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Weekly Wrap 424: The writing plods through winter, hurrah!

15 July 2018 in Weekly Wrap by Stilgherrian | No comments

Sunrise at Wentworth FallsMonday 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.

Articles

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.

Podcasts, Media Appearances, Corporate Largesse

None.

The Week Ahead

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.

Further Ahead

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.]

Weekly Wrap 421: Space, plus several annoyances

24 June 2018 in Weekly Wrap by Stilgherrian | No comments

Dead macOS screenMy week of Monday 18 to Sunday 24 June 2018 wasn’t all that exciting. I’ll list the usual things, but I’ll also keep it brief because my computer just died. Joy.

Articles

I also wrote another piece for the Crikey series we’ve been working on. I’m told this series will start appearing in early July.

Podcasts

None, but I really will do these two podcasts soon.

Media Appearances

Corporate Largesse

None.

The Week Ahead

Monday is supposed to be a writing day, but I may spend it arguing with technology. I’ll also do the shopping in Katoomba.

On Tuesday I’ll trek to Sydney. First, I’ll collect a loaner computer from The Rocks. Then it’s off to Apple Castle Towers — where there isn’t even a castle, let alone towers — to start the process of getting the computer fixed. And then it’s back to Wentworth Falls to make all the things work again.

The shape of the rest of the week will depend on how long it takes the repairs to happen, but it will include writing for the usual suspects.

Further Ahead

Things I’ve pencilled in, none of which have been confirmed yet:

Update 25 June 2018: Edited to clarify the week’s plans.

[Photo: What the screen of my MacBook Pro looks like right now.]

Weekly Wrap 420: Cold, Canberra, and Space

18 June 2018 in Weekly Wrap by Stilgherrian | Permalink

Canberra BungalowWithout going into too many details, here is my week of Monday 11 to Sunday 17 June 2018. Much of it was spent in Canberra, where it was cold and windy.

Articles

I’ve also part-written an analysis of this week’s conference “Building Australia’s Strategy for Space” put on by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI). That should be up at ZDNet late on Tuesday afternoon.

Podcasts

None, but there will be two podcasts quite soon. Promise.

Media Appearances

  • Anthony Caruana reviewed my performance in AusCERT 2018 — The (not so) great debate. As far as I can tell, the video of the debate has not been posted. That’s probably for the best.
  • On Wednesday, I spoke about net neutrality on ABC Hobart. As you may have noticed, I’ve almost completely dropped my habit of posting the audio recordings.

Corporate Largesse

  • There was much good food and drink at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) conference “Building Australia’s Strategy for Space”. The dinner at the National Gallery of Australia was sponsored by Northrop Grumman. We were all given Northrop Grumman fidget spinners too. They must have tons of those stupid things to get rid of.

The Week Ahead

The week will be spent in Sydney, at least until the weekend. It’ll be all about writing for ZDNet and Crikey, but I’m also hoping to sneak in one of the two podcasts I owe you. Plus I hope to finally kick this goddam cold. I won’t set specific dates for any of these things, though, because that causes a bit too much stress.

Further Ahead

Things I’ve pencilled in, none of which have been confirmed yet:

[Photo: Canberra Bungalow. Canberra was established in 1913, and the now-Old Parliament House was opened in 1927, so the city is quite new. The inner suburbs have lots of these inter-War bungalows. This one is in Braddon. Photographed on 18 June 2018.]

Weekly Wrap 419: Brisbane and return, from sun to rain

10 June 2018 in Weekly Wrap by Stilgherrian | Permalink

Approaching Gold Coast from the southI pulled back the pace for my week of Monday 4 to Sunday 10 June 2018. Brisbane’s sunny weather contributed to that at the start of the week. Fatigue sorted out the rest.

I did record a wonderful interview with John Birmingham, however, so watch out for that to appear soon in podcast form.

Articles

Podcasts, Media Appearances, Corporate Largesse

None, but there will be two podcasts quite soon.

The Week Ahead

Despite it being the Queen’s Birthday holiday, Monday will join Tuesday in being a work day. Writing, that’s the plan, mostly for the Crikey project. Unless some news breaks, and I have a feeling in my waters that it will.

On Wednesday I’m off to Canberra for the conference Building Australia’s Strategy for Space being run by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI).

I’ll stay in Canberra for the weekend.

Further Ahead

Things I’ve pencilled in:

[Photo: Approaching Gold Coast from the south. The view from Virgin Australia flight VA523 SYD-OOL as it approached Gold Coast airport on 30 May 2018.]

Weekly Wrap 418: Cybers and a river in Queensland

03 June 2018 in Weekly Wrap by Stilgherrian | Permalink

Nested bridges on the Brisbane RiverMy week of Monday 28 May to Sunday 3 June 2018 began in the Blue Mountains, passed through the Gold Coast, and ended up in Brisbane. But I told you that last week.

Articles

Podcasts

None. But there will be two episodes quite soon. Trust me on this.

Media Appearances

  • On Monday morning, I spoke about the EU’s new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on ABC Darwin.
  • On Monday evening, I spoke about the risks of leaving data un-wiped on things like printers and photocopiers on ABC Melbourne.
  • On Tuesday morning, I spoke about the EU’s new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on ABC Alice Springs.
  • On Thursday, the inimitable wine writer Philip White cited one of my tweets, kinda, in his InDaily column, The art of ranking alcohol.

Corporate Largesse

  • Wednesday through Friday, there was plenty of food and drink to be had at the AusCERT Cyber Security Conference. I also scored an AusCERT backpack and polo shirt, and from Enex Carbon a couple of branded pens. I didn’t really run amok in the vendors’ stalls this year.

The Week Ahead

I’m staying on in Brisbane for a couple more days. On Monday, after a morning of writing, I’m having lunch with an infosec person, then recording an episode of The 9pm Probe with author and columnist John Birmingham. Tuesday includes more writing, as well as my afternoon flight back to Sydney.

Wednesday is a Sydney day, with a couple of medical appointments interrupting my scheduled writing. I’ll also be recording a review of a chicken and avocado pie — don’t ask — and eventually getting the train back up to Wentworth Falls.

The rest of the week is full of writing for Crikey and ZDNet, arranged as the mood takes me. Then there’s the Queen’s Birthday long weekend, but so far I haven’t planned anything for that.

Further Ahead

Things I’ve pencilled in:

[Photo: Nested bridges on the Brisbane River. SA view from a CityCat ferry as it makes its way down the Brisbane River towards the CBD, photographed on 3 June 2018.]

Weekly Wrap 417: Parasites and peripatetic plans

27 May 2018 in Weekly Wrap by Stilgherrian | Permalink

Laneway NostalgiaAnother fortnight passes. Half of my time from Monday 14 to Sunday 27 May 2018 was spent on my sick bed. I don’t have much to show for it, apart from a better understanding of intestinal parasites and how to kill them. Probably. That’s still in progress.

The coming week will be hectic. Let’s focus on that, eh?

Articles, Podcasts, Media Appearances, Corporate Largesse

None. I’m particularly irritated that I didn’t manage an episode of The 9pm Edict as planned, but I’ll address that in the coming days. Stand by for details.

The Week Ahead

The week begins in Wentworth Falls, continues through Sydney to the Gold Coast, and ends up in Brisbane.

Monday and Tuesday are about writing, mostly for the not-SEKRIT project with Crikey. But I’m also doing two radio spots on Monday. I’m on ABC Darwin at 0915 ACST / 0945 AEST talking about Europe’s new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). And I’m on ABC Melbourne after 2100 AEST talking about the legacy data you might be leaving lying around.

On Wednesday afternoon I fly to the Gold Coast to cover the AusCERT Cyber Security Conference. Expect stories at ZDNet.

I’m spending the weekend in Brisbane. While there won’t be a Public House Forum episode of the Edict, I hope to record some bits and pieces.

Further Ahead

I’m staying on in Brisbane for a couple more days, during which I’ll be recoding an episode of The 9pm Probe with author and columnist John Birmingham.

Things I’ve pencilled in after that:

[Photo: Laneway Nostalgia. Someone has been doing paste-ups of old family photos in Froma Lane, Katoomba. Here’s a sample, photographed on 24 May 2018.]

Weekly Wrap 415: Invisible tasks, and some cold weather

13 May 2018 in Weekly Wrap by Stilgherrian | Permalink

Waratah in the SnowMy week of Monday 7 Sunday 13 May 2018 was one of those odd weeks when almost nothing productive emerged into the public gaze. I was in fact reasonably productive, but it was all behind the scenes.

This Weekly Wrap is therefore rather brief.

To pad it out, I’ll mention that Thursday was unreasonably cold, with snow at Orange in the west of NSW, and a few flakes were even seen at Wentworth Falls. This gives me an excuse — albeit a poor one — to run my photo of a waratah (the flower) in snow at Bunjaree Cottages on 12 October 2012.

REMINDER: The 9pm Brisbane Forum Pozible campaign is still running. There’s just five days left, and it’s only 19% of the way to its target. Please consider.

Articles, Podcasts, Media Appearances, Corporate Largesse

None.

The Week Ahead

This week continues to see me based in Ashfield, Sydney, working through the Crikey project, and writing for ZDNet much as usual.

On Thursday, the next episode of The 9pm Edict, will be recorded and streamed live at 2100 AEST.

Further Ahead

Things I’ve pencilled in:

Weekly Wrap 414: Spooks, a cat, and planning for Brisbane

06 May 2018 in Weekly Wrap by Stilgherrian | Permalink

The Eye of GathgywnMy week of Monday 30 April to Sunday 6 May 2018 contained these things, in addition to fighting off a cold.

Articles

Podcasts

  • “Announcing ‘The 9pm Brisbane Forum’”, being an audio promo for the Pozible campaign of the same name. You can also listen to it on Speaker or SoundCloud. Do please consider pledging your support if you want the podcasts listed below to happen.

Media Appearances, Corporate Largesse

None.

The Week Ahead

The next few weeks continue to see me based in Ashfield, Sydney, working through the Crikey project, and writing for ZDNet much as usual. I hope to get some walking in, however, and I might post some stuff about the places I visit, including photos.

The next episode of The 9pm Edict, will be recorded and streamed live this Thursday 10 next Tuesday 15 May at 2100 AEST.

Further Ahead

Other things I’ve pencilled in:

Update 8 May 2018: Edited to reflect change in podcast recording date.

[Photo: The Eye of Gathgwyn, the cat I’m currently cat-sitting in Ashfield, Sydney, photographed on 5 May 2018.]

Weekly Wrap 412: Cyber in Canberra, then SEKRIT things

23 April 2018 in Weekly Wrap by Stilgherrian | Permalink

Parliament House, CanberraI was a busy possum during the two weeks from Monday 9 to Sunday 22 April 2018. The first week was spent in Canberra covering some cyber events, and the second was spent writing, and working on the SEKRIT editorial project which I’ll tell you a tiny amount about… now!

I’m the series editor on a project for Crikey, one that they’ve crowdfunded via a Pozible project called Crikey Digs. Some of you may have seen me tweet that part of it is about businesses that misuse Australians’ personal data, or trade it in a dodgy way. More will be revealed in the coming week.

Meanwhile, all these things…

Articles

Media Appearances

I’ve fallen out of the habit of posting the audio from my radio spots. Would you like me to return to that habit?

Podcasts

None. However see below for a bit of a plan.

Corporate Largesse

  • There was plenty of food and drink at the ACSC Conference in Canberra, though I skipped most of the functions.

The Week Ahead

The next few weeks see me based in Ashfield, Sydney, working through the SEKRIT editorial project, and writing for ZDNet much as usual. I’m hoping to get some walking in, however, and I might post some stuff about the places I visit, including photos.

On Tuesday night I’m doing a radio spot for ABC Melbourne, some time between 1900 and 2200 AEST. We haven’t locked in the time yet.

Wednesday is Anzac Day. It’s a public holiday, so I may take it easy. But I also might get up early for the Dawn Service. Undecided.

Further Ahead

The next episode of The 9pm Edict, will be recorded and streamed live on Tuesday 8 May at 2100 AEST.

Other things I’ve pencilled in:

[Photo: Parliament House, Canberra, photographed on 13 April 2018.]

Weekly Wrap 410: Unexpected crickets before Canberra

08 April 2018 in Weekly Wrap by Stilgherrian | Permalink

Cricket!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

Media Appearances

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.]

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