Ages back I suggested that my productivity runs to a fortnightly cycle, and perhaps that’s still the case. My week of Monday 14 to Sunday 20 July 2025 involved quite a lot of sleep, but I still produced a podcast and a newsletter — and posted another photo from my recent expedition to South Australia.
Podcasts
- The 9pm Half-time Bingo Card Update 2025 with Snarky Platypus, recorded last Saturday and posted on Wednesday. We cover more than just the bingo cards.
The 9pm Edict and Another Untitled Music Podcast are supported by the generosity of their listeners. You might like to throw a few coins into the tip jar or subscribe for special benefits. Please consider.
Articles
- The Weekly Cybers #77. RBA calls for an end to card payment surcharges, Meta reckons its AI needs our personal information to understand Australians, 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 , 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
The world needs chatbots made to Musk’s creative direction, apparently.
- Musk’s Neuralink falsified federal forms, claims to qualify for racial diversity program. “The company, owned by the world’s wealthiest man, says it is a ‘small disadvantaged business’.”
- Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot melts down — and then wins a military contract.
- Elon Musk’s Grok AI now includes a pornographic waifu chatbot. I don’t know whether this has been verified, but here are the supposed text prompts for this bot.
- Meanwhile, Grok’s new male AI companion is based on Edward from ‘Twilight’, as well as Christian Grey from 50 Shades of Grey. So yeah, definitely what women want.
- Elon Musk teases new Tesla product with promise of “most epic demo ever“.
- “Stupidest thing”: Scientist rips Elon Musk?s Mars dream to shreds.
Some Interesting Links
- The brain might also have a microbiome.
- Quolls glow under UV light! Plus the rest of the stunning images from the Beaker Street Science Photography prize.
- New music from Open Reel Ensemble! This is just beautiful. Kimino Musik. And here’s another one.
- From The Conversation, “Even a day off alcohol makes a difference — our timeline maps the health benefits when you stop drinking” Although as @abstract code points out, “No one ever says how long I have to take up drinking/smoking/etc before quitting gives me these benefits which is just rude”.
- It turns out the Dutch had a plan to colonise South Australia.
The Week Ahead
After having worked late on Sunday night, I’ll make Monday a relatively easy day.
On Tuesday Parliament will be sitting for the first time after the federal election back in May, so all manner of things will be happening. However I’ll be focusing on client work this week, at least Tuesday to Thursday. I’ll catch up with parliament’s work on Friday for The Weekly Cybers.
That said, I’ll also edit and posted the episode of Another Untitled Music Podcast that’s already been recorded. I’ve pushed back the next episode one week, to give people time to provide feedback and to submit their We Will We Will Judge You playlists.
Further Ahead
- RESCHEDULED: Another Untitled Music Podcast episode 2 recording, 2 August 2025, with the completed episode to be posted a few days later.
- NEW: Mandarin Live Webinar: Interview with Services Australia CEO David Hazlehurst, online, 14 August 2025. I daresay I’ll learn something, but I might also need to have a drink handy.
- TechLeaders 2025, Hunter Valley, 16?18 August 2025.
- Sam Campbell: Window Sucker, Sydney, 31 October 2025.
[Photo: Another image from my recent expedition to South Australia. This is the Gawler Institute building (1871) and the Gawler Town Hall (1878), photographed on 29 June 2025. On the town hall the arms are drawn incorrectly (PDF).]