Any other technologists hanging out in Hawaii? Let's build a hacker community | Hacker News Reader

Any other technologists hanging out in Hawaii? Let's build a hacker community

Anyone else out here in Hawaii and working in high-tech? It's a growing trend, and we should all connect!

Context: I moved to Oahu, HI soon after the pandemic started to take a university research job in machine learning.

There were already some tech folks there concentrated at the universities, telescopes, and telecommunications infrastructure, but not many coders or VC/startup folks. Many of the local coders will assume you're a short termer and treat you like a tourist for quite a while.

It's a bring your own job and bring your own friends kinda place. Hang out at the local brewery... brewers are interesting, especially if you like drinking. Lots of the profs surf too.

> It's a bring your own job and bring your own friends kinda place.

Very accurate. If you didn't go to the local schools, you really won't fit in.

And most locals have 2 (or 3) jobs to pay the rent, so if you're not a bartender or waiter in a crew, you won't meet locals either.

I once asked a passenger on a plane going to the mainland what he thought of the economy in Honolulu. He answered, "Oh, it's great. I own a grocery store chain." :)

Not yet, but it's a consideration. I just put in two weeks' notice at my job, and after working on some side-projects I do intend to travel a lot, starting with Hawaii. In contrast, I'm probably trying to move away from Machine Learning (I've been doing computer vision for the last five years) and focus a bit more on my Engineering roots.

Fast track in covid-19 times:

1. Start a chat channel upfront and announce it here (discord, matrix riot element, signal, etc...) With dedicated and announced times for project e-meetup

2. See which hacker space are active if any

3. Maybe plan physical meet up in outdoor setting, easy for HI as it's hot weather. Don't become the next covid-19 cluster

It's always random how some communities work and some other don't. So start one and see if it works

Thanks for this! Definitely do not want to spread COVID; I think a group chat is the move

My parents live in Hnl and I love the place but have always lived and worked on the mainland. I've heard of the entrepreneurship center at UH and I've come across one angel group. But it seems like a tough place to build a company because everything is so expensive and something about the place makes you want to slow down and not work so hard...

Your parents live in an airport? Like Tom Hanks in Terminal?

I'm down in Waikiki, Oahu. If someone wants to do a meetup on a weekend, I'll try to make it.

This sounds fun! We could do something social distanced, maybe surfing

Needs to be said: Socially distanced does not mean meeting up with new people and staying a few metres away. In fact it means avoiding social interaction especially with individuals in a different social group.

Are you part of the Shakas Network? Is anyone attending the XR Meetup Saturday?

There’s a lot of us, good gender ratio, mix of startups and FAANG. It’s been great. Been here for two months, my immediate crew is ~40 people.

Is this the Movers and Shakas program (reimbursement for moving to Hawaii)? I would love to e-meet you all! I actually moved here before the program existed :) Is there maybe a chat I could join?

It is, but for those who weren’t accepted there is a small “Shakas Network” of about 7,000 people.

Of those, there are 300 active on Oahu and ~40 that I mentioned who actually like to hang out, work on stuff, get drinks and party. We’re actually going to SKY and The Hideout for drinks tonight.

Message me on Twitter or LinkedIn if you want a Slack invite.

I've been living here for a while. I do IT support for a couple of non-profits. I'm not interested in meeting in person but if you open a chatroom or something I might show up there.

https://www.moversandshakas.org/

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