Stilgherrian delivers an undiluted dose of criticism and analysis of the ways digital technology is changing our world and the spin that goes with it. Mostly in words -- sometimes in audio or video formats -- always cynical. Incorporating the Patch Monday podcast.
Stilgherrian is a freelance journalist, commentator and podcaster interested in big-picture internet issues, especially security, cybercrime and hoovering up bulldust. He studied computing science and linguistics before a wide-ranging media career and a stint at running an IT business. He can write iptables firewall rules, set a rabbit trap, clear a jam in an IBM model 026 card punch and mix a mean whiskey sour.
It's all about the future on Patch Monday this week. What key technology trends does your business need to consider in the coming financial year? And what does yesterday's agreement between Telstra and the National Broadband Network Company (NBN Co) mean?
It's National Cyber Security Awareness Week. The Australian Government reminds us to keep our software up-to-date, to choose better passwords, and to stop and think before clicking on links or giving out personal information. But what's happening at the corporate level?
Adobe hasn't had a good time in recent months. Apart from Apple effectively banning Flash from the iPhone and iPad, Adobe's Acrobat and Reader products have been found to suffer serious security flaws. Some information security experts have even suggested that flaws in Adobe's products are now one of the most serious online risks.
Apple's iPad is about to arrive in Australia. Yes, there's plenty of hype. But the iPad is a new and different beast. How will it be used, beyond its obvious role, as a media consumption device?
Facebook is in the news this week for all the wrong reasons. Another change to its privacy settings and a new 5800-word privacy policy has triggered concerns by US authorities and European privacy organisations. And in Sydney the death of 18-year-old Nona Belomesoff last week has been dubbed another "Facebook murder".
If you thought women were doing better in IT these days, you'd be wrong. The Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA) says that since 2006 the number of women in board and leadership roles in the IT industry has actually declined.
Google, one of the world's largest corporations, is in a trademark dispute with Australian web start-up Groggle. What's the law here? And what are the trademark issues in choosing a name for your new online business?
Are your data backups up-to-date? Are you sure? Have you tested them lately? Could your business survive an equipment failure, flood, fire or theft?
Melbourne's $1.3 billion myki smart card ticketing system still hasn't been rolled out to buses or trams even after experts were flown in two months ago. Sydney's Tcard project was cancelled and now they're starting again. What can we learn from these transport IT disasters?
Australia's planned mandatory internet service provider level internet filter will block Refused Classification (RC) material. Communications Minister Senator Stephen Conroy says that's "child pornography, pro-bestiality sites, pro-rape websites and material like that". But it's actually more than that.