My week of Monday 6 to Sunday 12 October 2025 was sore aggrieved by a scourge of platani down in Sydney, although I did manage to finish a podcast. I can be stubborn about these things.
As I’ve gotten older I’ve become increasingly susceptible to the evils of the London plane tree (Platanus × hispanica), with hay fever thanks to its pollen, and very nasty fits of coughing if I get a throatful of its evil leaf spines. Sydney’s Surry Hills is riddled with them, and that’s where I’m staying.
Podcasts
- AUMP 00004: Songs About Places, being a new episode of Another Untitled Music Podcast that Snarky Platypus and I recorded last Sunday afternoon.
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Articles
- The Weekly Cybers #88. AN0M sting operation declared legal in Australia, Deloitte refunds the government part of their $440,000 fee over AI fakery, cops may be given freedom to use abuse images to catch perps, SMS Sender ID Registry rollout starts, and much, 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.
Photos, Videos , Media Appearances, Corporate Largesse
None of these. You can subscribe to my YouTube channel to be notified when new videos appear and when livestreams are scheduled.
Some Interesting Links
- I’ve recently stumbled across a bunch of Russians called Birchpunk who make satirical retro-futuristic movies such as this one, Russian Spacetrain // РУССКИЙ КОСМОПОЕЗД.
- I’ve also stumbled across a northern parody band, The Everly Pregnant Brothers, who do covers of classic pop such as The Human League’s Dunt Tha Want Mi.
- Self-Preservation in an Atomic Bomb Attack, being an unreasonably positive US military training film from 1950.
- Some interesting analysis from H I Sutton, How Taiwan Is Building A New Navy To Face China’s Invasion.
- And something that’s not a video, a gallery of the finalists in this year’s Mister Global male beauty contest in Thailand, with links to previous years’ finalists. “Winners are selected based on a comprehensive evaluation of formal wear, swimwear, modelling skills, personal interviews, and their final appearance on the night of the competition,” and that last one sees some truly astounding costumes.
The Week Ahead
I’m staying in Sydney again this week. I’ll try to get some client work done on Monday or Tuesday, but we’ll see. I’ll also be chasing potential podcast guests.
[Update 13 October 2025: We’re not even one day into the week and already I have to reschedule everything. I had terrible hay fever on the weekend and little sleep, and then we need to move some dates. Here we go…]
On Thursday Monday I’ll get my second vaccination for shingles (herpes zoster), and I’m told that it might knock me around a bit. I do have a couple things to do on Tuesday, so I’m hoping the side effects will be minimal. Otherwise that’ll get done on Wednesday.
On Wednesday Thursday I’m recording an episode of The 9pm Edict with Dr Alice Gorman and Rami Mandow about space Erin Cook about what’s happening in the Philippines and at ASEAN and other South-East Asian matters. If you have a TRIGGER WORD or CONVERSATION TOPIC for this episode, please get it to me by 11am AEDT that day, 15 16 October.
That’ll be the first episode of the Edict‘s spring series. I’ll edit and post it on Thursday, in all likelihood some time in the following few days.
On Friday there’s The Weekly Cybers newsletter as usual.
On Saturday, and on subsequent Saturdays until it’s sorted, there will be a few hours of wandering around certain parts of Sydney looking at apartments for sale. Once one has been chosen and purchased, not by me, I’ll nevertheless be living there. This will represent a major change after having been based in the Blue Mountains for so long, and I’m looking forward to it, although it may well take some months to happen.
But for the moment I’ll return to the Blue Mountains some time on Sunday afternoon or evening.
Further Ahead
I’d hoped to lock in more of the podcast recordings, but the long weekend intervened, and so did the hay fever. Next week, dear listener, next week. I’ve started inviting guests so it’s just a matter of confirming them.
- Aussie Bird Count, 20–26 October 2025. It’s always good to be part of science.
- RESCHEDULED: The 9pm Edict recording with Dr Alice Gorman and Rami Mandow, 22 October 2025 (TBC). If you have a space-related TRIGGER WORD or CONVERSATION TOPIC for this episode, please get it to me by 11am AEDT that day.
- Sam Campbell: Window Sucker, Sydney, 31 October 2025.
- ATARASHII GAKKO!, Hordern Pavilion, Sydney, 4 December 2025 (TBC). This Japanese group is well worth exploring. I’m not sure who I’m taking to this gig yet. Make me an offer.
[Photo: A view of Cooper Street, Surry Hills, lined with London plane trees (Platanus × hispanica), taken on 12 October 2025.]