Celebrating the king in Hilo

Oahu’s big Kamehameha Day event, the famous floral parade, is generally a weekend affair. But Hawaii’s first king was born on the Big Island, so you can be sure there’s a lot going on there on the day itself, June 11.

The Kamehameha Festival, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. today, is in Hilo, on Moku Ola (Coconut Island), featuring music, dance and crafts. At the bridge to the island, donations of nonperishable food items for the needy will be collected. For information on the event: kamehamehafestival.org.

Smart speakers for the bedridden

Kumu, where is medical technology headed? That rhetorical question for Hawaii Pacific Health’s new in-room virtual assistant — think Amazon’s Alexa — is starting to get answered at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children. The HPH-owned hospital has launched Kumu in “smart rooms”; a 52-room ward should be done by summer’s end, then expansion begins on HPH’s entire 600-bed system.

At Kapiolani, Kumu is answering oft-asked questions such as on visiting and dining-room hours, and birthing and baby classes — all helpful for expectant mothers. Expanding such help to general bedridden patient populations sounds good. Just be careful not to lose the human touch.