Author: Stilgherrian

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Weekly Wrap 275: Spring springs, and there was a pub…

Almond Blossom at Bunjaree Cottages: click to embiggenMy week of Monday 7 to Sunday 13 September was over more than a week ago. So let’s just list what happened and get on with the day, shall we?

Podcasts

  • “The 9pm Public House Forum 1”, being The 9pm Edict episode 49, was recorded at the Australian Arms Hotel in Penrith on Saturday, and edited and posted on Sunday. I’m moderately pleased with the results of this Public House Forum. That means we’ll see another one before too long.

Articles

None.

Media Appearances

  • On Monday, I spoke about the death of handwriting on ABC 891 Adelaide.
  • On Friday morning, I delivered my guest lecture at the University of Technology Sydney. A recording will be posted on Wednesday 23 September, but for now you can check out the references and reading list.
  • On Friday afternoon, I spoke about the massive service outage at Commonwealth Bank on 1395 FIVEaa Adelaide, but I did not record it.

5at5

None. Why not subscribe so you’ll get all the future ones?

Corporate Largesse

None.

The Week Ahead

Well, it’s almost over. It’s already Sunday. But later today, there’ll be an episode of The 9pm Edict podcast, and another Weekly Wrap. Today is also the day that new Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announces his first cabinet, and I have to write an analysis for ZDNet, so I’m hoping that I can get everything done.

[Photo: Almond Blossom at Bunjaree Cottages, photographed on 14 September 2015.]

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Algorithms and the Filter Bubble references for 2015

UTS logoThis morning I delivered version six of my now-regular guest lecture to media students at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), “Algorithms and the Filter Bubble”. Here are the references and further reading.

The links over the fold start off with some background material that sets out my worldview, and then things are in roughly the same order as presented in the lecture — with the order becoming less coherent further down the page. There’s more material linked here than I mentioned in the lecture itself. Enjoy.

A recording of the lecture will be made available in roughly one week on Wednesday 23 September on Friday 25 September, as the change in Prime Minister has triggered the demand for some of my commentary. This page may be updated with further links at that time.

Continue reading “Algorithms and the Filter Bubble references for 2015”

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Talking the death of handwriting on ABC 891 Adelaide

ABC logo“How relevant is handwriting in 2015, when people are increasingly communicating via text messages, via email, via tweets, Facebook updates, those sort things?”, asked ABC 891 Adelaide presenter Michael Smyth on Monday afternoon.

There are schools in Finland and the US reportedly phasing out the teaching of handwriting.

Here’s what I think is an interesting 12-minute discussion that includes a vox pop of people in Adelaide, talkback calls, and Pam Kent, president of the South Australian Primary Principals Association, as well as myself.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 12:33 — 7.4MB)

The audio is ©2015 Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Bonus link: By a happy coincidence, this week’s episode of ABC Radio’s Future Tense asks Does handwriting have a future?

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Weekly Wrap 274: Spring has sprung, with many thoughts

Wading in Kuala Lumpur: click to embiggenMy week of Monday 31 August 2015 to Sunday 6 September was a bit all over the place, but I did achieve most of what I wanted to achieve.

I did take some time out to do some bits and pieces which I’ll explain another time — but that’s why this week’s list looks a bit thin.

Articles

Podcasts

Media Appearances

  • On Tuesday evening, I spoke about various tech stories with Tim Brunero on ABC 702 Sydney and Local Radio around NSW. I chose not to record it.
  • On Wednesday, I took part in the closing debate of the ACCAN National Conference. A recording will appear in due course. I have now posted a video recording and transcript.

5at5

There were three editions of 5at5, on Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday. Why not subscribe so you’ll get all the future ones?

Corporate Largesse

None.

The Week Ahead

On Monday, I’ll be doing the laundry, shopping, and tidying the Ashfield apartment, ready for its inhabitants’ return, and eventually making my own way back to the Blue Mountains. With luck, I’ll also finish the ZDNet column that I started writing on Friday and catching up with a couple of people. On Tuesday, I’ll finish some chores before returning to Wentworth Falls.

On Tuesday Wednesday, I’ll be going to Parramatta to buy the audio gear that’s been funded by The 9pm Urgent Hardware Refresh, testing it all, and creating the software configuration to use on Saturday.

On Wednesday Thursday, I’ll be preparing my UTS lecture, and writing for ZDNet again.

On Friday, I’ll head to Sydney on an early train, because I’m presenting my guest lecture at UTS at 0900. I’ll then return to Wentworth Falls around lunchtime to prepare for the weekend. This includes some more detailed testing of the audio gear.

On Saturday, it’s the recording session for The 9pm Edict Public House Forum in Penrith, and on Sunday that will be turned into a finished podcast.

Update 8 September 2015: Edited to reflect a change to this week’s schedule. Update 27 September 2015: Edited to add link to ACCAN debate recording.

[Photo: Wading in Kuala Lumpur, a bird of unknown species photographed on 12 September 2011.]