We certainly had an… interesting day, with early-morning earthquakes and an island-wide blackout. Fortunately for us, and most of Hawaii, there were no fatalities or serious casualties. Lots of property damage, mostly on the Big Island, and folks will be cleaning up for a while. But for the most part, it’s just one of those crazy things that will fuel small talk for weeks to come. We were offline, but wandering about town, and I was posting some photos from my smartphone, if you’re curious. Mahalo a nui loa for all the kind e-mails and messages.

Long-time HawaiiUP listener Adam Eakins in Grapevine, Texas, and his wife Bridget welcomed a baby daughter into the world on Tuesday. In addition to having the best birthdate ever, she got a great name: Katie! Adam passed along the above photo, wherein baby Katie turned a HawaiiUP T-shirt into a priceless memento. Read more about Katie’s arrival on their blogs at GreatWhitePaw.com.

While obviously I’m failing miserably at keeping up the podcast, the friends I’ve made through the show continue to inspire and encourage me. Congratulations, Adam, and thanks everyone, for checking in, keeping in touch, and living the aloha spirit.

As I mentioned in the last show, we’re taking a break this week. Actually, it’s our ‘fourth week hiatus,’ anyway, but it’s just as well, as I’m talked out after putting together “The Transmission,” our spinoff podcast about ABC’s hit television series, “Lost.” If you absolutely must hear my wife’s sexy voice, that’s the place to find it right now!

No show this week, folks. No bad stuff, just taking a break. As I think I’ve mentioned in previous shows, while sometimes it’s fate that has other plans for me, I plan on pausing every fourth week or so just to recharge, and to tinker with other things (like my videoblog). Oh, and yeah, there’s that whole “family” thing, too.

Maybe I’ll work on the all-important “podcast promo” instead, or hunt down a few more local musicians to feature. If you’ve any thoughts on either count, speak up!

Fellow island podcaster Peter Kay of VoteHawaii.com recently launched TownPodcast.com, a commercial service that will aggregate podcast content regionally — starting in Hawaii, of course. The ever-hip Erika Engle at the Honolulu Star-Bulletin wrote a piece today announcing Peter’s deal with the local Clear Channel folks, which is putting KHVH’s Mike Buck and Rick Hamada shows, as well as its “Community Matters” program, online.

Erika asked yours truly to chime in with an “independent podcaster” point of view, and managed to fit in a couple of quotes. I’m not as down on terrestrial radio as you might think from the piece (hence the “Kool-Aid” line!), and frankly, there’s no doubt big business will dominate the podcasting scene. Just look at the top podcasts in iTunes’ podcast directory.

Or, for that matter, look at how podcasters became “indie podcasters” (as opposed to, I guess, “real podcasters”?) overnight.

HawaiiUP will not be heard this week because of:

• a. A death in the family.
• b. Technical difficulties (Windows sucks!).
• c. Illness (and my wife lost her voice!).
• d. All of the above.

I’m probably more bummed about it than anyone. While you’re waiting, be sure to check out my friend Mitchell’s new podcast, The Literate Loser, as well as Michelle’s special “Harry Potter: The Half-Blood Prince” show, PotterCast. Clearly, it’s a good week to be a book-loving podcast listener.

Woo! HawaiiUP warranted a mention in a MarketWatch commentary on iTunes podcasting debut. Frank Barnako notes:

After three days, the Apple Computer iTunes Music Store has found podcasts produced by bloggers and Web publishers are holding their own in competition with those from commercial or public broadcasters. By my count Friday morning, 47 of the most subscribed or downloaded podcasts were produced by independents… Near the bottom of the list of the most popular 100 programs are niche efforts such as… “HawaiiUp,” described as “Podcasting in paradise. News, views, music and food.”

Number 90 today and dropping like a stone. But what a ride it was!

The release of Apple’s iTunes 4.9 has shaken things up in Podcastland. HawaiiUP was fortunate enough to nab a listing in their Podcast Directory. Traffic hit an all-time high for HawaiiUP, and for hundreds of other podcasters.

There are a few things that iTunes does that annoys me, but for a first effort by Apple and as a program for people completely new to podcasting, it isn’t half bad. And suddenly having one’s potential audience grow by several million is amazing. Even if established media and Adam Curry’s network dominate most of the iTunes gateway, a rising tide lifts all boats, as they say.

And while I sincerely doubt this can possibly be true, HawaiiUP has even appeared in iTunes “Top Podcasts” list of the top 100 shows, at #81 as of this post (#65 on July 2). I feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

If you haven’t tried iTunes, now’s the perfect time. And if you’ve already got it installed, click here to go straight to the HawaiiUP page, and subscribe today!

No show this week, though I’ve been busy hunting for more great local music to showcase. Watch the music page for updates. It was a short week, anyway, and I think three shows a month — that is, taking a periodic break — feels like a good pace to keep for this podcast. For those who are hungry for any little byte of the islands, be sure to check out my videoblog. Like HawaiiUP, it’s as much personal as it is local, and I’ve enjoyed playing with video when my audio mojo fizzles.

No, you didn’t miss anything… there was no HawaiiUP show for the week of April 18-22, on account of illness, in-laws, and a… labor dispute with one of my regular guests. On the upside, I’ve added a streaming MP3 player to the site so those of you avoiding the “podcasting” thing can still listen without committing to a download. Let me know what you think!