And 2024 begins! Around two decades ago I used to photograph the New Year’s Day sunrise at Bronte Beach in eastern Sydney, or do some other ritual thing. The photo above is from 2005. However my week of Monday 1 to Sunday 7 January 2024 was just a quiet one at home, mostly.
Goodbye, Twitter!
I have essentially abandoned Twitter. I don’t think I need to explain why. So many words have already been written by other people.
As of 1 January 2024 my interactions on X/Twitter will be minimal. My posts will largely be limited to plugging my work elsewhere.
Most of my social media presence is now at Bluesky at bsky.app/profile/stilgherrian.com. Bluesky is still invitation-only, so if you need an invite code just let me know.
I am also on Mastodon at eigenmagic.net/@stilgherrian. Just log into your Mastodon instance and search for @stilgherrian@eigenmagic.net.
Finally, there’s an easy way to get onto my mailing list in case you’re not already a supporter. I’ll email you about upcoming podcasts, live recordings, crowdfunding campaigns, and other bits and pieces. There’s usually only one or two emails per month, although I may well organise some more email-based things as 2024 progresses.
Articles
- On Monday I posted a bingo card for 2024 that Snarky Platypus and I created on New Year’s Eve. Just how many of these things will happen?
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, Media Appearances, Photos, Corporate Largesse
None of these. You can subscribe to my YouTube channel to be notified when new videos appear and when livestreams are scheduled.
Recommendations
I’ve decided to keep my Muskwatch going a little while longer. Something something car crash.
- Elon Musk Has Used Illegal Drugs, Worrying Leaders at Tesla and SpaceX, reports the Wall Sreet Journal, and that link will jump the paywall. Yes, it’s fun and games until it affects company profitability.
- Elon Musk All but Endorses the Great Replacement Conspiracy Theory.
- Elon Musk Fired 8 SpaceX Employees Who Called Him a ‘Source of Embarrassment.’ It’s a Masterclass in What Not to Do.
- Value of X has fallen 71% since purchase by Musk and name change from Twitter.
- And finally, it’s behind a paywall but the headline is hilarious enough: Biotech CEO Bryan Johnson is going to war with Elon Musk after the billionaire mocked his intense antiaging routine.
In other news:
- Paddy Manning has produced for the 7am podcast an excellent six-part series, Rupert: The Last Mogul about, you guessed it, Rupert Murdoch. You should be able to find it in your podcast app of choice. The first episode is titled “Two blasted young reds”.
- Patrick Stokes, who’s Associate Professor of Philosophy at Deakin University, has produced a fascinating podcast titled Time in the time of COVID.
- Australia is still reckoning with a shameful legacy: the resettlement of suspected war criminals after WWII. I can certainly remember the trial of Ivan Polyukhovich in Adelaide in the early 1990s.
- RIP: Software design pioneer and Pascal creator Niklaus Wirth. I studied computing science at the time this man’s influence on the field was at its heights. This obit includes a lot of detail that even experts have probably forgotten.
The Week Ahead
Monday sees a day trip to Sydney for some health-related appointments and some shopping.
After that I’ll be starting to focus on billable hours for clients, and longer-term plans to seek new accommodation. Yes, there will be some changes this year, but I’ll talk about that during the week.
Update 11 January 2024: On Friday I’ll be heading down to Penrith to get a covid vaccination booster and deal with a few errands.
Further Ahead
So far this is just some of the comedy shows I’ve bought tickets for.
- Lunar Comedy Gala 2024, Chatswood NSW, 17 February 2024.
- Aaron Chen’s Funny Garden, Sydney, 27 April 2024. He’s now so mainstream that he’s doing four nights at the State Theatre. Good for him.
- He Huang Tiger Daughter versus the World, Chatswood NSW, 5 May 2024.
- Nina Oyama is Coming, Marrickville NSW, 12 May 2024.
[Photo: Sunrise at Bronte Beach, Sydney, on New Year’s Day 2005. Yes, 19 years ago.]