Hope you’re all keeping cool this summer!  Now that we’ve all recovered from the sunburns and weight gain from the fantastic Hawaii Geek Meet, it’s time to think ahead to the next Manoa Geeks!  The last few weeks have been chock full of tech news, so I know we’re all hungry for a chance to immerse ourselves in a room full of fun, brilliant people to share ideas, show off our latest projects, and catch up.  Bring your gadgets!

Once again we’re blessed to have a host with an eye for technology — IBM!  They’ve provided for a good space for demos and talkstory… and yes, free parking.  Mark your calendars and to start collecting cool links and things to share.  And you’ve got something you want to demo, let us know ASAP!

Please invite your friends!

Date: Thursday, July 16
Time: 5:30pm (note earlier start time)
Location: Ward Warehouse Conference Center (1240 Ala Moana Blvd.)

General Overview:

• Introductions: Who’s new?
• Eat, Drink & Talk Story
• Presentations: Have something to demo or announce?  Get in touch!

As before, those interested in the presentations are encouraged to settle in the demo space, while others hoping to network and catch up are welcome to do so nearby.

About Our Host:

IBM is a globally integrated technology company focusing on delivering globally relevant value to each of our local relationships and clients. Our latest THINKing is around building a Smarter Planet and we invite all geeks to view this at http://www.ibm.com/smarterplanet

Steven Sakata is the IBM Territory Manager for Hawaii and Guam.  He has been back in Hawaii for a year after IBM assignments in Los Angeles and Boston.  A geek at heart, Steve is interested in promoting technology in Hawaii, application development, research collaborations and expanding his geek-social-network.  You can follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/stevesakata

Thanks to Steve for stepping up for Manoa Geeks, and to Burt Lum for bringing Steve into the fold!

Spread the Word!

You can also tell your friends you’ll be there at:

TechHui: http://www.techhui.com/xn/detail/1702911:Event:44791
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=87750223989
Upcoming: http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/2960275/
Twitter: http://twtvite.com/hyp9jo

As I mentioned at the last (fantastic!) Manoa Geeks, the 2nd annual Hawaii Geek Meet is coming up this Sunday, April 19, at Magic Island. Last year, Aaron invited everyone down (in lieu of a typical meetup), and we had a great time. I hope you’ll join us this year!

Date: Sunday, April 19 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Place: Magic Island Picnic Area #39 [PDF Map]
Details: http://www.hawaiigeek.com

The Hawaii Geek Meet prides itself on (1.) getting geeks outdoors (we’re geeks in Hawaii, after all!) and being family friendly (contrary to popular belief, geeks do reproduce!). Like Manoa Geeks, though, this is an all-inclusive event. Whether you’re a coder or a circuit builder, a designer or a ham radio operator, we want you. Catch up with old friends and learn new things about other people’s passions!

It’s a potluck picnic at a beach park, so bring your families, a blanket, assorted sports-related projectiles and sunscreen! And definitely bring your tools, gadgets, and toys to show and tell. Last
year we had knights in full armor and a solar telescope. What geek gear have you got?

By the way… Remember Tony Barnhill? He showed off some of his maker projects at Manoa Geeks last month, like the iPod chargers he built out of Altoids tins. Well, he’s bringing more on Sunday, and will even have affordable at-cost kits available in case you want to build something right there in the park!

There’s no official RSVP, though it’d be great if you could help spread the word and share what you might be bringing. Here are some of the ways folks are saying they’re coming:

• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=65346857181&ref=mf
• TechHui: http://www.techhui.com/events/hawaii-geek-meet
• Twitter (Twtvite): http://twtvite.com/oxtofq
• Upcoming: http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/2402862/

Hope to see you there!

Time flies when you’re geeking out. It’s time to think ahead to the next Manoa Geeks! I think we’re all hungry for a chance to immerse ourselves in a room full of fun, brilliant people to share ideas, show off our latest projects, and catch up. Once again we’re blessed to have a host with an eye for technology and great space for talkstory… plus, free parking!

Hopefully this note reaches you early enough to mark your calendars and to start collecting cool links and things to share. If you’ve got something you want to demo, let me know ASAP — we’ll have demos this time, I promise! Many of us will be fresh out of SXSW with great stories to tell. Please invite your friends! I’ll send another reminder a week or so before the meetup as well.

Date: Thursday, March 26
Time: 6:30pm
Location: The Honolulu Advertiser (605 Kapiolani Blvd.)

General Overview:

• Introductions: A quick zip around the room!
• Presentations: Have something to demo or announce? Get in touch!
• Eat, Drink & Talk Story
• Guided Discussion: What’s going on in the web world?
• More Talk Story!

About Our Host:

The Honolulu Advertiser is proud to be a part of the wave of social media with more than 40 blogs, including the popular “The Warrior Beat” by Stephen Tsai, The Honolulu Advertiser encourages readers to share and participate daily online. Readers have immediate access to social tools, including a profile page, personal blog, a GetPublished feature to post a story or photo, and the ability to share messages with friends and family.

The young and dedicated online staff stays on top of the latest technologies and delivers news and information when and how you want it. They’ve got you covered with their mobile editions, text and email alerts, RSS feeds and eight Twitter profiles, from @honadv to @honadvsports.

Adding to The Advertiser’s broad base of coverage, Metromix keeps Hawaii up to date on what’s hot and happening tonight and every night. From charity gigs like the Honolulu Twestival to the hippest clubs and underground raves, Metromix is plugged in and keeping you in the know. Follow @metromix808 and @metromixit_hnl for up-to-the-minute event news and venue and restaurant reviews.

Special thanks to John Garcia (@johngarcia) for connecting us!

An ambitious plan is in the works to build an Interactive Digital Arts Center in Chinatown.  The center would have state-of-the-art computer equipment, a recording studio, and other resources to allow digital artists, tech businesses and knowledge workers, software engineers and educators to collaborate, brainstorm, and create.

The Interactive Digital Arts Center is the brainchild of the Hawaii Arts Alliance, and its leadership is reaching out to Hawaii’s tech and entrepreneurial sector to better understand what we’d want and need in such a center.

“[We] want your opinions and brainstorming ideas on the specific part relating to technology developers, product creation, using digital media to package and market products and services, and how best this type of center could act as an incubator for these things,” says Rachel Ogdie, executive director of HiBEAM.

They’ll be hosting a brainstorming lunch on Thursday, Feb. 12 at the Waikiki Yacht Club. They’ll feed you in exchange for your opinions on what an Interactive Digital Arts Center should be.  Since this center is being built, in part, for the kinds of talented and creative people that come to Manoa Geeks, I hope you’ll consider participating.

If you’d like to be there, please RSVP to Kathleen Watanabe by Monday, Feb. 10!

UPDATE: Thanks for stepping up! They’ve got a full table for their lunch. But feel free to comment or contact them directly to share your feedback anytime.

The first Manoa Geeks of 2009 drew another capacity crowd of tech-minded folks. Our great hosts at Straub, Angela Keen and Mark Ching, set a new bar for geek eats with pupus from their in-house catering department. They also showed just how far they were willing to go for our event by drilling into their AV cabinet to get at their presentation equipment!

Burt Lum invited everyone to the second annual Unconferenz on February 7 at JAIMS in Hawaii Kai. Seth Ladd announced the “Aloha on Rails” conference coming in the fall. Russel Cheng showed off the fun new iFu Kung Fu iPhone app by Oceanit. And Kevin Lohman said he’s also got an iPhone app coming out, and said he’d like to meet with other iPhone developers.

Tech demos are a core part of Manoa Geeks, but despite the full-on assault on Straub’s facilities, we weren’t able to have any presentations.  I do want to thank those that stepped forward to demo, however, and hope you’ll take the time to check out their work:

• Joe Philipson was going to update everyone on Reel Geeks Ride, the cross-country bike ride he’s planning with Carlos Urreta. They’re looking for sponsors and sponsor suggestions, and couchsurfing-savvy hosts in cities and towns along the way.
• Truman Leung was eager to show off Ascribe, his web-based church database and website building Software.
• Daniel Leuck was going to give a preview of Ooi, an open-source portal and social networking platform for Flex applications to be released later this year.
• Tony Barnhill was planning to show off the work done for the Mountain Apple Company using Magento.

Hopefully, they’ll have a chance to show off their stuff at the next Manoa Geeks.

Without the demos, there was that much more time for networking and meeting new people… and really, that’s one of the best parts of Manoa Geeks.  It continues to surprise and inspire me to see how far we’ve come from a corner table at a small coffee shop in Manoa.  Once again, thanks to everyone for coming, and I hope to see everyone at the next Manoa Geeks!

Check out more Manoa Geeks photos at Flickr. Be sure to tag your Manoa Geeks photos with “manoageeks”!

For the first gathering of 2009, Manoa Geeks returns to its roots, stepping back from barstools and disco balls to again embrace friendly, thoughtful spaces provided by local companies hopping to foster and connect with the local Web 2.0 and tech community.

Date: Thursday, Jan. 22
Time: 6:30pm
Location: Straub Clinic & Hospital at 888 S. King St. [Map]

General Overview:

• Introductions: A quick zip around the room!
• Presentations: Got something you’d like to show people? Have something to demo or announce? Get in touch!
• Eat, Drink & Talk Story
• Guided Discussion: What’s going on in the web world?
• More Talk Story!

About Our Host:

A big mahalo to the folks at Straub Clinic & Hospital, which was founded in 1921 and has grown to be one of Hawaii’s largest health care providers. As part of Hawaii Pacific Health, Straub is part of a non-profit medical system that services Hawaii through a family of hospitals, clinics, outpatient centers and hundreds of physicians and clinicians throughout Hawaii. We especially want to thank Angela Keen and Mark Ching for bringing Manoa Geeks to Straub.

Learn more about Straub at StraubHealth.org and follow Angela Keen (@AngelaKeen) and Mark Ching (@MarkChing) on Twitter!

We have a place and time… now we only need you. Feel free to invite a friend — we looking forward to seeing you there! Please RSVP via Eventbrite:

http://manoageeks.eventbrite.com/

And you can tell the world you’re coming via the below services:

• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=46419571726&ref=mf
• Upcoming: http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/1454603/
• TechHui: http://www.techhui.com/events/manoa-geeks-january-2009

Greg Hester, CEO of Pacific Hi-Tech, invites anyone who uses Eclipse or is curious about it to attend the monthly Eclipse Hawaii User’s Group meeting tomorrow (Tues., Dec. 16).  It’s being held at 11:30 a.m.  at the Department of Justice (235 S. Beretania St.), in Rm. LAK204 on the second floor. IBM will be sponsoring lunch. Please RSVP!

To celebrate the spirit of photo lovers everywhere, iLovePhotos (sponsor of November’s Manoa Geeks meetup) has launched the “I Love iLovePhotos” video contest!  Contestants have the chance to win a brand new 8GB iPod Nano.

To enter, simply share what you like or dislike most about the iLovePhotos desktop application in a 30-second YouTube video. Then just e-mail the link and your contact info to damian@bluelavatech.com.  There are no restrictions, but please keep it clean, so your video can be shared with everybody.  The most creative and entertaining video wins!

I can’t believe we’re halfway through October already! Obviously, it’s time to think ahead to the next Manoa Geeks! Hopefully it’s early enough to mark your calendars and start collecting cool links and projects to share.

When: 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 13
Where: Thirtyninehotel at 39 N. Hotel St. [Map]
Sponsored By: Blue Lava Technologies and iLovePhotos

General Overview:

• Introductions: A quick zip around the room!
• Presentations: Got something you’d like to show people? Have something to demo or announce? Get in touch!
• Eat, Drink & Talk Story
• Guided Discussion: What’s going on in the web world?
• More Talk Story!

About Our Sponsor

Blue Lava Technologies is a Hawaii based Internet venture co-founded by Henk Rogers and Lorenz Sell in 2006. “Our mission is to bring photos back into people’s lives using innovative technologies such as facial detection and artificial intelligence.” iLovePhotos.com, its flagship service, creates an entirely new photo sharing paradigm. You can watch an introductory video, or watch Lorenz Sell present iLovePhotos at DEMOfall 08.

About Our Venue

Thirtyninehotel is located in Honolulu’s historic Chinatown district at 39 North Hotel Street. It’s a second floor loft space that features a 1,700-square foot art and music space (with bar and sound system) and a 1,160-square foot private patio with assorted seating areas and an unparalleled view of downtown Honolulu.

Please RSVP via Eventbrite! And you can tell the world you’re coming via the below services:

• Facebook
• Upcoming
• TechHui

We have a place and time… now we only need you. Feel free to invite a friend — we looking forward to seeing you there!