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22 June 2015

Weekly Wrap 263: Cold, but productive and entertaining

My week of Monday 15 to Sunday 21 June 2015 was yet another reasonably productive one, though the cold weather meant that I spent more time than ever before in the warmth of the Blue Mountains City Library in Katoomba.

This week also saw a significant reduction in my stress levels, for a variety of reasons. I’ll write more about that later in the week.

Articles

Encrypting data at rest is vital, but it’s just not happening, ZDNet Australia, 18 June 2015.
Every step you take: how advertisers are monitoring your every move, Crikey, 19 June 2015. A quick explanation of just how much data Facebook, Twitter and Google are using to fuel their targeted advertising.
Australia seeks rules for ‘peacetime norms’ in cyberspace, ZDNet Australia, 19 June 2015.

Podcasts

The 9pm Planet of Fascist Delusions, being The 9pm Edict episode 45. I think that podcast production expands to fill the time available for it. This episode soaked up 17 hours, spread over two days.

5at5

There were five editions of 5at5 this week, on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. That’s more than 25 things for you to read! To save me having to tell you this, you could just subscribe.

Media Appearances

On Thursday, I spoke about Samsung’s smartphone vulnerability on ABC Radio’s The World Today.

Corporate Largesse

On Friday, I went to a lunchtime briefing by the Wynyard Group about their advanced crime analytics software can be used to “manage the foreign fighter threat”. It was held at the Sydney offices of UBS, who provided lunch in the form of a salmon.

The Week Ahead

My week will begin with the Winter Solstice — sorry, I’m running late — the week began with the Winter Solstice, which happened at 0238 AEST on Monday morning. I celebrated the Solstice as I often do, by reflecting on many things overnight, so Monday is a bit slow. Household chores, administrivia, some research, and the like. In the evening I’ll plan my writing for ZDNet.

Tuesday to Thursday will be writing days, with a couple of stories for ZDNet, as well as that goddam ebook. Friday will be devoted to certain activities related to the end of the financial year. The weekend will see the production of another episode of The 9pm Edict podcast, interspersed with a modest social life. That episode will be completed and posted on Monday 29 June.

That seems a bit thin. But my ponderings over the Solstice will trigger further actions, trust me. There is much that I want to change in the coming months.

[Photo: The View from Level 16, being the UBS offices on level 16 of Chifley Tower, 2 Chifley Square, Sydney, photographed on 19 June 2015.]

31 December 201401 January 2015

Fine posts for 2014, such that they are

As in previous years, the list of most popular posts for 2014 was disappointing, so I’ve compiled this list for you to consider instead.

As it happens, only three posts stood out for me, and all of them were on the previous list.

May Reza Berati be the last, Mr Abbott. I do like this as exampled of the controlled rant, barely concealing a seething rage.
Operation Sovereign Borders, sinister and banal. Ditto for my reaction to Mick Kinley, acting chief executive officer of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) shrugging off concerns that Australia removes safety equipment from the lifeboats we put asylum seekers on before telling them to go home.
Algorithms and the Filter Bubble, Take 3. I continue to get compliments about this lecture, so it deserves to be on the list.

In the past I haven’t included the material I wrote elsewhere, for ZDNet Australia, Technology Spectator, CSO Online, Crikey, ABC The Drum and the rest. That’s all listed on my Media Output page. But this year I will highlight some of my personal favourites.

It’s strange, but we never really had to learn to love the bomb, Crikey, 29 January 2014.
Want secure software? Listen to Marge Simpson, ZDNet Australia, 13 March 2014.
It’s time that ‘metadata’ met an end, ZDNet Australia, 20 March 2014.
Enjoy your Ubergasm, but don’t expect respect in the morning, ZDNet Australia, 30 April 2014.
To win the cloud, remember George Westinghouse, ZDNet Australia, 27 May 2014.
Enough with the cyber ‘wake-up calls’, ZDNet Australia, 11 June 2014.
Google’s backward step on Android app privacy, ZDNet Australia, 20 June 2014.
Big data is just a big, distracting bubble, soon to burst, ZDNet Australia, 11 July 2014.
Beware the spin behind Australia’s new surveillance laws, ZDNet Australia, 21 July 2014.
Beware the spin behind Australia’s copyright law discussion paper, ZDNet Australia, 28 July 2014.
Putting people at the centre of enterprise security, ZDNet Australia, 3 November 2014.

Continue reading “Fine posts for 2014, such that they are”

29 December 201401 January 2016

Most popular posts of 2014

Since we’re approaching the end of 2014, here’s my usual list of the most-read posts on this website.

This represents only the material published right here, not things I write for money elsewhere and which have a far higher readership. It doesn’t include traffic to the home page, the about page, or anything else on the site that isn’t an actual blog post.

Updated: Christopher Pyne clearly says the C-word? Nope. Did Christopher Pyne drop the c-bomb in Parliament or not? I first thought yes, then changed my mind. But I’m wondering now whether I want to change it back.
May Reza Berati be the last, Mr Abbott. I was in a mood that night, but I think the writing stands up.
Operation Sovereign Borders, sinister and banal. My reaction to Mick Kinley, acting chief executive officer of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) shrugging off concerns that Australia removes safety equipment from the lifeboats we put asylum seekers on before telling them to go home.
Adventures in Identity: Still struggling with Google+, from January.
Guilty of being a teenager in a public place, in which I kick off about the actions of the police in Mosman.
Algorithms and the Filter Bubble, Take 3, being the recording of my guest lecture at UTS in April. This reminds me that I haven’t posted the updated version from the second half of the year. Oops.
Tone-Deaf Abbott no statesman, never will be, my comment on the Prime Minister’s message on the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings.
Announcing 5at5, my new daily email letter, which explains itself.
The 9pm Shire, one of my favourite episodes of The 9pm Edict podcast.
A loving profile of Tony Abbott, which simply embeds the video of American TV host John Oliver’s roasting of Abbott.

Continue reading “Most popular posts of 2014”

10 December 2014

Talking the future of jobs on ABC 720 Perth

ABC logo “As many as half a million accountants, supermarket cashiers, secretaries, typists and bank tellers in what are largely white-collar jobs are threatened by automation, Department of Industry modelling shows,” said a report in the Australian Financial Review today.

It’s true. In the first industrial revolution, the physical movement of atoms went from being done by animals, including humans, to being done by machines. In the second industrial revolution, the same thing has been happening for the movement and manipulation of information.

I spoke about some of these things just now with Jamie Burnett on ABC 720 Perth.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (6.3MB)

If you want some further reading, try The onrushing wave at The Economist.

17 August 2014

Talking tech on ABC Local Radio, again

Every Tuesday night after 8pm, Dom Knight talks tech on ABC Local Radio around NSW — and I joined him on 1 July 2014.

Also joining us was Belinda Smith, deputy science and technology editor at The Conversation. We spoke about the notorious Facebook experiment, amongst other things.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (27.3MB)

12 August 2014

Talking Facebook app privacy on 1395 FIVEaa Adelaide

“Facebook Messenger app has permission to spy on your phone,” screeched a headline on 9 News today. “The new Facebook Messenger app has permission to take pictures and videos without your confirmation and to call numbers without intervention, causing unexpected charges.”

This story caught the attention of 1395 FIVEaa Adelaide afternoon presenter Will Goodings. As you’ll hear, I talked him out of some of the scarier ideas, but did mention the issues of granularity in smartphone app permissions that I’ve written about before.

Here’s the full interview, plus a little end note about what we might do with Adelaide’s Festival Plaza. I present a modest proposal, as does a listener.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (6.7MB)