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"If a hurricane came through the island, our radio communication would be gone." - Gordon Bruce, Honolulu CIO on the vulnerability of the emergency communication network on Oahu. See story here.

Vacation on the Run

The marathon vacation. For most travelers, it's an oxymoron, or maybe just moronic. However, for hundreds of thousands of people across the country, planning a vacation around a "destination marathon" isn't such a crazy idea. According to the running-industry professional organization Running USA a record 432,000 runners completed 58 U.S. marathons in 2005. That is 28 percent more finishers than the 312,000 in 1995.

photo: Janelle Kalawe

Last year, writer and devoted traveling marathoner Elise Allen became frustrated by having to cross reference information gleaned from her race information packets and travel guidebooks. What hotel was closest to the marathon expo or starting line? Where could she go for a good, pre-race, carbo-loading meal?

In 2005, Allen toured the running hot spots across the country, asking those questions and many more. Last April, travel publisher Fodor's published "The Traveling Marathoner," an easy-to-follow guidebook that provides comprehensive vacation planning and race-day information for 12 marathons, one for each month.

"For most people, planning your vacation around a marathon is a little bit of a twisted idea," says Allen. "But think about it. What better way to see a city or town than to run through and around it?"

Some of the races highlighted include the Walt Disney World Marathon in January, the Grizzly Marathon in Choteau, Mont., in August, and the New York City Marathon in November.

The Honolulu Marathon made Allen's cut, representing the month of December. "No other big race takes care of the individual runner as well as Honolulu does," says Allen. "They'll keep the finish line up for the last finisher, who they escort across the line. You just don't see that anywhere else."

Allen's top recommendation for the race: Don't miss the official luau and concert on the Friday before the race. The food is pretty good. The music is usually great.

Earlier this year, Hawaii Pacific University professors Wendy and Jerry Agrusa estimated that the Honolulu Marathon and its 28,048 registered runners had an economic impact of $100 million to the city and state. Nearly 62 percent of the runners were from Japan. Let's hope Fodor's will translate "The Traveling Marathoner" into Japanese before 2006's race.

-David K. Choo

>> His Good Book Says Rusty Gage, co-owner of Valley Isle Gymnastics on Maui, won the 2006 individual award for business ethics from the Better Business Bureau of Hawaii. In his acceptance speech, Gage shared the 10-point code of conduct that makes his company special. It's a code that could apply to any business. Here it is: 1 Be honest and tactful in all your dealings with everybody who enters our doors. 2 Treat everyone—everyone—with the respect you yourself expect. 3 Make promises only when you're 100 percent sure you can keep them. Then keep them. 4 Return calls and e-mails within 24 hours. 5 When you sense something that is wrong, be respectful of everyone around who senses the same thing. Then make it right. 6 If you don't know, admit it. Then go find out. 7 The physical, mental and emotional well being of everyone in this organization comes before all else. 8 As soon as it stops being fun, it's time to take a break. 9 Remember—the main reason we're all involved with (his company) is very simple: It's fun! As professionals, it's our job to keep it that way. 10 If you didn't get it all, go back and read one through nine again.

The New Gas Cap?

This was going to be Brian Conant's big break. The Mililani resident had two minutes to convince the judges on ABC's television show "American Inventor" that his invention was the next big thing. Sure, it was not your typical product – a "three-ply activated charcoal cloth pad" inserted in your underpants to absorb flatulence odors – but Conant, 47, was confident. He says, over three-and-half years, he had already sold his patented "flatulence deodorizers" in more than 40 countries, using only the Internet. "American Inventor" was now going to give his company, Flat-D Innovations Inc., national exposure.

Here's what happened. "They turned it into a joke," says the miffed Conant. He tried to explain how, during a chemical warfare training exercise for the Hawaii Army National Guard, he discovered that the suit prevented gas odors from escaping. He tried to explain that the pad, which uses similar chemical protective material, was helping people with health conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease and Celiacs disease. But Conant fell victim to a little reality-show lampooning, as producers took snippets of his two minutes to make a warped collage of a guy peddling "fart pads."

Flat-D illustration and photo courtesy: Flat-D Innovations Inc.

We asked Conant if he didn't see it coming. His invention seems to demand a little light-heartedness. His Web site, www.flat-d.com, even has a product for dogs. Conant says, "It's a subject matter that people are not willing to discuss in a serious manner, but I always try to hit on the serious side. I believe in it. It's a product helping people with medical conditions."

His sales, he adds, are nothing to turn up your nose at. In 2005, he and his partner from Iowa raked in $135,000 selling the Flat-D pads, which go for $12.95 a pop and are good for 10 washings. Since they began selling in late 2002, they have hauled in $350,000. And thanks to "American Inventor," they've gotten some memorable national exposure.

-Scott Radway

Big Record for a Really Tiny Brush

Nanotube illustration courtesy of Mehrdad N. Ghasemi Nejhad.

Imagine a brush with bristles about five thousand times thinner than a strand of human hair. This microscopic tool, the nanotube brush, was developed by a team of researchers led by Mehrdad Ghasemi-Nejhad, founding director of the nanotechnology laboratories at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

The brush will be listed in the 2007 Guiness Book of World Records as the world's smallest brush. So what exactly does a nanotube brush do? It can be used to sweep nanodust, of course. According to Ghasemi-Nejhad, nanodusts are tiny nano particles that could get onto the microchannels of microelectronics. "It is important to keep micro-electronics free of such dusts and nanoparticles since the dusts can otherwise hinder the functionality of the electronics," he says.

Ghasemi-Nejhad says his team is in the process of patenting the nanobrush. Although he could not provide specifics, he says there are plans to commercialize the nanotube brush through nanotechnology and nanobiotechnology companies.

-Kelli Abe Trifonovitch

Hawaii Business defines often-spoken words, new and old, to help you make sense of what's being said. Like much of the slang used by 20-somethings – and some 30-somethings – peeps is an abbreviation of a common word: people, or more accurately, peoples. But not just any people: Peeps refers only to a speaker's close friends or family. Here's an example: Coworker1: You going to the company pau hana? Coworker2: Yeah, I'm just waiting for my peeps before I roll out. -Scott Radway Email confusing words to hbeditorial@pacificbasin.net

Neighborhood Watch: Waialae Iki

Originally developed in 1955, the hillside community of Waialae Iki was Oahu's first "modern" ridge-side development. It quickly became one of Honolulu's most desirable neighborhoods. However, by the mid '80s, other ridge communities were developed further east, some with extra amenities, all with gates. As a result, Waialae Iki lost some of its cache. But, today, with the buildup in Hawaii Kai and resulting traffic, Waialae Iki is back, sexier than ever.

"You're seeing the prices flattening out right now, but I think you'll see Waialae Iki stay strong, because it is a more contemporary ridge community. By contemporary, I mean that it's got underground utilities, a great access road and wide sidewalks," says Myron Kiriu, president, and Realtor, Prudential Advantage Realty. "Of course, it also has great views and it is very close to the freeway and town. As development increases in East Oahu, I think Waialae Iki is going to continue to increase in popularity."

-David K. Choo

1250 Laukahi St. 3BR, 2B Living Area: 14,448 square feet Land: 13,916 square feet Predominant Topography: Steep Slope, terraced Property Condition: Above Average List Price: $899,000 Pending escrow	2069 Meakanu Place 3BR, 3B Living Area: 2,756 square feet Land: 8,515 square feet Predominant Topography: Gentle slope, level, steep slope Property Condition: Excellent List Price: $1,480,000 Pending escrow

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