bunjaree cottages – Page 3

04 September 201611 September 2016

Weekly Wrap 327: Spring is far more painful than planned

My 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

Four Corners points to critical gap in our cybersecurity, Crikey, 30 August 2016.
Why Dropbox’s data breach response is still wrong, ZDNet Australia, 31 August 2016.

Media Appearances

The highlight of my week was the start of series two of ABC TV’s award-winning drama series The Code, because I was the technology consultant for this series. That meant I was part of the scripting process, something I’ll write about another time. The six-part series is currently screening on ABC1 on Thursday nights at 2030, and is on ABC iView.
Also on Thursday, ZDNet posted two short videos in their Security TV series, The impending cybersecurity disaster of industrial control systems and The Internet of Insecure Things, and why we’re still in denial. They’re part of a feature on Cyberwar and the Future of Cybersecurity.

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.]

31 January 201631 January 2016

“To boldly go…” and the Cycle of Time

There’s something symbolic and, indeed, deeply personal about the image illustrating this week’s Weekly Wrap, my five-year old photograph titled To boldly go….

A small boat heads out into the fog of San Francisco Bay on 10 December 2010. Even though it’s probably just crossing the bay to Marin County, or stopping near Alcatraz Island for a spot of fishing, it looks like there’s a vast and dangerous journey ahead.

It continues to be one of my personal favourites.

I’ve used this photo before, to illustrate Weekly Wrap 267: Chaos, then embracing the change, on 19 July 2015.

But I also used it four years earlier, on 24 January 2011, to illustrate Accommodation: into the unknown. I’d had to leave Enmore with no clear plan. I was worried. The image reflected my mood.

Less than a fortnight after that post, three strong men and a truck took away all my household possessions and office furniture, and put it into storage.

I took just two suitcases of clothing and my most important tools and documents, and headed to the Blue Mountains to stay at Bunjaree Cottages for “a few weeks”. I had a month of work-related travel coming up, I said, and I’d sort out my accommodation when I got back.

Five years later, I’m still at Bunjaree Cottages.

And it’s still temporary.

Continue reading ““To boldly go…” and the Cycle of Time”

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.]

20 September 201521 September 2015

Weekly Wrap 275: Spring springs, and there was a pub…

My week of Monday 7 to Sunday 13 September was over more than a week ago. So let’s just list what happened and get on with the day, shall we?

Podcasts

“The 9pm Public House Forum 1”, being The 9pm Edict episode 49, was recorded at the Australian Arms Hotel in Penrith on Saturday, and edited and posted on Sunday. I’m moderately pleased with the results of this Public House Forum. That means we’ll see another one before too long.

Articles

None.

Media Appearances

On Monday, I spoke about the death of handwriting on ABC 891 Adelaide.
On Friday morning, I delivered my guest lecture at the University of Technology Sydney. A recording will be posted on Wednesday 23 September, but for now you can check out the references and reading list.
On Friday afternoon, I spoke about the massive service outage at Commonwealth Bank on 1395 FIVEaa Adelaide, but I did not record it.

5at5

None. Why not subscribe so you’ll get all the future ones?

Corporate Largesse

None.

The Week Ahead

Well, it’s almost over. It’s already Sunday. But later today, there’ll be an episode of The 9pm Edict podcast, and another Weekly Wrap. Today is also the day that new Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announces his first cabinet, and I have to write an analysis for ZDNet, so I’m hoping that I can get everything done.

[Photo: Almond Blossom at Bunjaree Cottages, photographed on 14 September 2015.]

26 July 2015

Weekly Wrap 268: Changing perspectives

My week of Monday 20 to Sunday 26 July 2015 was ruined by health problems. I won’t go into the details. If you saw some facts, you saw them. Otherwise you missed them.

There were no articles or podcasts or editions of 5at5 produced, so I’ll make this Weekly Wrap look slightly better by omitting the sub-heads. I’ll skip the Corporate Largesse section too, because there wasn’t any, and stick to what did happen.

Media Appearances

On Tuesday, I spoke about the Ashley Madison data breach on ABC 936 Hobart.
On Wednesday, I spoke about the Ashley Madison data breach on Sydney radio 2UE, but I won’t be posting a recording because it adds nothing to the Hobart one. I’m thinking about being a lot more selective about what I post here — or at least what I go to the effort of writing a whole blog post about — and maybe even automating most of the Weekly Wrap. I mean, do you even read this?

The Week Ahead

I’m not going to match specific tasks to specific days at this stage, for various reasons. But I will say that my Pozible crowdfunding campaign for The 9pm Urgent Hardware Refresh has been given the green light, so I’ll press the “Go” button on that relatively early in the week, and I’ll produce an episode of The 9pm Edict podcast to coincide with that, more or less.

I’ll also write some stuff for people. Is that vague enough?

I’ll be in the Mountains for most of the week, I think. I can’t see much that’d draw me into Sydney, not when I apply a strict cost benefit analysis to it all. You people are terrible.

[Photo: Rosella Cottage and its solar panels, photographed on 30 January 2012. This week I returned to being based in Rosella Cottage, rather than the Bunjaree Cottages outbuilding called “The Studio”. It’s not only far more pleasant, it gives me morning views like this, and this, and this. I think this will help.]

10 May 201511 May 2015

Weekly Wrap 256: An early winter descends?

My week of Monday 27 April to Sunday 3 May 2015 was… a week ago now, so I’ll just document what was done.

Articles

Fundamental right of dissent falls victim to braying mob, Crikey, 27 April 2015.
New York’s ‘Silicon Valley envy’ gives Sydney fintech edge, ZDNet Australia, 29 April 2015.
Beware of Startupland’s hero entrepreneurs, ZDNet Australia, 30 April 2015.

Podcasts

None.

5at5

There were only two editions of 5at5 again this week, on Thursday and Friday. To save me having to tell you this, you could just subscribe.

Media Appearances

None.

Corporate Largesse

On Tuesday, I went to the DisruptoCon conference in Sydney, held at the Sydney Harbour Marriott hotel on Pitt Street. Lunch was provided, and conference sponsor MYOB gave me a novelty 8GB USB key, which contained their promotional material.

[Photo: Waratah Cottage, one of the Bunjaree Cottages, photographed at dusk on 2 May 2015.]