Another 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.
Continue reading “Weekly Wrap 417: Parasites and peripatetic plans”Weekly Wrap 415: Invisible tasks, and some cold weather
My 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:
- AusCERT Cyber Security Conference, Gold Coast, 30 May to 1 June.
- The 9pm Edict Public House Forum 7, Brisbane, Saturday 2 June. (TBC)
- Record an episode of The 9pm Probe with author and columnist John Birmingham, Brisbane, Monday 4 June. (TBC)
- Building Australia’s Strategy for Space, Canberra, 13–15 June.
- SINET 61, Melbourne, 31 July – 1 August. (TBC)
- D61+ LIVE, Brisbane, 18–19 September. (TBC)
- Australian Cyber Conference, formerly the Australian Information Security Association (AISA) National Conference, Melbourne, 9–11 October.
Weekly Wrap 414: Spooks, a cat, and planning for Brisbane
My week of Monday 30 April to Sunday 6 May 2018 contained these things, in addition to fighting off a cold.
Articles
- Who leaked the idea of ASD spying on Australians, and why?, ZDNet Australia, 30 April 2018. I wrote that piece when this story about the Australian Signals Directorate was only beginning to unfold. The Saturday Paper had a detailed front-page story yesterday, Cabinet split on Dutton’s ASD plan.
Podcasts
- “Announcing ‘The 9pm Brisbane Forum’â€, 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:
- Cyber Leaders 2018, Sydney, 15 May.
- AusCERT Cyber Security Conference, Gold Coast, 30 May to 1 June.
- The 9pm Edict Public House Forum 7, Brisbane, Saturday 2 June. (TBC)
- Record an episode of The 9pm Probe with author and columnist John Birmingham, Brisbane, Monday 4 June. (TBC)
- Building Australia’s Strategy for Space, Canberra, 13–15 June.
- SINET 61, Melbourne, 31 July – 1 August. (TBC)
- D61+ LIVE, Brisbane, 18–19 September. (TBC)
- Australian Cyber Conference, formerly the Australian Information Security Association (AISA) National Conference, Melbourne, 9–11 October.
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
I 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
- Cyber Dam Busters could give Australia’s military an asymmetric edge, ZDNet Australia, 10 April 2018.
- ASD to review Australia’s cybersecurity and ‘drive out known problems’, ZDNet Australia, 11 April 2018.
- Technical solutions won’t stop the real threats to elections, ZDNet Australia, 12 April 2018.
- Blaming Russia for NotPetya was coordinated diplomatic action, ZDNet Australia, 12 April 2018.
- Caught short by NotPetya, Australia to establish 24/7 ‘cyber newsroom’, ZDNet Australia, 13 April 2018.
- It’s time for cyber weather and traffic bulletins, ZDNet Australia, 13 April 2018.
- Cyber fraudsters now stealing millions in single transactions, ZDNet Australia, 19 April 2018.
Media Appearances
- On Wednesday 11 April, I spoke about aspects of the ongoing Facebook story on ABC Adelaide.
- On Friday 13 April, I spoke about the risks of using dodgy VPN providers on ABC Sydney.
- One of my tweets was quoted in the Junkee story The Daily Mail Has Fired A Reporter For Calling A ‘Bachelor’ Contestant A “Vapid C*ntâ€
- On Thursday 19 April, I spoke about the idea of cyber weather bulletins on ABC Perth.
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:
- AusCERT Cyber Security Conference, Gold Coast, 30 May to 1 June.
- The 9pm Edict Public House Forum 7, Brisbane, Saturday 2 June. (TBC)
- Building Australia’s Strategy for Space, Canberra, 13–15 June.
- SINET 61, Melbourne, 31 July – 1 August. (TBC)
- D61+ LIVE, Brisbane, 18–19 September. (TBC)
- Australian Cyber Conference, formerly the Australian Information Security Association (AISA) National Conference, Melbourne, 9–11 October.
[Photo: Parliament House, Canberra, photographed on 13 April 2018.]
Weekly Wrap 410: Unexpected crickets before Canberra
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
- Security training is useless unless it changes behaviours, ZDNet Australia, 3 April 2018.
- 1.1.1.1: Cloudflare’s new DNS attracting ‘gigabits per second’ of rubbish, ZDNet Australia, 4 April 2018.
Media Appearances
- On Thursday I spoke about Cambridge Analytica’s use of Facebook data on ABC Radio’s The World Today.
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.]
Weekly Wrap 409: Four cities, surveillance, and podcasts
This is yet another Fortnightly Wrap, covering Monday 19 March to Sunday 1 April 2018, and it was dominated by domestic travel, nostalgia, and soju.
Podcasts
- “The 9pm Public House Forum 6 / Hometown Forum”, being The 9pm Edict episode 75, was recorded and streamed live from Adelaide on Saturday 24 March. It’s also on SoundCloud and Speaker.
- I also recorded a bonus extra podcast with Dr Alice Gorman, a space archaeologist at Flinders University. That episode will be posted by the end of the coming week.
Articles
- The sad old-but-true joke of IoT security, ZDNet Australia, 19 March 2018.
- I edited all the material in DirectorTech Advisory 003, which went live on Saturday 31 March.
- I’ve also written a piece for ZDNet which will appear in the next few days.
Media Appearances
- On Monday 26 March, I spoke about the continuing Facebook / Cambridge Analytica debacle on ABC Adelaide.
Corporate Largesse
- This doesn’t really count as largesse, because it was work, but my recent road trip — more accurate a flying trip — to Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Sydney was for tech distributor Alloys, who were introducing their customers to products from Chinese video surveillance hardware manufacturer Zhejiang Uniview Technologies Co Ltd. I didn’t do anything sales-related. I gave a 20-minute presentation on the future of video surveillance in the age of artificial intelligence. That said, at the end of the project, Uniview shouted me a soju-sodden meal at Myeongdong Korean Restaurant in North Strathfield. I seem to recall that it was very good.
The Week Ahead
It’s Easter Monday, but I’m still doing work, such as writing this for you.
Tuesday through Friday will be dominated by two things. One, I’m series editor on a new investigative journalism project for Crikey, which I’ll tell you about in due course. And two, I’ve got a queue of stuff to write for ZDNet. Those two threads of work will be woven around the need to be in Sydney on Wednesday for medical and other appointments, and finishing that production on that extra podcast.
The weekend is unplanned.
Further Ahead
The only definite commitments are a couple of cybersecurity conferences.
- Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) Conference, Canberra, 10–12 April.
- Australian Cyber Conference, formerly the Australian Information Security Association (AISA) National Conference, Melbourne, 9–11 October.
[Photo: Dawn over Queensland. The view from Virgin Australia flight VA1384 from BNE to ADL, somewhere over Queensland, on 22 March 2018.]