The Blackeye, Please

Auahi St. Starbucks at 4:20 a.m.

Never having made the transition to Hawaiian time (technically HST is Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time), I wake up early and head over to the Auahi St. Starbucks, which opens at four a.m.

At 4:15 I'm not the first one there; in fact customers are already ensconced with their laptops and drinks---have they been up all night?

My brother introduced me to the off-menu blackeye, a regular coffee with two shots of espresso.

Reloading is easy since--they
have your credit card number, too

The blackeye obviates the need for an afternoon nap; this vacation isn't one for sleeping.

Activating the Starbucks app, I swipe the iPhone over the scanner. Starbucks knows where I've been for the past year, the drinks that my family and I like, the amounts we spend, and the times of day we partake.

In exchange Starbucks sends a weekly coupon to my e-mail address. It's quick and all too convenient.

No wonder Apple wants to get in on the act. © 2014 Stephen Yuen