The 9pm Edict

The Australian government made many changes to the regulation of the online world during 2021. They were the subject earlier this month when I was a guest on the new podcast Talking Tech Policy from the new Tech Policy Design Centre at the Australian National University.The podcast is hosted by Johanna Weaver, the centre's Director, who I know from her previous gig as a senior policy adviser an Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Most recently she was Australia's representative at the United Nations for cybersecurity and critical technology."In the second episode of Talking Tech Policy, Johanna is joined in conversation by Melinda Cilento, CEO at CEDA and host of The Economist's Corner; Stilgherrian, journalist and host of The 9pm Edict; and Dr Emily Van Der Nagel, lecturer in social media at Monash University," is how they describe this episode."Together, the group discuss Johanna's interview with Minister Fletcher while examining Australia's approach to tech policy and the strengths and weaknesses of the government's recent round of regulatory changes."That Minister would be Paul Fletcher, the Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, who has has blocked me on Twitter. We have that kind of relationship.Johanna's interview formed the podcast's first episode, and it's also available on YouTube. It's about as exciting as you might imagine. Our conversation in this episode is much better.This episode of Talking Tech Policy was produced by Anna Davies. Tanvi Nair and Amy Denmede provided invaluable research support, and Ben Gowdie production support only an avid podcast listener can provide.You can contact the Centre via techpolicydesign@anu.edu.au, and it's on Twitter at @TPDesignCentre.Full podcast details at:https://the9pmedict.com/edict/ttp002/Please consider supporting The 9pm Edict via it's current Pozible crowdfunding campaign:https://the9pmedict.com/summer2022If you miss that deadline there's always the usual tip jar:https://the9pmedict.com/tip/https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

Is Australia ready to embrace an official digital currency? How is the government cracking down on crypto and Buy Now, Pay Later payment systems? I was the special guest on this week's Vertical Hold: Behind The Tech News."Australian technology news podcast Vertical Hold dives into the big stories of the week. Joined by Australia's leading tech journalists every Friday, co-hosts @adam_turner and @alexkidman channel-surf through the headlines in search of the big picture," they write."This week, we're joined by the one and only Stilgherrian to talk cryptocurrencies, buy now pay later schemes, mobile payments and… volcanoes. With the Federal Government talking regulation, national digital currencies and more, what's in the future of digital money?"Vertical Hold can be found in all the podcast apps or at:https://verticalhold.com.auFull podcast details at:https://the9pmedict.com/edict/vh358/Please consider supporting The 9pm Edict at:https://the9pmedict.com/tip/https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

It's the last day of spring so it's time for the final episode of the Edict's Spring Series. Our special guest is the marvellous Alex Lee, TV writer, actor, comedian, Dragon Friend, and creator of comedy on SBS TV's The Feed.We talk about many things, including the comedy of climate change, a sport called mashball, Australia's plan to tackle defamation via social media, Dungeons & Dragons, hope, what it's like to be sued for defamation, pudenda (plural), and the importance of a dark sense of humour.Full podcast details and credits at:https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00152/Please support this podcast at:https://the9pmedict.com/tip/https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

The Spring Series of the Edict continues with space archaeologist Dr Alice Gorman aka Dr Space Junk and a conversation that covers many curious possibilities.We talk about many things, including some unusual ways of launching things into space, the destruction of Cosmos 1408, Percy Grainger, inter-species romance, the Family D'Alembert science fiction series, telepresence, whether humans will become a multi-gravity society, and the theremin.Full podcast details and credits at:https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00151/Please support this podcast at:https://the9pmedict.com/tip/https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

For this episode of the Spring Series 2021 I caught the train to Orange in the Central Tablelands of NSW to chat once again with Father Karl Sinclair, a priest in the Catholic Diocese of Bathurst.We spoke about many things, including truth in journalism, real estate prices, a certain opinion piece by Pru Goward, golf, dreams, politics, Kerala and the story of Doubting Thomas, the fate of the poor, Nineteen Eighty-Four, apocalypses, Satanic barcodes, and even Christmas. No, it's not too early.Full podcast details and credits at:https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00150/Please support this podcast at:https://the9pmedict.com/tip/https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

Australian author and reprobate John Birmingham joins me yet again for another conversation about everything from journalism to turnips. In fact, journalism and turnips. Yes, it's another episode of the Spring Series 2021.We talk about Generation Z, adding chimpanzee hormones to chickens, #ThisIsNotJournalism, dreams, logarithms, how to organise your work, the simulation hypothesis, the Fitzgerald Inquiry, the privilege of having no hair, The Matrix, the pee tape -- plus of course Scott Morrison, those submarines, and the art of lying.Full podcast details and credits at:https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00149/Please support this podcast at:https://the9pmedict.com/tip/https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

You may well have thought that a certain once-potent political party, the Australian Democrats, imploded around the turn of the 21st century, and you'd be right. But they're back, with a podcast titled Keep the Bastards Honest. This week I became their first non-party guest.We spoke about a bunch of cybersecurity and other internet-related legislation that's either recently been passed or is in the process of being debated. Things that might have slipped under everyone's radar with everything else that's been going on.And I told a few stories about the party's leader 1986–1990, the late Janine Haines.Keep the Bastards Honest is available at:https://www.democrats.org.au/podcast/and in the various podcast apps.Full podcast details at:https://the9pmedict.com/edict/ktbh00005/Please consider supporting The 9pm Edict at:https://the9pmedict.com/tip/https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

You know him from ABC TV's 7.30. You knew him from The Feed and The Roast and Pointless Australia and more. Yes, the spring series continues with satirist Mark Humphries.On Wednesday afternoon morning we spoke about the magic of television, about Mark Zuckerberg, the hole in the ozone layer, accidental television, CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Bert Newton, the return of John F Kennedy Jr, Hey Hey It's Saturday, sanitiser, Planet of the Apes, Troughman, and The Collected Thoughts of Daryl Maquire.Full podcast details and credits at:https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00148/Please support this podcast at:https://the9pmedict.com/tip/https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

In the first episode of the Edict’s Spring Series 2021, we meet Justin Warren, "consultant, freedom of information tragic, hexagon enthusiast, and creator of the CyberRating™ labelling scheme".We talk about freedom of information and hexagons, naturally. But we also talk about systems, surveillance, cybersecurity, robodebt, regulating the internet, bullying and the elite private school experience, dreams, scientific rationalism, The Matrix, cyber penguins, Metropolis, and of course Scott Morrison's magical climate action plan and "The Australian Way".Full podcast details and credits at:https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00147/Please support this podcast at:https://the9pmedict.com/tip/https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

No that isn't a typo. Isn't the new Premier of New South Wales a piece of work. And oh so sexy! In these trying times, you need to know about my new crowdfunding campaign. And about Dominic Perrottet.Press play to hear a few of my initial thoughts about our new state leader.Then click through to The 9pm Spring Series 2021 and consider pledging your support for more special episodes of this podcast through to the end of November and beyond. You have until 21 October 2021.https://the9pmedict.com/spring2021Full podcast details and credits at:https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00147/If you miss the deadline, you can still support this podcast at:https://the9pmedict.com/tip/https://skank.com.au/subscribe/