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Weekly Wrap 441: The joy of a calm spring week

11 November 2018 in Weekly Wrap by Stilgherrian | Permalink

Suburban JoyMy week of Monday 5 to Sunday 11 November 2018 went as planned. I’ll tell you more about that another time. Maybe.

It was very much the calm before another couple of very busy weeks.

Articles

Podcasts, Media Appearances, Corporate Largesse

None. As I said last week, these categories tend to come in waves. But there’ll be new podcasts soon, as detailed below.

The Week Ahead

On Monday I return to Sydney, writing for ZDNet en route, then heading to a lunchtime briefing on technology in health and aged care, then getting some back repairs.

I’ll remain in Sydney to cover a Tuesday morning session on the Future of Health, at an event sponsored by the Commonwealth Bank, then lunch meeting, then an evening meeting. There should also be more My Health Record action in the Senate, so I’ll be writing about that.

I return to the Mountains on Wednesday evening, after a day of writing. Thursday is likely to be about writing and the shopping. On Friday there’s another Senate hearing on the Assistance and Access Bill, the anti-encryption legislation, so I’ll be keeping an ear on that.

After all that I’ll want a quiet weekend.

Further Ahead

The following week will begin with more writing, then from Wednesday through Saturday I’ll be back in Sydney for some cat-sitting.

The next episode of The 9pm Edict podcast will be recorded on the afternoon of Tuesday 20 November. It won’t be streamed live, but it will be posted the following day.

[Photo: Suburban Joy, being a rather bleak playground in Ashfield, Sydney, photographed on 11 November 2018.]

Weekly Wrap 434: Spring, with quoll and crowdfunding

23 September 2018 in Weekly Wrap by Stilgherrian | Permalink

Tiger QuollThe highlights of my week of Monday 17 to Sunday 23 September 2018 included seeing a tiger quoll at very close range as it ambled part the house. That’s it in the photo.

I also managed — finally! — to extrude a podcast. And I launched a Pozible crowdfunding campaign to record some podcast segments in Adelaide, Washington DC, and Melbourne over the coming weeks. I’m visiting those cities for work.

Please consider pledging your support to The 9pm Flying Visits.

Podcasts

Articles

Media Appearances, Corporate Largesse

None, but this will change a lot in the next few weeks, at least as far as Corporate Largesse goes.

The Week Ahead

I’m kicking off a few weeks that have already been mapped out. Monday is about planning, logistics, story pitches, some geekery, and shopping. Tuesday and Wednesday are about writing and data wrangling, ideally.

On Thursday, I’m heading down to Sydney for an interview at 1100, plus a few other bits and pieces, before wrapping up The 9pm Flying Visits at 2100 AEST. You have until then to pledge your support. Please consider.

On Friday, I’m flying from Sydney’s Bankstown airport to Wagga Wagga to Swan Hill to Goolwa in a Vans RV-6 light aircraft registration VH-SOL piloted by Mark Newton. We hope to start the engine at 0830 AEST. En route I’ll record things for a subsequent podcast and tweet some observations. So far the weather forecast looks reasonable, but there’s always the chance of delays.

Saturday and Sunday will be spent in Adelaide, and I’ll record a podcast bit or two. I fly out at 1805 ACST on Sunday, travelling via Melbourne and Abu Dhabi to Washington DC.

Further Ahead

I’m spending the week in DC covering the FireEye Cyber Defense Summit on 1–4 October, then enjoying my first visit to the city and recording more podcasts bits before flying out Sunday night to Abu Dhabi and Melbourne.

The following week I’m in Melbourne, arriving on Tuesday local time to cover the Australian Cyber Conference, formerly the Australian Information Security Association (AISA) National Conference, on 9–11 October. I’m staying in Melbourne to write, and record yet more podcast bits, before flying up to Sydney on Sunday night.

Beyond that:

  • The Sibos global financial services conference, Sydney, 22–25 October.
  • International Association of Privacy Professionals ANZ (iappANZ) Annual Summit, Privacy: Handling the Seismic Shift, Melbourne, 1 November. (TBC)

[Photo: Tiger Quoll. A tiger quoll (Dasyurus maculatus), also known as the spotted-tail quoll, the spotted quoll, the spotted-tail dasyure, or the tiger cat, spotted at Bunjaree Cottages near Wentworth Falls in the Blue Mountains on 19 September 2018.]

Weekly Wrap 433: Easing into the new season

16 September 2018 in Weekly Wrap by Stilgherrian | Permalink

Eucalypt ScrublandMy week from Monday 10 to Sunday 16 September 2018 did not work out as I’d hoped last week. I did head down to Sydney as planned, but it turned out that I wasn’t as recovered from the lurgi as I’d thought. I think we’re done with that now.

Articles

Podcasts, Media Appearances, Corporate Largesse

It was another week when all three of these categories were empty, mostly because I didn’t go to the AI & Machine Learning Summit as planned. But see below.

The Week Ahead

Monday and Tuesday will be about writing for ZDNet, I hope, but I’ll also kick off a quick crowdfunding campaign to record some podcasts while I’m in Washington DC and Melbourne.

The next episode of The 9pm Edict will now be recorded on Wednesday 19 September (moved from Tuesday) at 2100 AEST. Listen on the livestream or on Spreaker apps, or listen later on the usual feeds.

Thursday will be a relatively easy day, before returning to some media work on Friday. After that, the weekend is intended to be about de-stressing. I note, however, that the Equinox is on Saturday night at 2354 AEST, so I might do something to mark the occasion.

Further Ahead

The week of Monday 24 September kicks off a few weeks that have already been mapped out. It begins in writing mode. Thursday will be a Sydney day, and I’ll stay overnight because…

On Friday — or on Saturday if the weather is against us — I’m flying from Sydney’s Bankstown airport to Wagga Wagga to Swan Hill to Goolwa in a Vans RV-6 light aircraft registration VH-SOL piloted by Mark Newton. En route I’ll record things for a subsequent podcast.

On Sunday I fly from Adelaide to Abu Dhabi to Washington DC to cover the FireEye Cyber Defense Summit on 1–5 October. I’m spend the weekend in DC before flying back through Abu Dhabi to Melbourne to cover the Australian Cyber Conference, formerly the Australian Information Security Association (AISA) National Conference, on 9–11 October.

Beyond that:

  • The Sibos global financial services conference, Sydney, 22–25 October.
  • International Association of Privacy Professionals ANZ (iappANZ) Annual Summit, Privacy: Handling the Seismic Shift, Melbourne, 1 November. (TBC)

[Photo: Eucalypt Scrubland. I do so love the patterns created by sunlight in the scrub at Bunjaree Cottages, and sometimes it works better in monochrome. Photographed 14 September 2018.]

Weekly Wrap 431: Spring, beyond the killing season

02 September 2018 in Weekly Wrap by Stilgherrian | 1 comment

InterCity train at Wentworth FallsI 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

Podcasts, Media Appearances

None, but I will finally be doing a podcast this week. See below.

Corporate Largesse

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.]

Weekly Wrap 390: A mix of things in Spring

19 November 2017 in Weekly Wrap by Stilgherrian | Permalink

AMP Building, SydneyI won’t say much about my week of Monday 13 to Sunday 19 November 2017. I’m tired. I’ll just encourage you to support my current crowdfunding campaign.

The goal of The 9pm Edict Summer Series is to fund extra episodes of The 9pm Edict podcast over summer. As I write this on Sunday afternoon, 29 supporters have taken us 54% of the way to Target One. With four days to go, we’ve got some catching up to do. Please consider.

Articles

Corporate Largesse

  • On Tuesday, I enjoyed the wonderful food and drink of Cafe Sydney during the CQR press lunch.

Podcasts, Media Appearances

None, but see below.

The Week Ahead

Monday through Wednesday will be about writing, for both ZDNet and DirectorTech. Wednesday will also include errands to both Leura and Katoomba, or maybe even Penrith. Exotic!

The next episode of The 9pm Edict podcast will be recorded this Thursday 23 November at 2100 AEST. It will be streamed live via stilgherrian.com/edict/live/ and Spreaker apps.

This episode will include the wrap-up of the Pozible campaign for The 9pm Edict Summer Series, so listen for the final result.

Friday is a Sydney day, with medical and other appointments.

Further Ahead

The exact shape of the next few weeks will depend on the results of The 9pm Edict Summer Series. Do you detect a theme here?

[Photo: AMP Building, Sydney, the building at 33 Alfred Street, Circular Quay, which was the first example of the post-war International style to be built in Sydney. Photographed on 14 November 2017.]

Weekly Wrap 387: Roses, rain, wine, and cybers

29 October 2017 in Weekly Wrap by Stilgherrian | Permalink

Antique Roses at The AlexMy week of Monday 23 to Sunday 29 October 2017 was adequate. I’ve been having a relaxed Sunday, though, and I don’t want to spoil that, so let’s get on with the show.

Articles

Podcasts

Media Appearances

  • On Tuesday, I spoke about the targeting of advertising on social media on ABC Canberra.
  • On Wednesday, I spoke about encryption policies and, briefly, Nazis for the next episode of the Covert Contact podcast, which will appear very soon. If you haven’t done so, you can still listen to my first appearance, the episode about Australian Cyber Policy.
  • My story about an Australian defence contractor’s data breach from a couple of weeks ago was picked up by a Ukrainian news site, and a site in Italian that I didn’t investigate further.

Corporate Largesse

None.

The Week Ahead

Monday will definitely be a jumbled day of editorial planning, research, story pitches, and administrivia. I’m glad I’ve already sketched out the rest of the week.

On Tuesday I’m heading to Sydney for a couple meetings, but I’ve got room for more. I’m also doing a radio spot on ABC Melbourne at 1930 AEDT.

Wednesday will be a day of writing, as will most of the rest of the week.

At some point, I’ll also announce a new crowdfunding campaign. It’s been more than a year since my last concentrated ask-for-money burst, and the gods know my budget needs it. But there’s been some changes in the crowdfunding landscape since then, so I don’t want to rush it. Stay tuned for details.

Further Ahead

At this stage, I haven’t locked in anything specific for the rest of the calendar year. Please feel free to make some suggestions.

[Photo: Antique Roses at The Alex. The back bar of the Alexandra Hotel, Leura, was decorated with a bouquet of antique roses taken from the pub’s own garden. Photographed on 26 October 2017.]

Weekly Wrap 382: Spring springs, Melbourne looms

24 September 2017 in Weekly Wrap by Stilgherrian | Permalink

Laneway GirlThe week of Monday 18 to Sunday 24 September 2017 saw a solid surge into spring. It’s frightening.

Friday 22 September was the hottest September day ever recorded in Sydney and across much of NSW. That night, at least up here in the Blue Mountains, the overnight minimum was so far above average that it was a degree warmer than the average maximum for that day.

The planet is not broken.

Podcasts

  • “The 9pm End of the World, But More So”, being The 9pm Edict episode 68, was finally produced on Thursday night. You can also listen to it on SoundCloud and Spreaker. Be warned, the pace of the news cycle means that some of it has already been overtaken by events.

Articles

I’ve also part-written a piece for ZDNet that’ll appear on Monday.

Corporate Largesse, Media Appearances

None, but that changes next week.

The Week Ahead

Monday sees me on a day trip to Sydney for routine back maintenance. Beforehand, I’ll finish a yarn for ZDNet. En route and afterwards, I’ll work on my presentation for Wednesday night.

On Tuesday, I’ll catch an early train to Sydney to cover the first day of SINET61, the second annual joint conference of the Security Innovation Network and Australia’s Data61. I’ll stay in Sydney overnight.

On Wednesday, I’m flying down to Melbourne. That evening I’m speaking at Digital Manipulation of Democracy, part of the Victorian Fabians’ Spring Series of events on “Digitisation and Democracy”.

I’m staying in Melbourne through to Saturday afternoon. On Thursday evening, I’m talking about cybers or tech or something on ABC Melbourne. That’s probably at 1930 AEST, but check Twitter on the day. The rest is unplanned, but I’ll think of something. Or you will.

Further Ahead

Events I’m covering or speaking at include:

If there’s anything I should add in there, please let me know.

Update 28 September: Edited to reflect cancellation of ABC Melbourne spot.

[Photo: Laneway Girl. A mural outside a nightclub on Earl Street in Sydney’s Kings Cross, photographed on 9 September 2017.]

Weekly Wrap 381: Hasn’t everything been lovely! No?

17 September 2017 in Weekly Wrap by Stilgherrian | Permalink

Hanging SwampThis Weekly Wrap covers two weeks, Monday 4 to Sunday 17 September 2017. Thank the gods, spring is rolling on, and I’ll be back to weekly posting soon.

The fortnight’s achievements included wrapping up work on that SEKRIT editorial project — I’ll post separately about that on Monday — and the news that I probably don’t have skin cancer.

“Say what?”

So yeah, a spot on my leg that’s been there for years had recently started growing. I did what all of you should do. Rather than ignoring it, I showed it to my GP. He was fairly sure it was nothing to worry about, but to be sure, we sought specialist advice.

A lovely dermatologist chappie quickly identified it as a traumatised angioma, as shown in figures 16 and 17. Mine isn’t as visually prominent as that one, and only half the length.

My GP’s response was dismissive. “Oh, so it’s a scratch,” he said.

He’s been my GP for more than 20 years. He takes liberties. Like eating sandwiches during consultations.

Anyway, on with the show… such that it is.

Articles, Podcasts, Corporate Largesse

None, but see below.

Media Appearances

  • On Tuesday 5 September, I spoke about the fragility of the internet on ABC Adelaide. As has been usual lately, I probably won’t post the audio.
  • On Thursday 14 September, Tim Burrowes and I spoke about Facebooks’s new advertising policies on ABC Radio’s The World Today.

The Week Ahead

The next episode of The 9pm Edict podcast will finally be recorded this Thursday 21 September at 2100 AEST. No really. As has become traditional, it’ll be streamed live via stilgherrian.com/edict/live/. You still have time to support this podcast with a one-off contribution.

Apart from that, I’ll be doing the usual mix of writing and complaining and stuff.

Further Ahead

Events I’m covering or speaking at include:

If there’s anything I should add in there, please let me know.

[Photo: Hanging Swamp. The view down into a valley at the terrain known locally as a hanging swamp. This example is at the side of the main track at Bunjaree Cottages, near Wentworth Falls. Photographed on 13 September 2017.]

The 9pm Edict LIVE

09 October 2016 in The 9pm Edict by Stilgherrian | Permalink

If you want to listen to The 9pm Edict podcast live on the internet as it’s being recorded, this is the place to be — not all those individual episode pages. The live stream should start playing automatically when it starts. You can also use Spreaker apps if you’re on the go.

Check the schedule on The 9pm Edict‘s show page.

Tweet along using the hashtag #9pmlive.

This podcast is listener-supported. If you’d like to contribute, please throw a few dollars into the pot.

Weekly Wrap 330: More spring, more cybers, less pain

25 September 2016 in Weekly Wrap by Stilgherrian | Permalink

Ascent: click to embiggenMy week of Monday 19 to Sunday 25 September 2016 was the first in more than three weeks where I spent a day without any painkillers. Four days, in fact.

Whether it was that, some of the other medical activities, the continuing springing of Spring, certain other factors, or some combination thereof, it was also more productive that recent weeks — despite the stress continuing much as usual.

The week also way the beginnings of Certain Plans being made, but those details are for another time.

Articles

Podcasts

None.

Media Appearances

Corporate Largesse

  • On Thursday, I covered the Palo Alto Networks Cyber Security Summit, so obviously there was food and drink.

The Week Ahead

I’m back in Sydney’s inner west again, where I’ll probably be based for a few weeks.

On Monday, I’m writing for ZDNet, bringing my geek-for-hire projects up to date, and negotiating my next moves with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). That stuff continues into Tuesday.

On Tuesday Wednesday, I’m recording and streaming an episode of The 9pm Edict podcast. That’s scheduled for 2100 AEST, but before that I’ll be launching a new crowdfunding campaign. I also have a number of meetings in the city.

Thursday is about bookkeeping and medical appointments. Friday is about writing and the like. And then it’s the Labour Day long weekend.

Further Ahead

I’m going to the AISA National Conference in Sydney on 18-20 October, the Ruxcon Security Conference in Melbourne on 22-23 October, the iappANZ Trust In Privacy Annual Summit in Sydney on 14 November.

I plan to record the next Public House Forum episode of the Edict on Saturday 15 October somewhere in or near Sydney.

Update 27 September 2016: Edited to reflect schedule changes.

[Photo: Ascent, being a photograph of the railway overpass on Blaxland Road, Wentworth Falls, taken on 20 September 2016. It’s a bit muddy, so maybe I should try to improve that image.]

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