Hawaii – The Hawaii Files

June 15, 2018June 15, 2018

A Different Way To Sell Tickets

Grammy award winning pop singer Bruno Mars will be featured in two concerts in Hawaii this coming November 10 and 11 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu. The November 10 show is sold out and tickets for the November 11 show go on sale tomorrow (Saturday, June 16) morning at the Aloha Stadium box office and online.

Many people who waited in line at the stadium to buy their tickets or tried at home to get them through the internet were met with frustration and disappointment. Bruno Mars tickets were sold out before the end of the day. People waiting in line were turned away after a certain point, and countless others who tried to buy online were frustrated to learn that “bot” programs bought many tickets for resale at higher prices by third parties.

It seems the same thing will probably happen when tickets for the second show go on sale tomorrow. The line at the stadium was stopped shortly after 9:30 a.m. today. Those lucky enough to beat the cutoff at the stadium are waiting another night for when the box office opens tomorrow. Good luck.

Similarly those wanting to buy online will probably face the same problems they did last week.

Surely many tickets were sold for the 36,000 or so lucky ones last week. But the popularity of the local born singer has made demand for the second show tickets extremely high.

A possible solution.

What should be done to assure that tickets are sold only to the fans (mostly local residents) and not to commercials entities via bots?

My solution would be to allow people to come to the stadium, sit in the seats and have ticket sellers authorized by the stadium and concert promoter to meet every single person seated in the stadium and take their ticket orders with an iPad or other tablet device tied into the payment system and master seat map for the performance being sold.

Curtail all online sales until the people who are at the stadium buy their tickets. Whatever is leftover can be sold online… or as they probably do now, just lop X amount of seats on the side for online sales only. Indicate the online sale allotment in pre-sale information.

If the maximum amount of tickets any one person can buy is 2 or 4, then round down the 36,000 seat number to 16,000 live in person Aloha Stadium ticket buyers. Hire ticket sales agents to take ticket orders iPads and send an e-ticket people’s smart phone and/or email address with a back-up in the cloud just in case. Task done.

While the ticket buying crowd is seated inside Aloha Stadium for the ticket agents to come around, the promoter could use the opportunity to showcase local bands, sell food or something. Make the ticket buying day an enjoyable event.

Surely there are logistical issues to be worked out such as parking, security, sanitation, hiring enough ticket agents and setting rules, priorities and policies on the actual implementation of the process. It is also possible that this idea may not be feasible at all.

What do you think? Surly this suggestion is only a rough idea, but if planned well it could be possible for the next big show.

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June 2, 2018

Volcano Video Spotlight: Andrew Hara

Andrew Hara on Vimeo

20180531 @ 15:30 – 20:00 HST Leilani Estates – Fissure 8 and surrounding area from Andrew Richard Hara on Vimeo.

Today we start a new series highlighting selected videos or video producers as the Kilauea eruption at Leilani Estates moves into its second month starting tomorrow, June 3.

The video above shows eruptive action from Fissure 8, which I am calling (unofficially) Pu’u Leilani. The fissure is building up a sizable cinder cone in the area. If it continues for a long time and the cone grows larger, it could rival that of the now dormant Pu’u O’o more than 13 miles away to the west.

Andrew Richard Hara is a professional photographer who has captured many images of the dynamic beauty and the distressing images that tell the story of the Kilauea eruption in lower Puna. He maintains a Vimeo channel, a website with is own domain and is active on Facebook. Many of his images have been licensed to various organizations.

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June 1, 2018June 1, 2018

Hurricane Season Started Today

For most of Hawaii, the impact from the Kilauea volcano eruption is minimal at best with vog and ash being the wider problem on the Big Island over the destructive lava flows in the localized area of lower Puna.

What can be a statewide problem is a major hurricane. Hawaii enters hurricane season starting today. It is highly advisable to get your disaster preparedness kit assembled or renewed before the state is hit with a large hurricane.

From the National Weather Service comes this article:

Hurricane Season Starts Today

June 1, 2018. | PRESS RELEASE

NOAA’s Central Pacific Hurricane Center announced there is an 80-percent chance of near- or above-normal tropical cyclone activity during the central Pacific hurricane season this year.

The 2018 outlook indicates equal chances of an above-normal and near-normal season at 40 percent each, and a 20-percent chance of a below-normal season.

For the season as a whole, three to six tropical cyclones are predicted for the central Pacific hurricane basin. This number includes tropical depressions, named storms and hurricanes. A near-normal season has three to five tropical cyclones, and an above-normal season has six or more tropical cyclones.

“This outlook reflects the forecast for ENSO neutral conditions, with a possible transition to a weak El Nino during the hurricane season. Also, ocean temperatures in the main hurricane formation region are expected to remain above-average, and vertical wind shear is predicted to be near- or weaker-than-average,” said Gerry Bell, Ph.D., NOAA’s lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at the Climate Prediction Center. Bell added, “If El Nino develops, the activity could be near the higher end of the predicted range.”

El Nino decreases the vertical wind shear over the tropical central Pacific, which favors more and stronger tropical cyclones. El Nino also favors more westward-tracking storms from the eastern Pacific into the central Pacific.

This outlook is a general guide to the overall seasonal hurricane activity in the central Pacific basin and does not predict whether or how many of these systems will affect Hawaii. The hurricane season begins June 1 and runs through November 30.

“It is very important to remember that it only takes one landfalling tropical cyclone to bring major impacts to the State of Hawaii,” said Chris Brenchley, director of NOAA’s Central Pacific Hurricane Center. “As we begin this 2018 hurricane season, we advise all residents to make preparations now, by having and practicing an emergency plan and by having 14 days of emergency supplies on hand that will be needed if a hurricane strikes.”

The Central Pacific Hurricane Center continuously monitors weather conditions, employing a network of satellites, land- and ocean-based sensors, and aircraft reconnaissance missions operated by NOAA and its partners. This array of data supplies the information for complex computer modeling and human expertise, which are the basis for the center’s storm track and intensity forecasts that extend out five days.

Check the Central Pacific Hurricane Center’s website throughout the season to stay on top of any watches and warnings, and visit FEMA’s Ready.gov for additional hurricane preparedness tips.

The seasonal hurricane outlook is produced in collaboration with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center.

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May 29, 2018

Hawaii – Island of Fire

“Hawaii – Island of Fire” is an insightful report into the Kilauea eruption and its impact on the residents of Leilani Estates as well as the government officials who are tasked with managing this disaster.

While the eruption of Kilauea has been nothing short of spectacular and tragic at the same time, it is with note that I remind readers that the eruption’s lava flows are impacting less than 5% of the Island of Hawaii (Big Island).

While sensational reports of the eruption have been shown worldwide, officials at the State and County of Hawaii remind would-be visitors that Hawaii and the Big Island is open for business. The port in Hilo is open as well as all of the airports on the Big Island and the rest of the state. Tourists are encouraged not to cancel travel plans. Those visiting the Big Island are urged to patronize island businesses in the Puna and Volcano area.

The USGS map below show the impact of the active lava inundation areas as of May 28, 2018.

Be sure to check our Hawaii Volcano Videos collection on YouTube. It is a 500+ list of the most relevant videos pertaining to the current eruption with some historic ones thrown in.

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May 20, 2018

It’s Honokaa Western Week!

The Big Island of Hawaii is open for business and the Honokaa Western Week festivities have begun. Throughout this week, Honokaa town comes to life with the celebration of its 62-year-old tradition that culminates with its annual parade, block party and 3-day rodeo. Come dressed in your spiffiest cowboy or cowgirl duds and enjoy a week of fun activities in Honokaa town, far, far away from the erupting volcanoes.

It’s time for the rodeo: May 26 to 28, 2018 – Honokaa Hawaii

Everyone loves a parade including cowboys and horses. You can find all of that this coming Friday May 25 in Honokaa town.

About Honokaa Western Week (Facebook)

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