Y'know, even though it was one of the many, many reasons I supported him, only now that the rest of the world is paying attention to what he's eating am I really feeling the impact of having a fellow Hawaii-born Kama'aina in the White House.
No, it's not just that President-elect Barack Obama is stirring interest in treats unique to the islands, like Spam musubi (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/2008/12/watch-barack-obama-eat-spam-musubi.html) and shave ice (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/2008/08/watch-barack-obama-eat-shave-ice.html), but I think he's stirring enough interest that I may see shave ice come to Washington DC. Perhaps street vendors will jump on the trend and serve up Obama's favorite snack. Maybe local dessert spots will add this simple treat to their menus. And who knows how many used shave ice machines will show up on eBay after the fad passes. A half-price share ice machine could be just a few months away. (Hand-powered machines are going cheap right now.) [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
I mentioned back on my gift list (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/2008/11/sgl-can-you-spare-tablet-pc-pen.html) that my old tablet pen was broken. Thanks to another gift list item, the Griffin Clarifi (http://store.apple.com/us/product/TS484VC/A?n=iphone2&fnode=MTY1NDA0NA&mco=MjQyMDM0NA&s=topSellers) iPhone case with closeup lens, I can take some decent photos of the damage... and then post these smaller versions.
Oh well. The damage is not very apparent anyway. The crack is hairline, and the side button is held in with clear tape. Also, this is more of a test post, of the Clarifi and... something else. Let you know soon. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
Growing up in Hawaii with extended family, I am accustomed to seeing food in great variety and quantity at family events. Haven't experienced quite the same elsewhere until tonight. And a good chunk of it was meatless. Mmm, mmm, good. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
Lot of friends and family are in town this Christmas season. Taking a respite tomorrow after three nights of festivities and before the big weekend bash. Hope y'all had fun too. Merry Christmas and happy Yule. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
Seems like just yesterday I was describing "Spam musubi" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spam_musubi) to Tanya's cousins over dinner (http://sumocats.blogspot.com/2008/12/here-i-am-bertuccis-tysons-corner.html). Oh wait, that was yesterday, and considering the time difference, it was right around the time President-elect Barack Obama (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama) enjoyed the one that set off a big buzz over this local Hawaiian treat.
Sorry, no photos of him eating one (though there is one of him shirtless that's grabbing eyes (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/22/obama-shirtless-in-hawaii_n_152873.html)), just a report from the vendor (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/22/spam-musubi-obamas-hawaii_n_152854.html). For those looking for the real scoop on what it is, Spam musubi is a compacted brick of Japanese-style rice topped by a slice of fried Spam (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/2006/12/hawaii-ink-spam.html), wrapped together with a strip of dried seaweed (nori). Visually, it's like a big piece of nigiri sushi, but the rice is salted, not mixed with vinegar. It's another treat unique to the islands descended from Japanese cuisine, much like butter mochi (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/2007/11/recipe-butter-mochi.html) and shave ice (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/2008/08/watch-barack-obama-eat-shave-ice.html). If I hadn't gone vegetarian, I'd be eating one now. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
In conversing with different folks at holiday events, I've heard a couple of complaints about the difficulties of using mobile phones, like not knowing how to answer a call or switch to speakerphone, real basic stuff. A year ago, I would have sympathized. Even my plain old phone was unintuitive for anything other than punching a number. Thus, it strikes me as ironic that my feature-packed iPhone is the simplest phone I've ever used.
When a call comes in, an explanation of how to answer (or decline) appears. Switching to speaker means tapping the on-screen button labeled "speaker." Not once have I had to decipher an icon or give up on trying to figure out a function on the spot. Pretty much everything I've needed to do with a call is literally spelled out on the screen. This "advanced simplicity" has made the phone experience on my iPhone a subtle treat. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
A cable providing high-speed connectivity was found damaged this morning. A wire running through that connection was completely severed at two points. The suspect, pictured here, is a young black male with a history of vandalism and known connections to career troublemakers. Suspect is skilled with sharp weapons and said to be lethal to several people in my office. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
Got my car inspected today. As I was standing in the cold, waiting next to one of those drop-in cigarette disposal buckets, I saw a guy light up a cancer stick in his car after filling his gas tank. Admittedly, I don't visit gas stations very often, but smoking at gas stations is still heavily frowned upon, isn't it? [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
Well, well, well. Found this gem in my email today. Looks like #3 on my list (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/2008/08/pandora-should-stop-whining-and-start.html) of money-making ideas for Pandora: a sponsored email. Content needs to be spiced up, but it's a step in the right direction. Hope to see more. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
Oh yeah, I've been waiting for years to post that title, and now a reporter finally gave me an excuse when he threw his shoes at President Bush (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/14/bush-visits-iraq-for-fina_n_150832.html). Couple of problems though.
Why was Bush grinning like a kid in a candy store during the attack? If I have to get my shoes screened before boarding a plane, because I could really take down a jetliner with a shoe bomb, the least Bush could do is treat a shoe as a credible weapon.
Even if we ignore the potential shoe bomb threat, the guy throwing the shoes was in mortal danger. One wrong word, one hell in the eye, and the Secret Service could have shot that dude dead. Of course, given how slow the Service reacted, I guess there was no real danger of that.
Seems a comical event in retrospect, but at the time, on a trip that could not be announced, with someone's life at risk, it should have been taken seriously. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
An item from my gift list (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/2008/11/sgl-more-for-iphone.html) has gotten some blog love from a couple of blog friends recently. Jezlyn at Late to the Party (http://jezlyn.wordpress.com/2008/12/03/the-office-calendar-close-up-2/) has posted photos of her cool The Office (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Office_(U.S._TV_series)) calendar, while Warner Crocker has before and after shots at GottaBeMobile.com (http://www.gottabemobile.com/2008/12/06/griffin-clarifi-case-for-iphone-provides-some-clarity/) demonstrating the Griffin Clarifi (http://store.apple.com/us/product/TS484VC/A?n=iphone2&fnode=MTY1NDA0NA&mco=MjQyMDM0NA&s=topSellers) case for the iPhone. The clarity it adds to close-up photos taken with the iPhone is very impressive. I'm quite pleased to have it on my gift list (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/search/label/gift%20list). [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
After eight years of a president whose strategic insight can be summed up with his claim that "every war plan looks good on paper," I am staggered, nearly awestruck, by the complex strategies being laid down by President-Elect Barack Obama (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama). Let me explain...
First, the logic behind picking Joe Biden (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Biden) as his vice-president has become clear. I admit, I wasn't thrilled about it at the time (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/2008/08/hope-im-only-half-right-about-biden.html). I trust Bidin to do the job right, but I didn't think he added enough to the ticket. Now, however, I see that he brings the foreign policy weight necessary to counterbalance the heavies who Obama is adding to his foreign policy team.
More importantly, since Biden is unlikely to seek the presidency in eight years due to his age, he leaves the door open for anyone in Obama's cabinet, like Clinton or Richardson, to seek the top spot in 2016. He is the corner man allowing Obama to assemble a team of strong rivals, who will be well motivated to excel and stand out.
The newly revealed brilliance of the Biden pick shines a new light on Obama's cabinet picks. While people can and should question some of them, folks should make sure to ponder the logic behind those decisions. I guarantee it goes a lot deeper than "I like 'em." [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
Not only has Warner "what's 'sleep'?" Crocker given us the Ink Blot Awards (http://wickedstageact2.typepad.com/life_on_the_wicked_stage_/2008/12/the-fourth-annual-life-on-the-wicked-stage-ink-blot-awards.html) today, but he's introduced me to a fun new game: "Misleading Google Headline."
The wall Street Journal published a headline that reads: Google Gears Down for Tougher Times (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122826503489174369.html). Most people would take that to mean they're trimming the fat. But folks who use or know of the service "Google Gears" (http://gears.google.com/) could and have read that to mean that service is down. Warner called it a stupid headline (http://www.gottabemobile.com/2008/12/03/stupid-headline-writing-101-wall-st-journal-and-google-gears/). I say Google sticks their name in front of so many services that such missteps are unavoidable, which leads us to our game of creating Misleading Google Headlines.
Google Maps Dead -- Google creating comprehensive map of all the cemeteries in the world.
Google Docs on Life Support -- Doctors working with Google's charitable arm discuss emerging life support technologies.
Schmidt: No More Google Talk -- Google CEO Eric Schmidt asks journalists to refrain from asking about Google when interviewing him about his personal support of Barack Obama.
Google Blogger Suspended -- A blogger working for Google has been suspended for endorsing Yahoo!
Google Checkout GONE -- Dear Google, please checkout GONE, a new data recovery service designed for larger server farms.
