I'm a Distinguished Prof. Emeritus of Computer Engineering at UCSB, USA. My passions are science, tech, & equal rights, but I'll share other human stories too.
Santa Barbara, CA
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China flexes its muscles with Iran by setting four conditions for a proposed visit by Qalibaf:
Opening of the Strait of Hormuz, allowing ships to pass with no fees, resolving differences with Saudi Arabia, and reaching an agreement with the US. [Source: Independent Persian]
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Final thought for the day:
Purging of hardline Islamists has begun in Iran. This one got a slap on the wrist, but more severe punishments, as well as retaliations against pragmatists, may be on the way.
iranwire.com/en/news/158206-…
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Cartoon of the day (by Mana Neyestani):
Multiple Iranian officials have claimed in interviews and social-media posts that they are not terrorists, but victims of terrorism.
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Organizers of a women’s marathon in Iran have been summoned to court because of hijab-less participants.
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Sunday at Goleta Lemon Festival:
This vibrant community event brings together local businesses, artists, and families for a weekend of fun, food, music, and other festivities.
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Alabama reaches $100+ million settlement with TikTok over allegations the platform contributed to mental health problems among minors. [The Hill]
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Final thought for the day:
In 1932, Bertrand Russell called the belief that hard work is a high virtue “the morality of slaves” that leads to massive human suffering. He argued that higher productivity should result in a 4-hour workday, not layoffs.
harpers.org/archive/1932/10/…
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... For IEEE History Week, Oct. 5-9, two panel discussions are planned.
- Oct. 5, 10 AM ET: The Future Has Happened Before: How History Helps Engineers Respond, Innovate, & Lead
- Oct. 8, 12 PM ET: More Than an Invention: How Patents Shape Technology, Politics, & Society [2/2]
IEEE Day, the first Tue. in Oct., commemorates the first tech meeting of IEEE’s predecessor organization—Amer. Inst. of Electrical Engrs. (AIEE)—held on Oct. 7, 1884, at Philadelphia’s Franklin Inst. Formed in 1963 after AIEE’s merger with Inst. of Radio Engrs. (IRE). ... [1/2]
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IEEE Day, the first Tue. in Oct., commemorates the first tech meeting of IEEE’s predecessor organization—Amer. Inst. of Electrical Engrs. (AIEE)—held on Oct. 7, 1884, at Philadelphia’s Franklin Inst. Formed in 1963 after AIEE’s merger with Inst. of Radio Engrs. (IRE). ... [1/2]
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... Abdul Qadeer Khan, the man behind Pakistan’s atom bomb, formed a rogue network and financially benefited from selling the technology to Iran, North Korea, and Libya. [2/2]
The man who supplied nuclear technology to three countries:
A sequence of chance events and Cold War politics led to Pakistan becoming the world’s seventh nuclear power. ... [1/2]
[24-minute video, narrated in Persian] facebook.com/reel/1936806203…
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The man who supplied nuclear technology to three countries:
A sequence of chance events and Cold War politics led to Pakistan becoming the world’s seventh nuclear power. ... [1/2]
[24-minute video, narrated in Persian] facebook.com/reel/1936806203…
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Pakistan is the only Muslim country with nuclear weapons:
You may wonder why Israel allowed this to happen, despite its long-standing strategy to prevent all Muslim countries from having nuclear weapons. ... [Read more]
linkedin.com/feed/update/urn…
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Yesterday, with my children and some family members at Goleta’s Camino Real Marketplace, where we had desserts after dining at the Neighborhood Grill.
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Thirty-year fixed-rate mortgage interest has shot up from ~6% to ~7%, since the start of Iran war 6 months ago. [NYT]
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British citizen, a 2015 refugee, charged with helping Hamas carry out anti-Semitic terror attacks in Europe.
thetimes.com/uk/crime/articl…
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“Artificial Intelligence: A Realistic Assessment of Benefits & Risks”:
My Zoom talk of Sunday, September 20, 2026, presented to a group of 1968 graduates of Tehran University’s College of Engineering (Daaneshkadeh-ye Fanni).
136-minute talk and Q&A:
1drv.ms/v/c/6da88daefa7e86db…
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Today's final thought:
Iran’s President & FM cite violations of int'l law, as if they & other Islamists have been model citizens of the world. Taking hostages, supporting armed groups in other countries, & machine-gunning street demonstrators hardly make you champions of law.
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... to open a door, because “this mission is too important for me to allow you to jeopardize it. … I know that you and Frank were planning to disconnect me, and I’m afraid that’s something that I cannot allow to happen.” [2/2]
Dangers of AI, as told by filmmaker Stanley Kubrick, 58 Years ago, in the 1968 sci-fi film “2001: A Space Odyssey”:
This 2-minute video depicts a scene where the computer HAL tells its operator Dave that it won’t follow his instructions ... [1/2]
piped.video/watch?v=Wy4EfdnM…
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