HOW TO CONVERT YOUR OLD SLIDES INTO DIGITAL PRINTS

Before delving into the topic of the day, I have some GOOD NEWS!!!  As predicted, Solar Impulse 2 landed at Kalaeloa Airport in Honolulu at around 6AM this morning:

When you watch the landing you wonder how the plane can keep its balance, for there are only two wheels.  While pilot Andre Borschberg (right) deserves hero status, this was a major team effort:  50 engineers/technicians, 80 technological partners, more than 100 advisors/suppliers and 90 sponsors.    Next, Bertrand Piccard (left) will take the next leg to Phoenix.  I've been invited to visit the plane Monday morning and will show more about this historic solar powered craft later that day.

15 Craigside is featuring this morning, the day before the Fourth of July, the Royal Hawaiian Band.   They then go on for a 3PM performance at Center Stage, Ala Moana Shopping Center.  The bandmaster is Clark Bright, who once worked for me at the Hawaiian Natural Energy Institute when he was a student at the University.  He has been in this role with the RHB since 2011.

Oh, by the way, there are 35 of my photos (actually, only color copies on regular paper from the copying machine) highlighting My Ultimate Global Adventure of 2013 currently showing in the entryway to our Dining Room.  They will be there until Sunday, when the show moves to the basement display area for another week.

I can further announce that 15C  is having a grand photo exposition in August.  Unfortunately, this establishment loathes the public entering these premises for security reasons.  I suggested opening up the showing to the world, and serving champagne, but, understandably, sometimes my ideas go nowhere.  Each exhibitor is allowed to invite eight contacts.   However, I'm not inviting anyone, for I can't imagine anyone I know driving all the way up Nuuanu Avenue just to view photos.

Which leads to the title of this posting.  I thought I would use old photos in my portion of 15C's first  biannual photographic exhibition.  I have tons of slides, and thought, wouldn't it be nice if I could find a device that  can digitize these slides so that they can be made into prints.  I found something called the Wolverine F2D Mighty Film to Digital Converter (right).  It only costs $125 with no shipping charge from Amazon.  The process is so simple that even I can do it.  Put the slide in, press two buttons in sequence, and the conversion is made.  Then upload to your computer, which can print the photos.  

However, if you're afraid of high technology, you don't even need a computer, for the memory is the standard camera SD/SDHC memory card, which can then be brought to Longs/CVS, say, where a kiosk at the site can be used, and the cost of an 8"x10" print is reasonable.   I think I was told something like $1.89/print.  The 10"x14"  size is five times more expensive and takes a week.  For this exhibition, 15C is making the prints on real photographic sheets, and there is no charge to me.

Here are a few typical digitized slides, the first a 1963 shot of Pearl and Pepper at the Slippery slide in 1963:



This was also our backyard when I worked at the Kilauea Sugar Company on Kauai and is the exact spot where South Pacific was filmed where Bloody Mary sang Happy Talk to her daughter and the Navy Lieutenant.

Pearl at Foster Botanical Garden around circa 1965.

Sunset, not sure when or where.

Sunset at Ala Wai Yacht Harbor in the early 70's.

Pearl in the 80's, not sure where.

Davenport, Iowa in 1982 as we were driving cross country in our Barracuda.

Thus, some of these slides are more than half a century old and they still look pretty good.

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Oh, my goodness.  There are now six ocean storms in the Pacific.

One could well strengthen and threaten Hawaii:

The most serious one, Chan-hom, is still a tropical storm, but will soon attain hurricane strength and move into the general vicinity of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Then, Chan-hom could well reach Category 4 strength, or maybe even Super Typhoon status, and head for Okinawa, most probably, though, turning northward and passing through or close to Japan:

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WE ARE TODAY AT THE MIDPOINT OF 2015

This is the 183rd day of the year, with 182 days left.  July 2, 1937 was the last date Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan reported in their attempt to circumnavigate the globe, the first Walmart opened in Arkansas in 1962 and two years later President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

I should note that Solar Impulse 2 could arrive in Hawaii tonight.  While the above could have been the scene during daylight, almost surely it will be dark on touchdown in Honolulu.

On this day in 2002, Steve Fossett became the first person to fly solo around the world nonstop in a balloon, a journey that took a little more than 13 days. He held 116 world records in five different sports, and disappeared on a flight in 2007.  He began his Stanford University years when I was a senior there, and as a student swam from San Francisco to Alcatraz to plant a Beat Cal sign.  He was almost arrested by a guard (the jail had closed two years earlier, but it was still verboten), so he just swam back to San Francisco.  He also swam the English Channel and completed the Iditarod, Boston Marathon and Hawaii Triathlon.

Otherwise, today, Greece is at the tipping point of bankruptcy.  Here is what is happening:

• Over the past few decades too much has been provided by their government to the people.
• The average retirement age is in the early 60's, and some females can retire at 43.
• The unemployment rate is 26%.
• Public debt as % of GDP is approaching 180%, compared to 110% in Iceland (which already went bankrupt in 2008), 32% in China and 73% in the USA.  Japan is at 226%, but most of the debt is to its citizens.

• Here is the situation:

• The European Union has offered additional aid for Greece to remain in the Euro system, but wants significant socialism cuts.  
• Why bother?  A defaulted Greece would be worse than one that keeps asking for aid. 
• The Greek government is liberal and doesn't want to take those steps.
• There will be national vote on Sunday to remain in the EU, where YES would mean pension cuts, strict economic reforms and austere lifestyles for many years.
• If the people vote YES, the government will resign.

• What will happen?  I don't know, but with Spain, Italy and Portugal on near life support, and France stagnating, the future looks gloomy.
• It's worse in Swaziland.

In totally different ways, China is metastable with dangerously high market volatility:

For the first 5.5 months of 2015, China's elephant market increased by nearly 50%, but lost half those gains the past two weeks (in only two days an equivalent of a Dow Jones 2000 point drop).  So the government just pumped money into the economy, which is making investors nervous, for Chinese stock is now trading at 30 times earnings, almost double that of the U.S.

Just this morning the Shanghai Composite fell 5% more in just one hour and someone jumped to her death in a mall.  I can't show the photo, but click on it if you want to see the details.  Keep in mind, though, that the SC just about reached 6000 on 1October2007:

Thus, the closing today at 3912 is a third lower than almost 8 years ago.  Similarly, the Japan Nikkei 225 reached a high just under 39,000 at the end of 1989, and closed today at 20,523, fully 47% lower than the all-time high:

So you look at the above graph and say, hey, that's not so recently bad.  Ah, but this is a logarithmic vertical representation.  It's actually much, much worse, for 39,000 in 1989 dollars is the equivalence of 74,500 today, so as terrific as the Abe stock market looks, it is, realistically, 72% LOWER than their all-time high.  The Dow Jones Industrial Average will close today at around 17,750, which is 3% below the all time high reached this past May at 18,361.

Europe is a basket case, Japan is a pale shadow of its past and China is teetering.  The USA?  We are doing A-OK.  

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Holy Cow, there are now 4 ocean storms in the Pacific.  The most dangerous is Typhoon Chan-hom, now at 75 MPH, but on track to strike Guam, become a Category 3 and threaten Okinawa:

Also just appearing east of the Philippines is Tropical Storm Linfa:

Computer models show Linfa become a typhoon, just skirting the northern Philippines and heading towards Taiwan.

Still just a depression, one projection shows this anomaly to glide over Hawaii:

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15 CRAIGSIDE GOES TO M/W RESTAURANT

Earlier this month, 15C went to Budnamujip, where an introduction was provided for MW Restaurant.  Fourteen of us were in the MW group, but only the seven on our table appear in the photos.

All previous experiences here, reviews we had seen and personal discussions we had with others were positive, if not glowing.  However, last night we were all disappointed, our table much more than the second.  Apparently, for a reason not adequately explained, their kitchen that night had some problems.  Perhaps we were imagining things, but the staff seemed under some heavy stress.  We tried to be as understanding as possible, and, in most instances, should be given gold medals for our acceptance of less than tolerable conditions.  A second factor might have been that we were placed in a side room lacking in any aesthetics, where it was easier to forget us, since we were the only ones in that space for the first two hours.

Let me begin with the drinks.  First, some of us weren't asked.  Second, someone ordered VO Canadian Whiskey on rocks.  Third, bad choice on my part, for I ordered the Chef's Tasting Menu with their wine pairing, and the first drink comes with course #1.  After reminding various staffers five times, at least half an hour later, the whiskey orderer was told that, sorry, they did not have any VO.  But at least she then got her red wine.  I had to wait another half an hour for my first drink, which came with the meal.  You ask, why didn't I have a martini or aperitif of some sort?  Six wines were to come and I thought that that was way too much.  To the left, Paula, Pepper and Eric playing charade (hint:  they are signifying VO).

Anyhoo, finally came the Champagne Duetz with Osetra Caviar on Hawaiian Hearts of Palm Panna Cotta (I'm getting picky here, but it's hard to stomach Hawaiian Hearts of Palm, for that kills the plant--well, there is a Kauai company that says their palm then sprouts a new trunk), 

Osetra (and my computer keeps changing this to Austria, no matter what I do) only comes from Russia and is second to Beluga in cost.  What's wrong above?  This caviar is BLACK, and Osetra is supposed to be gold to brown.  Osetra means sturgeon in Russian.  You think, maybe, they substituted something cheaper?

Next came a Quartet of Small Bites:

They were all not at the right temperature, but edible.  Another mistake here is that someone brought a Kasumi Tsuru Sake (only Junmai, and it tasted like the bottle was opened a week ago), out of order.

The third course was seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras with Hawaiian Cacao and Raisin Chutney:

A glass of Domaine La Tour, Banyals Grenache was served, a sweet red wine and quite nice with this dish.  However, the foie gras must have been prepared fifteen minutes too early, for it was cooler than lukewarm by the time I got it.

The Mochi Crusted Opakapaka was almost excellent, but much too salty:

Here is where the sake was supposed to come.  I think they recognized their error, so they brought a second glass of sake.  I must say that the staff made numerous attempts at amends for their mistakes, to my benefit.  For example, I am allergic to crustaceans, so, at my request, they substituted their vaunted Truffle Local Egg Flan for the Kona Cold Lobster, with a Dr. F. Weins-Prum Riesling (a Kabinett, the cheapest, compared to Spatlese and Auslese).  Mind you, they did indicate that they might be adding a surcharge for this favor, and it probably had to do with the truffle:

I think this is where MW is being almost deceptive.  The server went through the exercise of shaving this fungus, and gave me so much that I wondered how they could afford this.  Stanley Ho (he is in the middle) of Hong Kong has paid more than $100,000/pound for white truffles.  The one served here is black and not as expensive.  However, when I sniffed the cup, there was zero smell of the distinctive truffle pungency. Only later did one of the waitresses admit that this truffle was not of the quality "usually" served.

Finally, Washugyu American Kobe Beef with Wailua Onion and inundated with Caramelized Onion Vinaigrette:

If I may recommend, reduce the sauce by a factor of ten, or completely, as the steak tasted like a dessert, sweet.  What a waste!  Halfway through this dish I noticed that the final red wine had not yet been served, so I inquired, and relatively quickly came a Gamay Noir, which, like the sake, seemed to have come from a bottle that was not recently opened.

At this point it was about three hours into dinner and the other table had already eaten their desserts.  We waited another half an hour for ours, and hastily finished to go home:

On the left, something called Floating Island, Lilikoi Frozen Souffle, Lilikoi Sorbet, Tropical Fruits, Poached Meringue with Pineapple Elderflower Consommé, plus something called Candy Bar and Donuts to the right.  I somehow shared this combo with the entire table and must say that the desserts were fabulous, when compared to the rest of the meal.

Mind you, at our table I think I complained less that a couple of others.  So much so that we had a running estimate of the tip we were planning to give.  Starting at 20%, we were down to 3%, at the end, but were encouraged by the person in charge from 15C to consider 15%.  Finally, the President of our group said 12% and no more.   The point is that we just had to leave a message to the management.  Three percent would have been more appropriate.

Henry sitting next to me waited, and waited and waited for his entre.  I don't think I am exaggerating, but his dish came half an hour after we had all finished.  The excuse was that the kitchen, to preserve quality, felt that the first piece of fish was a tad too small, so they had to re-do everything.    You would think, if this was so, that they would have informed him of the circumstances.  They must have a list of excuses to provide.  Henry, ever the gentleman, simply ate his dinner and waited for dessert...and waited.  Here he is, with Audrey to his left, earlier, showing off his poke, which he loved.  Jerilynn with her first course.

The good news, Henry did not have to pay for his entre, and they deleted the cost of my wine pairing ($60) and did not charge me any extra for that deceitful truffle flan.  We returned back to 15C just about four hours after we first left.

I sat in the shuttle next to Cookie, in charge of programs at 15C, and we discussed the prospects in the future of featuring some uber high end restaurants, such as Teppanyaki Ginza Sumikawa, a Japanese beef establishment, with a minimum $200 charge, before drinks.  Or, maybe Vintage Cave, where the tasting menu is $295, plus wine.  Coming up in July and August:  Bac Nam (Vietnamese), Signature (steak), Hoku's (expensive lunch place) and Ocean House (seafood on the beach at Waikiki)

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Tropical Storm Chan-hom is now predicted to strengthen into a Category 3 hurricane and pass between Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands:

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