Raves for our new Hawaii Symphony Orchestra

The new Hawaii Symphony Orchestra did a real stand-up job in its first concert on Sunday — in more ways than one.

As the musicians took their places onstage at the Neal Blaisdell Concert Hall, the audience rose to its feet for the first standing ovation. Concert-goers had no sooner settled back down than they had to get up again for the national anthem and "Hawai‘i Pono‘i."

A second standing-O greeted the new board members, introduced after intermission. And a third happened when it might be expected: at the end of the show.

The nicest touches were the Hawaiian accents. The first musical notes heard in the hall were the ones chanted by musician Aaron Mahi, doing a traditional oli. And at the end, each member of the orchestra got a lei.

Not to mention the rain outside, which some would count as a good omen. Let’s just say that it was. Good luck, Hawaii Symphony Orchestra.

Rules of the road for a self-driving car

Hawaii is among a few states to prepare for the future with legislation requiring the state to adopt rules for the operation of motor vehicles that use video cameras, radar and lasers to navigate roads — called "autonomous vehicles."

The state House was nearing approval last week of a bill that also would authorize issuing driver’s licenses for operation of such vehicles, following Nevada’s law legalizing of self-driving cars. Other states pending legislation are California, Arizona, Florida and Oklahoma.

"The vast majority of accidents are due to human error," California Sen. Alex Padilla told the . "Autonomous vehicles have the potential to reduce traffic fatalities and improve safety on our roads and highways."

Is there any better way to cope with sleepiness and distractions — texting, for example — and make it to a destination on time?