elon musk – Stilgherrian

17 February 202517 February 2025

The 9pm Nostalgia for Corruption with John Birmingham

A middle-aged white man with stubble and a hat gazes into the distance. It's John Birmingham! Behind him, the cover of a book looms large. — *John Birmingham is haunted by the cover of one of his popular techno-thrillers. (Photo: Supplied)*

As the summer series grinds on we’re joined once again — well, after a gap of more than a year — by author and columnist John Birmingham.

16 February 2025

Weekly Wrap 768: The view from St Vincent’s Private Hospital was a highlight of my Sydney day

A view from the 13th floor across Darlinghurst to the north-west. On the left are the towers of the northern end of the Sydney CBD. In the middle, in the distance, one can see the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and on the right the view is dominated by Harry Seidler’s Horizon Apartments, a white modernist tower with an grid-based structure. The day is bright and sunny with a few fluffy white clouds.

My week of Monday 10 to Sunday 16 February 2025 was dominated by a long day trip to Sydney on Wednesday and the Cabramatta Lunar New Year Festival on Saturday. But next week will be a big podcast week.

10 February 202512 February 2025

Weekly Wrap 767: Pondering trains instead of productivity

A NSW TrainLink Xplorer three-car DMU stands at Sydney Central station. A single deck train in silver with a light blue stripe along the window line, dark blue nose with a bright yellow highlight around the front window and upper lights, and dirt all over. It’s numbered 2504. On the platform sit some cleaning products, clearly only used on the inside of the trains, and passengers sit waiting for the cleaning to be finished.

My week of Monday 3 to Sunday 9 February 2025 was relatively unproductive, but I did spend some time pondering once again what a disappointment the trains are between Sydney and Canberra. But I got plenty of planning done.

03 February 202507 February 2025

Weekly Wrap 766: Apartments supplement a medical theme

Seen across the roof of a suburban railway station are two modern apartment buildings their facades decorated with hexagonal shapes in matt gold with white trim.

My week of Monday 27 January to Sunday 2 February 2025 was relatively routine. I produced a podcast, amusing with a medical theme, because soon thereafter I had some medical scans done. I’ll let you know the results as soon as they’ve been checked out.

27 January 202530 January 2025

Weekly Wrap 765: Feed me, said the magpie

Close-up of the head and chest of a juvenile Australian magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen), still in its lighter grey feathers rather than black, its orange eyes staring straight into the camera. In the background, way out of focus, sunlit scrubland.

My week of Monday 20 to Sunday 26 January 2025 was both productive and enjoyable, because I’m a hero. Yes, the music podcast thing is starting to happen. And the younger magpies are starting to get quite insistent.

19 January 202525 January 2025

Weekly Wrap 764: The purple fan-flower of productivity

A rich purple flower with five petals is covered in scattered raindrops. Behind it, out of focus, is forest leaf litter.

It’s been a rainy week, this week of Monday 12 to Sunday 19 January 2025. But despite the weather, I made a podcast, planned the structure of another, and produced a newsletter — though that still didn’t include everything that needed doing.