Weekly Wrap 389: Cybers, mist, and productivity

Track in the MistMy week of Monday 6 to Sunday 12 November 2017 was a quite a productive one, especially with some organisational things done in the background. Je suis happy.

The big achievement was launching the crowdfunding campaign for The 9pm Edict Summer Series, to fund extra episodes of The 9pm Edict podcast over summer. As I write this on Sunday evening, 21 supporters have already taken us 45% of the way to Target One. Je suis even very happier.

Articles

Podcasts

Media Appearances, Corporate Largesse

None.

The Week Ahead

On Monday, I’m writing for ZDNet, then going through my notes and recordings to see what else I should be writing about before the end of the year.

Tuesday is a Sydney day, primarily to go to a press lunch with cybersecurity company CQR. I may add some meetings, however, so place your bids.

The remainder of the week is mostly work for DirectorTech, but I’ll probably write something for ZDNet too.

Further Ahead

The next episode of The 9pm Edict podcast will be recorded on Thursday 23 November at 2100 AEST. As has become traditional, it will be streamed live via stilgherrian.com/edict/live/.

This episode will include the wrap-up of the Pozible campaign for The 9pm Edict Summer Series.

[Photo: Track in the Mist, being one of the tracks leading to Bunjaree Cottages photographed late on the misty morning of 5 November 2017. While it was misty early in the week, it ended with some bright sunny days.]

Weekly Wrap 384: International diplomacy, and a skink

SkinkThe week of Monday 2 to Sunday 8 October 2017 was short and full of pain, a bit like Woody Allen. Monday was a public holiday, and the rest of the week was packed with media tasks.

Articles

Both articles relate to the launch by foreign minister Julie Bishop of Australia’s first International Cyber Engagement Strategy on Wednesday. There might be a third story next week.

Podcasts

None by me, but I’m the guest on the next episode of the Covert Contact podcast. It was recorded on Friday, and will appear on Monday — which may be Tuesday Australian time.

Media Appearances

  • This week Australia’s federal and state governments agreed to merge the state-held facial biometric databases for things like drivers licenses into the federal system. I spoke about that on ABC Adelaide on Wednesday afternoon, and ABC South East NSW on Thursday morning. I probably won’t have time to post the audio though.

Corporate Largesse

  • On Wednesday, there were nibbles to be eaten at that cyber policy launch.

The Week Ahead

Monday and Tuesday will be a confused mix of planning, administrivia, story pitches, geekery, shopping, and other errands up here in the Blue Mountains.

Wednesday and Thursday will be spent in Sydney. Mostly it’s to cover the national conference of the Australian Information Security Association (AISA), but that’s up against the grandly named Everything IoT Global Leadership Summit, so I might pop over to that for a while too.

Friday 13 October is clearly going to be a day of writing. The weekend is unplanned.

Further Ahead

I think I’ll have to drop my plan to cover Ruxcon in Melbourne on 21–22 October, because it’s only two weeks away and there isn’t actually a plan. If I do get the energy for crowdfunding, it should probably go towards other things.

At this stage, there’s nothing special through to the end of the year. Now is your chance to fix that.

[Photo: Skink, being a 25cm-long skink of unknown species photographed at Bunjaree Cottages on 6 October 2017.]

Weekly Wrap 381: Hasn’t everything been lovely! No?

Hanging SwampThis Weekly Wrap covers two weeks, Monday 4 to Sunday 17 September 2017. Thank the gods, spring is rolling on, and I’ll be back to weekly posting soon.

The fortnight’s achievements included wrapping up work on that SEKRIT editorial project — I’ll post separately about that on Monday — and the news that I probably don’t have skin cancer.

“Say what?”

So yeah, a spot on my leg that’s been there for years had recently started growing. I did what all of you should do. Rather than ignoring it, I showed it to my GP. He was fairly sure it was nothing to worry about, but to be sure, we sought specialist advice.

A lovely dermatologist chappie quickly identified it as a traumatised angioma, as shown in figures 16 and 17. Mine isn’t as visually prominent as that one, and only half the length.

My GP’s response was dismissive. “Oh, so it’s a scratch,” he said.

He’s been my GP for more than 20 years. He takes liberties. Like eating sandwiches during consultations.

Anyway, on with the show… such that it is.

Articles, Podcasts, Corporate Largesse

None, but see below.

Media Appearances

  • On Tuesday 5 September, I spoke about the fragility of the internet on ABC Adelaide. As has been usual lately, I probably won’t post the audio.
  • On Thursday 14 September, Tim Burrowes and I spoke about Facebooks’s new advertising policies on ABC Radio’s The World Today.

The Week Ahead

The next episode of The 9pm Edict podcast will finally be recorded this Thursday 21 September at 2100 AEST. No really. As has become traditional, it’ll be streamed live via stilgherrian.com/edict/live/. You still have time to support this podcast with a one-off contribution.

Apart from that, I’ll be doing the usual mix of writing and complaining and stuff.

Further Ahead

Events I’m covering or speaking at include:

If there’s anything I should add in there, please let me know.

[Photo: Hanging Swamp. The view down into a valley at the terrain known locally as a hanging swamp. This example is at the side of the main track at Bunjaree Cottages, near Wentworth Falls. Photographed on 13 September 2017.]

Weekly Wrap 348: And the words return…

Spider and FlyMy week of Monday 23 to Sunday 29 January 2017 saw my first written material for 2017, amongst other things. But it’s the third of three rush-through weeks, so that’s all you’re getting.

Articles

Media Appearances

Podcasts, Corporate Largesse

None.

[Photo: Spider and Fly. A spider of unknown species with its catch at Bunjaree Cottages, photographed on 15 November 2014.]

Weekly Wrap 328: Spring goes on, pain goes on, life goes on

Almond Blossom at Bunjaree Cottages, Day Nine: click to embiggenMy week of Monday 5 to Sunday 11 September 2016 was consumed by a second week of pain — slightly less pain than last week, and the rapidly-blooming spring helped make it bearable.

Podcasts

Articles

None.

Media Appearances

Corporate Largesse

None.

The Week Ahead

Monday should be a relatively quiet day, a mix of production planning and administrivia. If the pain subsides a bit more, though, I might do some writing.

On Tuesday, I’ll be taking an early train down to Sydney, where I’ll stay for a couple of nights. On Tuesday and Wednesday I’m covering the SINET61 cyber innovation conference at Australian Technology Park. On Thursday it’s meetings and medical appointments, before a late-ish train back to the Mountains.

Friday is likely to include some writing, and then the weekend is unplanned.

Further Ahead

The next episode of The 9pm Edict podcast will be recorded on 27 September, despite what I said in this week’s episode. I plan to record the next Public House Forum on Saturday 15 October somewhere in or near Sydney, and then another in Melbourne on 19 November.

I’m going to the Palo Alto Networks Cyber Security Summit in Sydney on 22 September, the AISA National Conference in Sydney on 18-20 October, the Ruxcon Security Conference in Melbourne on 22-23 October, and an event in Melbourne I can’t tell you about yet on 17 November.

[Photo: Almond Blossom at Bunjaree Cottages, Day Nine, one in a series of daily photos of an almond tree at Bunjaree Cottages near Wentworth Falls, 100km west of Sydney — although the images are of different parts of the tree. This one was taken on 7 September 2016.]

Weekly Wrap 327: Spring is far more painful than planned

Almond Blossom at Bunjaree Cottages, Day Four: click to embiggenMy week of Monday 29 August to Sunday 4 September 2016 was full of pain. I didn’t realise how seriously I’d been injured last weekend. Somehow, however, there’s plenty of things to report.

The injury I mentioned last week turned out to be a severe contusion — that’s bruising — of the ribs. It was just short of a fracture, but oddly enough the bruising is usually more painful, and that pain will be with me for several weeks. It’s strong painkillers, anti-inflammatories, and rest for me.

I strongly recommend never getting severe rib contusions.

All last week’s planned events were cancelled. It’s a good thing, therefore, that things emerged from the pipeline.

Articles

Media Appearances

Podcasts

None, but next episode of The 9pm Edict podcast will be recorded and streamed live on Tuesday 6 September at 2100 AEST.

Corporate Largesse

None.

The Week Ahead

Monday is a relatively quiet day. I’m being interviewed about The Code at 1430, but apart from that it’s production planning and administrivia, I think.

On Tuesday, it’s an episode of The 9pm Edict podcast.

Past that, well, it depends on the pain levels and the mood. This much pain doesn’t exactly cheer one up. But I’d like to get down to Sydney for at least one day. Stay tuned.

Further Ahead

I’m going to the Palo Alto Networks Cyber Security Summit in Sydney on 22 September, the AISA National Conference in Sydney on 18-20 October, the Ruxcon Security Conference in Melbourne on 22-23 October, and an event in Melbourne I can’t tell you about yet on 17 November.

[Photo: Almond Blossom at Bunjaree Cottages, Day Four, one in a series of daily photos taken of an almond tree at Bunjaree Cottages near Wentworth Falls, 100km west of Sydney — although the images are of different parts of the tree. This one was taken on 2 September 2016.]