OpenAI’s Medicare hack highlights dodgy government cybersecurity, Anthropic’s US$2 trillion IPO prospectus leaked, and Australian researchers get AI models “drunk” so they spill the tea.

My week of Monday 21 to Sunday 27 September 2026 was both productive and scrumptious. A podcast posted. A livestream conducted. Two new dishes conquered. And an endangered moth sighted.

OpenAI hacks Medicare and maybe others, Meta releases a new AI agent, tighter rules coming for .au domains, and more.

The US has confirmed that it has weapons in space, although it hasn’t explained what kind. So let’s do an episode on space with space archaeologist Dr Alice Gorman aka Dr Space Junk and astrophysicist Rami Mandow. What a shallow excuse!

My week of Monday 14 to Sunday 20 September 2026 was sunny, productive, and full of birds — especially a very glossy Australian raven who followed me down a street in Canterbury. And I kicked off the spring series of The 9pm Edict podcast. Hurrah!

It’s a week when too much AI doomsaying is never enough; AI companies beg for regulation; more organisations ban smart glasses; and much more.

This is the first episode of the Spring Series 2026, and we’re kicking things off with one of our more popular guests, journalist Erin Cook, who covers South-East Asia. Today we’re talking about the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, and more.

My week of Monday 7 to Sunday 13 September 2026 relatively ordinary. I didn’t get a lot done, but it wasn’t a disaster either. I ate fish. But most importantly, a fun little film was released, one which I’d played a small part in. The photo of the pub is totally unrelated.

Australia rolls out its planned digital duty of care and algorithm opt-out laws, Anthropic researchers claim that AI has a greater than 10% chance of killing us all, and much more.

How about five of them? Quack! My week of Monday 31 August to Sunday 6 September 2026 was a mixed bag of naps and minor victories. I had hoped to get a lot more planning and organising done, but there was a lot more to sort through than I’d estimated. It was stressful.

“Second tranche” privacy laws finally appear (in draft form), AI hallucinations found in policy development workflows, and Russia warns datacentre operators to install anti-drone defences.

My week of Monday 24 to Sunday 30 August 2026 began at a conference in Bowral, where I managed to check out the local bird life as well as learning things. Once back n Sydney, I got some client work done. I fed two cats while their humans were away. And there was progress of a sort in the saga of The Lost Module.

My week of Monday 17 to Sunday 23 August 2026 was both productive and entertaining. I posted a podcast, I got a bunch of client work done, I saw the wonderful Takashi Wakasugi in an intimate comedy venue, and I ended the week at a delightful retreat in Bowral for the TechLeaders 2026 conference.

Meta to pay up to US$18 billion to settle massive lawsuit, datacentre energy use to grow 700% in next decade, and the cops arrest two “principal participants” in a major cybercrime gang.

My week of Monday 10 to Sunday 16 August 2026 was a good week. Productive. Filled with decent food, some of which I cooked myself. And there was wine. Let’s leave it there.

Australian government to set up opt-in blocks for gambling adverts, Meta in court again (again), France’s teen social media ban ruled unconstitutional, and much more.

Odd things have been happening in the UK, so it’s time once more to chat with Scottish author and social researcher David F Porteous.

X wins against the eSafety Commissioner, Meta loses against New Mexico, calls to ban “pervert glasses” are on the rise, and much more.

My week of Monday 3 to Sunday 9 August 2026 was another productive one, but once again I can’t show you much of it yet. However I’ve noticed how I’m now becoming more interested in the humble bin chicken since I’ve been living near a colony of the. Yes, the Australian white ibis is much more common in Sydney these days, and they intrigue me.

More hacking by AI, eSafety’s own figures highlight ineffective teen social media ban, cheap smart specs in the news, and weird men run the tech industry.