It probably seems like I’m starting to obsess about my productivity, or lack thereof, but my week of Monday 4 to Sunday 10 October 2021 saw me generate two articles, a small podcast, and the beginnings of another crowdfunding campaign. Winter is over.
I also got some of that geekery done for clients. But the main theme was a sense of anticipation for the week ahead, when NSW starts to see some reduction of COVID-19 restrictions. That’s why I’ve used a photo of Barangaroo to head this post. I can’t wait.
My new Pozible crowdfunding campaign The 9pm Spring Series 2021 aims to fund more special guest episodes of The 9pm Edict podcast through to the end of November and beyond. Please consider.
At the time of posting, we’re 40% of the way to Target One off 24 supporters. Thank you.
Podcasts
- The 9pm Perrottet Pornouncement and Potential Bathroom Encounter, being a brief rant combined with a plug for the Pozible campaign. That is not a typo in the episode title.
Articles
- Building cyber radar systems could alert Indo-Pacific nations and their allies, ZDNet, 8 October 2021.
- Australian cyber-related legislation before parliament, plus current inquiries. With just four weeks of parliament left in 2021, I need to catch up. So I made a list. I’ll add more links in the coming days. Please tell me about any mistakes.
You can read my previous writing at Authory, where you can also subscribe to an email compilation of any new stories each Sunday morning. Or you can just send me gifts.
Imagery
- I’ve updated my Waratah sequence 2021, adding this week’s images, and deleting photos that aren’t of the waratah in question. It’s coming along very nicely.
You can subscribe to my YouTube channel, although new videos don’t appear very frequently.
Media Appearances, Corporate Largesse
None.
Recommendations
- State of exception. “The distinctive political culture of New South Wales could reach its apogee — with national effects — when Dominic Perrottet takes the top job,” writes political historian Norman Abjorensen. I’ve seen politically-savvy writers disagree with bits of this, but whatever. I asked Norman if he’d do an interview for the Edict but he declined for health reasons. He’s not a young man.
- What’s actually wrong with Dominic Perrottet? This piece from The Saturday Paper by Mike Seccombe covers some other issues. “Despite the attention given to his religious conservatism, it is Dominic Perrottet’s reformist economic zeal that will likely define his premiership.”
- “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, a thread. I put it to you that a great rabble of opinion writers, especially on the right, in the interest of criticising Australia’s lockdown policies, have magically and mindlessly transformed Sir Peter Ustinov into Clive James,” writes Matthew Clayfield. (Archive.) It’s a story about a misattribution of a quote.
- Before Interstates, America Got Around on Interurbans, which were light rail systems. Which is to say, trams. Another great feature from Bloomberg CityLad.
- Sublime Street Photographs of Hong Kong in the 1950s and 1960s, by photographer Ho Fan. These are simply wonderful.
The Week Ahead
This would have been week 15 of the Greater Sydney lockdown, but it’s coming to an end.
On Monday I’m heading down to Sydney proper for the first time in eight weeks, mostly for some medical things. I’ll finally be able to get a haircut, though, grab some shopping in Thaitown, and maybe even stop in somewhere for lunch or even — gasp! — a drink.
En route I’ll finish off an article for ZDNet, making it the first month in quite a while when I’ve written more than just one.
On Tuesday I’ll catch the discussion AUKUS, nuclear submarines and Australia-PRC relations from the UTS Australia-China Relations Institute.
On Thursday I’m a guest on the Australian Democrats’ podcast Keep the Bastards Honest. We’re recording that evening, but I’m not sure when the finished product will appear.
Thursday is also the start of the Aussie Backyard Bird Count. I will of course be tweeting about this in far too much detail.
Somewhere in there I’ll finally produce that podcast episode about submarines.
Further Ahead
- Navigating the Data Security Maze in Australia, Sophos, online, 22 October 2021.
- NetThing 2021, online, 4–5 November2021.
- Australian Cyber Conference, Melbourne, 15–17 November 2021 (TBC).
- The Sydney Dialogue, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, 17–19 November 2021 (TBC).
- NSW local government elections, 4 December 2021.
- linux.conf.au 2022, online, 14–16 January 2022 (TBC).
[Photo: Barangaroo, Sydney, photographed from Pyrmont Bridge on 9 January 2021.]