Monday 12 to Sunday 18 April 2021 was another week in which I started reminiscing about travel, which is why there’s a random old photo of the view from a train window at the head of this post. But there was also a podcast this week, and a ZDNet article, and a failed livestream.
Podcasts
- The 9pm Dumb Anarcho-Capitalist Blockchain Scams with David Gerard, a wonderful chat about cryptocurrency and blockchain technology and more.
If you enjoy this episode then please tell your friends, and maybe even pledge your support to The 9pm More Autumn Series 2021.
Articles
- NDIS sidesteps blockchain in government kitchen sink debt-chasing app, ZDNet, 13 April 2021, but with a significant update on 16 April. Wheels within wheels as the National Disability Insurance Agency distances itself from a blockchain-based “smart money” trial organised by the Digital Transformation Agency.
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.
Media Appearances, Videos, Corporate Largesse
None of any of these things.
Recommendations
If you find these links useful please let me know. They don’t take long to compile, but I’m always looking for ways to save time.
- Man arrested for creating fake army unit. What an amazing scam. “A Chinese man was arrested for creating a fake US Army unit and convincing immigrants that joining the squad was a path to citizenship, authorities said.”
- The science of hugging, and why we’re missing it so much during the pandemic, which is possibly valid since it’s written by a neuroscientist.
- Brain fog: how trauma, uncertainty and isolation have affected our minds and memory. This one involves talking to neuroscientists.
- A top audio engineer explains NPR’s signature sound. Maybe a little niche for most of you, but let’s just say I’ve always been a fan of the Neumann U87 microphone. Mind you these days they’re around AUD 3,500 each, plus a couple hundred for the mounting.
- If you love feeding magpies, your kindness could be killing them, something I need to start thinking about.
The Week Ahead
The week will start in the Blue Mountains and end in Sydney, but it won’t be very exciting. At least that’s the plan. I’ve got two ZDNet stories to write in between this stuff.
On Tuesday evening it’s The 8pm Quiz S02 E03 Take 2, because last week the livestream collapsed in a series of technical disasters. Be ready to play at 8pm AEST. If you haven’t played before, you can still watch previous episodes.
On Thursday I’m heading to Sydney for a few days. Thursday evening I’m catching Aaron Chen’s Sorry Forever at The Comedy Store. All his Sydney shows seem to be sold out, which is great for him, but there may be more shows.
On Friday morning I’ll try to Google News Initiative Live: Visualisation and Mapping Australia, another introduction to some of Google’s tools. But will I make it?
Further Ahead
- The global challenge: Building resilient citizens in an age of disinformation, United States Study Centre, online, 29 April 2021
- AusCERT 2021, Gold Coast and online, 11–13 May 2021 (TBC).
- The 8pm Quiz S02 E04, 20 May 2021, so yes it’s back to the plan of it being on the third Thursday of the month.
- Australian Cyber Conference, Melbourne, 15–17 November 2021 (TBC).
- The 8pm Quiz S02 E05, 17 June 2021.
[Photo: Returning from Canberra, 15 April 2016. This photograph was taken somewhere between Canberra and Bundadoon, which doesn’t narrow it down very much but that’s all I can tell from the photos on either side. It was taken at 12.38pm, though, so if you have more patience than me you can cross-reference it with the railway timetable.]