Browsing the State Ethic Commission’s online disclosure system
The deadline for filing annual gift disclosures by legislators and state employees was on Monday, July 1, so I took a few minutes to check out the State Ethics Commission’s Online Public Documents...
View ArticleStill working on those campaign data
It’s proving harder than I expected to clean up the campaign contribution data enough to create a relatively reliable list of those individuals who are reported to have contributed the most to...
View ArticleWebsite woes?
I’ve had several reports over the last week or so of problems with this site, either it being offline or displaying jumbled text. If you run into problems, I would appreciate a description, which will...
View ArticleCan you help with this WordPress mystery?
Here’s a problem that’s been reported to me, and I have literally no idea what might cause such a thing. Steve, who has been a longtime viewer of this site, says that he suddenly sees only boggledygook...
View ArticleA DNA test update: Digging into Chromosome 14
This post is really a placeholder. I fully intended to do a serious post this morning. But…. Instead, here’s a photo taken late Friday afternoon when my favorite pair of Brazilian cardinals landed just...
View ArticleTracking the Russian internet trolls
I happened on a good interview this morning with researchers who have tracked Russian internet trolls for a couple of years while trying to understand their strategies. They’ve been in the media for...
View ArticleIdentifying an email scam
A couple of days ago, I received an email which appeared to be from a friend who lives just a few blocks away. The subject line: “Need A Favor !!!” A brief message followed: Hi, I hope you are well. …...
View ArticleTracing the missing link
[Note: Please consider this post, and the initial one a couple of days ago, to be rescinded. I was wrong. Well, mostly and essentially wrong. It’s a short story. Sometimes when you “make A,” it’s...
View ArticleYes, I thought I had been hacked
If you tried to visit this site on Tuesday, you likely got an error message or a strange unrelated screen. I discovered the problem when I tried up upload a new post. I couldn’t get through. I...
View ArticleSo much for online privacy….
Earlier this week, I was reading an article about Trip Advisor, which has been one of my go-to sites for travel info (“What’s wrong at Tripadvisor?“). I’ve contributed dozens of reviews over the years,...
View ArticleDon’t ignore the resources of your public library system
Libraries are no longer just places where you go to borrow books. The Hawaii State Public Library System is an invaluable resource, as it provides anyone with a library card now only a rich source of...
View ArticleTimes they are a changin’
Back in 2006, when I was carrying a Mac laptop around town while I reported on various stories, I saw and quickly signed up to use Undercover, a service made it possible to track and locate your...
View ArticleRolf at MacMouse Club gives new life to another old Mac
I have to give a plug to Rolf Nordahl, the Head Cheese at MacMouse Club, who offers Mac-related services, upgrades, and repairs. I turned to him a couple of weeks ago in a last-ditch effort to breath...
View ArticleState moving to new public access data portal
Back in October 2012, the State of Hawaii launched a new website, data.hawaii.gov, which was described at the time as “an important new tool that will help to transform government and increase public...
View ArticleSpam, spam, spam, and spam!
Several days ago, I received alerts from the hosting service I use for this blog, and from Sucuri.net, a second service that provides a separate level of security. I signed with with that service...
View ArticleI hate what the last WordPress update did to its blog editor
This is aimed at those of you who do some blogging of your own. Why, or why, did WordPress suddenly revamp the whole look and feel of its editing mode in the last software update? I have enough trouble...
View ArticleComments “down,” troubleshooting later today
Thanks to those of you who alerted me to the problem with the “comments” function that cropped up in the past day or so. I don’t know exactly what the problem is, but I know how it happened. Last week,...
View ArticleMy set of quick research bookmarks
One of the topics that came up during the Civil Beat panel discussion of corruption is how we do our work as investigative reporters. By “work”, I’m not necessarily speaking of paid employment. Work is...
View ArticlePutting a little zip into our home internet
My latest purchase arrived yesterday. I had been swayed by the hype after reading through the ads and reviews of Eero, a small and easily installed wifi router that supposedly dramatically improves the...
View ArticleCheck out these online resources
I stumbled across the state’s list of online services, ranging from auctions by the Attorney General’s Asset Forfeiture division to “vessel services” (renew your vessel registration, or search for...
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