Weekly Wrap – Page 83

03 January 201606 January 2016

Weekly Wrap 291: Ready for a year of change

Monday 28 December 2015 to Sunday 3 January 2016 was spent in the Sydney suburbs of Ashfield and Lilyfield, where the quiet week following Christmas heralded a new year that should see many, many changes.

I hope so, anyway, because I’ve got plenty of things to sort out. I’ll tell you more in due course.

Podcasts

“The 9pm Topsy Turnbull Land”, being the rather brief The 9pm Edict episode 55, was recorded and posted on New Year’s Eve. It’s also on SoundCloud and Spreaker.

Articles

None.

Media Appearances

None.

5at5

Should 5at5 eventually reappear, you’ll know about it if you subscribe.

Corporate Largesse

I arrived back at Bunjaree Cottages tonight to find a Christmas gift from Kaspersky Lab: a bottle of Penfolds Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz 2013.

The Week Ahead

I’ve got plenty to do in the coming week, but I won’t be able to schedule everything until I make some calls on Monday. I do know that most of it will be spent at Wentworth Falls, however.

That said, the week’s tasks include designing a website and a matching email template for a client; booking some medical appointments in Sydney; writing for ZDNet; scriptwriting for the next episode of The 9pm Edict; ~~planning my coverage of Linux.conf.au;~~ updating some of the stuff I use to explain what it is that I actually do; starting to tie up the loose ends from my crowdfunding projects; thinking about my future accommodation needs; and starting to bring my bookkeeping up to date so I can file five years of outstanding tax returns.

Further Ahead

The next episode of The 9pm Edict will be recorded on Thursday 14 January 2015, streamed live starting at 2100 AEDT.

The next episode of The 9pm Edict’s Public House Forum is likely to be recorded on the afternoon of Saturday 23 January. I’m thinking this should be a monthly thing.

In theory, in the first week of February I’ll be in Geelong to cover Linux.conf.au. And then on 10 to 12 February, I’ll be in Melbourne to speak at the Pause Fest.

Update 2000 AEDT: Edited to add the wine. Update 6 January 2015: Edited to reflect dropping plans to go to Linux.conf.au.

[Photo: Sydney Sunrise from Lilyfield, photographed on 2 January 2016.]

27 December 201526 December 2020

Weekly Wrap 290: A cash-based Christmas

My week of Monday 21 Sunday 27 December 2015 started badly. At 0823 I received an SMS message from my bank, asking about a suspect transaction. Within minutes, the card number was cancelled, and a new card organised — but not before hundreds of dollars had been siphoned out in a series of transactions to PlayStation Network GBR.

20 December 2015

Weekly Wrap 289: Storm, podcast, change, and more

My week of Monday 14 Sunday 20 December 2015 was full of many things, few of which are listed here. I’ve been doing random geekery rather than media stuff this week.

While I would like to blame my relative lack of productivity solely on my ratty sleep patterns this week — and they have been a thing, for various health-related reasons — I would also like to blame Certain People for plying me with alcohol. You know who you are.

Articles

Hey Australian businesses, if you fear it, do something about it, ZDNet Australia, 15 December 2015. This is a response to the release of a joint report by the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) and CERT Australia, 2015 Cyber Security Survey: Major Australian Businesses (PDF).

Podcasts

None, but The 9pm Edict’s Public House Forum #2 was recorded on Saturday, and will be edited and posted online early in the coming week. It was immense fun, and you may well find it amusing.

Media Appearances

On Monday, I spoke about the security risks of Wi-Fi Hello Barbie on Sydney radio 2UE, but I did not record it. I’ve spoken about it previously on ABC Radio’s PM.

5at5

Should 5at5 eventually reappear, you’ll know about it if you subscribe.

Corporate Largesse

On Wednesday, I went to a lunchtime briefing by Hitachi Data Systems at the ever-wonderful Gowings Bar and Grill in Sydney. Apart from the usual fine food and wine, we all got a goodie pouch containing a HDS-branded 2600mAh Power Bank, and an 8GB memory stick with the presentation.

The Week Ahead

Since the silly season has begun in Australia, and this coming week is the short week before Christmas, I won’t even bother trying to schedule it too closely. Besides, I’m cat-sitting in Ashfield again, in Sydney’s inner west, and some key items that I’ll need in the next couple of weeks are still in Wentworth Falls.

Nevertheless, between now and Thursday night, which is Christmas Eve, I know I have to design a simple website, write at least one thing for ZDNet, and edit and publish that pub podcast. I’d also like to do that yearly wrap episode of Corrupted Nerds, but I’m not so sure that will happen now.

There’s only two fixed appointments so far, Huawei’s Christmas Drinks on Tuesday evening, and a medical appointment late on Wednesday afternoon. As for the rest of it, I’ll be making it up as I go along.

As you should know by now, my Twitter feed is the most up-to-date data source for these things.

Friday is Christmas Day, so I’m likely to be offline then, as well as through the following weekend.

[Photo: Sydney Storm. The Sydney CBD seen from Lilyfield just before Wednesday’s storm hit. While the CBD itself suffered little harm, around 50 houses were damaged by severe winds at Kurnell.]

14 December 2015

Weekly Wrap 288: There is chaos, there is progress

My week of Monday 7 Sunday 13 December 2015 went more or less according to plan, with plenty of geek-for-hire work in addition to the media stuff listed here.

I even managed to have an actual weekend.

There’s also been some progress in my plans to tackle the black dog of depression with more vigour than in the past: I’ve been accepted into the Depression Clinic at the highly-respected Black Dog Institute. I’m looking forward to having some up-to-date science being brought to bear, but the clinic is so heavily subscribed that my appointment isn’t until February.

Articles

Turnbull’s scattergun nimbling of Australia is no grand vision, ZDNet, 7 December 2015.

Podcasts

“The 9pm Garden of Hate”, being The 9pm Edict episode 53, was recorded live on Thursday night. You can also listen to it on SoundCloud and Spreaker. It includes a more reflective look at Malcolm Turnbull’s Innovation Statement.

Media Appearances

On Tuesday night, I spoke about Anonymous on ABC 774 Melbourne.
On Friday night, I spoke about the so-called “dark web” on ABC 891 Adelaide.

5at5

Should 5at5 eventually reappear, you’ll know about it if you subscribe.

Corporate Largesse

None.

The Week Ahead

The week begins with an amorphous but busy couple of days. Between now and Wednesday morning, I’ll need to organise some podcast-related things for the remainder of December, write for ZDNet, design a logo, and do various geek-for-hire work. And to add to the need for flexibility, I’m still not sure which days I’ll be in Sydney, and which in Wentworth Falls.

On Wednesday, I’ll be going to a lunchtime briefing by Hitachi Data Systems, and then a medical appointment. On Thursday, I’ll be writing for ZDNet, I think. And on Friday, I’ll be migrating to Ashfield for ten days, amongst other things.

Somehere in there, I want to record a “2015 Wrap” episode of Corrupted Nerds, though it may have to slide into next week.

On Saturday, I’m recording The 9pm Public House Forum #2, similar to the first one. I’ll post it onto the internets on Sunday, I think.

Further Ahead

I’ll produce “2015 Wrap” episode of the Edict some time between Christmas and New Year.

[Photo: Tea tree flowers. Flowers of some Leptospermum species, photographed at Bunjaree Cottages, near Wentworth Falls, 100km west of Sydney, on 8 December 2015.]

06 December 201509 December 2015

Weekly Wrap 287: Satisfactory start to summer, with flowers

My week of Monday 30 November to Sunday 6 December 2015 went reasonably well. Although I didn’t do things exactly as predicted last week, there was enough progress to make me happy.

In the interests of getting this posted on schedule, I’ll go straight to the list…

Podcasts

Corrupted Nerds Conversations 15: Leslie Nassar discusses the news. The good Mr Nassar and I decided to see how we’d work together in podcast form. We think it turned out OK. Would you like more like this?

Articles

Why is hacking so easy and security so hard?, ABC Radio National, 4 December 2015. While it bears my byline, this article was actually edited by Radio National staff from the transcript of my Future Tense documentary, Bug bounties and pentesting: the Wild West of online security.

Media Appearances

On Tuesday, I spoke about the VTech hack on ABC 612 Brisbane.
On Wednesday, I spoke about the VTech hack on Kinderling Radio.
On Wednesday evening, I took part in a panel discussion at the launch of the Sydney chapter of Electronic Frontiers Australia. The only recording is a very rough one for my own reference, so sorry, you won’t be hearing it.

5at5

Should 5at5 eventually reappear, you’ll know about it if you subscribe.

Corporate Largesse

On Wednesday, I went to VMware’s end-of-year drinks at O Bar and Dining, Australia Square. Apart from canapés and champagne, I pocketed a pen. They so pwn me now.

The Week Ahead

On Monday, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will be making some sort of announcement regarding innovation, so I suspect I’ll be writing something for ZDNet. If not, well, there’s a thousand tasks of administrivia I need to deal with.

On Tuesday, I’m heading to Sydney for a medical appointment, an interview, and NetSuite’s end-of-year drinks. I’m then heading to the ABC’s Sydney studios to do a spot on ABC 774 Melbourne at 1900 AEDT.

On Wednesday, I’ll be dealing with a number of geek-for-hire tasks, and planning certain things for the next couple of weeks.

On ~~Wednesday~~etime=”2015-12-09T03:11:37+00:00″>Thursday, I’ll finally be producing that episode of The 9pm Edict podcast, tentatively titled “The 9pm Garden of Hate”, in which I’ll finish off all of the sponsored content that I owe my supporters. I plan to stream that recording session live at 2100 AEDT.

~~On Thursday, I’m heading to Sydney again for a medical appointment, amongst other things, and probably writing for ZDNet en route.~~

Friday will see me doing whatever remains to be done, which will include writing for ZDNet.

Further Ahead

I’ll record a “2015 Wrap” episode of the Corrupted Nerds podcast some time in the week beginning Monday 14 December.

The next episode of The 9pm Public House Forum, similar to the first one, will be recorded on the afternoon of Saturday 19 December. The venue will be confirmed in a few days, but it’s now looking like it’ll be somewhere in Sydney’s inner west.

I’ll also produce “2015 Wrap” episode of the Edict some time between Christmas and New Year.

[Update 9 December 2015: Edited to reflect schedule changes.]

[Photo: Railway Parade near Wentworth Falls. On the last day of spring, the yellow flowers of the Coreopsis lanceolata are everywhere. They’re a weed, but pretty nonetheless.]

29 November 201504 December 2015

Weekly Wrap 286: Rain, radio, and relative progress

My week of Monday 23 to Sunday 29 November 2015 was remarkably productive, a sharp comparison with last week. This pleases me.

Apart from the stuff listed below, I’ve also started a fresh program to tackle my on-again off-again “friendship” with the black dog of depression. I haven’t yet decided whether to write about this highly personal topic or not. Maybe when the timeline takes clearer shape.

I also got quite a bit of planning done for December, including locking in a couple geek-for-money projects that won’t be detailed here.

Podcasts

ABC Radio National’s Future Tense, Bug bounties and pentesting: the Wild West of online security. Not just a podcast, of course, but a “proper” broadcast radio program. It fits well here as an audio-based media object, however.
Corrupted Nerds Conversations 14: Joe Franzi, Australian Signals Directorate, in which the head of the ASD’s cyber security outfit gives his first on-record media interview in his five years in that role.

Articles

We don’t need an amateur small-business infosec army, ZDNet Australia, 27 November 2015. This column met immediate opposition from certain key people in the infosec community, so I’ll probably present their opposing views on Monday.

Media Appearances

On Friday, I spoke about the security risks of Wi-Fi Hello Barbie on ABC Radio’s PM.

5at5

Should 5at5 eventually reappear, you’ll know about it if you subscribe.

Corporate Largesse

On Thursday morning, I went to the launch of Deloitte’s Cyber Intelligence Centre in Sydney, and was given a very nice cup of coffee.
Also on Thursday, I went to AVG Technologies’ media lunch at the Park Hyatt Hotel at Circular Quay. The food and wine was excellent. I had the snow crab and avocado with green apple and finger lime and sumac spice; and the lamb rump, hummus and smoked eggplant with coriander and lemon jus, pomegranate and dukkah. We we also given an AVG Ultimate VIP Gift Card, which includes unlimited licenses to many of AVG’s products; a copy of AVG’s book One Parent to Another: Managing technology and your teen; and AVG-branded stationery, including sticky notes, and a pen.

The Week Ahead

On Monday, I’ll be writing for ZDNet, as well as heading to Parramatta and Petersham to choose a venue for the next Public House Forum. Various loose ends will be sorted out while on the trains.

On Tuesday, I’ll finish the ZDNet column, make some progress on certain geek-for-money projects, and do some shopping and other errands in Katoomba.

I’ll sleep in on Wednesday, and then head to Sydney to record a SEKRIT podcast episode. Then in the evening I’ll go to VMware’s end-of-year drinks, and then speak at the launch of a Sydney chapter of Electronic Frontiers Australia. It looks like I’ll be getting home quite late.

On Thursday, I’ll write for ZDNet, ~~and then the rest of the week is flexible. I do have some geek projects to weave into the schedule, however~~.

On ~~Tuesday~~ Friday, I’ll be producing an episode of The 9pm Edict podcast, tentatively titled “The 9pm Garden of Hate”, in which I’ll finish off all of the sponsored content that I owe my supporters. I plan to stream that recording session live at 2100 AEDT. This episode will now be made on Monday night 7 December.

Further Ahead

I’ll record a “2015 Wrap” episode of the Corrupted Nerds podcast some time in the week beginning Monday 14 December.

The next episode of The 9pm Public House Forum, similar to the first one, will be recorded on the afternoon of Saturday 19 December, somewhere in or near Parramatta. The venue will be confirmed in a few days.

I’ll also produce “2015 Wrap” episode of the Edict some time between Christmas and New Year.

[Update 1 December 2015: Edited to reflect schedule changes. Update 4 December 2015: Edited again to reflect further schedule changes.]

[Photo: Departing Mt Victoria. The #purpletrain (also known as a V-Set) pulls away from Platform 1 of Mt Victoria railway station on a wet Saturday afternoon, 28 November 2015.]