My week of Monday 29 July to Sunday 4 August 2024 began in the cold with the need to sleep continuing, and ended with an excellent fish — which is part of why this is only being posted on Monday. That and the wine. There was also a fun podcast about cybercrime.
Podcasts
- The 9pm Geography of Cybercrime with Dr Miranda Bruce, recorded back on 17 July and posted on Thursday.
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Articles
- The Weekly Cybers #29. A cabinet reshuffle gives Tony Burke the cybers, the government ramps up its cyber rhetoric in the fight against scams and ransomware while its own report card looks poor, talk of a new Cyber Security Act, and much more.
You can read my previous writing at Authory, where you can also subscribe to an email compilation of any new stories each Sunday morning.
Photos, Videos, Media Appearances, Corporate Largesse
None of these. You can subscribe to my YouTube channel to be notified when new videos appear and when livestreams are scheduled.
Recommendations
The potential for Elon Musk to affect the US election dominated his news this week.
- Elon Musk is taking a larger role in the election. Can he influence voters? Well if he can’t then everything anyone has ever said about elections is fake news.
- Neuralink has implanted second trial patient with brain chip, Elon Musk says, so that might be another way to influence voters?
- X Suspends, Then Reinstates, ‘White Dudes for Harris’ Account After Group Raises $4 Million for Her Campaign: ‘We Scared Elon Musk’.
- Elon Musk made a Kamala Harris deepfake ad go viral, sparking a debate about parody and free speech.
- Elon Musk’s X may be in breach of Australian privacy law over data harvesting for Grok AI.
- Don Lemon sues Elon Musk and X over terminated talkshow deal.
- “It’s official: Tesla shareholders grant Elon Musk the biggest executive pay package in US history.”
- Elon Musk said Tesla robotaxi skeptics should try ‘full self driving.’ A Wall Street analyst nearly crashed.
In other news:
- So last week I said I’d post playlists of Guy Montgomery’s Guy Mont Spelling Bee so you know what to expect when the Australian series starts on 14 August, and you haven’t watched the teaser. Fortunately, other people have already done the work. Here’s all eight TV episodes from 2023 in one long video. (A second NZ series has already been filmed and will air there from 5 September.) If you want to go further back, here’s a consolidated playlist of the original YouTube livestreams, the first series of six episodes and the second series of three, although that’s a much rougher experience.
- Guide to the classics: The Art of War, the ancient Chinese war manual loved by edgelords and management gurus.
- New from Ze Frank: True Facts: The Echidna – Militarized Whoopie Cushion. Warning: Contains rather alarming imagery of an echidna penis.
- Why Chinese Propaganda Loves Foreign Travel Bloggers. (Link jumps paywall.)
The Week Ahead
The week begins in Sydney, but not for long. Monday sees the usual appointments and errands and shopping before catching the train back to the Mountains in the afternoon. And then it’s a focus on client work for a couple of days.
[Update 6 August 2024: I’ve rearranged things a little bit, but not that you’ll really notice.]
On Thursday afternoon I’m doing the Big Tech spot on ABC Radio’s RN Drive. That’s at 4.50pm AEST or whatever your local time is around Australia, because magic, and also recorded for later.
NEW: On Wednesday Thursday evening I’m recording a podcast with astrophysicist and founder of SpaceAustralia.com Rami Mandow. So yeah, it’s another look at space topics. If you’re a supporter with TRIGGER WORDS or a CONVERSATION TOPIC for this episode, please let me know by 8pm AEST this Tuesday 6 Wednesday 7 August. This episode will be posted late the following week.
Some time in the second half of the week I’ll edit and post the episode with Barbara Minchinton, author of the new book Madame Brussels: The Life and Times of Melbourne’s Most Notorious Woman.
On Saturday morning I’m heading to the Hunter Valley for TechLeaders 2024, which runs through until Monday.
Further Ahead
- The Sydney Dialogue, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Sydney and online, 2–3 September 2024 (TBC).
- Queensland expedition, flying to Cairns on 13 October 2024, taking the Spirit of Queensland train down to Brisbane on 16 October and overnight, then visiting the Gold Coast on 20 October before flying back to Sydney on 21 October. I’m still fleshing out the details but there’s bound to be opportunities to catch up for drinks and such.
- Australian Internet Governance Forum (auIGF) 2024, formerly known as NetThing, Melbourne and online, 28–29 October 2024 (TBC).
[Photo: Remains of the Tilapia, being part of an excellent Sunday dinner at Dodee Paidang Haymarket on 4 August 2024. Recommended.]