Hawaii Ruby On Rails Conference - Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii - October 4-6 2009

To all those who tried it, mahalo for playing Pāʻani Pepa, the Aloha on Rails Official Card Game. It was a real experiment, and we appreciate you rolling with the ups and downs.

We took this snapshot of the Leader Board at 3:49 pm HST. If you are in the top 45 or so, please meet with Seth immediately following the conference. We’ll move down the list, giving the first person the first choice of prize. If you’re not there when we call your name, you lose your chance to pick.

Please use the comments of this post for any feedback or suggestions you have for the game.

Congrats to our winners, and thanks for playing!

For players that have signed into the game at least once.
Updated at Tue Oct 06 18:49:21 -0700 2009.

   1. Jordan Isip : 838
   2. Savara Sid : 633
   3. Baker Luke : 611
   4. Jess Mauer : 410
   5. Anthony Eden : 407
   6. Burger David : 387
   7. Gaio Michael : 381
   8. Marty Haught : 342
   9. Hagius Walker : 326
  10. Price Wes : 307
  11. ENGLISH KEVIN : 299
  12. Wang Andrew : 282
  13. Brenda Strech : 280
  14. Jon Suderman : 248
  15. Michael O'Sullivan : 238
  16. Michalczik Jasper : 236
  17. Mark Ranallo : 222
  18. Seth Ladd : 220
  19. Matthew Williams : 217
  20. Hoang Vince : 210
  21. Cole Carson : 206
  22. Nicholas Brochu : 198
  23. Ip Justin : 190
  24. Phil Cohen : 188
  25. Olson Rick : 185
  26. Matthew McVickar : 184
  27. Matthew Wastrodowski : 183
  28. Taylor Jeremy C : 181
  29. James Martens : 170
  30. Ben Trevino : 168
  31. Andrew Canfield : 164
  32. Zhou Wenyi : 158
  33. Chris Selmer : 153
  34. Little Timothy : 152
  35. Scott Chacon : 150
  36. Wyatt Ferreira : 146
  37. Sarah Mei : 146
  38. Desi McAdam : 146
  39. Dighe Vikram : 132
  40. Shawn Drost : 131
  41. Charles Nutter : 108
  42. Jim Weirich : 105
  43. Jussi Sipola : 102
  44. Sean O'Brien : 99
  45. Spangle Travis : 98
  46. Tammer Saleh : 94
  47. Trey White : 93
  48. Chesley Tyler : 93
  49. baldwin andrew : 93
  50. Forde Pete : 92
  51. Maika Saguid : 92
  52. Clarke Joe : 89
  53. David Croswell : 84
  54. Obie Fernandez : 81
  55. caleb cohoon : 81
  56. Huggins Kieran : 79
  57. MATHURIN Gilles : 78
  58. Olausson Thomas : 77
  59. Beutel J David : 74
  60. Nicole Hori : 74
  61. Park Donald : 72
  62. Juselis Jane : 72
  63. Byrd Marc : 71
  64. Cory Shaw : 67
  65. Lamb Lai : 66
  66. Peter Liew : 65
  67. Reid MacDonald : 57
  68. Apao George : 56
  69. Yung Wing : 53
  70. Aaron Longwell : 52
  71. Katzman Phillip : 51
  72. ramin keene : 49
  73. Gregg Pollack : 44
  74. Kim Bruce : 44
  75. Bloch Alain : 23
  76. Walker Robert : 17
  77. Corey Donohoe : 17
  78. Yi Dan : 12
  79. Jesse Copeland : 8
  80. Myron Marston : 0
  81. Steve Sloan : 0
  82. Veenstra Ron : 0
  83. Sussman Kurt : 0
  84. Eden Darrin : 0
  85. Ritari Alan : 0
  86. Kevin Folan : 0
  87. Jennifer Geis : 0
  88. John Postlethwait : 0
  89. Mattias A : 0
  90. Blythe Dunham : 0
  91. Pat Maddox : 0
  92. Nathaniel Brown : 0
  93. Darron Froese : 0
  94. Boonstra Joel : 0
  95. Lee Laurence : 0
  96. Preston Ma : 0
  97. Duckart Frank : 0
  98. Mayer Ken : 0
  99. Lewis Skip : 0

Aloha!

All attendees are invited to play Pāʻani Pepa, the Aloha on Rails Official Card Game. Trade cards, organize cards, and win our fabulous prizes!

Check your email that you used when you signed up. It will contain your password.

Enjoy and have fun!

Aloha!

The Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club, founded in 1910, leads hikes all over Oahu. They perform trail clearings and help both locals and visitors explore the island.

(photo credit)

This Sunday, Oct 4th, HTMC will lead a hike around Tantalus Mountain. The trail is 6 miles long. It traverse a diverse, lush rain forest. At 1.5 miles there is a lookout of Nu’uanu Valley. Hikers can turn back at this point or continue, climbing a steep sloop and going down to explore Paoa Valley.

Kevin English, a local Rails hacker, surfer, and hiker, will help lead the hike.

If you are staying in Waikiki, it’s very easy to join the hike. Meet at Iolani Palace at 8am. For the full hike bring 2 liters of water and a lunch. It will take about 4-5 hours. If you are only interested in the short, flat portion of the hike, bring 1 liter of water and a snack. Call Kevin English at 271-5125 if you are coming, would like a ride, or have any questions about the hike.

Aloha!

Many of our Aloha on Rails attendees are coming to Hawaii early to enjoy the island. If you are on Oahu on October 2nd, we recommend coming down to Chinatown for First Friday. First Friday happens the first Friday of every month in Honolulu’s Chinatown district. You’ll experience the local scene as you bounce between art shows and happy hours.

To get the most out of First Friday, just come down to Chinatown, and start following the crowds. The area is small enough to easily walk everywhere, but big enough to explore the whole night.

The main attractions are the bars and the art galleries, which seem to fuse into this meta-event alive with its own pulse. Most of the art galleries are open with extended hours, pupus, and special exhibits. The many bars have happy hour specials, and will be packed with locals enjoying the Aloha Friday.

The Chinatown Boardroom is a personal favorite, featuring hand painted surfboards and other eclectic art. This Friday they will feature Monster Mash, featuring artists that have “been asked to create a monster to be mixed and mashed.”

We highly recommend this event. It’s chill, local, and full of surprises. Take a walk around and you’ll certainly find something interesting.

There are lots of restaurants to choose from, from the Hukilau to Little Village to Indigo. Other choices include JJ Dolans, Soul de Cuba, and Brasseire Du Vin.

Of course, no evening out is complete without a stop to the watering hole. Check out Indigo, JJ Dolan, 39 Hotel, and Bar 35. There are plenty other options, all inside Chinatown. Just follow the crowds.

If you are driving, there are municipal parking lots in Chinatown.

TheBus is a really easy option from Waikiki (with the bonus that no one has to be designated driver!) Each ride is $2.25, and bring exact change. ProTip: ask for a transfer which is good for a few hours and good for your ride home (within the time range allowed.) Just take the B Express line, picking it up on Kuhio Ave (running through Waikiki). Be sure to wait at a CityExpress stop to catch the B! You can also pick up the 2 or 13 from Kuhio, but that’s not express. Consider buying the $25 4 Day Pass, which gives you unlimited rides anywhere TheBus travels.

Follow @sethladd or @alohaonrails, or your other favorite Aloha on Rails attendees, to find out where we are. Some of us will be using GoWalla, so you might see the updates there, too.

Aloha!

Due to the incredible support, interest, and sign ups to our waiting list, we’ve worked with the venue to move to a bigger space. This means we’re able to open registration again for a limited time and a limited amount of seats.

Our waiting list will get the first chance to register for Aloha on Rails, the Hawaii Ruby on Rails Conference. Soon after, we’ll open registration to the general public. Our advice: check our registration page frequently today, as you won’t want to miss this limited chance. We will be releasing a few seats by 11:00am HST today!

If you are on the waiting list, you should receive an email with further instructions.

Mahalo for your support and patience, and we’re looking forward to seeing you in Waikiki!

Aloha!

Oahu is filled with interesting and beautiful places. All you have to do is venture out of Waikiki to see the Hawaii you’re dreaming of: vast valley landscapes, waterfalls, luscious tropical rain forests, bamboo forests, and towering cliffs and mountain ranges. You’ll experience all of that at the Maunawili Falls Trail, on the Windward side of Oahu. We highly recommend this hike if only for the experience of playing in a waterfall in the middle of a Hawaiian rainforest.

The Maunawili Falls Trail is of medium difficulty. That is, it’s not paved and there is a bit of up and down, but it’s a relatively short trail and you can do it in about 1.5 to 2 hours. You’ll cross a few streams, so expect to get your feet wet. It’ll all be worth it, as you’ll end up at a big swimming pool and waterfall. You’ll probably find people jumping into the pool.

This is a fairly well maintained trail that is easy to follow. You can even park close to the trail head, which is in a residential neighborhood. Be respectful of people’s homes when starting or returning from your hike.

Bring plenty of water and snacks, and wear your bathing suit!

Aloha!

To really enjoy Hawaii, you have to slow down and admire the scenery. Some of the most breathtaking sites in the world can be found in the islands. From the Na Pali Coast of Kauai to the volcanic craters of the Big Island to the Sunsets of Waikiki, nature is on spectacular display every day.

To celebrate that we’ll all be in Hawaii with our friends and peers, Agathon Group, a leader in cloud and grid hosting, has announced the Aloha on Rails Official Pau Hana Party! Pau hana means “after work” in Hawaiian, and is the perfect time to enjoy free drinks and pupus (appetizers) while listening to Hawaiian music as the sun sets over Waikiki Beach.

The party starts at 6pm on Monday, October 5th. Come on over to Tiki’s Grill and Bar, which is next door to the conference venue. Tiki’s is an open air restaurant and bar, featuring spectacular views of Waikiki Beach, live local music, and Tikis everywhere.

Agathon Group will be providing free drinks, pupus, and prizes. After a productive and thought provoking day at the conference, come relax, have a drink, and carry on the conversations and debates with your friends and colleagues.

Mahalo for coming to Aloha on Rails, and we’ll see you at the party!

Aloha!

Hawaiians had such an advanced culture that they had time to invent things like surfing. No trip to Oahu is complete without jumping in the water of Waikiki on a surfboard and catching a few waves. If you already know how to surf, you’ll undoubtedly want to surf either the south shore or, if you are experienced, the famous North Shore. If you are new to surfing, then there is quite possibly no better place to learn how to surf than Waikiki.

Lessons on Waikiki Beach

There are a few ways to get started, but the easiest and quickest way is to rent a board from one of the Beach Boys on Waikiki Beach. The surf break is called Canoes, and our friends at Hawaiirama explain it best:

A good portion of Canoes is a sand bottom break and the better waves definitely break further outside although even those waves are pretty friendly to beginners. The crowds are extremely mellow, although it does get crowded. The better surfers expect to see beginners there so no one loses their cool. All of the surfboard concessions are there and its the place the original Waikiki Beachboys offered lessons. You can go to rent surfboards, usually $20 or $25 for two hours, meet the beach boys, and get a surf lesson.

No reservations are necessary, everything is super chill. Just walk down Waikiki Beach until you see a kiosk with a bunch of surfboards propped up everywhere. Simply walk up and let them know you’re ready to catch a wave. A beach boy will show you how to stand up, take you out, and even put you in the right spot. Nearly everyone (and I really do mean nearly everyone) gets up on a board numerous times. They will rent you a very big surf board, making it really easy to paddle and catch a wave. A big board will make it easy to balance and harder to fall off.

Once you have the hang of catching the waves, you can easily move on to just renting the board and going out on your own. Waikiki is a perfect place to learn and it’s big enough so that everyone has room to practice.

Surf School

After you’ve “gotten your feet wet” surfing (pardon that horrible pun), you might consider taking more private or longer lessons from a Surfing School. You can arrange for semi-private or private lessons, and get the opportunity surf other parts of the island.

Hawaiian Fire is a recommended Surfing School that will take you to the next level, or give you longer more one on one training. Hawaiian Fire is owned and operated by Hawaii firefighters. They offer group, premium (3:1 student to instructor ratio), and private lessons. All lessons include transportation to and from Waikiki Beach, plus all the gear you’ll need. They explain it best:

Our combination of the very best island firefighter surf instructors, a pristine secluded beach with perfect rolling beginner waves and the use of state-of-the-art safety equipment has been our recipe for success.

You’ll learn how to to surf, but most importantly you’ll have a lot of fun.

Hans Hedemann Surf School is another option, with a location in Waikiki that is one block away from the conference venue. HH Surf offers private, semi-private, and group lessons.

Your Fellow Hacker/Surfers

However you do it, we hope you’ll make it into the water to ride the waves of Waikiki and Hawaii. We’ll have lots of hacker/surfers at the conference to answer your questions and even take you out surfing. Look for Anthony Eden, Mark Johnson, Michael Nieling, Cory Shaw, or Kevin English, just to name a few. In fact, Cory has written a post with lots of surfing tips for beginners.

One of our speakers, Corey Donohoe, is putting together a group to learn surfing before or after the conference. Drop Corey a note and let him know you’re down for some surfing safari!

Mahalo and see you in the water!

Aloha!

Hawaii is much more than Waikiki. To get the full experience, we recommend that you rent a car before or after the conference and explore the island. A real jewel of Oahu is Lanikai and Kailua, two small towns on the Windward side of the island.

Drive over the Pali Highway (after stopping at the Pali Lookout) and you’ll enter Kailua. Lanikai rests itself to the south-east, and features one of the most beautiful beaches in the entire world.

Stop by Kailua Sailboards and Kayaks and rent a sea kayak. They have everything you’ll need, including a dry bag to store your lunch and valuables. They’ll show you a map and give you tips. You can walk the kayak to the beach from their shop if you’d like to launch from Kailua Beach. If you want a much shorter trip, they will help you strap it to your car so you can launch from Lanikai Beach.

Once in the water, glide over coral reefs as you watch the sea turtles (honu) bob up and down. You’ll want to head for the Mokes, the two islands out in front of Lanikai Beach (featured in the panorama above). You can land your kayak on the island to the left (but not to the right!) and explore the hidden tide pools.

We hope you’ll explore Oahu, as each part of the island is unique and exciting!

Let us know if you have any questions, we want to help ensure you have a great conference and trip to Hawaii.

(this is a personal recommendation, no financial arrangement exists between Aloha on Rails and the vendors mentioned in this post)