June 2004
Chief Simpleton
It's a new title for Hawaii's claim to World
Wide Web fame:
Kevin Hughes
By Kelli Abe Trifonovitch
Kevin HughesÕ biographical information on
Webify SolutionsÕ Web site includes a quote from jazz musician Charles Mingus:
ÒMaking the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple,
awesomely simple, thatÕs creativity.Ó
You might say that HughesÕ mission in life these days is to make life
simpler, particularly on the Web. He works remotely from Hawaii for Webify Solutions,
a business Web-services company based in Austin, Texas, and Palo Alto, Calif.
ÒThey liked to call me Chief Simpleton, but that didnÕt fly too well with
people in the financial industry, so Chief Interface Designer I am,Ó Hughes
says.
In May, 30-year-old
Hughes received a 2002 Distinguished Alumni award from the University of
Hawaii. He was inducted into the World Wide Web Hall of Fame in 1994 for
development work he did as a student and lecturer at Honolulu Community College
from 1991 to 1993. There, he launched the first hypermedia campus-wide
information system on the Web. He also developed Òimage map,Ó a Web link
accessed by clicking on parts of an image.
His commercial
work since then has included: the first online cable television listings; the
first online shopping site; the interface for the first XML-based procurement
system; and the first Web site for Wells Fargo.
Hughes says the
UH alumni award has brought him full circle. ÒIÕm not washing my hands of
Hawaii,Ó says Hughes, Òbut, in some ways, I am washing my hands of Hawaii high
tech. I want to get involved, and I want to see people get involved in
environmental and other issues, which are, in some ways, ultimately related.
ÒThe good and bad
news is that just as many high-tech opportunities exist now in Hawaii as they
did when I first got to Hawaii,Ó he says. ÒI think the right approach, which is
just starting to happen now, is people are starting to look at deeper changes
that need to be made in communities and in the educational sector.Ó
Last year, Hughes
launched the Forward Foundation, a nonprofit organization that concentrates on
promoting arts, culture and the environment by empowering other organizations
with technology. His current lifestyle reflects these interests. He and seven
other housemates share ÒIhiuka,Ó a multimillion-dollar home at the top of
Pacific Heights Road. Those housemates include musician Makana and Evan Tector,
executive director of the Forward Foundation. One room, a recording studio, has
been redesigned with state-of-the-art equipment, which has been used by groups,
such as Palolo Jones, Friends of the Bride and Reign CheqÕd.
In
ÒsimplificationÓ mode, he and his housemates are looking for more modest digs,
maybe a downtown loft, where they can do a lot of music and studio work without
bothering the neighbors. The hitch: It has to house eight, although many of
them plan to be on the road much of the time.
ÒTo do everything
IÕve done over the last couple of years and to do everything I need to do, all
IÕve needed is my laptop, my guitar and a Net connection. ThatÕs it,Ó says
Hughes.
He has set up a
server ÒKevcomÓ at his grandmotherÕs Manoa home, so he and his compatriots can
work remotely from anywhere in the world. Hughes says, Ò[My grandmother] has no
idea. To her, itÕs just a small box with a fan on it and all she knows is that
she shouldnÕt unplug it from the wall. In fact, sheÕs handwritten a big sign
next to it.Ó
With Kevcom in
place, Hughes plans to work on technologies heÕs interested in to simplify the
Web; serve as Digital Librarian for the World Wide Web History Project; travel;
work on music and visual arts; and continue to work with the Forward
Foundation. Says Hughes, ÒThereÕs a lot left to do, and I hope people
concentrate more on those issues now that the [dot-com] hype has passed. People
are thinking less – hopefully – about stock options and more about
real ideas.Ó
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