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!
My week of Monday 20 to Sunday 26 April 2020 revealed to me how the COVID-19 lockdown is making depression more likely — but also how a long walk in the sun can help with that. And Australia’s COVID-19 contact tracing app became a hot topic.
Continue reading “Weekly Wrap 517: Learning to endure the lockdown”
When you’re stuck at home by yourself with a lot less work to do, your mind starts to think its way down some curious laneways. That’s what happened in my week of Monday 22 to Sunday 29 March 2020.
Continue reading “Weekly Wrap 513: Lockdown week three leads to introspection”
It’s Day 10 is Stilgherrian’s isolation, at least how he’s counting it. America is doomed, and the Easter Bunnies in Wentworth Falls look very sad indeed.
Continue reading “The 9pm His Plague Diary 3”
My week of Monday 12 to Sunday 18 November 2018 was dominated by digital health. Mostly Australia’s controversial My Health Record, as the list of articles will show, but also two events that had digital health as a focus.
I also did some planning for future podcasts, and some advisory work on someone’s proposal for a future media project.
All three are about My Health Record. The politics were moving fast, so maybe hit the last one first. It links back to the others anyway.
None.
Monday is a writing day for ZDNet. Update 19 November 1930 AEDT: Monday ended up being a day of sleep, which for the moment I’m putting down to Annoying Side Effects from my medication regime.
On Tuesday I’m recording the next episode of The 9pm Edict podcast, co-hosted by Nicholas Fryer. It won’t be streamed live, but will be posted the following day.
From Wednesday through Saturday I’ll be back in Sydney for some more cat-sitting. During that time I’ll be writing, starting off with a piece for ZDNet, I hope, and tidying up a bunch of loose ends. Saturday night is likely to include watching the coverage of Victoria’s state election.
There don’t seem to be any major commitments between now and Christmas, just some single-day or overnight trips to Sydney for media briefings, end-of-year events, and social activities.
There will be at least one episode of The 9pm Edict wth Nicholas Fryer, however, and perhaps one that’s more of a long-form interview.
[Photo: Ducks escorting a convoy. Ducks and other waterfowl at Wentworth Falls Lake, photographed on 18 November 2018.]
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.
None, but I will finally be doing a podcast this week. See below.
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.
I’ve pencilled in:
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.]
Monday 9 to Sunday 15 July 2018 was a productive week for me, party because I had my computer back, and partly because I’d dealt with certain stresses. Joy.
I’ve kinda fallen out of the habit of discussing the week in more detail. Long gone are actual blog posts like, say, this update on the internet filtering debate from a decade ago, or art reviews, or even collections of tweets. Certainly none of the essays like I came for the gin, I stayed for the social revolution (30 April 2008), or It’s the little details which matter… (27 May 2007), or so many others which were much better than those.
I blame Twitter.
The second tranche of the Crikey Prying Eyes series was released, that thing with me as series editor. I had two stories this week.
Plus I wrote a couple of stories about the Australian Signals Directorate for ZDNet.
None.
It’s all about writing this week, primarily for ZDNet because I’m kinda covering some staff leave.
On Monday I’m talking about the Prying Eyes series on radio Triple R in Melbourne. That’s at 0945 AEST. I’ll keep the rest of the day free, because the opt-out period starts for Australia’s new My Health Record. There’s plenty of privacy concerns, and I’m half expecting the opt-out process to fall over. If so, I’ll be ready to write about it.
I’ll be in Melbourne for the week of 30 July to 5 August, primarily for the SINET 61 conference on the Tuesday and Wednesday that week. I’ll certainly be doing other things while I’m there, perhaps even recording a podcast or two.
Things I’ve pencilled in:
[Photo: Sunrise at Wentworth Falls. Not from this year, but from last year, 5 July 2017.]