@tweettomnow Homoerotic undertones in Captcha WTF? Um…. dare I ask?
@NineSortJam I haven’t seen any Captcha maths quizzes, no. Just really mangled text in weird languages.
RT @bigjsl: Captcha is like an X-prize for text recognition & clearly it’s working. [Too true! I wonder how much life it has left.]
@Suelibrarian That’s a remarkable piece for someone to pick to critique! Do let him know I’d live a copy.
Ni, it’s not the drink, @skwashd, but yes @WealthForTeens they just seem to be getting far more obscure.
Is it just me, or are Captcha images getting blurrier and blurrier?
@skwashd Thanks. Yeah I dumped Facebook mid last yeah when it became obvious they didn’t give a shit about privacy.
Linking up contacts in LinkedIn and realising what a vast number of people one works with over the years. A little scary.
@Kristen_Boschma My pleasure. The briefing I got on LinkedIn was VERY useful. I can see myself getting some use out of the site now.
@unixbigot I agree with both those observations. I just see that as normal for commercial media when they can’t verify the tech facts.
@JuliusFlywheel To be honest I’m surprised that more folks don’t hand out infected USB sticks, not just IBM at AusCERT.
@unixbigot Why do you think this report of the Samsung keylogger discovery sounds iffy? I’m not picking up anything yet. http://arseh.at/5ls
New blog post: “Getting to grips with LinkedIn”, about my briefing session. http://arseh.at/5lq
Good points, @dianehmartin @drueyjay, we do tend to assume that new hardware is clean from malware, and yet…
RT @NewtonMark: RT @GrogsGamut: Brilliant RT @markatextor: Some pretty accurate analysis here http://twitpic.com/4f5vch [Hah!]
“Keyloggers found on [brand new] Samsung laptops”, which is reassuring. Not. http://arseh.at/5lf
Democracy needs online voting, says Eugene Kaspersky, as opposed to what I think. http://arseh.at/5ld
“NBN Bill passed, now for the loopholes”” this week’s “Twisted Wire” podcast from @phildobbie. http://arseh.at/5lc
In general, @Pardus1980, I’d say the issues are different for different people. I’m probably too tired now to make sense on the issue.
RT @Pardus1980: So what’s your opinion on cloud computing for personal use? [Big question. It’s about choosing appropriate tools, I’d say.]
That’s the “Patch Monday” podcast done, except for the news commentary bit at the end. Pleased.
@waferbaby Hah! It’s a small world indeed, eh? /cc @lachlanhardy @grantshow
The recording with @grantshow and @lachlanhardy went fine. Thank you, gentlemen. And now, to a little backing-up and editing.
Oh hang on they’re there… here we go. Quiet please.
It appears @grantshow has disappeared into the void for now… recording to be rescheduled. Vodka bottle back within reach.
About to record a second “Patch Monday” segment with @grantshow and @lachlanhardy … as soon as everyone is in place.
Dear @JetstarAirways, why would I ever fly with you if your message to fatigued pilots is “Toughen up, princesses”? http://arseh.at/5l2
My poke at @SHarwood was about his entry in the Tour de Cure http://arseh.at/5l1 which you can sponsor at http://arseh.at/5l2
In Spain, 1 in 5 aged under 30 is still looking for their first job. Youth unemployemnt sits at 43%. http://arseh.at/5kz
Glancing out the window, I see three different species of bird I’ve not seen before. Well, two plus maybe a butcher bird at close range.
“Conroy’s costly NBN mistake” by @simonhackett: pricing model excludes sub-250,000-customer ISPs. http://arseh.at/5ky
@ssharwood I just got an email describing you as “veteran tech journo”. Veteran, eh? That must be just what you need… ;)
@R_Chirgwin Indeed, I see ABC commenters reacting to the word “irreverent” in that bio line and playing the man and not the ball. Cunts.
@jeamland I will be checking up on Jigsaw v Apple today, yes. The directions hearing was yesterday but nothing much was expected to happen.
“The author strikes me as a bit of a technophobe,” says some lame-arsed ABC commenter. They really don’t look further than their nose.
Oh. That’s why I feel cold. Estimated max for today is 13C. Maybe I should just grab that bottle of vodka and go back to bed.
@expectproblems But yes, presumably if she were a celebrity already she’d already be being invited.
@expectproblems Maybe I should pretend to be running some “exclusive event” desperate for a celebrity and find out who it is.
Hah! “We want to know about your exclusive events in Sydney! Upcoming celebrity actress may consider attending.” http://arseh.at/5ko
About to record the first phone interview for the “Patch Monday” podcast. Rearranging bandwidth to suit.
@RobertHoge Not everything has the same requirements of secrecy and transparency. That’s the difference.
Raptor Resource Project: live video of a bald eagle nest in Iowa. The eggs hatch any day now. http://arseh.at/5kh
RT: Me at ABC Unleashed: “Electronic voting a threat to democracy” Not to be alarmist at all. http://arseh.at/5jj
Thu plan: Record and (mostly) edit “Patch Monday” podcast; re-arrange fortnight’s after some changes; quiet evening.
Fursday, with alarm fail. Botheration.
Żubrówka FTW. That is all.
@Nemykal You obviously haven’t read the paper itself then. :)
@Cacotopos I disgree that their “elite users” are just marketing and blogs. Seems wider than that to me. “Elite” is poor word choice, tho.
The most intriguing part of that paper for me is not the “elite users thing but that the numbers fit a 50yo theory of 2-step communication.
“Who Says What to Whom on Twitter”: 50% of tweets consumed come from just 20,000 elite users. http://arseh.at/5jl
Controversy over damming the Mekong. http://arseh.at/5jk Ping @ApostrophePong
I also have cheese, salami, apples and a sense of righteous indignation. And limes.
I am back at the cottage. Do not be alarmed: I have vodka.
@cbkyeoh I disagree. Electronic voting or online voting have the same flaws: process is invisible inside computers. Just a matter of degree.
I think I might finish my errands and head back to the cottage while the sun is out. I can then whinge about democracy at my leisure.
@jplonie I thoroughly recommend the film “The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer” to dissuade you from that idea. ;)
@neerav I’m still shuttling between Wentworth Falls and Sydney. At this stage there is no rush.
@jplonie What do you mean by “more granular voting”? Are you suggesting a change to the structure of electorates or something?
Wow. Plenty of interest in my online voting piece. I won’t be able to respond to all tweets but I do read them all.
RT @paulwallbank: I think Online Voting is a classic example of a solution looking for a problem. [100% agreed.]
RT @philipthiel: Man wants his sausage. [It’s true. My polling place on Saturday in Newtown had no sausages. I feel cheated.]
You’re always a help, @BernardKeane. Said as one online tool to another.
@elronxenu @michaelneale The Grand View has a blind spot on one side, definitely not zombie-proof. This is not the place to hole up.
@neerav Your iTnews piece was the story-break, you get the credit. :)
I agree, though @adm_76, blind voters are amongst the trickiest to provide for. Personally I have no answer apart from some online tool.
@adm_76 Are braille voting papers not available? I had been told they were. I may be wrong.
Me at ABC Unleashed: “Electronic voting a threat to democracy” Not to be alarmist at all. http://arseh.at/5jj
@SmurfingBeer There’s no power outlet in the beer garden, that’s the main problem there. Not wet today, but I’d rather be inside anyway.
I’ve no idea how the other networks fare in here, @michaelneale, as I don’t have any other networks. But yes, solid building, plus a hill.
Becoming seriously annoyed with the poor Next G data reception inside The Grand View Hotel, Wentworth Falls. Again. Work is difficult.
Mobile: Dirt track then Railway Pde to Wentworth Falls; shops; maybe a quick ale; return journey methodology depends on the weather.
@Mrgareth Looking at the radar, the storm has already passed over here. We had the thunder a little while ago now.
@Mrgareth Don’t be too jealous. My walk is to Wentworth Falls the town, for errands, not to the actual waterfalls themselves.
Oh. Quite solid rain is beginning. I had planned my walk to Wentworth Falls around now. That shall be delayed.
Proponents of an R18+ games won’t like Barbara Biggins writing off their views as propaganda, rants. http://arseh.at/5j9
Clearly I should tweet about personal hygiene more often, it seems to be a matter of some interest.
@sylmobile There is indeed an German bakery in Wentworth Falls. While I haven’t sampled the pretzels, it does seem popular.
RT @purserj: You’re not feeling the urge to write 100,000 word treatise on the horrors of modern technology are you? [I might be…]
@darrenpauli Oh now look, what’s wrong with Woy Woy? It’s the epicentre of modern culture!
I’m starting to understand how guys who live in remote mountain shacks can go for days without washing.
@grantshow Quite possibly like you, yes. I will email you some notes now to see if there’s a good fit. Stand by.
“Wind turbine sickness prevented by money drug”, says Simon Chapman. Ah, the dollar as placebo! http://arseh.at/5j5
RT me: Wanted for “Patch Monday” recording tomorrow: Cheaper/easier SME web presence using bigger pieces of new online services. Any takers?
New blog post, with audio: “Talking Hacking 101 on ABC Radio Darwin 105.7” http://arseh.at/5iw
Wanted for “Patch Monday” recording tomorrow: Cheaper/easier SME web presence using the bigger pieces of new online services. Any takers?
@404ed Thank you. I actually enjoy trying to explain technical stuff in non-technical ways. Makes a change from talking geekery to geeks.
On hold for ABC Radio Darwin 105.7 to talk “Hacking 101”. We’re early. Audio stream at http://arseh.at/5il Stand by.
@orionvmjoseph Goodness. Carl Sagan’s “Cosmos”? That takes me back! I don’t think I could keep a straight face now, knowing he was stoned.
Wed plan: All the things I didn’t do yesterday ‘cos I ended up writing stuff instead. http://arseh.at/5im
I’m on ABC Radio Darwin 105.7 talking “Hacking 101” at 1100 AEDT / 0930 ACST, audio stream at http://arseh.at/5il
Uninspired.
Oh I suppose.
Television. Truly it is. http://youtu.be/sgOWTM5R…
Toothache.
@paulwallbank I was told once before that no CityRail trains have power outlets for public use. Only locked-down ones for cleaners.
The Microsoft School of PHP? A few years ago that would’ve been an oxymoron, or something. http://arseh.at/5ht
RT @novede: The 2011 Australian Startup List, is your tech or web company on it? http://novede.net/AuStar… http://fb.me/y69N3odK
ABC story filed. I know that wasn’t on my plan today, but I was inspired by our conversation about online voting.
Ta for those suggestions. The anti-Islamic fake posters in Lindsay and the robocalls claiming Greens drugs stuff win for me.
Oh, I kinda meant unethical in terms of the process of campaigning, rather than the political issues being raised. But good points.
In recent Australian election campaigning, what do you reckon have been the most disgusting examples of unethical behaviour?
@GraemeLane I’ve been reading that ACT EC material on e-voting. I still think it misses key points. I’m writing about this, actually.
@moldor Audio files can cause millions of dollars to disappear, you know! All bank workers should have their ears plugged with beeswax.
So, it’s 1230 and nothing of the day’s plan has been accomplished yet. That’s nice.
@viveka Thanks, I must admit I’m happy with how “Patch Monday” has been evolving. I’d actually like to do more podcasts too.
@GraemeLane Hmmm… If there’s nothing left to scrutinise then I reckon the ACT’s e-voting is a threat to democracy. My genuine belief.
@moldor I can’t get my brain around that, I thought, and then I realised that’s the point. Ordinary voters can’t inspect the system.
It’s worth remembering that the secret vote is an Australian invention, was even called “the Australian vote”. http://arseh.at/5h0
@moldor @viveka @NewtonMark How do you then decouple the vote from the voter? Must be an audit trail, but no way to tell who voted what.
@viveka You may be thinking of the interview just linked to. Digital ID expert straight-up says pencil and paper is the only working system.
There’s a little on online voting in “Patch Monday” from last year, starts 10’15” in. http://arseh.at/5gz @moldor @NewtonMark @viveka
@moldor Absolutely, and where that trust boundary sits is the key. Personally, I think the risks of online voting outweigh the benefits.
@moldor Yes, I suppose that if the numbers are on a screen then they must be true and correct… If they’re on a screen.
On printing votes to count, @moldor, how otherwise may scrutineers witness the count? Issues are more subtle than “online is cool”.
NSW election trialled online voting, 5x more popular than expected. Votes printed to be counted! http://arseh.at/5gw #nswvotes
@mastersofdavid Maybe I need to get bottles of pernod and absinthe and have a Baudrillard weekend. /cc @piawaugh
@mastersofdavid It was “many hours on postmodernism I’ll never get back” I was hoping to avoid. ;) @piawaugh Ta for Wikipedia laziness.
@piawaugh I’ll have to find a condensed guide to those French chaps, though. I’m getting really bad at reading whole books.
@piawaugh Foucault? I’m getting too old to read French philosophers. You need to be young and vulnerable to accept that stuff. ;)
RT @firstdogonmoon: I think it is about time I was appointed to the Reserve Bank of Australia Board. [Agreed. It’s so unrepresentative.]
@piawaugh I have sent it to your APH address now too, I figure this is important enough for the Chinese to see. ;) [Ouch.]
I knopw there were no goats in that email, @NickHodgeMSFT. I slept in this morning,
@piawaugh @NickHodgeMSFT I have just emailed you two with A Disturbing Idea. It happens some mornings. I can’t help it.
Tue plan, belated: Map out client’s project; longer-term plans for “Patch Monday” podcast; errands Wentworth Falls; more travel plans.
No @R_Chirgwin no-one suggested chewing the fat. CHewing sticks sounds good though, @stufromoz, strengthens the teeth.
A #commsday meal deal, @coreyloehr? Apparently I have missed out on this event. I shall have to whine in a self-indulgent manner…
Suggested are cud, scenery and bacca. Sadly, none of those appeal. But thanks @jonoabroad @WarWraith @wendyldavis
Chewsday. What shall I chew?
Fading into obscurity.
@Xavier_Ho The magic can be understood through the gentle art of scrolling.
@Xavier_Ho Yes, the paid version. And it appears to by the most expensive paid option. Mind you, this magic is easily explained.
My LinkedIn account seem to have magically become a top-end “Pro” account. If only my Telstra data roaming charges were that magical.
@Asher_Wolf Dishwashers do work for many keyboards… or so I’m told. I haven’t tried that trick myself.
@Drag0nista My pleasure. It’s a good question. Mind you, my lack of writing for pleasure could just be general life stresses recent years.
@Drag0nista Possibly that’s simply there’s only so many hours. Do carpenters do woodwork as a hobby? @annabelcrabb @JohnBirmingham
@Drag0nista I do know that the more I write / produce to deadline / “work” the less I write for pleasure. @annabelcrabb @JohnBirmingham
@Asher_Wolf My pleasure. I just saw it was milk. That may cause problems. Rinse with distilled water, maybe, but that’s a guess.
@Drag0nista Interested in and much enjoyed writing, absolutely yes. LOVE is a word I tend not to toss around. @annabelcrabb @JohnBirmingham
@Asher_Wolf @SMinney Wet gear: Battery out / power off immediately, dismantle, put in sealed container with silica gel or rice for 3+ days.
@Drag0nista @stilgherrian @annabelcrabb @JohnBirmingham I find that writing to deadline brings its own adrenalin pleasure, but love…?
Pondering how much effort I can be bothered putting into dinner. Cheers, sardines and apples is actually sounding appealing.
@mpesce I think these women moved to the mountains before we had the word “lesbian”.
@mpesce The Blue Mountains also has the rural friendliness I remember from Tasmania. But less inbreeding, more matronly treechangers.
@mpesce It’s not too bad today, 20C max, 12C min. By the weekend mins will be 7C and 8C. Seems to range from 4C to 8C cooler than Sydney.
@jplonie I am being assimilated into the eucalypt scrubland. Everybody is so… friendly. Like in Royston Vasey.
I have arrived, once more, at Tea Tree Cottage, one of the Bunjaree Cottages. http://arseh.at/3z9
@jonoabroad I feel a little ill now.
TripIt doesn’t “recognise” Wentworth Falls. I’ll have to put myself in as Katoomba. Which is not the same thing. Grrr.
Mind you, @coljac, I have seen some web hosting environments email the private key on set-up too. They’re bigger idiots.
RT @coljac: Won’t copying an SSL cert be useless without the private key used to generate the cert signing request? [True. I am an idiot.]
Government and NBN Co have rather different ideas about the network, says @paulbudde http://arseh.at/5fm
The RI isn’t too bad at Penrith station today, at least as determined by glancing out of the train window en passant.
@franksting There is a wait until the postal votes come in, and also an opportunity for disputes to be sorted out. #nswvotes
Ah here we go @hollingsworth: “How Journalists Use LinkedIn” http://arseh.at/5fl and then I was shown how to work each tool.
@hollingsworth Part of @shivakum’s session was based on a LinkedIn gjuide for Journalists which was not this one http://arseh.at/5fk
@hollingsworth Oddly enough @michaelfieldcom was one of the examples of good LinkedIn usage mentioned by @shivakum. Small world.
Me at Crikey: “Iranian hackers prove internet security is rubbish” http://arseh.at/5fj [Paywall’d, free trial available]
Mobile again: Bus down Parramatta Rd to Camperdown accommodation; collect suitcase; bus back to Central station; train to Wentworth Falls.
There’s actually quite a bit of point to LinkedIn, @jmacmullin @domknight @adm_76, and yes I’ll write something later, and as I explore.
@juhasaarinen I wasn’t sure of your question. :) But I suspect that if I was starting from scratch now I’d just use Wordpress.com.
@juhasaarinen I’m kinda old-fashioned and prefer to run WordPress on my own infrastructure. The site itself does gather some attention, yes.
I’ll write a blog post about today’s LinkedIn session either this evening or tomorrow, @waltonkate, there’s some stuff worth mentioning yes.
@Stacey0 I would be ever creepier if I now went to 5 York St and started tweeting from your foyer. Or your stationery cupboard.
I’ve just had an excellent 90-minute introduction to using LinkedIn thanks to @shivakum at Edelman. Very helpful, thank you, Sir!
I am at 1 York St, Sydney, where a presumably-nice chap is going to explain some uses for LinkedIn. This resulted from http://arseh.at/575
Trying to understand some people’s taste in men, failing.
Mobile: Missenden Rd; King St; Enmore Rd; King St; then somehow to a 1200 meeting at 1 York St, Sydney. Errands, I am doing them.
@jasonlangenauer What to do in Singapore for a couple days? Catch the train to Bangkok?
@nambor Indeed, a long way to go. Now, do I want to make 6 April a Sydney day, that’s the question. Ah, planning…
@nambor Ted Nelson is a strange man. His “Computer Lib / Dream Machines” was a huge influence on me though. I still have my copy.
New “Patch Monday” podcast: “Trends for a broadband-enabled future” with @bhowarth http://arseh.at/5f7
Ted Nelson (hypertext, Xanadu) guest lectures Sydney http://arseh.at/5f4 Melbourne http://arseh.at/5f5 Brisbane http://arseh.at/5f6
Crikey story filed. I thought I’d filed that story on Friday but, you know, email is such rubbish technology.
“Patch Monday” podcast filed. Seems odd filing it now, ‘cos lately I’ve been doing it Sunday night.
Mon plan: Complete “Patch Monday” podcast; file for Crikey; Enmore & Newtown errands; 1200 Sydney CBD meeting; return to Wentworth Falls.
@SammiMarks I dare not ask what went wrong… good luck with those deadlines.
Hello Monday, you wriggly little thing you. I know we’re starting early, but it’s all going according to plan. Apparently.
The interview is recorded and backed up. I think I might as well start editing it now, since there’s rain and stuff.
Recording an interview with @bhowarth for the “Patch Monday” podcast. This should be fun.
@NewtonMark Ouch! That sounds rather painful. But a good thing it happened in the ground, no?
@NewtonMark A lucky you then. Well, not that lucky, since it was broken, but… Curious as to how that sort of thing happens. Random?
@NewtonMark A lucky you then. Well, not that lucky, since it was broken, but… Curious as to how that sort of thing happens. Random?
@NewtonMark Did you manage to fix your aeroplane yesterday? Or was it not your aeroplane?
Sun plan: 1100 record interview for “Patch Monday” podcast; rest; edit “Patch Monday” podcast; more rest. So there you go.
Whatever it is, it’s not my fault.
I emerge into a rainy Sunday.
Back at base, and surviving the evening. It’s a miracle.
@p_perez Mind you it’s probably on ABC News 24 too, but I haven’t checked.
@p_perez You can watch the ABC coverage at abc.net.au/news … that should not be geotarded.
@GreenJ I wasn’t aware of any significant use of social media in this election, apart from random predictable snark. But I may be wrong.
RT @alexkidman Just think of what it’d look like if you went by the sole name of “Phenomen”.. #PreemptivelyInsertGroanHere [Groan indeed.]
RT @domknight Better than Stilgherrian, void. BTW did you see that mononomial Japanese pollie, Renho? [True, and no ta.]
I’m on the electoral roll as “STILGHERRIAN, null”. Not sure that they’re meant to editorialise like that.
Mobile: Deposit washing at laundry; Australia St, Newtown to commit democracy; kill a little time until 1815 pre-dinner drinks, then dinner.
@bhowarth Oh, and now it’s decided it IS working. Twitter never ceases to astound me. ;)
@bhowarth It appears that Twitter has decided you’re not following me now. It is a silly thing.
@jasonlangenauer May you have a safe and pleasant flight, Sir, and Good Fortune in the UK.