Disappeared News

by Larry Geller

Today’s Kokua Line had an article about the sad state of Hawaii’s vehicle registration computer system. June Watanabe helpfully included a link to two previous articles on the subject:

Question:…The online registration system is great, but it seems that a portion of the system that supports its success is broken.

Answer: The problem is a backlog in updating the city's computer files, a situation we described last September: www.staradvertiser.com/ news/20100924_Backlog_ has_police_ticket_car_ despite_its_new_safety_ sticker.html and www.star­advertiser.com/news/ 20100929_Only_authorized_ companies_city_workers_ can_collect_trash.html.

[Star-Advertiser, Online vehicle registration plagued by system backlog, 8/26/2011]

Unfortunately, neither link works any more. The newspaper has withdrawn itself from the web. In doing so, the stories that we all thought we could simply search for or may have linked to in online articles or blog posts—are gone.

Here’s what I got. It didn’t matter if I was logged on to their paywall or not.

Of course, the previously published and posted articles are the property of the newspaper and they have every right to withdraw them from view.

But it’s a shame, and their move will hurt Hawaii business in the long run. Perhaps they might keep in mind that businesses are their customers (the paper is, after all, called the Star-AD
VERTISER).

DBEDT should have a word with them. Without an on-line newspaper for both news and for research, we can’t have much of a high-tech future. People are used to finding things out on their computers, iPhones and iPads, and right now, Hawaii is no more visible on the web than, say, Yap.

Permalink posted by Larry @ 8/26/2011 07:15:00 AM