Tag: stress

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

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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Weekly Wrap 329: Plenty of cybers as spring unfolds

Almond blossom and eucalypts in the gentle Sunday rain: click to embiggenMy week of Monday 12 to Sunday 18 September 2016 started to see a return to productivity after the pain of previous weeks.

There were also some shifts on the personal front, but I’ll keep them to myself for the time being. On with the show…

Articles

Both of these pieces came out of the SINET61 cyber innovation conference. More will follow.

Podcasts

None.

Media Appearances

Corporate Largesse

The Week Ahead

On Monday, I’m writing for ZDNet, doing some data-wrangling for a client, then re-planning the coming weeks because my mid-October trip to Melbourne has been cancelled.

Tuesday and Wednesday will be a combination of geek work, research, writing, and preparing my next crowdfunding campaign, ordered as the mood takes me.

Thursday, though, is a long one. I’m looking at early train down to Sydney, then the Palo Alto Networks Cyber Security Summit through to lunchtime. I’ve got medical appointments from 1415, and then a radio spot on ABC 774 Melbourne at 2000 AEST. I’ll stay in Sydney overnight.

On Friday, I’ll probably have some meetings or write for ZDNet, before catching the train back up to the Mountains. I’m still juggling that one.

On Saturday, I’ll bump out of Bunjaree Cottages and head down to Sydney, and once more I’ll be based there for a while. Sunday is a day of rest, allegedly.

Further Ahead

The next episode of The 9pm Edict podcast will be recorded on the evening of Tuesday 27 September. I plan to record the next Public House Forum on Saturday 15 October somewhere in or near Sydney, but the one planned for Melbourne on 19 November is cancelled for the time being.

I’m going to the AISA National Conference in Sydney on 18-20 October, and the Ruxcon Security Conference in Melbourne on 22-23 October.

Update 20 September 2016: Edited to reflect some schedule clarifications.

[Photo: Almond blossom and eucalypts in the gentle Sunday rain, yet another photo taken at Bunjaree Cottages near Wentworth Falls, 100km west of Sydney. This one is from the rainy afternoon of 18 September 2016. I’ve previously posted images of the almond blossom emerging.]

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Weekly Wrap 325: Crossing a canal as winter ends

Glebe Park Canal: click to embiggenMy week of Monday 15 to Sunday 21 August 2016 was an interesting one. While the severe back pain continued, it’s slowly declining, and so is the stress. We’ll see how that all turns out.

Anyway, on with the details…

Articles

Podcasts

None. I’m planning to produce the next episode of The 9pm Edict in the first week of September.

Media Appearances

Corporate Largesse

The Week Ahead

Yet another week in Sydney will make it 13 weeks in a row. I wonder when I should start considering Sydney as my home again? Sydney doesn’t feel like home again yet, but then nowhere does. That’s probably a topic for another time, however.

On Monday and Tuesday I’m covering the Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit in Sydney, an event that always seems to be good value for me. On Tuesday night I’m recording some more short videos about security for ZDNet.

The rest of the week is the usual jumble of geek project work, writing for ZDNet, and a few other things, which I’ll juggle as I go along.

On Saturday Sunday I’m bumping out of the Ashfield apartment, leaving a well-fed cat in my wake, and migrating up to Wentworth Falls in the Blue Mountains, where I’ll be for a few weeks. Sunday is unplanned.

Further Ahead

I’m going to CLOUDSEC Australia 2016 in Sydney on 1 September, the Palo Alto Networks Cyber Security Summit in Sydney on 22 September, the AISA National Conference in Sydney on 18-20 October, and the Ruxcon Security Conference in Melbourne on 22-23 October.

Update 24 August: Edited to reflect changes to the weekend plans.

[Photo: Glebe Park Canal. Crossing the canal at the western side of Centennial Park, Glebe, in Sydney at the end of a late winter day, 17 August 2016.]

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Weekly Wrap 324: Back to the pain, causing chaos

Stripes in KL: click to embiggenMy week of Monday 8 to Sunday 14 August 2016 did not go to plan at all. I had to cancel everything from Wednesday onwards thanks to severe back pain.

Podcasts

Articles

None.

Media Appearances

None, though the Census disaster would have generated a few media appearances had I not been in pain. Messages started coming in from 0600 the morning after, and eventually totalled requests for nine or more radio spots and three TV spots — not that I could have done them all.

Corporate Largesse

  • CrowdStrike sent me a couple of their handy little webcam covers.

The Week Ahead

It’s yet another week in Sydney, which will make it 12 weeks in a row. I’m kinda glad I’ve avoided being in the Blue Mountains during the coldest part of winter.

It’s also another jumbled week of updating all the geek projects, writing for ZDNet, and trying to sort out my never-ending cashflow disaster. Details via Twitter each day.

On Thursday evening, I’ll be going to Text100’s infamous Xmas in August event, where they preview their clients’ products for Christmas and no-one ever drinks any alcohol whatsoever. On Friday, I’ll migrate to Ashfield in Sydney’s inner west, where once more I’ll be cat-sitting.

The weekend is unplanned.

Further Ahead

I’ll be going to the Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit in Sydney on 22-23 August, the Palo Alto Networks Cyber Security Summit in Sydney on 22 September, the AISA National Conference in Sydney on 18-20 October, and the Ruxcon Security Conference in Melbourne on 22-23 October.

[Photo: Stripes in KL. A snapshot of contrasting stripes taken when I was wandering the streets of Kuala Lumpur on 12 September 2011.]

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Weekly Wrap 323: It rains as Australia’s Census looms

Norton Street in the Rain: click to embiggenMy week of Monday 1 to Sunday 7 August 2016 saw a visible return to productivity, a week that was dominated by the forthcoming national census in Australia.

I wrote two columns and did two radio spots related to the census, and there’s more to come, although logistical problems meant that I had to turn down a TV spot.

That said, my “very severe” stress level continued, along with their health effects. Once more, I’ve been trying to take it easy.

If you’ve got a few stresses in your life, or you’re feeling down, or anxious, you might want to spend the next three minutes doing a DASS-21 assessment. It measures the three related states of depression, anxiety and stress. While it doesn’t provide a diagnosis on its own, it’s a good starting point for a conversation with your GP.

Articles

Podcasts

None, as it turns out, because The 9pm Edict was delayed. But see below…

Media Appearances

Corporate Largesse

None.

The Week Ahead

It’s another week in Sydney.

On Monday, I’ll be writing for ZDNet, updating all the geek projects, and trying to sort out my current cashflow disaster.

Tuesday is dedicated to producing an episode of The 9pm Edict podcast. Yes, I know I said that last week, but this time it’s actually happening. I’ll livestream the podcast at 2100 AEST, although some segments or even the entire podcast may be pre-recorded. Since that’s Census Night in Australia, this episode will have some sort of Census theme. Sort of.

On Wednesday and Thursday, I’ll be covering the ADMA Global Forum, ADMA being the Association for Data-Driven Marketing and Advertising. I daresay I’ll be writing something about it on Friday.

The weekend is unplanned.

Further Ahead

I’ll be going to the Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit in Sydney on 22-23 August, the AISA National Conference in Sydney on 18-20 October, and Ruxcon Security Conference in Melbourne on 22-23 October.

[Photo: Norton Street in the Rain. A rainy afternoon on Norton Street, Leichhardt, photographed from the Leichhardt Hotel on 3 August 2016.]

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Weekly Wrap 322: Fewer Pokémon, more stress reduction

Theme and variations in Kuhne Major: click to embiggenMy week of Monday 25 to Sunday 31 July 2016 was much the same as last week, so I won’t repeat all that. Let’s look to the future.

That said, I did get a bunch of stuff done on those much-delayed geek projects. I’ll tell you more about them as they emerge into the light over the coming weeks.

Podcasts, Articles, Media Appearances, and Corporate Largesse

None.

The Week Ahead

I believe I’ll be in Sydney for the next four weeks, perhaps even longer. It was always part of The Plan to slowly wind down the arrangement which had me based in the Blue Mountains, but things are still flexible.

On Monday, I’m writing a column for ZDNet about the emerging privacy controversy over Australia’s national Census, as well as fleshing out the structure of a client website. The latter work continues on Tuesday. And Wednesday.

Tuesday Wednesdayis Some later day will be dedicated to producing an episode of The 9pm Edict podcast. At this stage I plan to livestream the recording session at 2100 AEST. But if I do pre-record some segments, or even the entire podcast, I’ll still livestream it when it’s ready to create that live audience vibe on the Twitter.

The rest of the week will continue to be a mix of geek work and writing for ZDNet, depending on my mood. The weekend is unplanned.

Further Ahead

I’ll be going to the Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit in Sydney on 22-23 August, the AISA National Conference in Sydney on 18-20 October, and Ruxcon Security Conference in Melbourne on 22-23 October.

Update 2 August 2016: Edited to reflect schedule changes. Update 3 August 2016: Edited again to reflect schedule changes.

[Photo: Theme and variations in Kuhne Major. Sydney’s Darling Park towers, designed by American-born British architect architect Eric Kuhne, photographed from Pyrmont Bridge on a gorgeous winter day, 29 July 2016.]