Category: Weekly Wrap

A weekly summary of what I’ve been doing elsewhere on the internets.

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Weekly Wrap 322: Fewer Pokémon, more stress reduction

Theme and variations in Kuhne Major: click to embiggenMy week of Monday 25 to Sunday 31 July 2016 was much the same as last week, so I won’t repeat all that. Let’s look to the future.

That said, I did get a bunch of stuff done on those much-delayed geek projects. I’ll tell you more about them as they emerge into the light over the coming weeks.

Podcasts, Articles, Media Appearances, and Corporate Largesse

None.

The Week Ahead

I believe I’ll be in Sydney for the next four weeks, perhaps even longer. It was always part of The Plan to slowly wind down the arrangement which had me based in the Blue Mountains, but things are still flexible.

On Monday, I’m writing a column for ZDNet about the emerging privacy controversy over Australia’s national Census, as well as fleshing out the structure of a client website. The latter work continues on Tuesday. And Wednesday.

Tuesday Wednesdayis Some later day will be dedicated to producing an episode of The 9pm Edict podcast. At this stage I plan to livestream the recording session at 2100 AEST. But if I do pre-record some segments, or even the entire podcast, I’ll still livestream it when it’s ready to create that live audience vibe on the Twitter.

The rest of the week will continue to be a mix of geek work and writing for ZDNet, depending on my mood. The weekend is unplanned.

Further Ahead

I’ll be going to the Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit in Sydney on 22-23 August, the AISA National Conference in Sydney on 18-20 October, and Ruxcon Security Conference in Melbourne on 22-23 October.

Update 2 August 2016: Edited to reflect schedule changes. Update 3 August 2016: Edited again to reflect schedule changes.

[Photo: Theme and variations in Kuhne Major. Sydney’s Darling Park towers, designed by American-born British architect architect Eric Kuhne, photographed from Pyrmont Bridge on a gorgeous winter day, 29 July 2016.]

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Weekly Wrap 321: Pokémon, a bad trip, and stress reduction

Circular QuayMy week of Monday 18 to Sunday 24 July 2016 was the second of three quite annoying weeks, full of stress and fatigue but little productivity.

If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know that there’s been a few, well, difficult times in my life in recent years. This week falls in a period when my stress levels have been particularly high. “Very severe”, according to one measure. So I’ve been trying to take it easy.

If you’ve got a few stresses in your life, or you’re feeling down, or anxious, you might want to spend the next three minutes doing a DASS-21 assessment. It measures the three related states of depression, anxiety and stress. While it doesn’t provide a diagnosis on its own, it’s a good starting point for a conversation with your GP.

To add injury to insult, as it were, on Saturday evening I tripped and fell into the street, causing some “excellent” grazed elbow, as well as hands and knees.

Podcasts and Articles

None.

Media Appearances

Corporate Largesse

  • On Thursday, I went to a briefing on ransomware put on by Trend Micro at the Sofitel Wentworth Hotel in Sydney. A lovely light breakfast and morning tea were provided, along with the usual branded USB key holding the PR guff.

[Photo: Sydney’s Circular Quay, with the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House of course, photographed in the late morning of 21 July 2016.]

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Weekly Wrap 320: A midwinter shift in focus

Sydney in WinterMy week of Monday 11 to Sunday 17 July 2016 was full of exhaustion.

After finishing an important stage in bringing my tax compliance up to date last week, and after producing a marathon podcast, the stress was reduced a little. I spent a lot of time resting this week.

That said, in between the sleep and the neverending lurgi, I did start to get back into research and writing, and the coming week will see more.

Podcasts

  • “The 9pm One Nation Policy Reading”, being The 9pm Edict episode 61, was posted on Monday night, having been recorded the previous Saturday. You can also listen on SoundCloud and Spreaker. Yes I know I listed this last week, but if other people listed for more than two and a half hours then so can you.

Articles

Media Appearances

Corporate Largesse

None. But there’s plenty in the coming week.

The Week Ahead

I believe I’ll be in Sydney all this week, working through some geek stuff, as well as writing for ZDNet. So far I also have three fixed appointments…

On Wednesday evening, I’ll be doing a radio spot on ABC 774 Melbourne, at either 1900 or 1930 AEST. Check my Twitter stream on the day for the time.

On Thursday, I’ve got a couple of briefings. First thing in the morning, it’s a briefing on the current state of ransomware by folks from Trend Micro. Then in the late afternoon it’s a look at “The Changing Landscape of Cybersecurity” from a legal and risk perspective, with law firm Jones Day, and a panel including Alastair MacGibbon, who’s now the prime minister’s special adviser on cyber security.

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 in Winter, photographed from Lilyfield in the late afternoon of 13 July 2016.]

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Weekly Wrap 319: Progress and a change of pace

Sydney Harbour Bridge from Milsons Point Wharf: click to embiggenMy week of Monday 4 to Sunday 10 July 2016 was full of significance.

First, the last batch of documentation needed to bring my tax compliance disaster up to date was sent to my accountant. There’s still plenty to go in this saga, but that’s the first phase done.

Second, I stepped outside my planned production schedule to create the special podcast episode listed immediately below. It was both fun and scary.

Podcasts

Articles, Media Appearances, and Corporate Largesse

None, sadly. But all will return in the coming weeks.

The Week Ahead

On Monday, which is almost finished as I write this, I’ll be shifting mental gears away from tax compliance to other things. I’ll be writing for ZDNet, wrapping up the post-production for The 9pm Edict, and then migrating from Ashfield to Lilyfield.

Tuesday is all about a certain interview. Research in the morning, conducting the interview at 1300, then writing something based in that interview for ZDNet.

On Wednesday, I’ll be helping a client automate a routine administration process in their business, and returning to the other much-delayed geek-for-hire projects. That work is likely to continue for the rest of the week.

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 Bridge from Milsons Point Wharf, photographed at dusk on 4 July 2016.]

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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.]