My week of Monday 15 to Sunday 21 March was a sleepy one, and at the end quite moist as the Great Sog continued. The wet weather and the ongoing adjustments to my brain meds led me to have a more… relaxed week. There’s a great podcast though.
Podcasts
- The 9pm Self-Heating Underpants of Death with philosopher Patrick Stokes, being the second episode of The 9pm Autumn Series 2021. This is a really fun chat.
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Videos
- Magpie Army 001: Feeding Time, being my magnificent Magpie Army (Gymnorhina tibicen tibicen) scrabbling for the food being thrown for them at Bunjaree Cottages on Thursday. I’ll be adding more of these little clips from time to time.
Media Appearances
- One of my tweets was quoted in the Guardian story Critics ridicule NSW police commissioner’s idea for sexual consent app on Thursday, as well as the news.com.au story Consent app: NSW Police chief’s idea to reduce the number of sexual assaults eviscerated on social media, The Morning Bulletin story Sex consent app plan by top cop panned, and presumably other News Corp mastheads as well.
- I was also quoted in German, in Nach Protesten: Debatte um Ja zum Sex per App, and in this news story which I think is in Flemish, Voorstel Australische politie rond ‘sexual consent’-app stoot op hevige kritiek.
Articles, Corporate Largesse
None, but you can read my previous writing at Authory, where you can also subscribe to get a compilation of new stories by email each Sunday morning, if there are any.
Recommendations
- Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language by Gretchen McCulloch, a book I’m thoroughly enjoying reading right now.
- Betrayal is Timeless: The Evolution of George Smiley, being an article about John le Carré’s spy, the “breathtakingly ordinary” man.
- Pinhookers and Pets, a review of the book The Cigarette: A Political History.
- And to round out this book-oriented set of recommendations, a thread of smutty book covers collected by librarians.
The Week Ahead
It’s Week 53 of the Quarantimes for me, to be spent mostly at Bunjaree Cottages at Wentworth Falls when I return there on Tuesday.
Yes, it’s been a year since the coronavirus pandemic first started to affect me personally. It now seems odd to refer to it as the Quarantimes, since the restrictions in NSW are mild and haven’t changed my world that much. But it has changed me. I’ll return to those thoughts during the week.
On Wednesday I’ll pop in to the United States Studies Centre seminar, A conversation with The Washington Post columnist Josh Rogin. It’s a look back at the US-China relationship under Trump, apparently based around his book.
Thursday night is time for The 8pm Quiz S02 E02 at 8pm AEDT, rescheduled from last week. Make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel so you don’t miss out on any further episodes that I might add in.
I seriously need to get some writing done too. Revenue is well under budget again. Sigh.
Further Ahead
Currently in the calendar:
- Aaron Chen’s Sorry Forever, The Comedy Store, Sydney, 22 April 2021. There are also shows on 22 and 23 April.
- AusCERT 2021, Gold Coast and online, 11–13 May 2021 (TBC).
- Australian Cyber Conference, Melbourne, 15–17 November 2021 (TBC).
[Photo: Yet another view of my magnificent Magpie Army, being a screen grab from a video shot earlier this week.]