Sorry folks, starting a new blog at my new site that is under construction at www.KaimanaPine.com.  Aloha!

We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give. -Winston Churchill (via twitter @LanaitheDJ)

So what do you do when you finally have a name picked out for your online persona or trademark? Register it! To be successful you have to think locally, globally and keep it simple. Listed below are a few quick ways you can do this online!

First, double check. I always double check a name before I settle and start registering, which can take up a lot of time. There are many ways to to check on name use, a popular method is Google; simply googling a name will help you establish what is revolving around your word mark. Secondly, use a search tool such as http://knowem.com/, this will allow you to see available usernames on over 400 social networking sites. Finally, a search with local department of commerce and federal trademark search at http://www.uspto.gov/. Keep your brand naming tight and easily recognized wherever you go and you'll find it's much easier to track and promote.

Since I'm from Hawaii, we're able to do this locally at the Department of Commerce & Consumer Affairs website (http://hawaii.gov/dcca), this method is usually reserved for business name, service mark or trademark registration and costs $25 as of August 2010.

Globally can be a bit more in-depth with many options including foreign sites, although I recommend the United States Patent and Trademark Office (http://www.uspto.gov) and apply with the Madrid Protocol, the service allows one to seek simultaneous mark registration with multiple countries (http://www.wipo.int/madrid/en/). The application fee to get you started on global registration starts at $100.

Remember, be a responsible citizen of the world and register a mark that is yours. Have fun! Aloha!

We're constantly on the move as the years go by, so much so, there may be people trying to give us money or property! Recently I found my immediate 'ohana (family) has about $400 in unclaimed monies, finders fee!? Hehe :)

Have fun!
Search State of Hawaii - https://www.ehawaii.gov/lilo/app
Search National - http://www.unclaimed.org/

Want to learn more and kokua at Oahu's largest organic farm? Get Involved Volunteer Environmentally, G.I.V.E. Day every last Saturday of the month at MA'O Organic Farms in Wai'anae; a youth edu-cultural experience aimed at empowering community through growing youth to grow food and their minds.

More info at: www.maoorganicfarms.org

The iPhone, iPod touch and soon to be released iPad are essentially personal mini-computers, although frustration comes about when these devices lack the ability to connect with or expand using options such as USB or card reading capability.

Being a photographer and overall lover of gadgets I've noticed Secure Digital (SD) card growth over the years, this standard of digital storage is now heavily incorporated into professional photography and electronic news gathering (ENG) due to its size and capacity; with SDHC (High Capacity) versions holding as much as 32GB of data. One such expansion device from ZoomMediaPlus caught my eye. What they are offering is an SD card reader that plugs into Apple's proprietary 30 pin dock connector enabling easier management and sharing of data. Apple is also offering both USB and SD as an accessory for their new iPad.

As form factors for mobile computing get smaller and ease of sharing increasingly important; I wonder what's the next step for mobile-peripherals, what would you like to see?

ZoomIt SD Card Reader price & availability TBA - http://www.zoomitonline.com/
Apple iPad Camera Connectino Kit price & availability TBA - http://www.apple.com/ipad/specs/

As it were, a lazy day, although a work day nonetheless, a work day that brought me to a late lunch at Sam's Delicatessen in Nu'uanu. Recommended months ago by my friend Ryan Kanno, it seemed that fate always steered me away, but today was the day and I made a few images for you to enjoy. For those familiar with Nu'uanu eats, Bangkok Chef may come to mind, the downright quaint garage-cum-restaurant is but a stone-throw away from Sam's Deli. Once inside Sam's, climate controlled dining awaits, as well as small flat screen TV and the usual empty takeout boxes strewn about. As for the meal, standard local Hawai'i style Korean affair is served with the customary two scoop rice (white or brown), main dish and four choices; but we were there for the Tofu Katsu! A good friend of mines, and pro-bono R&D "Q&A specialist" from my surf shop, Earl. T treated me to this vegetarian delight that I've not found at any other Korean style restaurant. First off what surprised me was the variety of side choices which seemed to outnumber other places by at least two; I opted for the shoyu potato, taegu & corn 2x. The food was prepared quickly, mind you this was about 2:30pm, and it was deelish! The Tofu Katsu is basically firm tofu lightly breaded with panko, simple, served with a side of katsu sauce of which I hoped to be a bit thicker and later spilled (pictured-- clumsy me hehe). The flavors were that of what one would expect, perhaps agedashi style, the sides accompanied the main dish well, corn was cold- meh, no big whoop, taegu wasn't too spicy and shoyu potato nicely done. A Tofu Katsu meal for two with small drink totaled $15.58. Overall a pleasant visit and one I'd like to experience once more; Sam's Deli gets a rating of Full Win!

Also of interest is a hidden gem of Nu'uanu called Kunawai Spring, I'll write about this in my next blog, stay tuned...