Friday 5 for July 15: Long Journeys

1. What is the longest distance you’ve traveled (in one trip) by foot?

I think the longest was way back in 1981 when a friend and I hiked from the Laie Cemetery up to Laie Falls. That's what 4 miles uphill and then back down??? Don't know. Maybe it's only 2 miles each way.

2. What is the longest trip you’ve taken by car?

Driving around the island of Hawaii (Big Island) - Honokaa to Hilo to Volcano to Kailua-Kona to Waimea back to Honokaa. A few times in the last 40 years.

3. What is the longest trip you’ve taken by plane?

Honolulu to Seattle on a Pan Am Boeing 707. Later Honolulu to Las Angeles and back in a United Airlines 747. Also flew across the U.S. to Boston but made a few stops for several days between points. This was a couple of decades ago.


4. What is the longest trip you’ve taken on some kind of water craft?

Honolulu to Kahului Maui and back on the Hawaii Superferry, December 2007.


Photo: On the open ocean in the Hawaii Superferry. More photos.



The second long trip was last year, 2010 - a trip from Pearl Harbor out to nowhere 250 miles south of Honolulu aboard the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier. Flew back to Hickam AFB on a U.S. Navy helicopter. All in one day. Reported for online news source. More photos. The photo above was taken in the open ocean far away from land from the bridge deck of the aircraft carrier.

5. What is the longest trip you’ve taken aboard a bus or train?

6 miles on the old Lahaina railroad for tourists.

Around the island of Oahu several times on either TheBus #52 or #55 (back in the 1970s when I used to live way up there).

A trip from Edmonton Alberta to Banff National Park, 1974 on a "Motorcoach" (fancy tour bus).

Questions compiled from the weekly Friday 5 weblog.

Friday 5 for June 24: Summer Blockbusters

 Here is the perfect summer song for 2011:



Hello, and welcome to this week’s Friday 5! Please copy these questions to your webspace. Answer the questions there, then leave a comment below so we’ll all know where to check out your responses. Please don’t forget to link us from your website!


1. What transformation do you undergo on summer Fridays at midnight?

I stay up later? I usually stay up after midnight on Fridays summer or not.


2. What super power do the kids in your neighborhood seem to have?

The power to annoy us old folks on their skateboards and loud rap music.

3. Who (or what!) is your nemesis in these warm summer days?

Cockroaches.


4. What is your trustiest weapon against the evil heat monster?

The air conditioner and if outside, more ice, more water.


5. What seems to be invading your life lately, and how will you fend it off?

Clutter - need to toss some of it out.

Friday 5 for June 3: Summer

On the beach at Waikiki, visit Hawaii this summer!


1. What was your best summer vacation like?

Taking a tour on the U.S. mainland (West to East Coast) back in 1974 and meeting some interesting people and seeing different places.

2. What was your worst summer vacation like?

Probably the year my sister got mortally sick and eventually died 8 months later.

3. What food or drink reminds you of a particular summer?

Nothing in particular.



4. What summer-only activity do you now look most forward to every year?

Probably 4th of July fireworks.

5. What summer movie or summer reading are you most looking forward to this year?

No movies in particular. My previous summers were filled with great sci-fi and fantasy movies such as "Star Wars," "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and the "Star Trek" movies... nowdays, not too many movies prompt me to part with my money. Ticket prices are too high.

I plan to finish reading "Atlas Shrugged" among other books I own.

Friday 5 for May 27 - In the Mood

From the Friday 5 blog:

"Hello, and welcome to this week’s Friday 5! Please copy these questions to your webspace. Answer the questions there, then leave a comment below so we’ll all know where to check out your responses. Please don’t forget to link us from your website!"

It's Saturday, a day late and a dollar short!

1. What puts you in a creative mood?

Sometimes when I am working on my computer with Photoshop or maybe even writing. I sometimes draw stuff. I don't usually publish it.

2. What puts you in a silly mood?

Want silly? Play the video above.

3. What puts you in a contemplative mood?

When I am thinking about some serious stuff... death, taxes, the future....

4. What puts you in a competitive mood?

Finding a parking space at a busy shopping center during the holiday season. Also not letting those pesky, last minute lane divers into my lane when I am at the intersection with the left turn arrow traffic light.


5. If you’d call yourself a talkative person, what puts you in a quiet mood? If you’d call yourself a quiet person, what puts you in a talkative mood?

I would say I am mostly quiet unless I am talking about stuff that interest me like music, movies, politics, technology, Macs, or answering some trivia questions.

About the video: This computer animation was created over the old Glenn Miller song "In the Mood". This however is a cover version done by Ray Stevens, who is well known for many novelty songs. In 1977 he covered "In the Mood" but billed himself on the record as "Hen House Plus Five Too"... hence the chicken noises.

Friday 5 for May 13: Food Treatments

1. What’s your favorite pickled food?

Just plain old pickles.

2. What’s your favorite dehydrated food?

If Kellogg's Pop Tarts count, then this would be it.



3. What’s your favorite covered-in-chocolate food?

Chocolate cake, chocolate custard pie, hot fudge chocolate sundae



4. What’s your favorite sauteed-in-garlic-and-butter food?

Garlic chicken, garlic fish, garlic fried rice

5. What’s your favorite order-at-the-drive-through food?



McDonalds' - Quarter pounder meal with fries

Burger King - Whopper with onion rings

Jack in the Box - Jumbo Jack and 2 tacos

all with some kind of soft drink.

Questions taken from the Friday 5 weblog.

Friday 5 for April 22: Tee Vee!

Friday 5 questions for April 22.

Let me premise this by saying that my TV broke a few months ago. I have decided not to buy one for the time being. I have also discontinued my cable TV service and don't intend to re-up once I get a new TV.

That said most of my "TV" viewing is now done online with my computer, and much of it is free except for my monthly internet access fee.

1. What are your thoughts on late-night television talk shows?

Never watched any of the late night talk shows with regularity. If I did it was boring old ABC News Nightline or something on Fox News Channel.

2. What television program is so bad you can’t believe anyone watches it?

The following are current TV shows that stink:

ABC TV - The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, True Beauty, Wife Swap, Wipeout

CBS - Big Brother, Amazing Race, Arranged Marriage

NBC - most of their shows stink lately except for most of the Law & Order franchise.

Fox - Glee, Family Guy, So You Think You Can Dance, American Idol

CW - Everything on that network stinks.

Syndicated - Oprah, Judge Judy, most daytime talk shows, reality shows.

Cable - All of MTV and VH1 suck - they don't play music videos anymore.

Cable - Lifetime network, all shopping channels, many more.

One of the main reasons why I canceled my cable is because I hate paying for junk I never watch. Why subsidize this crap when I only want to watch a few shows on some channels? I can find several good shows for free online via some of the networks and places like Hulu.com and YouTube. Besides standard TV shows, there are many types of unique videos hosted on YouTube and other services such as Vimeo and UStream.

3. In what way have your television-viewing habits changed over the years?

Since I stopped subscribing to cable I watch way less TV and get most of my content from the internet. Plus I have more time to watch my DVD collection.

As a general thought over the years I have tended to watch more Fox News, C-SPAN, some Discovery and History Channel and occasionally Animal Planet.

I used to subscribe to HBO a long time ago, but after my Betamax died, I discontinued. Back in the 1980s the VCR and HBO (as well as other pay movie services) were a great way to record movies to build a relatively cheap collection.

DVD and DRM changed all of that. I like DVD and maybe will like Blue Ray too. But I absolutely hate DRM. Don’t know what DRM is? Look it up! I'm not a fan of DRM.

When I do get a set again, the computer will be hooked up to it , as well as the DVD player. I have decent over the air digital TV reception, so definitely an antenna set up will also do. Plus I may get either a Roku Box or Apple TV… anything that doesn’t require me to pay additional monthly fees is game for me.


4. If you were in charge of the universe, what changes might you make to television?

Too many that I could think of, but a few that I would implement include:



Allowing viewers to have ala-carte cable. Offer that as an option instead of bundling everything as a package. Let the buyer pick and choose what they want. If no one actively subscribes to a network, then let that network go out of business. TV networks that don’t get viewers should not be allowed to stay in business.

I think they future of TV lies mostly with the internet. We will get ala carte TV as more and more people slowly drift away from the current cable TV and satellite offerings. Hulu, YouTube, NetFlix, and other services are in the wings ready to eventually become mainstream.

5. What is most likely the very next thing you will be watching on television?

Nothing! My TV is broken. I’ll be watching something on my computer -- more than likely a music video on YouTube, a local newscast snippet or a clip from Fox News TV.

Anyone who wants to suggest more online places where we can get interesting content let me know. Leave a comment below.

Friday 5 for April 15 - Unwanted Attention

I try not to draw attention to myself.

1. Among people you know, who seems to be most attractive to mosquitoes?

Not too many mosquitoes in my area.. so no one in particular. You need a source of standing water nearby to attract mosquitoes.

2. Among people you know, who seems to be most attractive to illness-causing viruses and bacteria?

Illness attack people I know at random. There is no one person that can be singled out.


3. Among people you know, who seems to be most attractive to rip-off artists?

A few years ago I would have said my mother. Not anymore. She learned.


4. In what way were you recently the object of unwanted attention?

A few years ago a photo of myself was maliciously used on a website. I hate having my picture taken.


5. When you go out with friends, which of you is most likely to be flirted with?

No one. I rarely "go out".