Blog
Welcome To 808Burners Blog
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On this Page I would like to "talk story"about many of the cool things that 808 Burners has experienced during its time, with customers or gadgets that play various media.
From time to time I may also post my opinioin, gripes, or an article that represents my viewpoint about benefits and shortcomings with todays consumer electronics technology. My viewpoint is simple, modern day technology is at a point where anymore communication speed,display resolution or data storage capacity is not going to benefit the average person, family, or small business.
Albeit inconcievable, the price and the manufactures promise to support the product for at least ten years should be your only factor when buying. Take the the 8bit Nintendo Game boy .Created in 1989 it lasted 10 years until the advanced model came out in 1998. Although distribution ended a few years later 3rd party game makers and service and repair continued till the 2007 when the last game Final Fantasy VI was released. Compare that with the Iphones. As of today we are on the 6th generation Iphone. First released in 2007 we have had a different Iphone every year. Thats what I am talking about people. walt@808burners.com
Samoan Food Yum!
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By hardluck808, Apr 17 2013 11:00PM
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This is my meal at a Funeral Video shoot for Rev.Namulauulu Tali Lafaele of Hawaii First Samoan Church AOG on Feb 2nd,2013. I wish I could show more pictures of the day especially the 'Ie Toga fine mats offering which is something worth googleing but out of respect for the family I can only show you what was bestowed to me, this awesome plate lunch .
Taro,Beef Brocolli, Fried Papio, Sapa Sui(Chop Suey), Coconut Poke (Au) with Pulu Sami (taro leaf with coconut cream) which is Ruby's favorite, Barbecue Chicken and More. There was also about 25 roasted pigs rib to rib stretched on tables covering the lentgh of the bigger of the two halls at the Veterans Memorial on Nimitz Hwy. The roasted pigs were take home gifts for every Pastor and Chief that attended. Samoan funerals can last for up to five days. I'm glad this was only a one day event because so many things went on and needed to be caught on tape. I alone ran two cameras something i should not do again. Talofa to the Namulauulu Family especially Liaina and Edward . The Rev. will truly be missed. Talofa
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Pageants, Talent Show, and On Stage Performances
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By hardluck808, Apr 17 2013 12:44AM
Nikki at 9yrs Aloha Tower
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Nikki's Solo
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​​Nikki's Cut
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Nikki at 9yrs old dancing Tahitian
Nikki dances solo to start the show with other Ladies from Naia Amwaj Belly Dance School
In the last ten years we have cut (edited) song tracks for professionals and amateurs to be used for their performances on stage. Many of our services go unadvertised simply because text cost big bucks per line to advertise and only our common services make it to print. Thanks to our Do it yourself (DIY) Website ,Moonfruit, and other social networks I can now include everything we do - when i get the time.
Before we started our business 808Burners I was always fascinated with audio and when I was eight yrs old my father bought me a radio kit . I remember I was not smart enough to put it together and ended up just using the knobs on the box and the included headset while pretending to be the radio man while we played "Army Men " and slung big dirt balls at each other. Thinking back I think I should have been old enough to be able to put it together myself since I could read and a simple radio consists of just a few components. Later ,at about twelve years old I remember taking an old radio out of its chassis and reassembling the radio parts into a card board box then jacking up the gain (power) by tweaking all the pots on the pc board. My father screamed at me and said "do you want to burn this house down! Don't put it on a cardboard box go get a metal box instead!" encouraging yeah?
Electrons intrigued me so much then that I pursued courses by taking 4years of electronics in HS and later recieved an Electronic Engineering Tech Degree from the old Electronics Institute of Technology in Hawaii. I also Have my FCC General Radio Telephones Operators Lic. and whole bunch of other credentials for whoever I think might care at the moment.
My biggest kick from electronics was studying wave forms and before I lose your interest I thought it would be cool to make simple cuts and fades for customers audio tracks here at 808Burners .If you come on Saturdays when I have the day off Ruby my partner and Wifee now knows how to read audio track signals and edit them for you.
We have been really priviledged to do song cuts for many Hawaii Celebrities and Events since our inception. At the same time we have also helped many Halaus and Individuals get the right blend of sound from their choice of music to go along with their moves on stage .We enjoy doing it but at 10$ a cut or ten minute session we ask for you to be prepared by having your music track on portable media and note the edit points(time) so our time is spent together efficiently.
One of our regular customers ,Diane T., allowed us to share this video of her darling daughter Nikki using music we cut for her in these special performances. Nikki can be spotted in various pageants and talent shows here on the island. Watch out boys she's gonna be a heart breaker ;)
Nikki at 9yrs old dancing Tahitian
Nikki dances solo to start the show with other Ladies from Naia Amwaj Belly Dance School in Hawaii.Thanks Mom DT for Hiring us for the Tunes.
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A Christmas Friend
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By hardluck808, Feb 27 2013 01:12AM
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On Saturday February 16,2013 a friend named Richard Morse and I completed our promise to lay a head stone on an unmarked grave belonging to a special person of mines ,Richards brother Corbin. We dug without permission so I will omit the name of the cemetary. pls no tell nothing ok.
In October 2002 I wired our home network consisting of a router ,desktop computer and a laptop and at the end of that day I became the households Network Administrator. Before that day my only experience from the computer came from burning video game disks for an assortment of game consoles. This combination led me to believe I was ready for my next venture in life and I started an Internet Cafe with services specializing in duplicating Cds and DVDs. We called this business 808Burners.
On December 2002 just before Christmas Corbin approached me at our first shop below the Aiea Cue to ask me if I had any work for him. He said he had experience networking computers and designing websites and he sensed I greatly needed it. My wife Ruby and I had just recieved the keys for this 1010 sq.ft. hole in the wall a few weeks back and at that time we were still having trouble putting a few things together like our point of sales system and our peer to peer network for our 19 computers. Because of these problems our launch date was missed many times and eventually the opening date became indefinite. Corbin and I stood there in the middle of the "Cafe`" talking about things I pretended to know about. Computers, cabling , software packages ,furniture and an assortment of tools cluttered the shop making it hard for me to deny that there was any work available so I hired him thinking if I dont like him I could fire him easily.
He was quiet at first just doing what Informational Technology (IT) People get paid for. He always came to work with his beat up white van and dog Tsaile and never talked about himself. I would pay him at the end of the week a very modest amount considering he worked on both my network of PCs and our website simultaineously.
In the beginning of January I became ill. My doctor said it was a combination of exhaustion, stress and an ongoing heart condition which I had ten years prior. The busines was still not operational and my savings was almost depleted so I told Corbin I was pau,done. On that day he finally spoke about himself. He told me about many of his failures in his life and how he had turned it around. He did not want to see me lose in life like he did but become in his words, a "Winner" . He said recuperating will require a mental process just as much as a physical one then he offered to finish the shop while I regain focus and spend time with my family. I don't know, how do I trust this guy I thought? I dont know but i just did maybe It was because I was just really tired of it all or maybe I felt I really did not have any options left and Ruby and I could'nt do it alone anymore. hint-A business is something that you just dont do without extensive planning and researching.
After a few weeks I returned to the shop to see Corbin with the business running. I remember a girl walking by and asked to use the internet and I looked at Corbin while he said to the girl "how about five bucks?" she said yeah so Corbin took the money and threw it in a tin can nonchalantly . He made the transaction look very easy to do. It still tickles me today when someone gives me their hard earned money for any of our services. I asked Corbin when do you think we will open the shop and he smiled and said "we are". Wow , I have been waiting for this day , I have been chasing this day and at the same time this is the day that caused me alot of anxiety. Like magic hearing his words "We are" and all of a sudden my shoulders were weightless - I owe this man alot.
Corbin a guitar player and singer for the most part of his life, became a Board member and Website Administrator for the Hawaii Music Hall of Fame . He became sick from cancer in 2009 and had a tough time before passing on Christmas day 2011. He followed the Bahai Faith and his fellow Bahai members in Manoa are credited with his burial. Corbin's sister, the famous Hawaiian Author Carol Wilcox also deserves alot of credit for helping Corbin during that period with a whole range of care and assistance. Richard wanted the job of creating the headstone and I wanted to help. Corbin is my ghost of Christmas.
Note-His Dog's Ashes was laid next to him (Star pattern redbricks)
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Charles Tanaka Visits
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By hardluck808, Feb 20 2013 12:24AM
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Charles Tanaka a Purple Heart Recipient from The "1 Puka Puka Battalion" came by 808 Burners today to have his usual Karaoke Tapes transferred to off all things another audio tape. In the eighties we called it "dubbing" if the media being transposed from one to the other is of the same type. If the media of the source and target is different then we say transfer. Although the word transfer in that case is a misnomer because nothing is really being transferred since the content of the source media is still there so really duplication may be the more appropriate word . Charles says" I dont care what you call it!"
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The last time I saw Charles was two years ago and like my other friendstomer the late Benny Villaverde who was Hawaii's Softball Ambassador to the world, I thought he when maki too. I usually laugh at Charles when he comes in because he was still driving then and I would ask him "Does your daughter know your out driving?". Charles wears his purple heart proudly and I would introduce him to my customers as a Purple Heart recipient from the 442nd but he would always correct me and say he is from the 100th instead. Charles added that the 100 infantry is older than the 442. In his words "the 442nd is all babies still yet."
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Charles had cream with his his coffee while he waited for me to complete his Dub. He is a 96 year old wonder ,still strong and he looks real good . I could not help notice his white teeth as he smiled. When his tapes were finished his daughter came by to pick him up because fortunately for all of us he does not drive anymore. He parted by saying that there are only five left of his 100th company . God Bless our Veterans and thank you for our Freedom.
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