Last fall and spring I collaborated with my dear friend and colleague Kainani Kahaunaele on a series of podcasts intended to assist beginning students of the Hawaiian language using the N? Kai ‘Ewalu textbook. It took a little longer than we planned, but the podcasts are now online. Please keep in mind that these podcasts are intended to be used in conjunction with the N? Kai ‘Ewalu textbook, whether you are learning in the classroom setting, in an online class or learning by yourself at home. There is a link on the podcast page if you need to order the…
Leok? Y2K7
I’m becoming a bit pessimistic that the developers of FirstClass are going to come through and commit to updating their localization process and tools so that we can localize the client software into Hawaiian and use Unicode. Their tardiness in getting Unicode support into the server and client was irritating enough, and it was only after they shipped the Unicode-compliant server and client did we learn that we would still be required to use our old custom fonts, keyboard and other hacks so that we can localize the user interface. Needless to say Keola was not a happy camper. After…
What It Takes To Get Any Kind of Broadband In Kurtistown, Hawai‘i
I’ve documented our issues with getting broadband connectivity in our area previously. We finally got decent connectivity courtesy of Advanced Wireless Systems today, and are getting between 500kbps and 1.5mbsp per second both downstream and upstream. For the record that is a 27′ antenna on top of our roof, which is about 12′ tall. With five individuals and six computers in use simultaneously, I can’t tell you how happy we are right now. Installation was $600 and it’s $50 per month, but all in all the best money I’ve spent in a long time.
Mobile Themes Installed
I’ve installed new plugins here on Culture Hack that identify access by mobile devices such as the iPhone and others. If you are accessing from a mobile device and experience any difficulty please let me know and I’ll look into it. My buddy Kenneth Makuak?ne pointed me to Mobi as a possible wireless provider with reasonable fees and no long-term commitments. Their site says they are not available on the neighbor islands yet, but Kenneth was able to get a signal from Hilo town and even our home when he visited last night. Apparently they are working on rolling out…
Wireless-less-ness
Russ, Bernie and others have written eloquent pieces that address the concerns, whines and gripes of non-mobilites, long-time netizens, and mobile newbies. I’ve fit into several of these categories at various times, and had hoped to join the hardcore mobile generation during our now-aborted stay in Cork. Upon return to east Hawai‘i island, I began to investigate our wireless options, and found them limited. Our area has neither DSL nor cable. My son’s Verizon mobile phone is only marginally usable on our lanai (porch) but nowhere in the house. He bought a 3G card that works near the eastern edge…
WordPress 2.3 Ships
WordPress 2.3, code named “Dexter” (for jazz great Dexter Gordon), has shipped. I’m looking forward to taking it for a spin. Look for it to be implemented here on Culture Hack sometime this week. Update: Site upgraded with no issues (knocks on wood). I also implemented the same template that I use on Nahenahe.net with a change in the color scheme. I like clean.
Thinking Ulukau and Social Networks
I spent two days in strategic planning meetings with Keiki Kawai‘ae‘a, the director of our Hawaiian Language Center and Bob Stauffer, the manager of Ulukau, our Hawaiian language digital library. Ulukau really started out as a skunkworks project, modeled after the M?ori N?pepa program. It has since passed that site in size and scope. It started several years ago with 50 hits per month and now serves over 6,000,000 documents a year. As we were talking about the site, Keiki compared the site to a traditional library, and says she wanted and atmosphere that felt more like Borders. I suggested…
Podcamp Ireland Promo in Hawaiian
I’m really looking forward to meeting some of the folks whose work I have admired for quite a while. Bernie asked if there could be a Hawaiian language promo for Podcamp Ireland, so I obliged. I think he was just kidding.
Is Google In Your Language Still Alive?
Google offers an impressive list of languages in its language options, including Klingon, Elmer Fudd, and Pig Latin. The language interface options states “If you don’t see your native language here, you can help Google create it by becoming a volunteer translator,” and provides a link for the Google In Your Language program. Looks impressive. I recently learned that some people in Aotearoa have translated the Google search interface into M?ori, and I have tried in vain to reach the person responsible for coordinating this within Google so that we could provide a Hawaiian translation. No joy. There is a…
Geekly Bonding
There is nothing that brings a father and teenage daughter together like a piece of new technology. As mentioned previously, I purchased a Motorola V551 GSM phone for her. It arrived, and after comparing coverage areas in NY, we signed up for a pay-as-you-go plan with Cingular/AT&T. It turns out most of her friends have Cingular/AT&T as well, and their calls to each other are free. We then spent time togther figuring out how to sync her Mac’s Address Book and that in the phone, editing MP3 files that she could move to the phone to use as ring tones…