Two (more) beaches
nWe seem to have found a rhythm of one day intense and one day soft. Today was soft … two beaches. We were able to get close by car to the first … and went swimming in it:
A short hike through a lava field brought us to the second where we were greeted by bright greens and white sands (apparently the sand on this beach is from corals)
… and went swimming in it too … then I went to check out the next two bays (David went earlier) and found this phenomenal site … trees that have grown on the volcanic surface close to the beach … first feature (which I’ve seen a lot of) is superficial root systems that simply can’t go deep … so much that there is a tree species (I saw a lot on Kauai) that has roots reaching from above ground into the ground … but then, when close to the ocean, the sandy soil gets washed out from beneath them leaving them to collapse.
and the hike back brought us to the “classic” Hawaiian scene
We then stopped by the car rental agency to change cars to a 4×4 … because the car we had did not do a good job of carrying us down Mauna Kea … and there are still more up&down-hill adventures ahead. We changed from the very-large car in front (Dodge) to the huge one in back (Nissan):
Mauna Kea
nMaune Kea is one of the two volcanoes on the Big Island, the one with all the observatories on top of it.
We passed through the clouds on the way up. This was the view down from the visitors center at ~9000 feet where we stopped to acclimatize.
After anotherr few steep miles we were at the top driving between the large telescope structures.
we decided to walk down to lake waiau
And setting aside any preconceptions about sacredness we found ourselves in a sacred place
And gifted with an abundance of beauty and connection we started our way back to the car
Kiholo Bay Lagoon
nAfter the long day in Volcano National Park we went for a different kind of day … a less-traveled spot … about a mile walk from the coastal highway brought us to a beach (with another rich and shameless deserted villa) that brough us to a picturesque lagoon where, together with the local turtles, we went swimming:
not many pictures … this time we were more IN it 🙂
Volcano National Park
nWe took a long drive down to Volcano National Park where we started with a hike in Iki (=small) crater. Later in the visitor center I learned that we were walking on what was a lake of lava less then 100 years ago. I’m not sure the images can begin to capture the contrasts of the place. To my eyes so much of the landscape looked dark, yet the landscape is covered with fine-silica which reflect a bright shining light which dominates the pictures. It took a bit of post-processing to get the pictures to resonate with what I felt I saw.
The hike starts with a rain-forest-ish walk around and then down into the crater.
then the crater’s lunar surface appears
followed by a short walk into a lave-tube cave 
and then another drive took us down to the shoreline where vast black lava fields meet the pounding waves of the ocean … a collission of static and dynamic forces resulting in … life! in the distance you can see steam rising from where hot lava is currently flowing into the ocean.
It was fascinating to learn from the visitor center video that the Hawaiian island were (and are still being) formed by the same volcano. The under-water structure that is the Hawaiian islands is drifting east (away from the USA) ~10cm a year. The volcano is like the head of a 3D printer that is printing islands that are then drifting east … creating (ongoing!) the chain of islands.
Hapuna Beach – Big Island
nA short flight brought us over to the Big Island. From the plane landing it became apparent that this is a very different island. First the powerful, raw, rough & rugged black lava that dominates. Then the large and full private jet parking lot at the airport!
We are staying at what is the most luxurious hotel I’ve ever been too (didn’t imagine I would ever spend time in one) on Hapuna Beach.
We took a beach walk to the neighboring Mauna Kea resort … and on the way passed a few deserted-looking (though actively maintained) villas of the rich and shameless (the jets at the airport are probably part of the kit when you build one of these villas):
… and arrived at the neighboring resort:
and on the way back …
Waterfalls and Waimea Canyon Revisited
nYesterday we started out with a surprising waterfall … small but alive and vital … and with the added playfulness of the people who were jumping into its pond and climbing out around it.
I found a quiet spot just before the waterfall to dip my feet in a gentle flow
Then we revisited another look-out (park and snap) waterfall this time with better light
On our way to drive up to the Waimea canyon road we stopped in the harbor once again … saw some kids learning to sail and another cruise ship (that today I saw out at sea again).
Stopped in a few lookouts with, again, poor lighthing / visibility down in the canyon) … still immense views:
Then we were surprised by this stream of green-ish looking water flowing the red-ish clay
We made it all the way to the end of the road again … and again found ourselves in a cloud that blocked ocean and cliff views
On the way down we a sunset found us on a coast, still on the west coast, which felt like a homeless neighborhood:
… and then what felt like a long drive home in the dark … felt tired throughout the day so today I took the day off to relax and prepare for our departure tomorrow to the Big Island.
Around Kauai: Waterfalls, Beaches & Sunset
nAfter a first waterfall (poor light, no good pictures) we caught up with a group finishing a kayaking trip:
then a waterfall with decent light (not limited access … trails were closed)
then a beach … with end-of-the-day light
and we got back to the resort just in time for a sunset … mostly from the world-class golf course that sits between the resort and the ocean … which, according to the security guard who kindly asked us to leave, is not used much … so not making enough money … so the owners don’t allow people to just walk around … but we are welcome to rent a golf-cart and then freely roam the area … arrrrgh!
Barking Sands Beach
nOn the way we passed the harbor and saw a cruise-ship in it for the day … these things are HUGE …
And then drove all the way around the island to the last beach, just before the cliffs on the other side of the Na Pali Coast. A beautiful 12 mile stretch of beaches. I went into the ocean again … fantastic water. I also felt, beacause of the very active waves the powerful combination of forces … under-currents pulling at my legs to carry me into the ocean, while the surface water carries me back towards the beach.
Na Pali Coast (and trail)
nThe Na Pali coast is, I’ve been told, one of the highlights, if not THE highlight of Kauai. I am not a fan of hiking so I cannot enthusiastically get behind that … many years ago when I visited New Zealand and arrived at such a famous coast + trail I chose to skydive over it … and THAT was a good way to see it!
Kauai island is small and there is a road that goes almost all the way around it … almost because the Napali coast is a 17 mile stretch of cliffs and so the road reaches both end of the cliffs but cannot go fully around.
It is a demanding trail. We did the first 2 mile stretch and then started another two mile stretch that leads to a waterfall, but turned back half way into the trail … so a 6 mile round trip.
There are two vantage points, a quarter of a mile and then a half mile in.
Then … a long walk that winds up and down (so climbing and descending in both directions)
Eventually we started to converge down towards a beach that marks the end of the first 2 mile stretch
… and there we were … large and powerful waves … not safe for swimming in … when we flew in the helicopter over this area the pilot told us that during the summer months the water here is like a lake … flat and peaceful … and it is possible to kayak the length of the coast.
In the second stretch in the direction of the waterfall .. there were impressive bamboo clusters that stood out from the already dense green vegetation.
Then we stopped at another coast with a pier … and had a tatse of a local Hawaiian day ending … with many people converging on the coast to take in a sunset:
… those surfers are 8 year old girls
Google now listening in ALWAYS
nFirst this as context:
“Today some Google Home owners reported hearing something extra when they asked for a summary of the day ahead from the smart speaker: an advertisement for the opening of Beauty and the Beast … The ad was delivered using the regular Google Assistant voice, so it blended in seamlessly with the other My Day information (weather, calendar appointments, etc.) … When contacted by The Verge for more information, Google denied that the audio snippet was actually an ad … “
then this:
“Online advertising and privacy has always been at war. Listening in on your conversations because you placed an always-on microphone in your home is just the next obvious hill to capture. Google has already normalized reading your emails for context-aware advertisement. Listening to your dinner conversations is just a natural jump.”
Posted in Intellect Run Amok, outside, Tech Stuff
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Beaches and a Lighthouse
nToday’s weather forecast changed our plans, the hike has been delayed … and we did some more beach-hopping. First was a beach not far from our resort … in this one I stayed by myself a bit and went for a dip … the water was warm, clear, shallow (static) and waves with power (dynamic):
Then Secret Beach … which was striking, colorful and powerful and spacious:
From there to the Kilauea lighthouse:
… and another beach (I’m not really keeping track of names of places!) … this one with what looked like some prime green real-estate … a local complained to us that the real-estate owners were cutting down trees neat the beach to open up their view from the nearbye hills to the open sea!
Kauai Helicopter Tour
nI’ll let the images do the talking:
and another beach … with a volleyball competition
a harbor
and a sunset (on the west side of the island)
Queen’s Bath
nToday we took it easier … checked out a few local beaches and did a bit of scouting in preparation for tomorrow’s hike.
Had a look around the resort we are staying at … dominated by a golf course (that is woven between numerous resorts) … it is new to me … so at the same time both very impressive (so much green) and so not-of-my-world … its strange to me to see holes torn into the ground for play!
We checked out a few nearby beaches
The main event of the day was Queen’s Bath … which starts with a trail owned by the roots of the trees that line it:
then the sound of water flowing kicks in and we came across this waterfall which feeds into a pool (which supposedly is the queen’s)
which continues to flow down towards the ocean ..
soon the trees start to give way to a view of the ocean
… and then everything opens up 
to this
Waimea Canyon – Cliff Trail – Waipoo Falls
nFirst hike in Kauai in Waimea Canyon 🙂 we started by driving 3/4 around the island clockwise and stopped at a view vantage points to get an overview of the area we would be hiking:
The top of the waterfall in the top-left hand corner was our destination (which means that we would not really see the waterfall itself) … and hiking began 🙂
There are beautiful free-grazing chickens all over the island!
There was an almost constant sound of helicopters buzzing through the valley (we will be in an open-door one on Friday).
Near the end of the trail there was a T junction … one led to the edge of the waterfall:
The other led to a pond and smaller waterfall:
And then we started back … first by foot
and then by car enjoying the beautiful colors of a setting sun:
Longwood Gardens
n
I am near Philadelphia for 3 days, visiting with my sister on my way to ~3 weeks in Hawaii.
On the morning of my first day here I was greeted with a surprise snow-storm-ish … which later become a sunny day. My sister and I hung out together, did some light shopping and a movie.
Today, with freezing temperatures outside, we visited Longwood Gardens. It was too cold and windy to enjoy the vast open gardens so we settled for the impressive conservatorium with a warm and inviting climate and an abundance of colors with a seasonal orchid presentation:
Posted in Life, Photography
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Technology and our Experience of Time
nA short and sweet conversation between Douglas Rushkoff and Alan Burdick about time … the kind that clocks indicate and the kind that we experience.
Imagine that the video is presented here. It isn’t because it was published on Facebook and you have to jump through hoops do display a Facebook video anywhere else because Facebook want everyone to stay in Facebook. Are you still on Facebook?
To listen to the conversation click on this dumb link to another post instead of directly watching the video.
Revisiting Trust in Bitcoin and Blockchain
nI have mentioned before that I do not believe in bitcoin and blockchain technologies because of their attempt to circumvent trust. I believe in using technology to nourish trust relationships.
This article (via the P2PFoundation) does a good job of demonsrating the issue of trust and how it has already manifested and challenged ongoing blockchain explorations.
“… Trust seems to be in short supply these days, although we have no choice but to rely on it. We trust schools and babysitters to look after our children. We trust banks to hold our money and to transfer it safely for us … Sometimes, however, our system of trust fails us …
Imagine a world in which we didn’t exchange currency, but kept track of who had what on a huge public spreadsheet, distributed across the internet. Every 10 minutes, all the transactions that took place in that slice of time are fused together into a single block. Each block includes a chain linking it to previous blocks, hence the term ‘blockchain’. The end result is a universal record book that reliably logs everything that’s ever happened via a (theoretically) tamper-proof algorithm. We don’t need to trust human bankers to tell us who owns what, because we can all see what’s written in the mathematically verified blockchain.
… the fact of the matter is that blockchain technology is larded through with trust … First, you need to trust the protocol of the cryptocurrency … some actual human (or humans) wrote the code and hopefully debugged it, and we are at least trusting them to get it right, no? … Second, you have to trust the ‘stakeholders’ (including miners) not to pull the rug out from under you … Third, if you are buying into Ethereum … you are being asked to trust the people who review the algorithm and tell you what it does and whether it’s secure. But those people – computer scientists, say – are hardly incorruptible.
… it ends with other humans. Blockchains don’t offer us a trustless system, but rather a reassignment of trust. Instead of trusting our laws and institutions, we are being asked to trust stakeholders and miners, and programmers, and those who know enough coding to be able to verify the code. We aren’t actually trusting the blockchain technology; we are trusting the people that support the blockchain.
… Why are people so eager to put their faith in blockchain technology and its human supporters, instead of in other social and economic organisations? The upheavals of 2016, from Brexit to Trump, suggest that there is widespread fatigue with traditional institutions. Governments can be bought. Banks are designed to service the wealthy, and to hell with the little guy. ‘The system is rigged’ is a common refrain.
But instead of targeting the moral failures of the system and trying to reform it, the very concept of ‘trust’ has become suspect. Blockchain enthusiasts tend to cast trust as little more than a bug in our network of human interactions. To be sure, one of the weird features of trusting relationships is that, in order to trust someone, there has to be some chance that they will fail you. Trust involves risk – but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
… Trust is what makes all relationships meaningful. Yes, we get burned by people we rely on, and this makes us disinclined to trust others. But when our faith is rewarded, it helps us forge closer relationships with others … Risk is a critical component to this bonding process. In a risk-free world, we wouldn’t find anything resembling intimacy, friendship, solidarity or alliance, because nothing would be at stake … Perhaps we ought to reconsider the desire to expunge trust, and instead focus on what should be done to strengthen it.
… we shouldn’t deceive ourselves with the idea that a technological fix can replace the human dimension of trust. Automation of trust is illusory. Rather than disparaging and cloaking human trust, we should face the brutal truth: we can’t escape the need to rely on other people, as fallible and imperfect as they might be. We need to nurture and nourish trust – not throw it away, like so much debased and worthless currency.”
As I read through this I noticed a recurring pattern (first brought to my attention by Charles Eisenstein): just as money erodes relationship so does blockchain erode trust in whatever traces of relationship we still have. To me that indicates that though blockchain was created as an act of rebellion against systems and institutions (which are demonstrably untrustworthy) it is deeply embedded in a shared (and I believe faulty) understanding of human nature and life. In this sense blockchain technology is giving CONTINUITY to destructive patterns embedded in our existing money systems.
Posted in Intake, Intellect Run Amok, Money, outside, Tech Stuff
Tagged bitcoin
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