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Weekly Wrap 446: New laws dominate the week

16 December 2018 in Weekly Wrap by Stilgherrian | No comments

Crossing the NepeanMy week of Monday 10 to Sunday 16 December 2018 was dominated by Australia’s new encryption-busting laws, the Assistance & Access Act. Two articles, two radio spots, and yet more in the works.

Articles

I have two part-written stories for ZDNet that should be finished in the coming week.

Podcasts

None. Next week, though…

Media Appearances

  • On Tuesday, I spoke about the Assistance & Access Act on Sydney’s Radio Skidrow, and later in the day on ABC Adelaide. No recordings of them for now, but the Radio Skidrow one will appear in their podcast this coming week.
  • On Friday, I spoke about YouTube’s attempts to get rid of hate speech and other problematic content on ABC Radio’s PM.

Corporate Largesse

None.

The Week Ahead

I’ll be in Sydney on Monday, finishing some writing for ZDNet, dealing with some medical imaging, and catching up with friends. The writing continues on Tuesday, after which I return to the Blue Mountains to continue yet more writing on another project.

On Thursday, Nicholas Fryer and I will be recording another joint episode of The 9pm Edict podcast. It should be posted that night.

Friday is probably about writing too. Given that it’s the last day of the last proper working week before Christmas, though, who can say?

Further Ahead

The following week begins with Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing day, followed by two alleged working days before the extend New Year long weekend. I’ll be spending nearly all of it cat-sitting in Ashfield, and adding personal and maybe work things ad libitum.

[Photo: Crossing the Nepean. Part of my regular “Crossing the Nepean” series of images, but this time taken from the old road bridge through the a bus window covered in advertising, photographed on 16 December 2018.]

Weekly Wrap 445: More cybers, and a harbour cruise

10 December 2018 in Weekly Wrap by Stilgherrian | No comments

Sydney Harbour BridgeMy week of Monday 3 to Sunday 9 December 2018 was a mixed bag of work and joy. And the weather was lovely.

Articles

Podcasts

None.

Media Appearances

  • On Friday, I spoke about Australia’s new encryption laws on ABC TV’s News Breakfast. Here’s a snippet.

Corporate Largesse

  • On Tuesday, I met with people from Unisys Security Solutions and they paid for the coffee.
  • On Thursday, I was on the Annual Communications & Internet Community Boat Cruise on Sydney Harbour, and had some lovely food and drink at the industry’s expense.

The Week Ahead

There’s a lot of writing to do, for both ZDNet and a semi-SEKRIT international project. I should be in the Blue Mountains for pretty much the whole week.

On Tuesday, I’m talking about the new encryption laws on Sydney radio 2RSR at about 1230 AEDT.

Further Ahead

Nicholas Fryer and I will be recording another joint episode of The 9pm Edict podcast on Thursday 22 December, and it should be posted that night.

[Photo: Sydney Harbour Bridge, photographed on 6 December 2018.]

Weekly Wrap 444: Cybers with a lovely view

03 December 2018 in Weekly Wrap by Stilgherrian | No comments

My week of Monday 26 November to Sunday 2 December 2018 was rich and varied, with a little more research and writing than I’d expected.

Articles

I’ve also written nearly all of another ZDNet article, which is likely to appear on Monday.

Podcasts, Media Appearances

None.

Corporate Largesse

  • On Tuesday, Cybereason’s briefing session was held at STUDIO at the top of Sydney Tower. There was good food and quite a lot of wine.

The Week Ahead

After a slow start, Monday is a writing day, as well as a day of administrivia for the first working day of the month.

On Tuesday I head down to Sydney for a medical appointment, to interview a cybersecurity executive, and to attend a Sydney Ideas evening lecture on White Fragility. I’ll stay in Sydney overnight so can work in Sydney on Wednesday.

I’ll head to Sydney again on Thursday morning, slightly earlier, for a dental appointment, some errands, the ever-dangerous annual Annual Communications & Internet Community Boat Cruise, and dinner with a friend. Once more I’ll stay in Sydney overnight, with Friday as a writing day of some sort.

The weekend is not yet planned.

Further Ahead

Nicholas Fryer and I will be recording another joint episode of The 9pm Edict podcast on Thursday 22 December, and it should be posted that night.

[Photo: Looking across Sydney Harbour from Sydney Tower. The view to the north-east from Sydney Tower, with the Royal Australian Navy’s Fleet Base East in the mid-ground, and out towards Sydney Heads, photographed on 27 November 2018.]

Weekly Wrap 443: A cat, a podcast, and words on healthcare

26 November 2018 in Weekly Wrap by Stilgherrian | No comments

My week of Monday 19 to Sunday 25 November 2018 was dominated by a grumpy cat, but I won’t go into that.

Podcasts

  • “The 9pm Arch Window of the Baked Goods”, being The 9pm Edict episode 81. It’s also on Spreaker and SoundCloud. My guest co-host was Nicholas Fryer. Please let me know if you like this format. We’ll be doing a second one before Christmas, and I may do another episode or two in different formats before the end of the year.

Articles

I also wrote a piece about the Assistance and Access Bill, which will appear on Monday.

Media Appearances, Corporate Largesse

None.

The Week Ahead

The week will be dominated by action in the Australian Parliament, namely debate over the controversial anti-encryption legislation, the Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment (Assistance and Access) Bill 2018.

The powerful Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) is still conducting hearings as part of its inquiry, but home affair minister Peter Dutton is pressuring the committee to hurry up, and prime minister Scott Morrison has said he wants the legislation passed in the next two weeks.

Hearings are now scheduled for Monday, Tuesday, and Friday this week. I’m writing some analysis for ZDNet for Monday, and we’ll see what happens after that.

Meanwhile, I’ll be in Sydney on Tuesday for a lunchtime briefing on “Countering Advanced Threats” by Cybereason, and on Friday for a media lunch with executives from Symantec.

Further Ahead

There don’t seem to be any major commitments between now and Christmas, just some single-day or overnight trips to Sydney for media briefings, end-of-year events, and social activities.

There will be at least one episode of The 9pm Edict wth Nicholas Fryer, however, and perhaps one that’s more of a long-form interview.

[Photo: Freelancer Life. Watching the Australian Senate live while grabbing a late breakfast of noodle soup at the Sussex Centre food court in Sydney’s Chinatown, photographed on 14 November 2018. So not this week.]

The 9pm Arch Window of the Baked Goods

20 November 2018 in The 9pm Edict by Stilgherrian | 1 comment

Pie

In this episode, Nicholas Fryer joins us to explore the archetypical Arizona senator, breakfast food, productivity, and the cost of living.

We talk about baked goods, fried rice, watermelon, Hunter S Thompson, international politics, parenting, productivity, and more.

You can listen to the podcast below. But if you want all of the episodes, now and in the future, subscribe to the podcast feed, or go to SoundCloud or Spreaker.

Play

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:04:29 — 62.9MB)

Episode Notes

I’m now using Pinboard for the episode notes.

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Weekly Wrap 442: Dominated by digital health, plus ducks

18 November 2018 in Weekly Wrap by Stilgherrian | No comments

Ducks escorting a convoyMy week of Monday 12 to Sunday 18 November 2018 was dominated by digital health. Mostly Australia’s controversial My Health Record, as the list of articles will show, but also two events that had digital health as a focus.

I also did some planning for future podcasts, and some advisory work on someone’s proposal for a future media project.

Articles

All three are about My Health Record. The politics were moving fast, so maybe hit the last one first. It links back to the others anyway.

Podcasts, Media Appearances

None.

Corporate Largesse

  • On Monday the Health And Aged Care Press Lunch was held at the always-excellent Bentley Restaurant & Bar in Sydney. Clients of Bass PR picked up the tab: Telsyte, Osana, CQR Consulting, BOARD, Collard Maxwell Architects, and 8×8.
  • On Tuesday I had lunch at Luke Mangan’s magnificent Glass Brasserie at the Hilton Sydney Hotel, paid for by Aura Information Security.
  • On Tuesday evening, CISO Lens covered most of the drinks bill for a meeting they organised.

The Week Ahead

Monday is a writing day for ZDNet. Update 19 November 1930 AEDT: Monday ended up being a day of sleep, which for the moment I’m putting down to Annoying Side Effects from my medication regime.

On Tuesday I’m recording the next episode of The 9pm Edict podcast, co-hosted by Nicholas Fryer. It won’t be streamed live, but will be posted the following day.

From Wednesday through Saturday I’ll be back in Sydney for some more cat-sitting. During that time I’ll be writing, starting off with a piece for ZDNet, I hope, and tidying up a bunch of loose ends. Saturday night is likely to include watching the coverage of Victoria’s state election.

Further Ahead

There don’t seem to be any major commitments between now and Christmas, just some single-day or overnight trips to Sydney for media briefings, end-of-year events, and social activities.

There will be at least one episode of The 9pm Edict wth Nicholas Fryer, however, and perhaps one that’s more of a long-form interview.

[Photo: Ducks escorting a convoy. Ducks and other waterfowl at Wentworth Falls Lake, photographed on 18 November 2018.]

Weekly Wrap 441: The joy of a calm spring week

11 November 2018 in Weekly Wrap by Stilgherrian | Permalink

Suburban JoyMy week of Monday 5 to Sunday 11 November 2018 went as planned. I’ll tell you more about that another time. Maybe.

It was very much the calm before another couple of very busy weeks.

Articles

Podcasts, Media Appearances, Corporate Largesse

None. As I said last week, these categories tend to come in waves. But there’ll be new podcasts soon, as detailed below.

The Week Ahead

On Monday I return to Sydney, writing for ZDNet en route, then heading to a lunchtime briefing on technology in health and aged care, then getting some back repairs.

I’ll remain in Sydney to cover a Tuesday morning session on the Future of Health, at an event sponsored by the Commonwealth Bank, then lunch meeting, then an evening meeting. There should also be more My Health Record action in the Senate, so I’ll be writing about that.

I return to the Mountains on Wednesday evening, after a day of writing. Thursday is likely to be about writing and the shopping. On Friday there’s another Senate hearing on the Assistance and Access Bill, the anti-encryption legislation, so I’ll be keeping an ear on that.

After all that I’ll want a quiet weekend.

Further Ahead

The following week will begin with more writing, then from Wednesday through Saturday I’ll be back in Sydney for some cat-sitting.

The next episode of The 9pm Edict podcast will be recorded on the afternoon of Tuesday 20 November. It won’t be streamed live, but it will be posted the following day.

[Photo: Suburban Joy, being a rather bleak playground in Ashfield, Sydney, photographed on 11 November 2018.]

Weekly Wrap 440: A pause before the next burst, with ants

04 November 2018 in Weekly Wrap by Stilgherrian | Permalink

AntworksMy week of Monday 29 October to Sunday 4 November 2018 was relatively quiet, reflecting a sensible reaction to my hectic schedule in the weeks beforehand.

Also, as I mentioned in the update to last week’s Wrap, I was dealing with what I have dubbed Banker Flu.

Articles

Podcasts, Media Appearances, Corporate Largesse

None. These categories seem to come in waves. But there’ll be new podcasts soon.

The Week Ahead

Monday is all about planning my work between now and the end of the year. Suggestions welcome.

Tuesday is Melbourne Cup Day, and while it isn’t a holiday in NSW it does tend to dominate the day throughout the country. I’ll take advantage of that by getting some writing done while everyone else is at the pub. Wednesday will be a social day, followed by routine shopping in the evening.

Thursday and Friday will be an as-yet-unstructured mix of writing and podcast production. Watch my Twitter feed for updates.

I’m spending Saturday afternoon and night in Sydney, where cat-sitting in Ashfield will be part of the agenda. Sunday is Remembrance Day, so I’ll attend one of the 11am ceremonies somewhere and have a relaxed lunch before getting the train back to the Blue Mountains.

Further Ahead

I suspect I’ll have more on this next week.

[Photo: Antworks, photographed at Bunjaree Cottages on 29 October 2018.]

Weekly Wrap 439: Banking, cybers, and whisky (lots of)

28 October 2018 in Weekly Wrap by Stilgherrian | Permalink

ICC SydneyMy week of Monday 22 to Sunday 28 October 2018 was dominated by the building in the photo, the International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney), because I was covering SWIFT’s Sibos global financial services conference. It was all a bit strange.

I’m used to plenty of hospitality at cybersecurity conferences, but the international banking industry works at a whole different level. It also generated three stories, with another one or two still to come.

And all of this happened despite a night of drinking whisky. I’d like to quash the rumour that we were drinking whisky until 6am, however. It was only about 5.50am.

Podcasts

Articles

Media Appearances

None.

Corporate Largesse

  • SWIFT’s Sibos global financial services conference was awash with plenty of high-quality food and drink. I didn’t trawl the stalls, even though there were some excellent things on offer. I just grabbed a pen from the Reserve Bank of Australia when mine broke.

The Week Ahead

On Monday I’m writing something for ZDNet before doing the shopping and other errands in Katoomba.

Tuesday will be a long day. I’m catching the 0607 train down to Sydney to cover the McAfee MPOWER Cyber Security Summit. I daresay that as a result I’ll be writing something else for ZDNet on Wednesday.

Update 30 October: I’m down with what I’m calling Banker Flu. Monday and Tuesday have been write-offs. Wednesday will be about story pitches, writing, and the shopping.

I’ll leave Thursday and Friday unplanned for the time being. I have the sneaking suspicion that there’ll be something newsworthy to write about, and I’ll sort out the podcast plans for the rest of the year.

Further Ahead

There’s nothing specific pencilled in yet, so I should probably do something about that. Suggestions are more than welcome.

[Photo: ICC Sydney, photographed on 24 October 2018.]

The 9pm Probe: Mike Godwin, attorney and author

28 October 2018 in The 9pm Edict by Stilgherrian | Permalink

Washington Monument at dusk

While I was in Washington DC recently, I recorded an interview with attorney and author Mike Godwin, he of Godwin’s Law fame.

We spoke about Godwin’s Law, of course, as well as nationalism, concentration camps, human rights, privacy, the fragility of democracy, Ronald Reagan, Donald Trump, libertarianism, Australia’s My Health Record, and more.

You can listen to the podcast below. But if you want all of the episodes, now and in the future, subscribe to the podcast feed, or go to SoundCloud or Spreaker.

Play

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 35:39 — 28.1MB)

This podcast was recorded on Friday 5 October 2018 in Washington DC.

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