Monday 10 to Sunday 16 April 2023 contained less weird fatigue, at least towards the end, so I think whatever was causing it has now stopped. Productivity is slowly returning. Meanwhile, there’s the fox…
Fox Update
While I haven’t been putting out the cameras every night, the pattern has been established Our fox appears in the hours before dawn at least once a week, maybe twice, depending on the weather. His latest appearance was Friday. We have organised the cage trap. More news next week.
Articles
- Digital developments from Canberra 32. It’s another short week, but we’ve seen news about robodebt, sovereign citizens, AI faking tax returns, enrolment for voting, digital rights, and more. And an influencer has been banned from giving financial advice.
You can read my previous writing at Authory, where you can also subscribe to an email compilation of any new stories each Sunday morning.
Media Appearances
- On Thursday I did ABC RN’s Big Tech spot, Big Tech: The Elon Musk interview that has the technology world talking,
Podcasts, Photos, Videos, Corporate Largesse
None of these things. You can subscribe to my YouTube channel to be notified when new videos appear.
Recommendations
So many things happened in the Musk-Twitter saga this week, with the highlight being his long interview with BBC News.
- Watch: BBC News’ interview with Elon Musk in full. Or don’t watch it. You choose. Instead read the next three items.
- Six things we learned from Elon Musk interview.
- Elon Musk: What it’s like to interview the billionaire Twitter boss.
- And an opinion piece from the Guardian, The BBC gazed into the yawning chasm of Elon Musk’s sense of humour — and didn’t find much to envy.
- ‘Free Speech’ Twitter Is Now Globally Blocking Posts Critical Of The Modi Government.
- NPR quits Twitter after being falsely labeled as ‘state-affiliated media’.
- “Twitter has ceased to be an independent company after merging with a newly formed shell firm called X Corp, driving speculation about what Elon Musk intends for the social media platform.” This is part of Musk’s dream of an app for everything, along the lines of China’s WeChat. Personally I think the dynamics in Western nations are very, very different — and that’s far from the only reason it’ll fail.
- And finally an update on one of Musk’s personal gripes, Elon Musk tweets then deletes DMs from Matt Taibbi over his Substack snit.
And in other news:
- Interesting analysis with graphs, from Greg Jericho: Young Australians never stood a chance. For decades the controls have been set to favour older generations.
- More interesting analysis: How Apple Works. “The company’s design success is backed by aggressive innovation and rent-seeking.”
- The various spooky radio stations that transmit coded messages are endlessly fascinating. Here’s a report on one nicknamed The Buzzer, and some background, via the BBC: The ghostly radio station that no one claims to run.
- Companies That Get ‘Woke’ Aren’t Going Broke — They’re More Profitable Than Ever.
- And finally, a fantastic new music video from Open Reel Ensemble, Magnetize.
The Week Ahead
On Monday morning we’re taking delivery of a cage trap and associated training, launching the more physical phase of our fox-based interactions. Stay tuned.
Thursday sees a three-hour client handover and training session, rescheduled from last week. It’s also the New Moon and a hybrid solar eclipse, which is auspicious.
On Friday I’m heading down to Western Sydney for late afternoon drinks. I’ll head down earlier to Blacktown to deal with some errands, such as getting a flu vaccine, and I daresay I’ll have dinner somewhere afterwards before going back up the hill.
And in between all that it’s as much client work as I can manage. Oh, and I have to finalise the details for the Public House Forum recording on 29 April. I’d better get on with that.
Further Ahead
- The 9pm Public House Forum 7 livestream and recording, Sydney venue TBA, Saturday 29 April 2023, 12.30pm. Guests include Sydney Morning Herald cartoonist Cathy Wilcox and satirist Mark Humphries. Please click through to book a free ticket, or just tell me, so I know how many people might be coming and I can tell you when I choose the venue.
- Coronation of Charles III, 6 May 2023, although I have no idea what I’ll actually do about it.
- AusCERT Cyber Security Conference, Gold Coast and online, 9–12 May 2023 (TBA).
- Truth, Trust and Hope, “a global dialogue on disinformation and the erosion of public understanding and trust in science”, Nobel Prize Outreach, Washington DC and online, 24-26 May 2023.
- NEW DATE: The 9pm Public House Forum 8 livestream and recording, 27 May 2023 at 12.30pm (TBA).
[Photo: One of the most ridiculous road signs in the Blue Mountains, nevertheless accurately describing the break in Railway Parade at Wentworth Falls, which falls short of reaching the station itself, and where the street continues. Check it out on Google Maps. Photograph taken on 15 April 2023.]