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Weekly Wrap 318: Post-election madness, and fatigue, and…

Nom Chomsky, the cat I'm feeding at AshfieldLast week I said that I was emerging from the mysterious illness. Alas, it didn’t last. My week of Monday 27 June to Sunday 3 July 2016 was far less productive than I’d hoped.

That said, I made progress on the much-delayed geek-work, and on the seemingly never-ending tax compliance work, although there’s little to show outwardly. My stress levels were much reduced, but I’m aware that there’s still a lot to go.

Meanwhile, as you’ll read below, there’s been a disturbing development…

Podcasts, Articles, and Media Appearances

None, sadly.

Corporate Largesse

  • On Wednesday, I went to a lunchtime media briefing by VMware, which took place at est. Obviously, there was excellent food and drink.

The Week Ahead

It’ll be another week in Ashfield, Sydney’s inner west.

Monday begins with another batch of tax compliance work. I’m then spending the rest of the day with an old friend and his offspring, who are visiting Sydney.

The rest of the week is another mix of geek-work and more tax compliance work, depending on my mood at the time.

And the disturbing development?

A Special Podcast Episode?

There’s talk of me doing a special post-election episode of The 9pm Edict podcast, consisting of nothing but me downing Bundaberg Rum and reading the full policy agenda of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation.

I mean, after Saturday’s election she’ll be in the Senate — and the policies aren’t just racist, they’re a mashup of of almost every paranoid conspiracy out there.

Reading all of these policies would take more than two hours. But there’s a groundswell of support for making it happen — including at least five financial contributions so far. It could actually work, if it were streamed live, and people could read along at home and chat amongst themselves.

I will make an announcement about this, one way or another, before 2100 AEST tomorrow night, Monday 4 July 2016. Probably well before that, actually.

If you’d like to make a persuasive contribution before then, do feel free to give me a tip. If your tip is specifically for this project, I’m happy to refund it if this special episode doesn’t go ahead.

Further Ahead

While the following few weeks are still be be organised, I can say that I’ll be going to theGartner Security & Risk Management Summit in Sydney on 22-23 August, and the AISA National Conference in Sydney on 18-20 October.

[Photo: Nom Chomsky, the cat who I am duty-bound to feed while at Ashfield, photographed on 2 July 2016.]

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Weekly Wrap 317: Does the Solstice herald a good new year?

Sydney Harbour at sunset: click to embiggenMy week Monday 20 to Sunday 26 June 2016 saw me emerging from the mysterious illness, and starting to get back into work. Still, I made good progress on most work fronts, even if there’s nothing much to report

Podcasts

This is the final episode of what I’ve called “series 4” of the Edict. There’s a new series and a new schedule from 1 July. I haven’t announced that yet, however, except to say that there’ll be one episode during July. Stay tuned for details.

Media Appearances

Articles and Corporate Largesse

None. For obvious reasons.

The Week Ahead

I’m spending this week in Ashfield, in Sydney’s inner west, but Monday will be a day of travel: errands to Enmore and Lilyfield, then the long commute up to Wentworth Falls and back. Why? To collect some documents I need for my neverending tax compliance catch-up.

Tuesday will see me working with those documents.

On Wednesday, there’s a lunchtime briefing by VMware in the SydneyCBD, after which I’ve got a meeting related to a SEKRIT media project.

On Thursday I’m recording an interview in the morning, then heading to the Sydney CBD to get a haircut, pre-vote for Saturday’s federal election, and get a democracy sausage.

Friday will be a mix of research, writing, and more tax compliance work, depending on my mood at the time.

There’s also geek work scattered through the whole week, but I won’t go into the details here.

Saturday is federal election day in Australia. While I’m not sure what I’ll be doing during the day, the evening will doubtless be spent watching to election specials on TV. It’ll be a close result, by all accounts, so I’m really looking forward to it.

Further Ahead

While the following few weeks are still be be organised, I can say that I’ll be going to theGartner Security & Risk Management Summit in Sydney on 22-23 August, and the AISA National Conference in Sydney on 18-20 October.

[Photo: Sydney Harbour at sunset, photographed on 22 June 2016 while crossing the Sydney Harbour Bridge.]

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Weekly Wrap 316: Coughing as the Solstice approaches

Sydney, five minutes before dawn: click to embiggenMy week Monday 13 to Sunday 19 June 2016 was miserable. Why? Was it a cold? Was is a throat infection? Was it a gut infection? Was it all these things? Who can say?

I got nothing done, apart from some excellent lying in bed coughing. I do not recommend this as a way of life.

Media Appearances

Podcasts, Articles, and Corporate Largesse

None. For obvious reasons.

The Week Ahead

On Monday, I’ll be producing an episode of The 9pm Edict podcast, and then celebrating in a private ceremony the Winter Solstice and the Full Moon. This will continue into Tuesday, because the Solstice itself is actually at 0834 AEST, well after the 0700 AEST sunrise.

The remainder of the week will see me in Sydney, working on the seemingly-endless tax compliance work, as well as the much-delayed geek-for-hire work. That’s enough for now, right?

[Photo: Sydney, five minutes before dawn, being the view of the Sydney CBD on 11 June 2016.]

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Weekly Wrap 315: Mooning at the future, or something

Office with Moon: click to embiggenMy week Monday 6 to Sunday 12 June 2016 ended a week ago, for reasons that will become clear in the next Weekly Wrap.

Podcasts

Articles

None. Stand by.

Media Appearances

Corporate Largesse

None.

[Photo: Office with Moon, being the Moon as seen between office buildings in Haymarket, Sydney, on 8 June 2016.]

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My wisdom was recognised as Tweet of the Day

Last week Malcolm Turnbull claimed that Labor was declaring war on business, and that the first casualties were jobs.

Tweet of the Day, 3 June 2016It’s a symptom of the government’s supposed need to look strong and tough on difficult issues. Hence the war on drugs, the war on terror, the war on poverty and so on.

How unimaginative, I thought.

I expressed this opinion on Twitter, as is the fashion.

“Imagine being so bereft of ideas that the only metaphor you can come up with is war,” I tweeted.

That tweet was retweeted 38 times, and scored 36 likes. That’s far fewer than tweets tweeted by major celebrities and the like, but for me it’s at the high end of the scale.

The next morning, 3 June, @aksana tweeted to tell me that my tweet was chosen as the Sydney Morning Herald Tweet of the Day.

She include a photo of the printed newspaper, because Tweet of the Day doesn’t seem to be published on the SMH website.

All this should have been included in last week’s Weekly Wrap, but I forgot. I’ve fixed that now, though.

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Weekly Wrap 314: Cold and wet and more wet, and wet

Crossing Anzac Bridge: click to embiggenMy week Monday 30 May to Sunday 5 June 2016 was disrupted by a cold or somesuch — perhaps caught at AusCERT 2016, perhaps just the change-of-season illness that seems to have spread down the entire east coast of Australia — and then by Sydney’s massive rainstorms of 4–5 June.

I’m therefore well behind schedule, so I’ll keep this brief.

Podcasts

  • “The 9pm Edict Public House Forum 3” was recorded on Saturday, and the final version will be produced and posted on Wednesday 8 June.

Articles

None. I’ve got tons of recorded interviews, however, so I’ll be sorting them out soon enough.

Media Appearances

Corporate Largesse

None.

The Week Ahead

I should be in Sydney for the whole week once again. With few specific appointments locked in so far, I’ll be working at my own pace through the neverending tax bookkeeping, the geek-for-hire projects which are way behind schedule, and some writing for ZDNet. In roughly that order.

There are three fixed commitments, however.

  • On Monday through Wednesday, I’ll edit, mix and post The 9pm Edict Public House Forum 3.
  • On Wednesday afternoon, I’m recording a radio spot which will be broadcast on ABC Radio’s digital streams on Saturday afternoon. Check my Twitter feed on the day for the exact time.
  • On Wednesday evening, I’m doing a radio spot on ABC 774 Melbourne at 1930 AEST.

The weekend is unplanned, and it’s the long weekend for the Queen’s Birthday.

[Update 8 June 2016: Edited to reflect some schedule changes. Update 11 June 2016: Edited to add the Tweet of the Day item.]

[Photo: Crossing Anzac Bridge, photographed on 4 June 2016 during Sydney’s massive two-day rainstorm.]