Another fortnight passes. Half of my time from Monday 14 to Sunday 27 May 2018 was spent on my sick bed. I don’t have much to show for it, apart from a better understanding of intestinal parasites and how to kill them. Probably. That’s still in progress.
Continue reading “Weekly Wrap 417: Parasites and peripatetic plans”Weekly Wrap 385: Fog, a hack, and a mystery happy fun time
The week of Monday 9 to Sunday 15 October 2017 was quite productive, as you’ll see. Read on!
Continue reading “Weekly Wrap 385: Fog, a hack, and a mystery happy fun time”Weekly Wrap 365: A certain quality of light in May
My week of Monday 22 to Sunday 28 May 2017 wasn’t special in any way whatsoever. Why should it be? All this carry-on about magical lives is a bunch of middle-class smugness that should be erased from the earth.
Did I tell you I broke my glasses on Wednesday? That event shaped the latter part of the week, because I’m struggling a bit to organise replacements. That’s under way now, thanks to the generosity of friends, and I’ll tell you more over the next few days.
For now, on with the show…
Articles, Podcasts, Corporate Largesse
None, but I did write a piece for ZDNet that’ll appear in the next few days, and podcast plans are detailed below.
Media Appearances
- On Monday 22 May, one of my photos was used to illustrate a piece on The Conversation, The weather is now political. I’m continually amazed by the way people find a use for what are really just random snapshots, and poor ones.
The Week Ahead
Like last week, this week I plan to do a solid amount of work on the SEKRIT editorial project; write a thing or two for ZDNet, plus, I guess, a bunch of other things, like organise new glasses. I won’t assign specific tasks to specific days, because as I explained last week, that tends to jinx things.
The next episode of The 9pm Edict podcast will be recorded and streamed live on Tuesday 30 May Thursday 1 June from stilgherrian.com/edict/live/, starting at 2100 AEST. You still have time to support this podcast with a one-off contribution.
(For those of you who’ve been asking about ongoing contributions, yes, I still intend to set up a better system for that. That won’t be finalised for a while, though, so one-off contributions are very welcome.)
Further Ahead
I’m covering 5th International Conference on Cybercrime and Computer Forensics (ICCCF) on the Gold Coast from 16 to 18 July, I hope; and the national conference of the Australian Information Security Association (AISA) in Sydney on 10 to 12 October.
If there’s anything I should add in there, please let me know.
I also plan to produce a short series of podcasts which will be conversations with people I don’t necessarily agree with. These might be public figures — I hope to speak with One Nation’s Senator Malcolm Roberts, for example — or people who simply represent a different point of view. In June, I’ll record a pilot episode, kicking off with an easy question: Is there a God?
[Photo: The Library a la Jeffrey Smart. The view from the cafe in the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre in Katoomba, photographed on 5 May 2017. The cropping and adjustments to the colour needed to bring out detail in the seated figure drew out the light in the matter of a Jeffrey Smart painting.]
Weekly Wrap 347: It begins with roadkill, and continues
My week of Monday 16 to Sunday 22 January 2017 was another one that I need to rush through today. No details.
Media Appearances
- One of my aerial photos of Sydney has been used on a photography blog post, What Are the Different Types of Photography.
Articles, Podcasts, Corporate Largesse
None.
[Photo: Metaphor, photographed near the supermarkets in Katoomba, Blue Mountains, on 25 January 2017.]
Weekly Wrap 299: Ale and altitude, kind of
My week of Monday 22 to Sunday 28 February 2016 was another relative unproductive one, for reasons explained last time, but it was an improvement. Improvement is good.
A personal update will be posted in the next few days. For now, on with the show…
Podcasts
None, but I do want to wrap up that episode of The 9pm Edict podcast very soon. See below.
Articles
None, but I have a ZDNet column being published on Monday.
Media Appearances
- I spoke about Apple’s Error 53 problem and (briefly) about the company’s battle with the FBI on this week’s Balls Radio. You can hear me 46 min 41 sec into the program.
- On Wednesday, I spoke about smartphone data usage and battery life on ABC South West WA. I don’t have a recording, but it’s more or less the same information as last week’s chat on ABC Kimberley and in the ABC News story, Simple tricks to double your phone’s battery life and halve your data usage.
- Also on Wednesday, I spoke about Li-Fi on ABC 666 Canberra. I don’t have a recording, but you can read the ABC News story, Li-fi ‘100 times faster than wi-fi’ at shine of a light presented at Mobile World Congress.
Corporate Largesse
None.
The Week Ahead
This will be the first is a series of quite structured weeks for me, which will be a challenge. I daresay I may have to change a few things as I go along. But with that said, here’s the plan…
On Monday, I’ll catch the 0734 train to Sydney, completing my ZDNet column en route. At 1100, I’ll catch VA834 SYD-MEL. Once I’ve checked in to my hotel, I’ll bring my various geek-for-hire projects up to date.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, I’ll be covering the APIdays conference for ZDNet, and catching up with friends in the evenings. On Thursday, I’ll be writing for ZDNet, and having a couple of work-related meetings, before catching VA859 MEL-SYD at 1600. I’ll probably return to Wentworth Falls that night.
Friday through Saturday? Well, that depends on my energy levels. But I hope to get that podcast done somewhere in there.
Further Ahead
The following week, I’ll be in Canberra from Monday 7 March for the Australian Internet Industry Association (AIIA) Navigating Privacy and Security Summit on Tuesday. I’ll probably stay in Canberra on Wednesday. Then on Sunday, I’ll be back in the Blue Mountains for Tech Leaders.
I’ll be in Canberra again 12-14 April for the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) Conference. And I’ll be on the Gold Coast on 24-27 May for the AusCERT Cyber Security Conference.
[Photo: Beer Bubbles, specifically the Katoomba Brewing Company Great Western Golden Ale, photographed on 22 February 2016.]
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.]