Happy Christmas! My week of Monday 19 to Sunday 25 December 2022 was productive, with a lovely podcast, a regular blog post, a video livestream, and more. But then it was the Christmas weekend and, well, there’s a photograph of a Bloody Mary on this page. You can join the dots.
Last week I launched a crowdfunding campaign, The 9pm Hardware Refresh 2023 for a new computer and accessories to replace the MacBook Pro bought for me by supporters more than seven years ago.
I’d be grateful if you could click through to check out the details, pledge your support, and maybe even tell your friends.
At the time of writing we’re 80% of the way to Target One, but there’s three more targets after that which I really want to reach. You have until Australia Day, 26 January 2023. Please consider.
Podcasts
- The 9pm Penny Wong Cardboard Dog Covid Update with Yun Jiang, recorded on Thursday and posted on Friday. In case it’s not obvious, it’s about China and stuff.
The 9pm Edict is supported by the generosity of its listeners. To support this and other projects, please consider pledging to The 9pm Hardware Refresh 2023.
Videos
- The 8pm Quiz of The Year 2022 Part 1, which was livestreamed on Tuesday night.
- FROM THE ARCHIVE: His Benevolence Stilgherrian’s Christmas Message 2008, with an explanation and transcript at the original post. It’s interesting to see how much of the political content has stayed the same, and how much has changed.
You can subscribe to my YouTube channel to be notified when new videos appear.
Articles
- Digital developments from Canberra 19, 23 December 2022. In the final weekdays before Christmas, we have a bunch of reports, although we only get to see the ASD’s government cybersecurity posture review. It contains depressing news.
You can read my previous writing at Authory, where you can also subscribe to an email compilation of any new stories each Sunday morning.
Media Appearances
- On Wednesday I spoke about Elon Musk and Twitter on ABC Radio’s PM. You can also listen via the original ABC story.
Photos, Corporate Largesse
None of either of these things.
Recommendations
First, a whole bunch of links on the Musk-Twitter drama. Am I spending way too much time down this rabbit-hole? Of course I am.
- Elon Musk says he will resign as Twitter CEO once a replacement is found, but then of course he says a lot of things.
- For example, Elon Musk apparently isn’t opposed to the idea of BTS becoming joint Twitter CEOs. Although how they’d fit in this work around their new lives in the army would be a difficult question to answer.
- Elon Musk started looking for a new Twitter CEO before polling the site’s users.
- Twitter restores suicide-prevention hotline feature after outcry.
- Something I think is spot on, from The Washington Post: “Elon Musk has made many mistakes running Twitter, but the biggest? Assuming his new toy was a technology company.”
- And the final question, the big one: Is Elon Musk going to turn into the same sort of joke that Trump has become? In my view he already has, as evidence by the fact that I keep saying “Trump” instead of “Musk” in conversation — and even on podcasts and in media interviews.
And in other news:
- If you’ve been following me for a while then you’ll know I’m a fan and supporter of TimeGhost TV’s historical documentaries, and especially their massive project World War 2 in Real Time. One episode this week really caught my attention, The Nazi Quest for Thor’s Hammer. It’s an excellent overview of the weird occultism that was adopted by certain senior Nazi figures.
- A wonderful review of what seems to be a disappointing movie: Avatar: The Way of Water review – a thunderously underwhelming damp squib of a return.
- The 2022 Headline of the Year Nominees by Paul Fairie.
- Also from Paul Fairie, A Brief History of the War on Christmas.
- Are Aussie pubs really filled with tiles because it’s easier to wash off the pee? History has a slightly different story.
- This database of 13,944 cocktail recipes used to be on the website of Kuleto’s Bar in Newtown, Sydney but now seems to sit here.
The Week Ahead
It’s the short week between Christmas and New Year’s Day, and Monday and Tuesday are public holidays — though I may do a little work on Tuesday.
On Wednesday it’s lunch and an afternoon of drinks with a co-conspirator in Springwood, further down the Blue Mountains.
Update 29 December 2022: This week’s Quiz won’t be possible. My MacBook Pro has decided to start throwing faults, and randomly shuts down without warning under load. I’ve arranged for a loaner machine, which I’m collecting on Friday. The scheduled episodes will all be pushed back a week.
On Thursday night it’s The 9pm Quiz of the Year 2022 Part 2, at 8pm AEDT. Click through and set yourself a reminder, you hear? Let me warn you now: One round will consists of questions about Georgia, just for ’Pong, because he’s currently living in Tbilisi.
Saturday is New Year’s Eve and Sunday is New Year’s Day. I’m toying with the idea of doing some sort of livestream on New Year’s Eve, 31 December 2022, but I have no clear thoughts at this stage.
Further Ahead
- NEW DATE: The 9pm Quiz of the Year 2022 Part 2, 5 January 2023, 8pm AEDT.
- The 9pm Edict recording with Elise Thomas, freelance journalist and OSINT analyst with the Institute for Strategic Dialogue. She’s been on the podcast before in April 2021 and February 2022. If you’re a podcast supporter with TRIGGER WORDS or a CONVERSATION TOPIC for this episode, please get the details to me by 9pm AEDT on Monday 9 January.
- NEW DATE: The 8pm Quiz of Everything 2023 Part 1, 12 January 2023, 8pm AEDT.
- NEW DATE: The 8pm Quiz of Everything 2023 Part 2, 19 January 2023, 8pm AEDT.
- End of The 9pm Hardware Refresh 2023 crowdfunding campaign, 26 January 2023, 9pm AEDT.
- Lunar New Year Comedy Festival, Sydney, 28 January 2023.
- Everything Open conference, Melbourne, 14–16 March 2023 (TBA).
- NSW state election, 25 March 2023. I’ll definitely do something special for this one.
- The Sydney Dialogue, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, online, 4–5 April 2023.
- Coronation of Charles III, 6 May 2023, although I have no idea what I’ll actually do about it.
[Photo: A Bloody Mary, this particular one being my perfect start to Christmas Day 2022.]