My week of Monday 31 December 2018 to Sunday 6 January 2019 was a relatively quiet start to the new year. I am more than happy with this.
Continue reading “Weekly Wrap 449: A hot then cool start to 2019”Weekly Wrap 431: Spring, beyond the killing season
I am so, so glad that my week of Monday 27 August to Sunday 2 September 2018 included the end of winter — as did everyone else’s on this half of the planet — and the end of the latest campaign of carpet-bombing attacks on my intestinal biome. Things are returning to “normal”. I think.
Articles
- Australian government moves to improve My Health Record privacy, ZDNet Australia, 29 August 2018.
- My Health Record woes detailed in leaked document: Report, ZDNet Australia, 30 August 2018. The Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) took exception to my use of the word “woes”, but I’m sticking by it.
Podcasts, Media Appearances
None, but I will finally be doing a podcast this week. See below.
Corporate Largesse
- On Tuesday I enjoyed the food available at CLOUDSEC Australia 2018, which was held at the Hilton Sydney Hotel.
The Week Ahead
Monday and Tuesday I’m writing for ZDNet and doing some pre-production for the podcast. Then on Wednesday morning I’m catching the train down to Sydney, and then to Cronulla, because…
The next episode of The 9pm Edict will be recorded in Cronulla this Wednesday 5 September at 2100 AEST. Listen on the livestream or on the Spreaker apps, or listen later on the usual feeds.
I’ve chosen Cronulla because that’s at the heart of our new Prime Minister’s electoral base, and because I want to revisit the episode recorded there four years ago, The 9pm Shire.
Thursday will be spent in Sydney, taking care of some medical and personal matters. The remainder of the week is unplanned.
Further Ahead
I’ve pencilled in:
- Flying Sydney to Adelaide in a Vans RV-6 light aircraft registration VH-SOL piloted by Mark Newton, Friday 28 or Saturday 29 September. I’ll be recording things for a podcast en route.
- FireEye Cyber Defense Summit, Washington DC, 1–5 October.
- Australian Cyber Conference, formerly the Australian Information Security Association (AISA) National Conference, Melbourne, 9–11 October.
- International Association of Privacy Professionals ANZ (iappANZ) Annual Summit, Privacy: Handling the Seismic Shift, Melbourne, 1 November. (TBC)
Update 3 September: Edited to add the top two items to Further Ahead. Update 5 September: Edited to reflect cancellation of podcast for health reasons.
[Photo: InterCity train at Wentworth Falls. A TrainLink NSW V-Set train emerges from the mists at Wentworth Falls station on 27 August 2018.]
Announcing “The 9pm Brisbane Forum”
[UPDATE: Sadly the Pozible campaign did not reach its target. There won’t be a Public House Forum podcast, but there should still be an episode with John Birmingham. Stay tuned for details.]
Following the success of The 9pm Hometown Forum in Adelaide, and the bonus episode of The 9pm Probe with space archaeologist Dr Alice Gorman, I’m doing the same thing in Brisbane. But I need your help.
Continue reading “Announcing “The 9pm Brisbane Forum””Weekly Wrap 410: Unexpected crickets before Canberra
This is about Monday 2 to Sunday 8 April 2018, but let’s get on with the details.
Podcasts
- “The 9pm Probe: Dr Alice Gorman, space archaeologist”, being The 9pm Edict episode 76. You can also listen to it on SoundCloud and Spreaker. This is the pilot episode of what I hope will become a regular addition to The 9pm Edict cycle, a series of long-form interviews with interesting people. Please let me know what you think.
Articles
- Security training is useless unless it changes behaviours, ZDNet Australia, 3 April 2018.
- 1.1.1.1: Cloudflare’s new DNS attracting ‘gigabits per second’ of rubbish, ZDNet Australia, 4 April 2018.
Media Appearances
- On Thursday I spoke about Cambridge Analytica’s use of Facebook data on ABC Radio’s The World Today.
Corporate Largesse
None.
The Week Ahead
It’s going to be a big one. On Monday morning I’m heading down to Sydney, where I’ll do some important preparations, like getting a haircut. I’ll also be continuing with the research on that SEKRIT editorial project. I’ll be able to tell you about that eventually, but not just yet.
On Tuesday I’m taking the 1201 train to Canberra, doing a bunch of stuff en route. That evening, I’m covering a panel discussion at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), Stopping a Cyber Threat on Our Election: US and Australian Experiences. Should be interesting.
On Wednesday and Thursday, I’m covering the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) Conference, so on Friday I reckon I’ll still be writing about that. There’s usually a bunch of stories.
I’ll stay in Canberra until late Saturday afternoon, and have a lazy day in Sydney on Sunday.
[Photo: Cricket! A large and, I think, female cricket found at Bunjaree Cottages near Wentworth Falls on 2 April 2018.]
Weekly Wrap 409: Four cities, surveillance, and podcasts
This is yet another Fortnightly Wrap, covering Monday 19 March to Sunday 1 April 2018, and it was dominated by domestic travel, nostalgia, and soju.
Podcasts
- “The 9pm Public House Forum 6 / Hometown Forum”, being The 9pm Edict episode 75, was recorded and streamed live from Adelaide on Saturday 24 March. It’s also on SoundCloud and Speaker.
- I also recorded a bonus extra podcast with Dr Alice Gorman, a space archaeologist at Flinders University. That episode will be posted by the end of the coming week.
Articles
- The sad old-but-true joke of IoT security, ZDNet Australia, 19 March 2018.
- I edited all the material in DirectorTech Advisory 003, which went live on Saturday 31 March.
- I’ve also written a piece for ZDNet which will appear in the next few days.
Media Appearances
- On Monday 26 March, I spoke about the continuing Facebook / Cambridge Analytica debacle on ABC Adelaide.
Corporate Largesse
- This doesn’t really count as largesse, because it was work, but my recent road trip — more accurate a flying trip — to Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Sydney was for tech distributor Alloys, who were introducing their customers to products from Chinese video surveillance hardware manufacturer Zhejiang Uniview Technologies Co Ltd. I didn’t do anything sales-related. I gave a 20-minute presentation on the future of video surveillance in the age of artificial intelligence. That said, at the end of the project, Uniview shouted me a soju-sodden meal at Myeongdong Korean Restaurant in North Strathfield. I seem to recall that it was very good.
The Week Ahead
It’s Easter Monday, but I’m still doing work, such as writing this for you.
Tuesday through Friday will be dominated by two things. One, I’m series editor on a new investigative journalism project for Crikey, which I’ll tell you about in due course. And two, I’ve got a queue of stuff to write for ZDNet. Those two threads of work will be woven around the need to be in Sydney on Wednesday for medical and other appointments, and finishing that production on that extra podcast.
The weekend is unplanned.
Further Ahead
The only definite commitments are a couple of cybersecurity conferences.
- Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) Conference, Canberra, 10–12 April.
- Australian Cyber Conference, formerly the Australian Information Security Association (AISA) National Conference, Melbourne, 9–11 October.
[Photo: Dawn over Queensland. The view from Virgin Australia flight VA1384 from BNE to ADL, somewhere over Queensland, on 22 March 2018.]
Announcing “The 9pm GoatFest Tasmania”
UPDATE 15 February 2018: The Pozible campaign was successful. Details of what I’ll be doing will be posted on Saturday 17 February.
Let’s talk about Goats! GoatFest Tasmania is Tasmania’s Only All-Breeds Goat Festival and Field Day, with everything you ever need to know about goats and goat products all under the one roof. It’s on Sunday 25 February in Launceston, and I want to go. I need to go.
What’s not to love? Like, goats, right!
Continue reading “Announcing “The 9pm GoatFest Tasmania””