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!
I was sleeping for much of my week of Monday 17 to Sunday 23 July 2023, battling some random lurgi. There’s not much new to report, therefore, so I’ve brought you an old photo of a muddy patch of land. Very excitement.
Continue reading “Weekly Wrap 686: A muddy building site captures the mood for everything”
My week of Monday 31 October to Sunday 6 November 2016 was quieter than the previous two, deliberately, and I’m grateful for that.
None, but check out the week ahead. There’ll be three!
None.
It’s a busy one, punctuated by travel from Sydney up to Bunjaree Cottages in the Blue Mountains on Tuesday afternoon, and travel back down on Thursday.
I’m finishing an op-ed for SBS TV. I’m finishing the production of three podcasts, namely The 9pm Edict Public House Forum 4, and two episodes of Corrupted Nerds from the Ruxcon information security conference. And I’m writing at least one piece for ZDNet.
On top of that, there’s work on the various geek-for-hire projects.
None of this work has been allocated to specific days. There’s still some uncertainty, including a chance the travel might be cancelled.
This information is now on the new calendar page, Stilgherrian in Public.
Update 7 November 2016: Edited to reflect schedule changes.
[Photo: The dragon is sleeping, being a decaying roof in Lilyfield in Sydney’s inner west, photographed on 6 November 2016.]
My week Monday 13 to Sunday 19 June 2016 was miserable. Why? Was it a cold? Was is a throat infection? Was it a gut infection? Was it all these things? Who can say?
I got nothing done, apart from some excellent lying in bed coughing. I do not recommend this as a way of life.
None. For obvious reasons.
On Monday, I’ll be producing an episode of The 9pm Edict podcast, and then celebrating in a private ceremony the Winter Solstice and the Full Moon. This will continue into Tuesday, because the Solstice itself is actually at 0834 AEST, well after the 0700 AEST sunrise.
The remainder of the week will see me in Sydney, working on the seemingly-endless tax compliance work, as well as the much-delayed geek-for-hire work. That’s enough for now, right?
[Photo: Sydney, five minutes before dawn, being the view of the Sydney CBD on 11 June 2016.]
My week of Monday 2 to Sunday 8 May 2016 was essentially a continuation of the previous week, although the illnesses both physical and digital have ended.
Well, the short-term medical conditions anyway. The long-term conditions are both being addressed more or less according to plan. Ish.
I’ll tell you about the key events another time, however. For now, just the essentials.
I’m quite pleased with this episode, and what little feedback I’ve had about the potential future of this podcast suggests that this magazine format is the way to go — although the Public House Forum episodes also seem popular.
Meanwhile…
Jobs and growth, jobs and growth, jobs and growth. Australia’s federal election has finally been confirmed for Saturday 2 July. We have an eight-week campaign, which means there should be at least two episodes of the Edict.
The mediascape will be filled with the usual commentary and mainstream punditry based on each day’s action. So for my own efforts, in podcasts or elsewhere, I intend to slow down and get outside that bubble.
What will this mean in practice? I don’t know yet. Watch this space.
None.
I’ll be based at Wentworth Falls for most of the week, I believe, and it begins with a day off on Monday.
Remarkably, the rest of the week has no fixed appointments, but I’ve got plenty to do. There’s the usual writing for ZDNet and perhaps Crikey, the geek-for-hire work, and the neverending work to bring my tax affairs up to date. I’ll also have to lock in my podcast and election campaign plans. But I’ll be able to work on these things in the most comfortable order. This pleases me.
The weekend is similarly unplanned. Joy.
On 24-27 May, I’m covering the AusCERT Cyber Security Conference on the Gold Coast. Apart from my usual conference coverage, once more I’ll be on the panel for the event’s closing Speed Debate.
[Photo: Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announces the federal election on 8 May 2016. Screenshot from ABC News24.]
My week of Monday 25 April to Sunday 1 May 2016 was disrupted — not in that silly fashionable way, but in the traditional annoying way — by failing computer hardware and illness.
My MacBook Pro developed a screen fault, so I lost time moving my work to a loaner machine and organising repairs. Somewhere along the way I got what I presumed was food poisoning but which is clearly something else. Both patients are getting better, the silicon more quickly than the flesh.
The many edits to last week’s Weekly Wrap reflect all the plans made and discarded.
As a result…
None.
None. However an episode of The 9pm Edict is part-produced.
None.
I’m back at Wentworth Falls in the Blue Mountains this week, or at least for most of it.
On Monday, I’m working on geek-for-hire tasks in the morning, and completing that episode of The 9pm Edict podcast in the afternoon and evening.
On Tuesday, I’m making the long commute down to Sydney to cover the inaugural National Fintech Cyber Security Summit. Tuesday night is federal Budget Night in Australia, so I’ll probably stay in Sydney to amuse myself with that rather than spend the evening on the train. Nah, that’s too long a day. I’ll do some bits and pieces in the Blue Mountains instead.
On Wednesday morning, I daresay I’ll be writing something. At midday, it’s my first progress check at the Black Dog Institute, three months into working on the dog of a different colour. I’ll probably have some news. Then I’ll collect my repaired MacBook Pro, and return to the Mountains.
The remainder of the week and the weekend are unplanned, but I know I’ll be writing for ZDNet and doing more geek-for-hire stuff in there somewhere.
On 24-27 May, I’m covering the AusCERT Cyber Security Conference on the Gold Coast. Apart from my usual conference coverage, once more I’ll be on the panel for the event’s closing Speed Debate.
Update 2 May 2016: Edited to reflect changed plans for Tuesday.
[Photo: Approaching Sydney. A Qantas Boeing 737-800, I believe, on approach to Sydney airport (SYD) over the inner west suburb of Lilyfield on 25 April 2016.]
My week of Monday 21 to Sunday 28 March 2016 was a mixed bag. I finally got a podcast done, but not some other tasks. C’est la vie.
As we ramp up the medication to deal with the dog of a different colour, my sleep patterns are much disrupted. I’m hit with random waves of fatigue. That means I’m operating at roughly half capacity. In theory, that’ll stop happening after a couple more weeks, but for now I must pace myself.
But enough of that…
None, though I have a few columns for ZDNet in the pipeline.
None.
None.
The short work week after Easter starts in Lilyfield, in Sydney’s inner west, but ends back in Wentworth Falls. The date of migration back to the Blue Mountains is yet to be confirmed.
Easter Monday has just begun, but apart from this blog post I won’t be doing anything too hectic.
On Wednesday, I’m going to D61+ Live 2016, an event by Data61 (“Data61 = CSIRO Digital Productivity + NICTA = the world’s leading data-focused innovation powerhouse,” they describe themselves) at Australian Technology Park. I’m particularly interested in a panel on cybersecurity. On Wednesday evening, I’ll be having a farewell drink or two with the wonderful Shuna Boyd, who’s retiring from her media relations career.
On Thursday evening, I’m covering a discussion sponsored by the International Association of Privacy Professionals Australia and New Zealand (iappANZ) on Australia’s proposed mandatory data breach notification laws. After that, I’m doing a radio spot on ABC 774 Melbourne at 1900 AEDT.
In between, I’ll be working steadily through three geek-for-hire projects, catching up a big chunk of that bookkeeping for the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), and writing a ZDNet column or two.
The following week will be an extension of the plan just described.
After that, I should be in Canberra on 12-14 April for the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) Conference. A plan is slowly evolving.
I’ll definitely be in Sydney on 27-28 April for the Amazon Web Services Summit Sydney, then on the Gold Coast on 24-27 May for the AusCERT Cyber Security Conference.
[Photo: Old and New. A new Meriton apartment development under construction in Lewisham in Sydney’s inner west, with the old flour mill in the background. Photographed on 22 March 2016.]