The 9pm Edict

Is a cow a thing? Is the ocean a thing? We ponder these and other important questions with Justin Warren, "consultant, freedom of information tragic, hexagon enthusiast, and creator of the CyberRating™ labelling scheme". He's also chair of Electronic Frontiers Australia, but I'm sure they'll disown him.In this episode we talk about robodebt and ministerial responsibility, cyber weapons, the little-known capital punishment round in the Eurovision Song Contest, Australia's online safety regime, how privacy is the opposite of transparency, and even a bit about Mastodon.Full podcast details and credits at:https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00195/Please support this podcast by throwing a few dollars into the tip jar at:https://the9pmedict.com/tip/https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

In the news this week we've been reminded that so-called "superbugs" are going to kill millions of us, so I thought we should talk once more with infectious disease physician Dr Trent Yarwood.In this episode we talk about antibiotic-resistant microorganisms, but also some interesting research relating to Alzheimer's disease, the nature of research journalism, Victoria's plans to put everyone's health records in one big database and matters of medical privacy, the human genome project, and even a little xenodocheionology, the lore of hotels and inns.Full podcast details and credits at:https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00196/Please support this podcast by throwing a few dollars into the tip jar at:https://the9pmedict.com/tip/https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

As the war in Ukraine continues, Russian disinformation is becoming somewhat unhinged. Joining me to explore that further is Elise Thomas, freelance journalist and OSINT analyst with the Institute for Strategic Dialogue.In this episode we also talk about Russian disinformation operations in Africa, the future of open-source intelligence, the Russian bureaucracy in occupied Ukraine, and why the French are Nazis. We even touch upon the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. And how could we not talk about Elon Musk and all the changes at Twitter?Full podcast details and credits at:https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00194/Please support this podcast by throwing a few dollars into the tip jar at:https://the9pmedict.com/tip/https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

Happy New Year! The Premier of NSW once dressed as a Nazi and people are losing their minds. It's the perfect start to 2023.We also talk about the demise of conservative dating site The Right Stuff, Prince Harry's willy, Bill Gates' opinion of cryptocurrency, and some stories from the early days of interactive computers.Full podcast details and credits at:https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00193/Please support this podcast by supporting my current crowdfunding campaign, The 9pm Hardware Refresh 2023, by 26 January:https://stilgherrian.com/refresh2023If you miss that deadline, you can always throw a few dollars into the tip jar at:https://the9pmedict.com/tip/https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

The spring series of The 9pm Edict comes to a belated finale with special guest Yun Jiang, the inaugural China Matters Fellow at the Australian Institute of International Affairs. And guess what? We're discussing news from China.In this episode we talk about the historic meeting between Australia's foreign minister Senator Penny Wong and her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, the lifting of China's zero-covid policy, China's efforts to attract and retain scientific talent, China's ambitions in Antarctica, the plight of international students and how their experiences change their views of Australia, Chengdu rapper Xie Di, and of course cardboard dogs.Full podcast details and credits at:https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00192/Please support this podcast by supporting my current crowdfunding campaign, The 9pm Hardware Refresh 2023, by 26 January:https://stilgherrian.com/refresh2023If you miss that deadline, you can always throw a few dollars into the tip jar at:https://the9pmedict.com/tip/https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

Once again there’s so many things happening, but in this episode of The 9pm Edict podcast we simply must talk about Space Karen and his bizarre management style at his new $44 billion plaything, Twitter.We also talk about artificial intelligence conversation generator ChatGTP, Peter Dutton's inability to say anything other than "Mr Speaker", Pancake Kitchen, and much more.Full podcast details and credits at:https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00191/Please support this podcast by supporting my current crowdfunding campaign, The 9pm Hardware Refresh 2023, by 26 January:https://the9pmedict.com/refresh2023If you miss that deadline, you can always throw a few dollars into the tip jar or subscribe for ore benefits at:https://the9pmedict.com/tip/https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

Finally, it's time to talk about submarines. The spring series of The 9pm Edict continues with a conversation about what submarines in the 21st century can and can't do with defence analyst and illustrator H I Sutton of Covert Shores.Before we can answer questions about whether Australia "really needs" nuclear submarines, we need to step back a bit. So in this episode we compare nuclear subs with conventional boats, and we talk about underwater drones, Russia's intercontinental nuclear torpedo, Operation Ivy Bells, American submarine NR-1, air-independent power, and much more.Needless to say, we mention some films: Das Boot, The Hunt for Red October, Fail-Safe, and The World is Not Enough.Full podcast details and credits at:https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00190/Please support this podcast at:https://the9pmedict.com/tip/https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

Elon Musk finally owns Twitter, but is the social media giant circling the drain or about to become something entirely new? Should Medibank pay the ransom to keep customers’ sensitive medical data safe? I was on this week's Vertical Hold: Behind The Tech News and this is an updated version."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."A week is a long time in politics, they say… and it turns out it’s a long time when you’re the new owner of Twitter, having spent $44 billion dollars to own it. Elon Musk has been on an absolute tear this week, but what will his changes mean for Twitter? Will anyone pay $8/month for a verified tick, and what are they worth if anyone can just do that anyway?"Meanwhile the breaches are coming thick and fast as we dive into the details (such as they are) behind the Medibank data breach, and Sony reveals its PSVR2 pricing!"Vertical Hold can be found in all the podcast apps or at:https://verticalhold.com.auFull podcast details at:https://the9pmedict.com/edict/vh403/Please consider supporting The 9pm Edict at:https://the9pmedict.com/tip/https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

As the spring series of The 9pm Edict continues, Rishi Sunak becomes the new prime minister of the UK — at least at the time of recording — so who better to join us than Scottish author and social researcher David F Porteous?In this episode we talk about the joy that is British politics, plus Elon Musk's imminent purchase of Twitter, Vegemite, poetry, hope, transparency, the concept of a "wellbeing budget", some weird conspiracy theories about Rishi Sunak, and whether Queen Elizabeth II is actually dead.Full podcast details and credits at:https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00189/Please support this podcast at:https://the9pmedict.com/tip/https://skank.com.au/subscribe/

There's so much happening at once! In this episode of The 9pm Edict podcast, it's all the excitement of history being made — for 45 days.We talk about the political chaos in the UK, especially the magnificent possibility of the return of Boris Johnson. But we also talk about Donald Trump and his allies, and Scott Morrison (sorry).Full podcast details and credits at:https://the9pmedict.com/edict/00188/Please support this podcast at:https://the9pmedict.com/tip/https://skank.com.au/subscribe/