![A grey and drizzly day on Sydney Harbour. On the left is a warship, which we’re seeing from slightly off its starboard bow. It’s a modern landing [ship] helicopter dock (LHD), and the ski ramp on its bow looms over us. To its left towers a crane. On the right, however, we can see the Sydney CBD in the background, its skyscrapers and the distinctive Sydney Tower blurred out in the mists.](https://stilgherrian.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_9308_1800.jpeg)
My week of Monday 28 April to Sunday 4 May 2025 was remarkably productive, with one podcast produced and a second recorded, and even some billable hours for clients. So I’m having to illustrate this post wth a photo from last week’s ferry trip to Manly.
On Sunday night I caught Takashi Wakasugi‘s stand-up show “Comedy Samurai” and it was excellent. He’s got an encore performance in Sydney on Saturday 19 July. Recommended.
Podcasts
- The 9pm Bears of Heaven with David F Porteous, recorded on Anzac Day and posted on Monday. This is one of the strangest conversations we’ve ever had. Enjoy.
- On Sunday, Snarky Platypus and I recorded the second pilot episode of Another Untitled Music Podcast, which will be posted some time later this week.
The 9pm Edict and Another Untitled Music Podcast are supported by the generosity of their listeners. If you missed the crowdfunder, you might like to throw a few coins into the tip jar or subscribe for special benefits. Please consider.
Articles
- The Weekly Cybers #66. China has a new cable-cutting submarine thing, APNIC has a new-ish boss, the people of Melbourne use OSINT to track public transport ticket inspectors, and 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, Photos, Videos, Corporate Largesse
None of these. You can subscribe to my YouTube channel to be notified when new videos appear and when livestreams are scheduled.
Muskwatch
This week’s Elon Musk news was a curious mix. After 100 days with his DOGE unit he’s stepping back, supposedly to pay a bit more attention to Tesla. But is it too late?
- Tesla denies report claiming board looked to replace Elon Musk.
- Trump’s attack on ActBlue’s “dark money” was backed by Elon Musk’s dark money.
- “Residents of the tiny community near SpaceX’s rocket launch site are voting this week on whether to officially incorporate the area as its own city, Starbase, Texas,” reports Bloomberg (archive). Yeah, it will happen, They’re all SpaceX employees. And yes, it did happen.
- Elon Musk finally meets the press and compares himself to Buddha.
- And looking back, here’s a summary of the first 100 days of DOGE.
Some Interesting Links
- If you like a bit of crime, The Japan Times has this: How a Japanese fraud group ran scams from Southeast Asia.
- “Australia’s spiky, shuffling, egg-laying echidna evolved in ‘extremely rare’ event, scientists say.”
- 17 Ways to Cut Your Risk of Stroke, Dementia and Depression All at Once (gift link). This may come as a shock, but it’s basically everything your doctor has been telling you forever.
The Week Ahead
I start the week in Sydney. I’ll try to catch the .au member webinar: auDA 2026-30 Draft Strategy at lunchtime, probably working in the gorgeous Darling Square Library, before taking the train back to the Blue Mountains.
On Wednesday I’ll be back in Sydney for the Sydney Heli Grand Flight with Sydney HeliTours. Someone has been quite generous with this birthday present, my first helicopter flight. There will be photographs in due course.
Which means that Tuesday and Thursday are about client work. The Weekly Cybers will appear on Friday. And somewhere before the end of the week I’ll edit and post Another Untitled Music Podcast pilot two.
On Saturday it’s my Nth birthday lunch, where N is divisible by 5. This date may or may not be my exact birthday. Some friends have organised lunch at a posh place in the Blue Mountains. If you’re of the opinion that you’d like to join us, please let me know and I’ll connect you with the organiser.
Given that Saturday probably won’t end with lunch, because there’s a very fine cocktail bar nearby, Sunday will almost certainly be a day of rest and recovery.
Further Ahead
More will be added here next week, because I’ll be mapping out all the podcasts through to the end of winter.
- Space traffic jam: Challenges facing space sustainability, US Studies Centre, online, 14 May 2025.
- He Huang’s White Man’s Burden, Concourse Chatswood, 17 May 2025. I really love her work. Look for her on YouTube.
- NEW: TechLeaders 2025, Hunter Valley, 16–18 August 2025.
[Photo: HMAS Adelaide (L01), a landing [ship] helicopter dock, photographed at Fleet Base East on Sydney Harbour on 22 April 2025.]