I am writing while we wait for our flight to Istanbul. It is the end of our month-long US trip. I want to list a few apps or services I used during the trip. Nothing too unfamiliar, though! I thank Booking.com. As you might know, Booking.com is not very useful for Turkish users in … Read more
While driving through California, I listened to a commentary by İsmail Saymaz. He claims that Ali Koç is a MHP voter. That surprised me as Mr. Koç does not look like a stereotypical MHP fan. Koç family is mainly portrayed as part of the Westernist secular establishment. Ali Koç is a Rice University graduate, by … Read more
After a relaxing and nostalgic stay in Houston, we flew to LA and drove to Irvine to meet with Kaan and İrem, my former students, who are residents here. I felt less nostalgic. Still, a very productive semester spent here reminds me of good times. Now, on our way to San Fransisco to meet with … Read more
Oh this lovely BBQ place (!) Sinem and I had dinner at Goode Company, where I had the taste of beef brisket for the first time! It should be 20 years ago. We had a lovely outing and had seafood with Julie and her friend Amir in Galveston. It is lovely to catch up with Julie … Read more
00:01 Lars Ulrich faces criticism from bandmates and others 00:46 Ulrich regrets mistreating Newstead 01:30 Lars Ulrich’s strong influence on Metallica’s sound 02:17 Lars Ulrich’s controversial behavior has not been forgiven by some in the rock community. 03:01 Tension between Dave Mustaine and Lars Ulrich 03:42 Dave Mustaine refused to release 1982 demo due to … Read more
This is our second week on our US trip. Jessica was such a great host back in Detroit; we just chilled out and enjoyed our time. I will write about where I visited there, but now in Houston, I have strong feelings of nostalgia! Sinem and I visited the Rice University campus. The classes … Read more
This is a short statement to TV100 TV channel. I have used ElevenLabs to dub it. I did not like the accent there but I was lazy to choose among the voices. ElevenLabs along with a few competing pioneers is in my recommended list for AI supported audio creation, dubbing etc.
I received an announcement of a book in which I was also cited. Simona Levi et al. Fake You – An Activist’s Guide to Defeating Disinformation Don’t blame the people; don’t blame the Internet; blame the power Governments, political parties, mass media, large corporations and fortunes: the monopolies of information manipulation and the threats to freedom … Read more
Our long-awaited one-month trip to the US begins now. The plane takes off in an hour. We have a relatively flexible plan. Chilling out more than a frenzy of sightseeing in our minds- Well, Sinem is definitely in that mode. I am thinking of my Google Maps saved list.
We had a productive roundtable on AI with a full house. It was one of the few panels/roundtables on AI, and although most anthropologists keep their distance from emerging technologies, we might have had a good reception (I was told the STS conference in Amsterdam just before the EASA would satisfy me with lots of … Read more
The climate crisis is hitting harder and harder, and I see many people around me feeling unwell with the high temperatures. July 22 sets new record for hottest day globally: EU climate monitor Even my father, who did not like to turn on the car’s AC during summer days, is complaining now! I have never … Read more
Despite being a star academic, he was kind enough to return my emails when I was an MA student. His Weapons of the Weak was influential in political thinking, and his Seeing Like a State was a major source for me retreating from a particular radical politics. In my Rice years, my research focus changed, … Read more
Such feeling of nostalgia! antropologi.info is 20 years old – some (unfinished) notes and thoughts That’s how antropologi.info looked like in 2004 In June 2004, I bought the domain antropologi.info, and this website with blogs in English, German, and Norwegian soon became part of a steadily growing anthropology online community. Browsing through old posts, I get … Read more
The official site is slightly clunky, but you can get it all there. My session is tomorrow. I have asked the chatGPT to categorize the conference topics: Top Topics at the EASA 2024 Conference Doing and Undoing Mobility: Several panels address the dynamics of mobility, immobility, and migration, often from an anthropological lens. Anthropology of … Read more
Just finished Barbara Kingsolver‘s Demon Copperhead. It grasped my soul while reading it. Set in the mountains of southern Appalachia, this is the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father’s good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce … Read more