One highlight of my week of Monday 16 to Sunday 22 September 2024 was visiting Sydney’s new Metro stations — which I won’t tell you about just yet. A second was coming to understand how a change of environment will do me good. And then I had another win in the crowdfunding game. Hurrah!
Yes, I’m posting this on Monday again, but visiting all those Metro stations took a long time. Or rather, the drinks we had near each station took a while.
Thanks for supporting The 9pm Spring Series 2024
This season’s crowdfunder The 9pm Spring Series 2024 finished on Thursday night, and in the final hours it passed Target Two — which means six special-guest episodes before the end of spring.
Thanks so much.
I’ve already confirmed guests for three episodes. I just have to lock in the exact dates, so watch out for more details next week.
- Friend of the pod, Scottish author and social researcher David F Porteous with another amusing update on everything British and beyond.
- Amy Castor and David Gerard from the newsletter Pivot to AI, detailing so much remarkable bullshit. (David has been on the pod before being sceptical about cryptocurrency and blockchain. Hence “Pivot to AI”.)
- Space archaeologist Dr Alice Gorman with a look at her work on how people live on the International Space Station. Not all archaeology is ancient!
Podcasts
- The 9pm Three More Minor Irritations, recorded and posted on Tuesday. It was scheduled so that it could include a plug for the crowdfunder, but it does have actual content so it’s still worth listening to.
The 9pm Edict is supported by the generosity of its listeners. You can always throw a few coins into the tip jar or subscribe for special benefits. Please consider.
Articles
- The Weekly Cybers #36. Australian cops and their global colleagues take down the Ghost encrypted messaging network, a robodebt ringleader has a great big sook, and much more.
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
- My 2018 article Encrypting data at rest is vital, but it’s just not happening was cited in the paper Technical principles and protocols of encryption and their significance and effects on technology regulation.
Photos, Videos, Corporate Largess
None of these. You can subscribe to my YouTube channel to be notified when new videos appear and when livestreams are scheduled.
Recommendations
Elon didn’t have a good week.
- Elon Musk makes one of his “jokes” about assassinating Kamala Harris. The US Secret Service is “aware” of it.
- Elon Musk backs down in his fight with Brazilian judges to restore X.
- “Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has accused Tesla CEO Elon Musk of ‘remotely disabling’ his Cybertruck, which had been sent to the frontline of Russia’s war in Ukraine.”
- “Elon Musk’s SpaceX is rapidly remaking the tip of South Texas. Its fast growth, criticised by some locals as unfair and unchecked, is also transforming campaign coffers, business deals and the personal finances of some local officials.”
- “Elon Musk didn’t show up for testimony in a probe over his $44 billion Twitter takeover. Now the SEC wants sanctions.”
- “Leaking radio emissions from SpaceX’s Starlink satellites are impeding observations by some ground-based radio telescopes and may eventually blind them, a new study using the Netherlands-based Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) radio telescope has found.”
- “Labelling tweets featuring false claims about election fraud as ‘disputed”’ does little to nothing to change Trump voters’ pre-existing beliefs, and it may make them more likely to believe the lies, according to a new study.”
In other news:
- NEW LEAGUE OF PIGS! I REPEAT, NEW LEAGUE OF PIGS! New Pig Race Track – The Forest Racecourse.
- I’ve been to Salesforce’s Dreamforce conference and this is very correct. Comedian John Mulaney brutally roasts SF techies at Dreamforce. That they now call it “largest AI event in the world” is ridiculous.
- Why do certain places have far more people over the age of 100 than others? Because their records are shoddy. The full paper is Supercentenarians and the oldest-old are concentrated into regions with no birth certificates and short lifespans.
The Week Ahead
Once more my week began in Sydney. On Monday I did the now-usual errands and shopping in Thaitown before getting a train back to the Mountains.
The bulk of the week will include a focus on client work, allegedly, plus starting to line up some work over summer because that’s always a slow season for freelancers. I’ll also do a solo podcast episode at some point, and then The Weekly Cybers on Friday as usual.
The weekend is unplanned.
Update 25 September 2024: I’m shifting things around a bit. Wednesday will be for errands and shopping and stuff. Work times will be added into the weekend so I can take a day off in the middle of next week. The advantages of freelancing!
Further Ahead
- NEW: Is Asia multipolar?, Lowy Institute, Sydney and livestreamed, 3 October 2024.
- NEW: Will China gain uncontested primacy in Asia?, Lowy Institute, Sydney and livestreamed, 10 October 2024.
- Queensland expedition, 13–21 October 2024, which is shaping up rather well. Sunday 13: Fly to Cairns and visit the Australian Armour & Artillery Museum. Monday 14: A Great Barrier Reef tour. Tuesday 15: Kuranda Scenic Railway wildlife experience. Wednesday 16 and overnight: Spirit of Queensland train to Brisbane. Brisbane itinerary TBA. Sunday 20: Train to Gold Coast and explore there a bit. Monday 21: Relaxing morning then fly back to Sydney. More details to come.
- Sydney Days, 26 October to 18 November 2024 (TBC). The dates have yet to be finalised, but I have another opportunity to base myself in Sydney for a while.
- Australian Internet Governance Forum (auIGF) 2024, formerly known as NetThing, Melbourne and online, 28–29 October 2024 (TBC).
- UPDATED: Victoria expedition, 6–9 December 2024. Includes a friend’s birthday event on the Mornington Peninsula Fri 6 to Sunday 8, heading to Melbourne for social things on Sunday night before flying back to Sydney on Monday evening. This trip will almost burn off the last of my frequent flyer points from the Beforetimes.
[Photo: A male Australian king parrot (Alisterus scapularis) decided he wanted a bit of attention, so here he is. Photographed on 23 September 2024.]