Bytemarks Cafe

First we’ll look at the latest tech news and happenings in Hawaii and beyond. Later, Natasha Chappel from the Pacific and Asian Affairs Council will tell us about “Our Energy Future”. Finally, Olin Lagon and Kylee Omo from KanuHawaii.org will join us, and we’ll talk about using the web to inspire people to do good deeds.

First the News:

• In 2005 while vacationing in Puako on the Big Island, two Silicon Valley engineers, Joe Rizzi and Roger Hine, began building a device that would allow them to listen to the calls of humpback whales. What they produced, with their two-year-old company, Liquid Robotics, is the Wave Glider, a vehicle that will not only allow them to eavesdrop on whales but could also become a powerful tool that helps scientists better understand climate change and the military to monitor the high seas.
• The Hawaii County Police Department is deploying BlackBerry smartphones throughout its force to gather and look up real-time information from a variety of databases, and to connect directly with each other.
• isisHawaii a Hawaii-based non-profit organization has developed a partnership with complex administrators from the Pearl City school district. isisHawaii provides resources and opportunities to students to foster interest in the exploration of science, technology, engineering and math (i.e., STEM) education.
• The Polynesian Voyaging Society is eager to begin its 1,050-mile journey to Palmyra Atoll aboard the Hokule’a, after several days of weather delays. Though the mission is to demonstrate traditional navigational skills, the crew is not afraid to embrace new technology. They’ve set up an official Twitter account to post updates on their progress, with the ultimate hope of “Tweeting around the world” when the Hokulea begins a two-year circumnavigation of the globe in May 2012.

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First we’ll look at the latest tech news and happenings in Hawaii and beyond. Later, Bill Spencer from the Hawaii Venture Capital Association will tell us about their monthly lunch panel. Finally, Sandee Oshiro and John Garcia from the Honolulu Advertiser web team will join us, and we’ll talk about the engine behind honoluluadvertiser.com and what it takes to deliver today’s multimedia news content.

First the News:

• The Blue Planet Foundation is helping energize a new generation of leaders for Hawaii’s renewable energy movement by giving three University of Hawaii students free trips to Power Shift 09, a national youth summit on renewable energy being held in Washington, D.C., Feb. 27-March 2.
• Millions of dollars have been allocated to upgrade the nation’s tsunami warning networks following the 2004 Indian Ocean disaster. But an Associated Press report out this week says that progress has been slower than expected.
• In a house bill moving through the legislature, the state is considering awarding up to $500,000 in tax credits each year for donations benefiting science, technology, engineering and math programs at public schools. The bill would let donors claim a credit worth half the amount they give to support STEM subjects.
• A local Navy facility is testing a new solution to dispose of thousands of gallons of oily sludge waste. The new process is both cheaper and more environmentally friendly than the old way — shipping the waste to the Mainland.

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After the headlines, Meleana Judd from Hawaii SEED will tell us about an upcoming event. Then, Ron Hashiro and Rich Fewell from the Emergency Amateur Radio Club will join us to talk about the current state of amateur radio technology, and the role groups like the EARC play in the event of a disaster.

First the News:

• Researchers at the University of Hawaii, working with colleagues from Johns Hopkins and Northwestern University, have discovered new promise in an old drug remedy. The team has found that clofazimine, a synthetic compound made in the 1890s and used to combat leprosy, has promise in treating multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, and type 1 diabetes.
• Farrington is now the first high school on Oahu to establish a Project EAST program, which is a national initiative to teach students to solve real-life problems using technology.
• We’ve previously discussed NASA’s Lunar Rover and its test runs on the rugged terrain of Mauna Kea, where the volcanic soil is the best representation of the lunar surface. This week, Michelin announced that it will provide its “Tweel” for upcoming missions of NASA’s Lunar Rover. The “Tweel” is an non-pneumatic Tire/WhEEL combination which offers a no-maintenance, easily-retreadable tire for consumers, and the holy grail for the military – a tire that can’t be “shot out.”
• The National Park Service is in the middle of a multimillion dollar renovation of the Arizona Memorial Visitor Center. But work is also underway to give visitors an unprecedented look at the sunken battleship itself. The Parks Service is working with the U.S. Navy and researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanic Institution to create a 3-D video tour of the U.S.S. Arizona. Top-of-the-line high-definition equipment allows them to collect both detailed videos and still images.

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After the headlines, Sabrina Velazquez from the Academy of Arts will tell us about “Wikipedia Loves Art.” Then, Ted Liu from the Dept of Business, Economic Development and Tourism and Bill Parks from the US Department of Energy will join us to talk about Hawaii’s energy future, and the role the Clean Energy Initiative plays in shaping it.

In the News this week

• The U.S. Department of Education has granted nearly $192,000 for a project to help native Hawaiian elders (or kupuna) to record their personal histories and have them endure in digital form.
• After 10 years of development here in Hawaii, an Australian-based drug company says it’s confident that a dengue fever vaccine it’s developing will protect people against all four strains of the mosquito-borne disease.
• For a large data processing company like Island Insurance Company, disaster recovery is an important business consideration. To address this need Island Insurance has selected Houston, TX INX’s Virtual Infrastructure Recovery Service (VRS) as their DR solution.
• As commercial aquaculture grows, the need for fish food grows as well, and catching wild fish to feed to farmed fish presents obvious problems — not the least of them being the impact on the environment.

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After the headlines, Todd Ogasawara joins us to talk about some popular iPhone apps. Then, Geoff Loui, Senior Vice President for Strategy and Marketing at Hawaiian Telcom, joins us to talk about Hawaii’s incumbent telecom provider and the challenges and opportunities ahead.

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After the headlines, Caroline Kim from the Small Business Development Center will join us to tell us about an upcoming workshop for small businesses. Then, we’ll speak with Frank Schowengerdt, from the Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems, and Jim Crisafulli from the Dept of Business, Economic Development and Tourism on Hawaii’s Space Industry.

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