My week of Monday 12 to Sunday 18 July 2021 was a strange one. My mood improved, as did productivity. I did some geekery for money, wrote a story for ZDNet, produced a podcast, and appeared on another. Then the weather turned cold. And then there was bad news concerning a friend — but that bit I won’t talk about.
Before I go any further, however, a quick reminder about my current crowdfunding campaign for more special guest episodes of The 9pm Edict podcast.
Please consider supporting The 9pm Late Winter Series 2021 with all the usual benefits and drawbacks. You have until 9pm AEST this Thursday night. That’s just four days from now.
And now on with the show…
Podcasts
- The 9pm Billionaire Gummi Worms of Spicy Freedom with Andrew P Street, recorded on Wednesday afternoon but posted on Thursday. This is the final episode of the Autumn Series 2021, so thank you everyone who supported it. If you missed any episodes, here’s the entire series.
- The 9pm Extra: Well May We Say episode 147, “Anti-Vicsersâ€, being an episode of Jeremy Sear-Pirko’s progressive politics podcast with me as the guest co-host. This was recorded on Friday morning.
Articles
- May ransomware blight all the cyber stragglers and let God sort them out, ZDNet, 16 July 2021. I have a modest proposal for how to deal with the current ransomware crisis.
Media Appearances, 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, when there are some.
Recommendations
- I have just discovered David Lynch’s 2002 web films Rabbits, which I’m describing as a crypto-sitcom. Here’s some background. Enjoy.
- This week’s Alien Sideboob from John Birmingham is both free to read and wonderful: The MVP of arseing everything up.
- Polish writer StanisÅ‚aw Lem came up in conversation this week. In the West he’s really only known for the rather impenetrable novel Solaris and its three movie versions, but the humorous short stories collected as The Cyberiad are delightful. Hunt around and you can find free copies of the whole book online, but here’s a taste from his official website: How The World Was Saved.
- New study reveals history of Aboriginal trade with foreign visitors before British settlement.
- The 2021 Audubon Photography Awards: Winners and Honorable Mentions, of course being some amazing avian photography. Of birds, not by birds.
The Week Ahead
This will be the fourth COVID-19 lockdown week for Greater Sydney in the current outbreak. I’ve cancelled a back maintenance session in Sydney and hope said back will behave itself for another week.
I have a bunch of administrivia to work through, some geekery to do for money, and of course I want to get some writing done. But since I’ll be locked down at some with no fixed appointments, I’ll just take each day as it comes.
I may well do an unscheduled podcast mid-week, but we’ll see.
Further Ahead
Still not a lot in the calendar, but I don’t think this will change any time soon.
- Day trip to Sydney for various medical things, 26 July 2021 (TBC).
- CORRECTED DATE: Second COVID-19 vaccination, Sydney, 16 August 2021.
- Australia’s 2021 Census, 10 August 2021.
- Australian Cyber Conference, Melbourne, 15–17 November 2021 (TBC).
- linux.conf.au 2022, online, 14–16 January 2022 (TBC).
[Photo: A pair of brown cuckoo-doves (Macropygia phasianella) photographed at Bunjaree Cottages on 18 July 2021. They have such tiny heads.]