My week of Monday 17 to Sunday 23 February 2014 began with a busy time on the Gold Coast at the Tech Leaders Forum, but when I returned to Wentworth Falls mid-week I descended into food poisoning and related depths. I shall not be drawing a diagram. You shall be grateful.
Nevertheless I got quite a bit done, and I shall now list some of it. But I won’t say much more, because this week ended almost a week ago and I’m moving on.
Articles
I deliberately cut back on the number of written pieces I produced this month, their place in the budget having been filled by the discussion on digital privacy for Hitachi Data Systems. But I’m happy with what I wrote, including this column.
- And the digital Antoinettes cried ‘Unemployed? Let them cut code’, ZDNet Australia, 21 February 2014. Contains the line: “the usual-suspect digital libertarian princesses — in the non-gender-specific sense — flouncing around as if they’re Marie Antoinette”.
Media Appearances
This was a ridiculous week for media spots. I did a total of seven radio interviews — and that’s after I’d turned down a couple of others, as well as a TV spot.
- On Monday I spoke about Bitcoin on ABC 666 Canberra, but I screwed up the recording. Sorry.
- On Tuesday I spoke about digital copyright on Spoke, the weekly social issues program on 3RRR.
- That evening I spoke about digital copyright with Dom Knight on ABC Radio 702 Sydney, but I didn’t manage to get a recording of that one either.
- Wednesday was the big day. First up, at around lunchtime, I spoke about the Internet of Things on ABC Gold Coast.
- In the middle of Wednesday afternoon I spoke about the rumours of an Apple Car on 1395 FIVEaa Adelaide, which led to another lightheartedly cynical discussion of the Internet of Things.
- On Wednesday afternoon I spoke about digital copyright on ABC 105.7 Darwin.
- And later on Wednesday afternoon I spoke about Bitcoin again, this time on ABC Sunshine Coast.
5at5
Oh dear. It seems that 5at5, the “email letter” that I started three weeks ago, has started to get a bit wobbly. I only managed three issues this week. Sorry.
- 5at5 number 11, 17 February 2014.
- 5at5 number 12, 20 February 2014.
- 5at5 number 13, 21 February 2014.
Corporate Largesse
- The Tech Leaders Forum 2014, formerly known as Kickstart Forum, on the Gold Coast ran from Sunday to Tuesday. The organisers, Media Connect, covered my flights from Sydney, airport transfers, and two nights accommodation at the InterContinental Sanctuary Cove. Then there were various freebies. Avaya: a 4GB USB key containing media assets. Emerson Network Power: a combination max-min thermometer-hygrometer; and an 8GB USB key containing media assets. NEC: an 8GB USB key; and a little battery-powered Bluetooth audio speaker. Riverbed: a Power Bank model A5 2600mAh external battery with all the connectors; and a 4GB USB key containing media assets, on a bright orange lanyard. Symantec: two bottles of orange juice.
[Photo: Stilgherrian juggling the invisible things at Tech Leaders Forum, 16 February 2014, with freelance journalist Claire Porter on the right. Photograph by Munir Kotadia. This is just crying out for some Photoshop work.]
So 8Gb is now the standard throw-away for thumb drives? Years ago I worked for a company in Canberra that got bought out by a large multinational. They flew us to Sydney to see their umpty-fumpth floor CBD boardroom and be droned at by middle managers for a day, and as a “gift” they gave us all thumb drives with the company logo. Those of us who were geeks were eager to check them, so as soon as we were back we plugged the buggers into a computer and discovered… they were 1 gigabyte drives. In 2009, a successful IT company gave out, to the members of its newly acquired subsidiary, some el-cheapo branded crap you’d expect to find in the bottom of a Canberra Show showbag and not even bother to dig out before you chucked the bag in the recycling bin.
Suffice to say the rest of the acquisition experience was on part with that initial impression.
@Eric TF Bat: Interestingly, the number of USB keys handed out at this event has been dropping in the last couple of years. I might graph it later. I suspect vendors are starting to realise they they can just stick stuff on their website or just email it to us.