GM and Happy Aloha Friday!

This is the first of what I hope to be a long series of Aloha Friday blockchain releases. What I’m doing here is just putting together all the info I can find about Blockchain in Hawai`i and then publishing it as a 1) Blogpost on Vagobond.com 2) a newsletter at https://vagobond.substack.com and 3) as a readable NFT magazine on OpenSea.

Below you will find:

1. Hawai`i Blockchain Events and Gatherings
2. Hawai`i Blockchain News
3. Hawai`i Blockchain resources including groups, websites, meetups, NFT projects, cryptocurrencies, and more.

Why am I doing this? I’m in love with the possibilities and opportunities that exist in blockchain and Web3 technology. In the process of immersing myself in all this stuff I’ve discovered that not only do I like the tech and the art – but I also really love the people and the culture. Blockchain and Web3 people are generally community oriented, helpful to new people, and fun to be around. Yes, just like any space where there is money – there are scammers and opportunists – but it’s been my experience that those people generally hide in the shadows – you won’t meet them in person or even know who they are – so creating this is a chance for all of us to meet in the light and to bring a true sense of aloha into what is already a pretty cool space.

I believe that the ethic and culture of aloha in particular and Hawai`i in general offer something essential to the world as we grow so quickly with digital technology. There is a reason that so much of the internet and digital tech has emerged from Hawai`i.

So, who am I to be doing this? I’m just the guy doing it, that’s all. I’m not Hawaiian, but I have deep roots here. I came to Hawai`i twenty-two years ago with $100 to my name and nothing but a deep desire to find a way to be a part of this place. I’ve worked in the lo`i, worked in tourism, and eventually graduated with a degree in anthropology from UH Manoa. My undergrad thesis focus was on how electronic media was changing the way we connect with one another – specifically through the fan-boards of the TV show LOST. It was pretty revolutionary stuff at that time. Shortly after Twitter launched, I tweeted as I walked the entire circumference of Oahu over a nine day period (Hat Tip to Ryan Ozawa for introducing me to Twitter…). Later I worked as an archaeologist literally digging (always respectfully) into the layers of history that make up this place. Tech has always been my love though and I returned to it by founding a series of start-ups and most recently over the past year, by diving deep into NFTs and NFT culture. So that’s me, that’s who is writing this and trying to put this together.

What is it that I’m trying to build here? I’m trying to build a cohesive community from the many people in the many different areas of blockchain technology, hopefully for the benefit of everyone here. There are so many parts of blockchain from Bitcoin to smart contracts to decentralized finance to non-fungible tokens to decentralized autonomous organizations to exchanges to oracles, Layer 1, Layer 2, and so much more. Often the people in these areas think they are in conflict with one another and lose sight of the fact that it’s not a zero sum game. We are all in the Blockchain Space and we are all in Hawai`i.

So, let’s come together as one ohana and see if we can change the world – or at least make some new friends and learn together.

If I haven’t already, I hope to meet you soon IRL (in real life), a hui ho,

~CD Vagobond (aka Christopher Damitio and Vago the Vagobond)

**This is a total work in progress please let me know anything I miss or should be including.

Email: vago@vagobond.com | Twitter & Insta @vagobond | Discord: https://discord.gg/rkVBtBWXnb

Hawai`i Blockchain Gatherings/Events:

Today:

4/22/2022 6pm- 7pm, Blockchain Informal – Whole Foods Kaka’ako – informal meetup and chill event for all blockchain interested or involved people. There is no agenda here – just a chance to meet up in real life, make some frens, and enjoy a bit of breath together.

Upcoming:

Sunday 4/24/2022 – we had an outdoor event planned but didn’t receive interest in it, so we will cancel this one and put something else together at a later time. Postponed.

Monday 4/25/2022 6pm – 7pm, Blockchain Informal. Ala Moana, 3rd Floor – Ho’okipa Terrace. This is also an informal meetup and chill event for all blockchain interested or involved people. There is no agenda here – just a chance to meet up in real life, make some frens, and enjoy a bit of breath together. This is for folks who couldn’t make the event today.

Monday 4/25/2022   Honolulu BitDevs Socratic Seminar #10 (https://www.meetup.com/honolulu-bitdevs/events/285244617/) event where developers/tech-savvy individuals discuss a brief overview of salient industry news and the latest advancements in Bitcoin development. All are welcome to join the conversation, regardless of technical expertise. Join us on Monday, April 25, 2022 at Watermark Waikiki (1551 Ala Wai Blvd)!

Tuesday 5/3/2022 6pm. Blockchain for Beginners: An Introduction to Chainlink.Have you heard the terms “Web3,” “Blockchain,” or “Smart Contract” and wanted to learn more but didn’t know where to go? Here is your chance! Come learn more about the evolution of the internet, what a blockchain is, what a smart contract is, how they work, and the underlying framework utilized.Join us for a special in-person presentation by our Honolulu Chainlink Advocate, Clint Oka, for our inaugural Chainlink Hawaii meetup! (https://www.meetup.com/meetup-group-odvuqzln/events/285318442/)

Agenda
6pm to 615pm — Greetings and Introductions
6:15pm to 6:30pm — Chainlink Presentation
6:30pm to 8pm — Networking and Happy Hour

Come hungry; food and drinks will be provided. This event is part of the Chainlink Plugged-In Series. Attending this event will earn you custom Chainlink swag you won’t find anywhere else!

Hawai`i Blockchain News

• Honolulu magazine enters NFT fray
• Crypto 101 Event Recap 
• Hawai`i Can’t Afford to Ignore Cryptocurrency
• Hawai`i Street Artist Strikes Digital Gold (Fomo Mofos by Jasper Wong)

Helpful Hawai`i Blockchain Resources:

• Ryan Ozawa’s Hawaii Crypto Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/hawaiicrypto/

Highly recommended. Great information and friendly ohana. https://www.hawaiicrypto.net

• Honolulu Bitcoin/Crypto Meetup Group: https://www.meetup.com/honolulu-bitcoin-crypto-meetup-group/

Sean and Aliko have created a safe space for new or experienced crypto people to connect.  They’ve also created the excellent How to Crypto Hawaii (https://www.howtocryptohawaii.com/) website that has a wealth of local information on it that is helpful for people of all levels in the aloha state (and a Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/howtocryptohawaii/)

• Honolulu Bitcoin Devs https://www.meetup.com/honolulu-bitdevs/
• Chainlink Honolulu Devs https://www.meetup.com/meetup-group-odvuqzln/
• Ethereum Hawaii https://www.meetup.com/Ethereum-Hawaii/
• https://hawaiicrypto.org – Doesn’t seem to have much specific to Hawaii, just an affiliate link to Gemini

NFT Projects:

Fomo Mofo – https://www.fomomofo.io | Discord  | Twitter:@FomoMofoNFT

Bald Jesus Drinking Club – https://www.baldjesusdrinkingclub.com | Discord | Twitter: @baldjesusart

Where My Vanagon Goes – https://opensea.io/collection/where-my-vanagon-goes | Discord | Twitter: @vagobond

Aloha NFT – https://alohanft.com |  

Hawaii Aloha Collection NFT – | Discord: hawaiialohanft | Twitter: HawaiiAlohaNFT  | Project created by former NFL star Mana Silva

The Project 808  | https://theproject808.com/sol-paddle | Twitter @theproject808 | Discord https://discord.gg/tnw5WdCu7a  |

Aloha Frens  | https://mobile.twitter.com/alohafrens | Insta & ENS : watase.eth https://www.instagram.com/alohafrensnft/

Angry Natives | https://www.angrynatives.com |Twitter: @TheAngryNatives Insta: @TheAngryNatives |   OS: https://opensea.io/collection/angry-natives | Discord: https://discord.gg/5EqXcKdDtm

Crypto & Token Projects:

Hawaii Coin – https://www.hawaii-crypto.com I bought some of these. It’s actually one of the oldest crypto projects out there (not just in Hawaii) and has seen little peaks of interest over the years where it looks like it might revive, but so far, nope.

Aloha Coin – http://hawaii-nation.org/alohacoin.html I helped to write the White Paper for this back in 2017, but the project just seemed to drop of the radar, devs stopped responding, etc. It still sits right where it was.

The Crypto High Life – TheCryptoHighLife.com | Discord: https://discord.gg/bXDKKhKd4t | Funny crypto videos produced by a Maui team

Exchanges & Bitcoin ATMs:

I’m not going to reinvent the wheel here: How To Crypto Hawaii has an excellent and up to date page that lists the exchanges that can be used in Hawaii, the pros and cons, and more.

https://www.howtocryptohawaii.com/exchanges