SSAB - June 17, 2025

Hello Sydney! How was the flight? Mostly uneventful, except for one guy sneezing during the evening which woke me up from my sit up slumber.

How’s the city? Sydney Harbour Bridge, Opera House, The Rocks.

Expensive, $16 for a pint, $9 for a middy.

SIM card bought at the airport, $25 for 60 GBs, bought TWO so I could swap them out.

Talking to people and what’s the word? Swiss lady and then Leo the Bartender… who agreed to be recorded for today’s episode! What is the state of the economy here in Australia and what’s the recommended course of action? Stay tuned to find out!

Missed a chance to interview a male companion… that would’ve been interesting.

And WOW, the reaction to my “Canadians need a visa (an ETA)” on Threads has been substantial!

Donate to the show! PayPal link below!

https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA

***

Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.com

And on Notion: https://stevensirski.notion.site/SSAB-The-Audio-Blog-of-Steven-Sirski-00acfe344e164bfab191d3cddf6952b2?pvs=4

Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.com

Language vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlog

Hope you have a great Tuesday!

00:00 Introduction and Arrival in Sydney00:31 The Visa and ETA Debacle01:59 Navigating Social Media Reactions13:26 Flight Experience and In-Flight Thoughts22:01 Exploring Sydney and Initial Impressions25:29 Hostel Life and Meeting New People30:17 Surprise Interview with Leo the Bartender37:39 AI in Media and Communications38:10 The Role of AI in Social Media Jobs39:09 AI in University Education39:58 Debate on Traditional Exams vs. AI42:39 Group Assignments and AI Challenges44:52 University Attendance Policies46:11 Marketing Analytics Course Insights47:52 Career Opportunities in Marketing51:55 Working in Australia: Mines and Oil Rigs58:15 Scuba Diving Adventures59:40 Final Thoughts and Recommendations for Australia