What I've been doing so far in 2024

Not quite semi-retired yet

I’m now in my second month of semi-retirement. I still haven’t really slowed down. However, I am making some progress on a long list of projects that have been put to one side until now. If I had stayed in my previous position I’d be spending most of February preparing lectures and struggling with the various UQ systems and requirements, which have multiplied over time (Blackboard, Turnitin, learning objectives and many more).

Earlier this month I went to Reserve Bank workshop on central bank digital currencies, and then to the annual conference of the Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society. I’m very much an old-timer at AARES, having attended my first conference in 1981 (it was lot more agricultural, in every sense of the term, back then). My opening keynote, entitled Irrestible Force meets Immovable Object was about the massive potential for growth in solar PV and the obstacles it faces.

I hoped to spend a lot more time training, particularly for the Mooloolaba Triathlon in March. But the weather this summer has been really difficult, consistently hotter and more humid than usual, along with some massive falls of rain. So, I’m going to content myself with aiming to cover the distance.

I’ve been spending a bit of time exploring various uses for AI, with mixed results. To illustrate this newsletter, I asked DALL-E for an academic triathlete, specifying a 60+ male. Here’s what I got.

Apart from cute illustrations for my newsletters, and very effective assistance in writing Python code, I still haven’t found much in the way of practical uses so far.

Here’s some of what I’ve contributed to public discussion.

Opinion

Australia’s cost-of-living crisis isn’t about the price of groceries. It’s about wealth distribution The Guardian 8 January

As the billionaires gather at Davos, it’s worth examining what’s become of their dreams The Conversation, 15 January

Labor’s fuel-efficiency standards may settle the ute dispute – but there are still hazards on the road The Conversation, 7 February

For corporations, greed is good – so how can Australia really tackle price gouging? The Guardian 8 February

Media

My media report for January, password quiggin (Thanks as usual to Alysha Hilevuo for preparing this)

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