Word-whore. I write 'em. I talk 'em. Information, politics, media, and the cybers. I drink. I use bad words. All publication is a political act. All communication is propaganda. All art is pornography. All business is personal. All hail Eris! Vive les poissons rouges sauvages!
Elon Musk finally owns Twitter, but is the social media giant circling the drain or about to become something entirely new? Should Medibank pay the ransom to keep customers’ sensitive medical data safe? I was on this week’s Vertical Hold: Behind The Tech News and this is an updated version.
Continue reading “The 9pm Extra: Vertical Hold episode 403, “Has Elon Musk sunk Twitter? Should Medibank pay its cyber-ransom?””
It’s still an attack even if the defences were useless. It’s still a crime even if it were easy to commit. Optus may have been a target ripe for the taking, and may well have been negligent, but the hackers are still the baddies here.
Continue reading “Yes of course Optus suffered a “cyber attack”, just one which looks like it was trivial to accomplish”
Despite my original intentions, my week of Monday 27 September to Sunday 3 October 2021 was a bit of a lazy one. No articles or podcasts emerged, although there was some geek-work that you can’t see. But I did see a skink.
Continue reading “Weekly Wrap 592: A lazy week in spring that ended with a random skink”
In recent weeks Australians have started receiving unsolicited packages from China containing seeds, as have random people in other countries. It’s part of a scam called “brushing” and it’s not quite what it seems.
Continue reading “Talking about the seed brushing scam on ABC RN Breakfast”
Monday 29 April to Sunday 5 May 2019 was a good mix of research, writing, and vast podcast arsehattery. I’m a happy possum.
Continue reading “Weekly Wrap 466: Cool weather finally arrives, with cybercrime”
I don’t know what to make of my week from Monday 3 to Sunday 9 September 2018. It felt like I was quite busy, but there isn’t as much visible output to show for it. Oh well.
I wrote a third piece for ZDNet that should appear on Monday.
None. I am very embarrassed not to have done the podcast on Wednesday as promised. I did make the journey to Cronulla the recording session, as foreshadowed last week, but it turned out that I wasn’t quite recovered from illness, and needed to rest. But see below.
It’s a Sydney-centric week. I’ll head down the hill on Monday morning for least one meeting that afternoon.
On Tuesday and Wednesday I’m covering the AI & Machine Learning Summit. Thursday and Friday will be therefore about writing.
The next episode of The 9pm Edict will now be recorded on Tuesday 18 September at 2100 AEST, because that week looks less hectic. Listen on the livestream or on Spreaker apps, or listen later on the usual feeds.
Beyond that:
[Photo: The Right to Strike. Trade union members leading a protest march through Pitt Street, Sydney on 6 September 2018. It was a big event, with the column stretching for maybe two kilometres, yet it received little media coverage. As for this photo, I wish I’d had a wider angle lens and been able to bet in closer.]