My week of Monday 2 to Sunday 8 October 2023 was far less productive that it should have been, but I did go for a long walk. I also did a lot of thinking, and I planned put a lot of things for the remainder of the year.
As I mentioned last week, we’d planned to walk from Burwood to Auburn via Rookwood Necropolis on Thursday. However we wandered off course and had already walked more than 10km by the time we got to Lidcombe. We decided that was enough, and retired to a nearby club for refreshments.
If the map doesn’t show up, try here.
Articles
- Digital developments from Canberra 56. Not a lot this week. We have government responses to reviews of the Privacy Act and the powers of the AFP, and some commentary on the proposed online gambling and anti-misinformation laws. The Privacy Act thing is pretty big though.
You can read my previous writing at Authory, where you can also subscribe to an email compilation of any new stories each Sunday morning.
Podcasts, Videos, Photos, Media Appearances, Corporate Largesse
None of these, but see below for news of forthcoming podcasts. You can subscribe to my YouTube channel to be notified when new videos appear.
Recommendations
Mr Musk continues to be that man we call Elon.
- “Elon Musk is under investigation by the US Securities and Exchange Commission over his $44bn takeover of social media giant Twitter.”
- Grimes challenges Elon Musk for parental rights in court.
- If you’ve lost track of all the investigations and such, here’s a summary of the main lawsuits.
- “Elon Musk declares the US dollar ‘a scam’ amid fears of $33 trillion US ‘debt death spiral’ as the Bitcoin price soars.”
- 12 Times Elon Musk’s Headline Decapitation Hilariously Backfired on Him. “This week, Twitter/X removed headlines from links shared to the platform, and users have had some fun rewriting history.”
- “Elon Musk-owned social media giant X (formerly Twitter) is testing a new clickbaity ad format that cannot be blocked or reported.”
- And finally, an interesting set of arguments in The Case For Leaving Twitter and The moral case for no longer engaging with Elon Musk’s X.
In other news:
- Opinion: People think drug use causes homelessness. It’s usually the other way around. If you don’t have an LA Times subscription, you can use 12ft.io to jump the paywall.
- Better safe than sorry? Australian parents among the most risk-averse in the world.
- Indonesia’s 2024 Presidential Election Could Be the Last Battle of the Titans.
- Fossil of giant trapdoor spider is four times larger than modern species.
- A hacker group of self-described “gay furries” claims to have breached NATO and stolen 3,000 files.
- And finally, Crocodile sex frenzy triggered by Chinook helicopters and thunder in central Queensland.
The Week Ahead
On Monday [Update 9 October 2023: or to be honest, Tuesday] I’m recording and posting a solo episode of The 9pm Edict podcast, the first in a six-episode spring series, as well as editing some client documents.
The 9pm Edict is supported by the generosity of its listeners. You can subscribe for special benefits or throw a few coins into the tip jar. Please consider.
Tuesday through Thursday will be busy days indeed, getting as much client work done as possible.
[Update 12 October 2023: Turns out I spent a couple days fighting off some random viral infection, so I’ll kick off the spring series of The 9pm Edict with Friday’s recording.]
On Friday I’m recording an episode of The 9pm Edict podcast with Scientia Professor Toby Walsh about his new book, Faking It: Artificial Intelligence in a Human World. Check that page for some meet-the-author events too. The finished podcast will be published on the following Monday.
If you’re a supporter with TRIGGER WORDS or a CONVERSATION TOPIC to throw into the mix, please let me know by 2pm AEDT on Thursday 12 October.
You might want to check out last year’s episode, The 9pm Killer Robot Restaurant Booking with UNSW Scientia Professor Toby Walsh.
Further Ahead
- The 9pm Hobart Expedition, 22–25 October 2023. Snarky Platypus and I have locked in a voyage south. I may well be recording a podcast there. We’re definitely going to MONA on the Monday, and there will be an anyone-can-come evening at a bar on Tuesday 24 October, venue TBA.
- The 9pm Edict podcast recording with cartoonist and artist Jon Kudelka, Hobart, 25 October 2023. The finished podcast will be published on 27 October.
You might want to check out our previous conversation from 2021, The 9pm Snakes, Steaks, and Mistakes with Jon Kudelka. - NEW: The War On 2023: Annual Comedy Gala, Bathurst, 5 December 2023. For reasons which are not entirely clear, Snarky Platypus and I will be taking the train to Bathurst to see The Chaser’s end of year show there rather than in Sydney. We’re then continuing on to Orange the next day, returning to our starting points the day after.
[Photo: A much-eroded angel guards a Victorian-era grave at Rookwood Necropolis on Sydney. Somehow I think the flare caused by a smudge on the iPhone’s camera lens actually improves the image. Photographed on 5 October 2023.]