kim dotcom – Stilgherrian

11 January 2015

Weekly Wrap 239: The new year starts with some chaos

My week of Monday 29 December 2014 to Sunday 3 January 2015 was a strange mix of relaxation and stress. Relaxation during the New Year break, and stress because the server migration I was doing started to become a complete pain.

Since this is being posted a week late, I won’t bother expanding on all that for now. I may or may not issue a series of whinges in relation to the server migration.

But I will mention that on 30 December I migrated from Bunjaree Cottages near Wentworth Falls to Lilyfield in Sydney’s inner west, there to spend most of January. If you need to catch up with me in Sydney for some reason, this is the month for you.

Articles

Why Kim Dotcom buying off Lizard Squad was the wrong move, ZDNet Australia, 30 December 2014.

5at5

There were three editions of 5at5 this week, on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday. You might want to subscribe so you receive them all. Subscribe. Just subscribe.

Media Appearances

On Tuesday, I did my third Tech Wreck on ABC 720 Perth. This is a regular spot over summer at 1430 AWST / 1730 AEDT. One more to go.

Corporate Largesse

None.

[Photo: Sydney skyline, photographed on 30 December 2014. I seem to recall that it was a very hot day that day.]

03 January 201503 January 2015

Talking technology on ABC 720 Perth, episode the third

The Christmas Day attacks on Sony’s PlayStation Network and Microsoft’s Xbox and the supposed culprits, Lizard Squad, featured in this week’s “Tech Wreck” segment on ABC 720 Perth. Also, fake fingerprints and Facebook’s end of year review.

Lizard Squad had claimed responsibility for the attacks, and stopped them when Kim Dotcom paid them off. I reckon that was a mistake. Meanwhile, infosec journalist Brian Krebs thinks he’s identified Lizard Squad members, and later reported that at least one has been arrested.

A hacker presenting at the Chaos Computer Club conference in Germany demonstrated how he could recreate a fingerprint just from photographs.

And the Facebook thing? Just read this guy’s story.

The presenter is Jamie Burnett.

I’ve delayed posting this audio because there was a problem. I normally record off the ABC’s internet feed, but the link dropped out part-way. Journalist Will Ockenden was kind enough to pull the audio from the ABC’s archiving system, but that was interrupted by bushfire alerts. What to do?

I decided I’d post it as-is, because this is what Perth listeners would have heard, and it highlights just how serious Australia has to get during our hot, dangerous summers.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (14.3MB)

The next “Tech Wreck” segment is on ABC 720 Perth this Tuesday 6 January 2015 at 1430 AWST / 173 AEDT.

03 February 2013

Weekly Wrap 138: Chaos, some for Australia Day, some not

The week of Monday 21 to Sunday 27 January 2013 was a bit hectic, and since this is being posted a week later than it should be I’ll gloss over those messy details.

Podcasts

None. And that’s because Patch Monday is no more.

Articles

Silent but Mega, Kim Dotcom’s file-sharing comeback, Crikey, 21 January 2013.
Australia’s National Security Strategy? Or Labor’s election-year cyber gimmick?, ZDNet Australia, 24 January 2013.
Why you SHOULD worry about cybercrime (but it’s no war), Crikey, 25 January 2013.

Media Appearances

On Thursday I spoke briefly about some cybersecurity stuff on ABC Radio’s AM.
On Saturday I appeared on Tomorrow’s Geek, an episode of James Purser’s podcast Purser Explores the World.

Corporate Largesse

Still none. I’ve been very slack about cashing in on people’s PR accounts. Something must be wrong with me.

[Photo: Sydney Culture (For @ApostrophePong, Australia Day 2013), a photograph which will make sense to ’Pong and probably few others.]