My 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.
Continue reading “Weekly Wrap 439: Banking, cybers, and whisky (lots of)”Weekly Wrap 438: Digging into the legislation, mostly
After two weeks of travel, my week of Monday 15 to Sunday 21 October 2018 was less hectic. My main focus for writing was legislation making its way through the Australian parliament.
Oh, and finally getting to the podcast production. That’s a good thing, right?
Podcasts
- “The 9pm Arch Window into the Soul”, being The 9pm Edict episode 79. It’s also on Spreaker and SoundCloud. This one’s a bit different, with Nicholas Fryer asking the questions. Let me know what you think.
Articles
- My Health Record privacy amendments ‘woefully inadequate’: Labor, ZDNet Australia, 15 October 2018.
- Australia’s anti-encryption legislation fails to address human rights concerns: Committee, ZDNet Australia, 18 October 2018.
- Senate inquiry recommends locking down My Health Record by default, ZDNet Australia, 18 October 2018.
- ADHA’s non-process for releasing My Health Record data revealed, ZDNet Australia, 19 October 2018.
Media Appearances, Corporate Largesse
None.
The Week Ahead
I’m spending the week in Sydney covering SWIFT’s Sibos global financial services conference on Monday to Thursday, then doing some writing and dealing with a medical appointment on Friday.
On the weekend I’ll post another podcast, based on the long interview I recorded with the remarkable Mike Godwin in Washington DC. And then I’ll collapse.
Further Ahead
The following week I’m covering the McAfee MPOWER Cyber Security Summit in Sydney on Tuesday, as well as a little more podcast production.
There’s nothing specific pencilled in right through to the end of the year, so I should probably do something about that. Suggestions are more than welcome.
[Photo: Waratah at Bunjaree Cottages. Despite the heavy rain, this Waratah at Bunjaree Cottages is flowering again this year. I am pleased. Photographed on 21 October 2018.]
Weekly Wrap 437: Cybering for two weeks in two countries
My fortnight of Monday 1 to Sunday 14 October 2018 was spent in The America and then in the Melbourne. I’m exhausted. But it was all quite productive.
Articles
- No Russian interference yet in US midterm elections: FireEye, ZDNet Australia, 4 October 2018. Interesting analysis. The first of three stories from the FireEye Cyber Defense Summit.
- America the ‘indispensable nation’ for cybersecurity: Madeleine Albright, ZDNet Australia, 4 October 2018.
- North Korea is the most destructive cyber threat right now: FireEye, ZDNet Australia, 5 October 2018. The key word here is “destructive”. When discovered, the DPRK hackers tent to trash everything in sight.
- My Health Record justifications ‘kind of lame’: Godwin, ZDNet Australia, 10 October 2018.
- UK’s NCSC to monitor internet routing to stop DDoS and hijacks, ZDNet Australia, 12 October 2018. An update on the NCSC’s impressive Active Cyber Defence work.
Podcasts
None published. But as well as the long conversation with Nicholas Fryer that we recorded in Adelaide two weeks ago, in DC I recorded a long interview with the remarkable Mike Godwin, creator of Godwin’s Law amongst many other things. Both of those podcasts will be posted some time in the coming week.
Media Appearances
None, which is unusual.
Corporate Largesse
- My flights to the US and the related accommodation were covered by FireEye.
- At the Australian Cyber Conference on 10–11 October there was plenty of food and drink, courtesy of the Australian Information Security Association (AISA) and their sponsors. AusCERT: A branded SyncStop “USB Condom” to protect my devices while charging from random USB ports; Tenable: a copy of Cyber Exposure for Dummies; ThreatQuotient: A stress rhinoceros, leading Benno Rice to coin the euphemism “Squeezing the rhino”; Tripwire: Three t-shirts bearing the slogan “I didn’t start the fire”; Yubico: A YubiKey NEO authentication device.
The Week Ahead
On Monday, I’m back in Sydney, where I’ll be dealing with a couple of medical things, sorting through my notes and pitching some stories, and ending the day with some social life, before taking the train back to Wentworth Falls.
Tuesday through Thursday will be about writing for ZDNet and editing podcasts. I’ll plan that out as I go.
Friday is another Sydney day, with the usual mix of medical and work appointments, plus whatever remains to be done. I’m looking forward to having a lazy weekend.
Further Ahead
The following week I’m spending a bunch of time in Sydney covering the Sibos global financial services conference on 22–25 October. That’ll keep me pretty busy, so Friday through Sunday will be more laid-back.
Beyond that:
- McAfee MPOWER Cyber Security Summit, Sydney, 30 October.
- International Association of Privacy Professionals ANZ (iappANZ) Annual Summit, Privacy: Handling the Seismic Shift, Melbourne, 1 November. (Tentative)
[Photo: The White House. You know what this is. Photographed on the foggy Sunday morning of 7 October 2018.]
Weekly Wrap 435: Flying in aircraft small and large
The highlight of my week of Monday 24 to Sunday 30 September 2018 was obviously being flown from Sydney to (nearly) Adelaide by Mark Newton in his Van’s RV-6 VH-SOL. That’s it in the photo. Obviously.
A podcast will result from that trip, “The 9pm Sierra Oscar Lima (Or Llama)”, in about four weeks from now, once I’ve finished travelling. Meanwhile, you can read the tweets and look at the blurry photos.
A second highlight was running a successful Pozible crowdfunding campaign, The 9pm Flying Visits, to record some podcast segments in Adelaide, Washington DC, and Melbourne. I’m visiting those cities for work, but thanks to 50 generous supporters contributed $2138 to cover extra accommodation and the like. See below for how that will all work.
Articles
- Telstra and Optus call for clarity in anti-encryption laws, ZDNet Australia, 24 September 2018.
Podcasts
None published, but I’ve recorded a long conversation with Nicholas Fryer, who does The Arch Window segments in The 9pm Edict. That will appear some time in the coming week.
Media Appearances
- On Monday, one of my “excellent” tweets was used in the Junkee story Everyone Wants To Run The ABC Now That Michelle Guthrie Has Been Fired.
- On Tuesday. I spoke about the idea of selling your own data, and the government’s work on the Consumer Data Right, on ABC Adelaide. I did not record it.
Corporate Largesse
- On Thursday, I met with the CEO of Responsight and his PR people. They bought me a coffee.
The Week Ahead
As I post this on Sunday afternoon, I’m at Adelaide Airport for flights via Melbourne and Abu Dhabi to Washington DC. I’ll arrive there on Monday evening local time.
I’m spending the week in DC covering the FireEye Cyber Defense Summit from Tuesday to Thursday, then enjoying my first visit to the city and recording more podcasts bits. I’m very pleased that one of those bits will be an interview with the remarkable Mike Godwin, creator of Godwin’s Law amongst many other things.
On Sunday night I fly out via Abu Dhabi to Melbourne.
Further Ahead
The following week I’m in Melbourne, arriving on Tuesday evening local time to cover the Australian Cyber Conference, formerly the Australian Information Security Association (AISA) National Conference, on 9–11 October. I’m staying in Melbourne to write, and record yet more podcast bits, before flying up to Sydney on Sunday night.
Beyond that:
- The Sibos global financial services conference, Sydney, 22–25 October.
- International Association of Privacy Professionals ANZ (iappANZ) Annual Summit, Privacy: Handling the Seismic Shift, Melbourne, 1 November. (TBC)
[Photo: Refuelling at Swan Hill. Mark Newton’s Van’s RV-6 VH-SOL about to be refuelled at Swan Hill Aerodrome, as the signage described it, on 28 September 2018.]
Weekly Wrap 434: Spring, with quoll and crowdfunding
The highlights of my week of Monday 17 to Sunday 23 September 2018 included seeing a tiger quoll at very close range as it ambled part the house. That’s it in the photo.
I also managed — finally! — to extrude a podcast. And I launched a Pozible crowdfunding campaign to record some podcast segments in Adelaide, Washington DC, and Melbourne over the coming weeks. I’m visiting those cities for work.
Please consider pledging your support to The 9pm Flying Visits.
Podcasts
- “The 9pm Shoddy Time Machine”, being The 9pm Edict episode 78. This podcast is also on Spreaker and SoundCloud.
Articles
- 900,000 Australians opt out of My Health Record, ZDNet Australia, 18 September 2018.
- Privacy advocates have failed to engage on My Health Record, ZDNet Australia, 20 September 2018.
Media Appearances, Corporate Largesse
None, but this will change a lot in the next few weeks, at least as far as Corporate Largesse goes.
The Week Ahead
I’m kicking off a few weeks that have already been mapped out. Monday is about planning, logistics, story pitches, some geekery, and shopping. Tuesday and Wednesday are about writing and data wrangling, ideally.
On Thursday, I’m heading down to Sydney for an interview at 1100, plus a few other bits and pieces, before wrapping up The 9pm Flying Visits at 2100 AEST. You have until then to pledge your support. Please consider.
On Friday, I’m flying from Sydney’s Bankstown airport to Wagga Wagga to Swan Hill to Goolwa in a Vans RV-6 light aircraft registration VH-SOL piloted by Mark Newton. We hope to start the engine at 0830 AEST. En route I’ll record things for a subsequent podcast and tweet some observations. So far the weather forecast looks reasonable, but there’s always the chance of delays.
Saturday and Sunday will be spent in Adelaide, and I’ll record a podcast bit or two. I fly out at 1805 ACST on Sunday, travelling via Melbourne and Abu Dhabi to Washington DC.
Further Ahead
I’m spending the week in DC covering the FireEye Cyber Defense Summit on 1–4 October, then enjoying my first visit to the city and recording more podcasts bits before flying out Sunday night to Abu Dhabi and Melbourne.
The following week I’m in Melbourne, arriving on Tuesday local time to cover the Australian Cyber Conference, formerly the Australian Information Security Association (AISA) National Conference, on 9–11 October. I’m staying in Melbourne to write, and record yet more podcast bits, before flying up to Sydney on Sunday night.
Beyond that:
- The Sibos global financial services conference, Sydney, 22–25 October.
- International Association of Privacy Professionals ANZ (iappANZ) Annual Summit, Privacy: Handling the Seismic Shift, Melbourne, 1 November. (TBC)
[Photo: Tiger Quoll. A tiger quoll (Dasyurus maculatus), also known as the spotted-tail quoll, the spotted quoll, the spotted-tail dasyure, or the tiger cat, spotted at Bunjaree Cottages near Wentworth Falls in the Blue Mountains on 19 September 2018.]
Weekly Wrap 433: Easing into the new season
My week from Monday 10 to Sunday 16 September 2018 did not work out as I’d hoped last week. I did head down to Sydney as planned, but it turned out that I wasn’t as recovered from the lurgi as I’d thought. I think we’re done with that now.
Articles
- Australia’s anti-encryption law will merely relocate the backdoors: Expert, ZDNet Australia, 10 September 2018. This appears to have been a popular article. It links back to some of the other discussion of the Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment (Assistance and Access) Bill 2018.
Podcasts, Media Appearances, Corporate Largesse
It was another week when all three of these categories were empty, mostly because I didn’t go to the AI & Machine Learning Summit as planned. But see below.
The Week Ahead
Monday and Tuesday will be about writing for ZDNet, I hope, but I’ll also kick off a quick crowdfunding campaign to record some podcasts while I’m in Washington DC and Melbourne.
The next episode of The 9pm Edict will now be recorded on Wednesday 19 September (moved from Tuesday) at 2100 AEST. Listen on the livestream or on Spreaker apps, or listen later on the usual feeds.
Thursday will be a relatively easy day, before returning to some media work on Friday. After that, the weekend is intended to be about de-stressing. I note, however, that the Equinox is on Saturday night at 2354 AEST, so I might do something to mark the occasion.
Further Ahead
The week of Monday 24 September kicks off a few weeks that have already been mapped out. It begins in writing mode. Thursday will be a Sydney day, and I’ll stay overnight because…
On Friday — or on Saturday if the weather is against us — I’m flying from Sydney’s Bankstown airport to Wagga Wagga to Swan Hill to Goolwa in a Vans RV-6 light aircraft registration VH-SOL piloted by Mark Newton. En route I’ll record things for a subsequent podcast.
On Sunday I fly from Adelaide to Abu Dhabi to Washington DC to cover the FireEye Cyber Defense Summit on 1–5 October. I’m spend the weekend in DC before flying back through Abu Dhabi to Melbourne to cover the Australian Cyber Conference, formerly the Australian Information Security Association (AISA) National Conference, on 9–11 October.
Beyond that:
- The Sibos global financial services conference, Sydney, 22–25 October.
- International Association of Privacy Professionals ANZ (iappANZ) Annual Summit, Privacy: Handling the Seismic Shift, Melbourne, 1 November. (TBC)
[Photo: Eucalypt Scrubland. I do so love the patterns created by sunlight in the scrub at Bunjaree Cottages, and sometimes it works better in monochrome. Photographed 14 September 2018.]

