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!
On Friday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison called a press conference to talk about a “sophisticated nation-state actor” conducting sustained cyber attacks on Australian government and private sector organisations. There’s wasn’t much detail, so why do it? I spoke about that this afternoon with Jules Schiller on ABC Adelaide.
Continue reading “Talking about Morrison’s cyber scare on ABC Adelaide”
Last Sunday the Australian government launched its COVIDSafe contact tracing app, and my week of Monday 26 April to Sunday 3 May 2020 contained a lot talking about it — for which I’m not paid of course. However my writing for ZDNet was about longer-term issues of national cyber resilience and diplomacy. Mostly.
Continue reading “Weekly Wrap 518: COVIDSafe, cybers, and a lot of wind”
Monday 16 to Sunday 22 December 2019 was another week when Sydney’s sky was drenched in bushfire smoke. My belly cleared, I got a podcast done, and the podcast was good. I am pleased.
Continue reading “Weekly Wrap 499: More podcast, more smoke, more concern about revenue”
Monday 15 to Sunday 21 April 2019 was a remarkably productive week, despite there being only four working days. Two articles and a podcast! Even though there was also time out for medical appointments down in Sydney.
Continue reading “Weekly Wrap 464: Bunny and Banksia, with cybers”
My fortnight of Monday 1 to Sunday 14 October 2018 was spent in The America and then in the Melbourne. I’m exhausted. But it was all quite productive.
None published. But as well as the long conversation with Nicholas Fryer that we recorded in Adelaide two weeks ago, in DC I recorded a long interview with the remarkable Mike Godwin, creator of Godwin’s Law amongst many other things. Both of those podcasts will be posted some time in the coming week.
None, which is unusual.
On Monday, I’m back in Sydney, where I’ll be dealing with a couple of medical things, sorting through my notes and pitching some stories, and ending the day with some social life, before taking the train back to Wentworth Falls.
Tuesday through Thursday will be about writing for ZDNet and editing podcasts. I’ll plan that out as I go.
Friday is another Sydney day, with the usual mix of medical and work appointments, plus whatever remains to be done. I’m looking forward to having a lazy weekend.
The following week I’m spending a bunch of time in Sydney covering the Sibos global financial services conference on 22–25 October. That’ll keep me pretty busy, so Friday through Sunday will be more laid-back.
Beyond that:
[Photo: The White House. You know what this is. Photographed on the foggy Sunday morning of 7 October 2018.]
The 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.]