The 9pm Public House Forum 2

The 9pm Edict's Public House Forum #2 being recorded: see text for caption

Do you wink at powerful men? Apparently winking at powerful men is a thing, and we hear more about this and other tips for success in this rather odd episode of The 9pm Edict.

The panellists are, in order of introduction:

  • Kate Carruthers, UNSW übergeek and revolutionary cat;
  • Nicole Williamson, Carbon and biotech consultant, or, as her Twitter profile puts it, “Science, Tech, Cleantech, Rugby Tragic, Aircraft Fleet Geek, Women as Leaders/Founders/Investors, all things Startup. Half Canadian, half Australian, half German”; and
  • Jazz Twemlow, comedian, columnist for The Guardian, and writer
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Visiting Tokyo for Verizon and a personal media plan

Tokyo skyline by Harry Vale: click to embiggen[Update 12 September 2013: For a variety of reasons, I’ve cancelled this trip.]

On Monday 16 September I’m heading to Tokyo to attend a lunch presentation by Verizon on the 17 September. Since it’s my first visit to Japan I’ll be staying through to Sunday 22 September and doing something… special.

Yes, I’m going to Tokyo for lunch. Don’t question me. Or rather, don’t question how the internet and media industries work.

It’s actually an opportunity for the Asia Pacific tech journalists to meet Verizon’s president and chief executive officer, Lowell C McAdam, so it’ll be worth it. I’m also presuming they’ll have some announceables.

Wednesday through Sunday will be my exploration days in Tokyo. I’ve decided that I’ll do that as a personal media project, crowdfunding the money to pay for it.

At this stage I think I’ll call it The 9pm Tokyo, but it won’t be “just” a podcast. I’m thinking of setting a “target investigation” as a theme for each of the five days — “Where does the sake come from?” or “Just how weird is the tentacle porn?” — and reporting on that in words and pictures and maybe audio or video. Something like my Unreliable Bangkok series but with many more words.

That then raises the question of what I can actually investigate. Apparently whisky bars are a thing. What else should I see and do in Tokyo?

[Photo: Tokyo, as seen from the Metropolitan Government Building by Harry Vale, used under a Creative Commons Attribution license.]

Am I John Birmingham’s inappropriate Muse?

Photograph of John BirminghamI seem to have some really odd Special Powers. I can walk into a strange pub, buy the last few tickets for the meat raffle, and win — much to the chagrin of the regulars. I can also create inappropriate mental images which then persist.

Like “masturbating to tentacle pr0n”.

Yesterday, I made an offhand comment on Twitter to writer John Birmingham (pictured), who had the misfortune of having to watch the Hey Hey It’s Saturday reunion special last night.

This morning, his column Hey, it wasn’t that bad, quotes me by name.

It is, as I say, a Special Power.