It is a week since I returned to UK from Iran. While I was flying back the demostrations started. Everyone is waiting to see what happens today. Whatever happens, we all hope it does not involve bloodshed. But feelings are high, and frustrations intense. Read more…
I am visiting my dad in Mashhad, in Iran. The presidential election campaigns here are at their peak, ahead of voting on Friday. These include several live TV debates. Last night my friend Hamed Zaghaghi (a talented programmer, and one of the few free software advocates in Iran) asked if I wanted to go to one of the rallies for Karroubi, and to watch the debate on a makeshift, large-screen TV. Read more…
I dislike large, impersonal, corporate hotels. Unfortunately I am almost forced to stay in them when attending conferences. It is much easier to stay at the conference hotel, as I can go back to my room at any time to rest or get something. Read more…
Following my promise after my first visit, a few weeks ago I returned with my cousin Mohammad and family, to see Bibi Zahra, the woman I found so much admiration for. Good news is that Elham is spending most of her time in the nearby village of Torgabeh, in the library, and takes sandwiches with her to maximize her study time. We hope to see her in a university in a few months. Read more…
I am normally not too sentimental when reading about the news. Like most others I have been desensitized by the constant images of suffering I have seen. But this picture hit a raw nerve somewhere in me. It is a picture of Hussein, one of the many children and infants we (the adults of this world) have injured or blinded in Iraq. Read more…
I am in Prague, streaming a conference live on the internet, over the weekend. It is the third time I am doing this and it is going quite well so far. See the webcast here. (Update: conference over.) Read more…
The Persian new year, or Norooz, is calculated to the nearest second each year. It happened about 1 hour ago, at 12.45pm, London time. To coincide with this, Barack Obama has sent a video message to Iranians, wishing them a happy new year in Persian, or Farsi. Read more…
I don’t understand stock markets, nor the strange numbers associated with them. But I understand enough to know that a bunch of glorified gamblers have been stealing the world’s money for years, and brought misery to honest citizens. Here is evidence of how these buffoons in suits (this particular one called Jim Cramer) have been “manipulating the markets” all these years.
I am sitting in my hotel room in Boston, at the end of a short trip to attend a holography gathering at MIT. I did a live webcast and recorded the show, as a small contribution. I met several colleagues whom I had not seen for around 20 years, but the years had not dented our friendship. So a great trip all around. Read more…
Fast on the heals of the US government taking a good look at using free, open software in place of proprietary software, the UK government has followed suit. This is great news. Let’s hope this sets a trend and gives a big shock to software vendors who have been fleecing the citizen, and reducing their freedom at the same time!
