All Blog Posts (786)

The Amperage Pedal is now on Kickstarter! - Our team would greatly appreciate your help in getting the word out - or even better - making a pledge! The product is an example of what desktop manufacturing can achieve - quality products, made locally, that are affordable. We used a Shapeoko CNC milling machine and a Replicator 2 3D printer in the process. They're amazing tools. And an Arduino is at the heart of our product. Three of the team members live on Oahu and our engineer lives on Maui…

(borrowed from a Facebook post and associated thread Mika Leuck shared)

10 Reasons Why Handheld Devices Should Be Banned for Children Under the Age of 12

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Canadian Society of Pediatrics…

In Hawaii, we’ve built up our local tech community thanks to efforts from HTDC, HI Capacity, The Box Jelly, and many local companies. We are at the point where community events are happening all the time. We have amazing leaders at the forefront continuing to keep this community active.

I am the organizer for a local Javascript…

As a kid I loved playing coin-op games. Some of my favorites were: Space Invaders, Defender, Centipede, Galaxian and Galaga, Dig Dug, Tempest, Joust, Tempest, Spy Hunter, Tron, Robotron, and I must've spent a lot on Gauntlet.

My experiences with them were mostly at where ever I could find them. From liquor shops, bowling alleys, pizza parlors to if I…

Last night I was working on a script to build and sign iOS applications for ad hoc distribution. If you've ever done over-the-air distribution of iOS applications, then you have probably seen what happens when you attempt to install an application that is not signed properly. The installation will start and progress to a certain point and then fail and then re-try forever or until you interrupt it. What I discovered last night is that even when you interrupt it, it may still continue looping…

Couldn't find any complete references for authentication to SharePoint Online via a non-Microsoft API (surprisingly Microsoft wasn't very helpful, they assume you're using WIF). 

It was pretty trivial once I found this great post explaining how SharePoint Online claims authentication works. 

Remote authentication in SharePoint Online

Of course I only found…

Many of you have heard of Six Sigma as a methodology (primarily for large organizations) for quality and process improvement. One early success story was that of Motorola in the early 2000s, who attributed $17 billion in savings due to its application of Six Sigma across its business units. Since then…

Last week while strolling down the Ala Wai with my 2yo son we stopped to look at the crabs that collect around the stairs that decend into the canal. I was glancing down at my iPhone when my son suddenly yelled "BIRD FISH!" and started pointing. I looked over and saw this:

In the thousands of hours I've spent walking up…

Hey folks! As you may know, we're recruiting presenters for TEDxMaui 2014, so if you or someone you know might be interested or has a fabulous idea worth sharing, our presenter application deadline is April 1. It would be great to have the Maui tech community represented on our stage.

If you would like to present, here's our presenter application form -…

From an email:

"Dear HVCA Members and Friends



It has been a wonderful honor and privilege to lead HVCA since 1999, almost 15 years, so I know most of you personally.  It has been extremely rewarding and fulfilling to host interesting programs, advocate on your behalf, mentor, network and develop many friendships along the way.



At this point in my life, it is time for me to move on.  I look forward to new opportunities and continuing my work with Hawaii Angels and…

Contrary to conventional wisdom, research universities that receive millions of dollars in government grants don't contribute to higher entrepreneurship rates in their hometowns, says a new Kauffman Foundation study, which looked at startup rates in 356 metropolitan areas in the U.S. Having lots of venture capital investment in your market doesn't necessarily boost startup activity either, the study found.

"Policymakers should…

The Mac turned 30 today.  Happy Birthday, Mac!  Apple has been through ups and downs in those 30 years, but now they are one of the most successful companies in the world.  That’s thanks in large part to the success of their iPods, iPhones and iPads, but the Mac remains a mainstay of Apple’s product line.

For years analysts have predicted that…

Look around you, and just about everyone you see probably has a smartphone. And if those smartphone owners were aware of the sweatshop labor in dangerous conditions and minerals which finance arms-buying,…

versus

I decided to hit 2014 running, and whipped up another shootout experiment; this time…

HubSpot Hawaii User Group is a support network for marketers, Web developers, designers and business owners who are interested in mastering the HubSpot software and generating more new business leads for their business.

In this meeting we will focus on how to create great marketing offers. You will get templates to download and…

Feel the Power -- Learn to CODE, its easy @ Code.org !!

HourOfCode.com…

I took a short trip to Tokyo in October to visit family and friends. I've lived there for over eight years, so every time I go back I notice what's changed. And since I'm on the geekier side, I notice tech-related changes.

QR Codes to Search Boxes

When I moved to Tokyo in 2003 there was a trend to switch to camera phones. All the…

Do you have a smartphone?  Chances are you do.  Whether it is an iPhone, an Android phone or any one of the many other smartphones out there it is clear that the age of the feature phone (dumbphone) is past.  This year, for the first time, smartphone sales have exceeded dumbphone sales worldwide.

The explosion of smartphones is due to the steady march of technology getting better and lowering costs.  Smartphones have dropped in cost from $600+ in the early 2000’s…

Note: I write this as a fan and frequent user of Facebook. In addition to helping my family stay connected with friends around the world, the site has helped our company find new customers and team members. I wish them well. That being said, there are many areas where FB really needs to get its act together.

Our company does a fair amount of advertising…