ENVIRONMENT – MARK GILBERT & YUKA NAGASHIMA
R&D CREDIT – JOHN CHOCK & IAN KITAJIMA
RENEWABLE TECHNOLOGY – DARREN KIMURA & TED PECK
CREATIVE MEDIA – RIC GALINDEZ & NANCY GREKIN
• Q & A FROM LEGISLATORS AND INDUSTRY – BOB TOYOFUKU (20 minutes)
• CLOSING REMARKS – JAY FIDELL & BILL SPENCER (10 minutes)
• 5:30 p.m. LIBATION AND BONDING
• 6:30 p.m. PAU
The event is free but you need to RSVP by calling the Hawaii Venture Capital Assoc. at 808-262-7329 or ThinkTech at 808-524-0544. You can also email Bill Spencer or Jay Fidell.
In related news Lisa Gibson is stepping down from her post at the Hawaii Science and Technology Council as President/CEO. Keiki-Pua Dancil is replacing Gibson as the new President/CEO. Dancil will be presenting at Crucible 2010 and talk about Hawaii’s Future in Technology. I spoke briefly with Gibson who told me “it’s time for a change.” She wasn’t clear what she would be doing now but whatever it is it will be dynamic. We all wish Lisa the best in her future endeavors.
For those interested in a primer on the legislative process you might want to check out the Legislative 101 Workshop on Jan. 28th. The program will feature experts from the legislature’s Public Access Room, elected officials, and experienced advocates who will explain the legislative process and share insights on how to participate effectively. Speakers include Sen. Les Ihara, Jr., Rep. Maile Shimabukuro, Jeff Mikulina (Blue Planet Foundation), and Kapua Sproat. The program is free of charge and a good way to understand how to engage in a process that might otherwise look quite daunting. Reserve your seat here.
Graffiti art or street art as I like to refer to these pieces, stirs feelings that range from awe to disgust in those that view it. Born out of the street punk movement dating back to the late 70’s and early 80’s in the subways of New York City, this was a statement by rebellious youth. Personally I don’t condone the defacement of public or private property by illegal graphic expressions but on some occasions I am truly amazed at the artistry. So when I saw these pieces at the Academy Art Center at Linekona, I was quite captivated.
As timing would have it, the two artists responsible for this masterpiece (and one right around the corner) were just finishing up, Prime (on the right) and Estria (on the left). I half expected them to grab their spray cans and run as I approached but this was obviously a commissioned work. Prime holds classes at places like Palama Settlement to teach youth art technique and appreciation, mentoring and leadership development. The artist collective known as 808Urban works with kids in underserved areas like Kalihi. In addition to teaching art they work with communities to create mural art, the legitimized version of street graffiti. I’ve seen their work in various places like the Palama Settlement and a recent mural at Kokua Foods. Checking out Estria’s Flickr site, he’s got all kinds of work going on in Oakland and the San Francisco Bay Area. Most of it revolves around bringing graffiti artists together to showcase their work and to collectively work on murals like the Four Guardians in Oakland. It’s very impressive, in-your-face, vibrant, “happy to be alive” expressions of creativity.
As we welcome in the New Year 2010, I always like to look back at the previous year and celebrate the memorable moments that helped to define that year. As we transition from one year to the next I find it a good habit to acknowledge and be respectful of the past and to look with hope into the future.
I usually post my Top 10 memorable moments as a blog post but this year I tried something a little different. I went out to Twitter and asked others to participate using the hashtag of #2009Top10. It was fun to see others recollect the year in review and come up with their significant moments. Mahalos go out to bitershark, Melissa808, NathanKam, PHOTOluluTV and CindyBlanknship for participating. If you are interested in reading the tweet stream just do a search on #2009Top10 or click here. If over time Twitter does not archive this tweet stream I’ve saved it as a Google doc.
If you feel inspired to create your Top 10 memorable moments for 2009 please do. I encourage you to use the hashtag #2009Top10 and I will update the Google doc. Also as 2010 unfolds make every moment a special moment. The following is my reverse chronological thread of my Top 10 memorable moments in 2009. Wishing you all the best in 2010 – The Year of the Tiger!
For the past 4 or 5 years I been putting together my New Years calendar. I usually spend the day after Christmas, rushing around looking for photos from the previous year to assemble into a one-year view calendar. Then I email it to my printer to get hard copies to hand out (in lieu of Christmas cards). This year I am doing the same thing but will a slightly different twist. I posted the calendar in its original 3.7Mb .jpg file format to Flickr, Posterous, Tumblr, Wordpress.com, Blogger.com and here. Not that everyone is out there rushing to get my calendar but in the off chance that I miss giving you one of the hardcopy versions (on card stock, glossy paper) you can print your very own. You might wonder why I am posting to so many places. I just find it interesting how these different services are positioning themselves and the best way to learn what they are doing is to try them. I’ve reactivated my Wordpress.com blog since I now can not only post there from Posterous but also directly from Tweetie 2, the popular Twitter client for the iPhone. It’s microblogging meets mega-blogging, to coin a term from Matt Mullenweg.
Just a little background on the calendar. I try to find photos which help depict the 5 basic Chinese elements: Wood, Metal, Fire, Water and Earth. The flower arrangement has elements of wood, water and metal (the kenzan), the sunrise is fire and water and the waterfall at Nualolo on Kauai is earth and water. Mochi is for the cuteness factor which isn’t one of the 5 basic elements but a requirement for my calendar nevertheless.
It’s not often that I get to experience the other side of Bishop Museum. By other side I mean the collections side, apart from the main museum exhibits and special events. We got an invitation by Allen Allison, a previous guest on Bytemarks Cafe, to come get a glimpse of their collection from New Guinea. Unbeknownst to me, the Bishop Museum considers the entire Pacific region as their field of study. Dating to more than 50 years ago, scientist J. Linsley Gressitt started studying and collection samples from New Guinea for the Bishop Museum. Allen Allison, VP of Science at the Bishop Museum now continues that tradition. Our first stop was the auto-montage imaging station where Shepherd Myers, shown in the photo, explained how auto-montage works. Images tend to be very dependent on depth of field. When taking an image of scenery, the depth of field is less noticeable. But if you’ve ever taken a picture of a flower, you will notice that depending on the lighting and aperture setting, the background will be blurry. Depth of field is even more critical when taking pictures of 3D objects like bugs. With software and a high resolution camera, Myers can take 40 images with the focus adjusted to various depths of field and then stitch them together to make one photo comprised of 40 layers. It’s quite impressive and an investment in time. Only a small percentage of the 22M specimens in the Bishop Museum collection are photographed with this detail.
Our Bytemarks lunch group also got treated to a visit to the collections area where row after row, cabinet after cabinet are filled with the Museum’s insect collection. If you are into bugs this is the place to be. It is interesting for a place that contains so many bugs, they take extra care to keep all the live, local varieties out. The Museum provides the service of identifying species to other organizations and the public in general. This could involve sending the specimen to the Museum for identification as New York City did to identify the Asian Longhorn Beetle. Or it could be as simple as sending a photo to the Bishop Museum Flickr group: Ask a Bishop Museum Scientist. Our Bytemarks Lunch outing was obviously too short to experience but a small portion of the collections but it gave us a sense of the vast resource housed at the Museum, the 4th largest in the US. We did get to see what I wanted to personally witness, the giant rat from New Guinea. It was the culmination of a great science outing!
For the past week or so I’ve had the pleasure of using a Motorola Droid courtesy of Verizon Wireless. It’s a loaner so I have to return it shortly. As these are my first impressions, I am going to make the obvious comparisons to the iPhone 3GS which I will admit I am in love with. The first question I have is without an iTunes like interface, how does one sync all the content to the Droid? At first take it is not intuitively obvious. Neither is it on second take. I thought I might be able to drop content into the Droid if I plug it into my laptop but Finder on my MacMini did not see any Droid device or storage. The Droid did recognize the Mac as a power source, though. So loading music and podcasts will have to wait.
The next thing I did was search for applications. The Droid menu includes something called a Market launchable from an icon that looks like a little briefcase. Clicking that brings up the Android marketplace. From here you can search and select from thousands of Android apps. The big difference from the iPhone is Google is not restricting any apps from being made available for the Droid. The vetting process that Apple subjects all the apps getting into the iTunes Store is a big sore point for many developers. As will all things there is a plus side and a downside. For Google Android it is open to anyone wanting to develop for their Droid phones. The downside is that there exists the possibility for some nefarious applications to be downloaded to your phone. In the Apple case, they control access but with the promise that it will be a user friendly environment.
Once you find an application you like in Market you just click on it and Install. The app gets downloaded directly to your phone from the Verizon 3G network. I tried a few of the popular titles like Seesmic for Twitter access, Yelp for restaurants and ShopSavvy for barcode reading. All worked fine except Yelp did not have the augmented reality feature as found on the iPhone version. I did like the Google Goggles app just announced last week. With it you can snap a picture of a book, a product, a landmark, even a face. Goggles will then scan the image and return search information based on your image. Very cool.
The Motorola Droid phone is solid, even a bit heavier than the iPhone 3GS. I’ve heard a lot of people complain about the physical keyboard but people complained about the iPhone screen keyboard when it first came out. My only comment is since the Droid has a screen keyboard, it could do away with the physical keyboard and reduce some weigh and complexity. The screen for the Droid is very crisp making for clear images. I also like the Voice activation capabilities with the Droid. I must also mention, last week there was an upgrade to the Android operating system to 2.0.1. The phone automatically prompted me of the update and proceeded to download it. Quite seamless.
All in all a very nice phone. One that will be a major player in the smartphone market. Right now though IMHO, the Droid is more suited for the early geek adopter. The true test is the Mom test. Moms are more incline to get immediate benefit from the iPhone before the Droid. I’ll update this post as I get more information. Unfortunately I will have to return this phone shortly. Stay tuned to the Dec. 30 edition of Bytemarks Cafe where we will have a couple of gadget geeks on to talk about their impression of the Droid.
Mark your calendars, the 3rd Annual Unconferenz is happening on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010, starting at 8:00am. This year’s event will take place at the beautiful Diamond Head campus of Kapiolani Community College. The Unconferenz is a grassroots gathering of tech enthusiasts interested in exploring, collaborating and interacting. The nature of the Unconferenz is organic. Session topics are determined by what is timely and of interest to the participants. There’s a discussion going on at unconferenz.ning.com about potential session topics. At the event we will post these suggestions along with any others that come up that morning. Everyone who attends is a participant. During the sessions we encourage short presentations and long discussions. The goal of the Unconferenz is to:
For the past week or so I’ve had the pleasure of using a 