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An Adirondack Adventure
July 3rd, 2009It was pitch black out, even though the sun had barely set beyond the distant mountains. Dense cloud cover and even denser evergreens obscured the weak light of the quarter moon, making it nearly impossible to find secure footing on the slick rocks that studded the muddy trail. I had been hiking since 6 a.m. and now had no food, little water and was still three hours away from my car. Read More
Other Blog
Watching a Sea of Green: June 25, 2009
June 25th, 2009Maybe it’s because Michael Jackson has died—it’s a sad and unnerving feeling to think that he’s gone—but today has had a very peculiar quality to it. Even for Iran, today was rather strange. Let’s look at what’s happened. Seems like Iran is in a state of flux, alternating between days of horrific violence and tense calm. Today is the major exam day of Iran, during which the Konkoor---Iran’s college entrance exam—is administered. It’s of a different mode than the SATs. Read More
Diagnosing Cornell's Security Breach
June 24th, 2009At the present moment, Cornell Information Technologies (CIT) is slightly embarrassed to be dealing with a leak involving the personal records of 45,000 members of the Cornell community. Just slightly. Read More
Watching a Sea of Green: June 24, 2009
June 24th, 2009Much to my dismay, it looks like I’d spoken too soon about things appearing relatively calm in Iran. Today was chaotic. The major point of incidence in Iran was at Baharestan in Tehran. Baharestan is where the Iranian Parliament (Majlis) meets. Protesters amassed there today (the 24th) in an effort to again show their rejection of the election results that had President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad overwhelming reelected to the presidency. As is now frequently the case in Iran, where there are protesters there are Basij paramilitary forces. And where there are Basiji there is sure to be violence. Read More
Archived Stories
Watching a Sea of Green, June 23, 2009
June 23rd, 2009If you've kept abreast of what has been going on in Iran, then you'll have noticed perhaps that things seem somewhat calmer in Iran. That's all relative of course; compared to Saturday, anything even slightly tamer is bound to appear calm. Beyond that, however, the government has increased its efforts to curtail communication between the protesters and the rest of the world. Read More
The Green Resistance
June 22nd, 2009Unless you’re apathetic about news and/or foreign policy (if you are, why are you reading this blog?) then you’ll have heard by now about the protests in Iran. I won’t rehash the whole events of the past week,--they can be seen here --but it is important to note just how monumental the events of the past week have been in Iran. Read More
Turning a Blind Eye in Exchange for Big-Budget Architecture
June 9th, 2009For a long time, architecture wooed me with tales of utopia and romance; I believed that skyscrapers, steel girders and curtain walls would herald positive change in the world. The legacies of the most famous architects include visions of perfection – Frank Lloyd Wright’s Broadacre City, Le Corbusier’s Plan Voisin Pour Paris. But the reality of modern architecture is a far cry from these visions. Recently, the industry’s most famous superstars – Frank Gehry, Jean Nouvel, Zaha Hadid and others – have been called out as enablers of slavery. Read More
Pessimistic Reading of Physical Renderings
April 30th, 2009Society teaches us that science has no limits; that you and I can be whatever we want to be, do whatever we want to do, and that scientists are nothing but an utter bouquet of bright minds moving from grass to grace, sharing their knowledge with all and sundry, passing on the ‘Universalistic’ torch inscribed with the message: all is possible in the name of science. Read More
Should Abu Ghraib Soldiers Receive Pardon?
April 30th, 2009The startling pictures of naked prisoners piled on top of one another at Abu Ghraib prison was a frequently seen image on the news. After investigation, seven soldiers and two officers were convicted on charges of cruel and abusive interrogation techniques. While pictures provide visible evidence of these allegations, it remains unclear as to who, if anyone, ordered this type of unlawful behavior. However, the recent release of memos ordering harsh interrogation techniques by former President Bush shed light onto the reality of the situation. Read More
To the Class of 2009: An Open Letter
April 30th, 2009Three years ago at a friend's Collegetown party, I was sitting on a couch next to a guy holding a beer the way a child clutches a security blanket. Amidst the dark atmosphere and loud music, he turned to me and urged me to enjoy myself while I was at college. "The world", he told me, "says these are the best years of our life." Read More