We have just returned from our Kars trip. Besides meeting very nice, hospitable people and visiting historical sites, I realize that Kars may rival Gaziantep. Many friends fly to Gaziantep for a weekend food fest, but why not spend some time in Kars? My top four were: Sarı Balık The Yellow Carp, also known as … Read more
We, Sinem and I, have decided to celebrate the second anniversary of our marriage in Kars. Kars sounds magical, especially in winter. I have had my eyes on Kars since reading Orhan Pamuk’s Snow, which takes place in Kars. So far, Kars did not disappoint us at all, even though there is no snow! We … Read more
Visiting fellows lists at CAS can be found here. I will visit Munich as a fellow in January 2025, and Sinem will accompany me. Our Research group led by Prof. Udupa: Below the Radar? Messaging Apps, Encryption and the Enticement of Extreme Speech Online extreme speech and disinformation have emerged as a major problem for … Read more
I will be in Munich for a month in January 2024 to be part of this project: Below the Radar? Messaging Apps, Encryption and the Enticement of Extreme Speech The new CAS Research Group led by communication scientist Sahana Udupa Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München started yesterday. Online extreme speech and disinformation have emerged as a major problem … Read more
I sometimes wonder about the decision-making process at Foursquare HQ. Recently, I saw that Foursquare is killing its city guide app to focus on the check-in app Swarm and wondered again. A decade ago, they killed their very successful app to promote their check-in app, Swarm. They now decided to kill the app totally and focus on Swarm—such … Read more
Today, I had the privilege of speaking at the Friedrich Naumann Foundation’s (FNF) Capacity Building Program in beautiful Bodrum, Turkey. The program, titled “Strengthening and Innovating the Future of Civil Society in an Evolving World,” brought together civil society leaders, academics, and innovators to explore how we can adapt and thrive in our rapidly changing … Read more
It has passed 250 million views now! You can see the rest in my Google Maps, but let me share the most viewed one:
After a productive and collegial workshop environment and a few trips, I am back, and the classes for the new semester started yesterday. Let me here point out a few places we visited. I am glad I could unpin a few places I saved in my Google Maps lists. Hill of Crosses is majestic. I … Read more
I arrived in Vilnius yesterday to attend a workshop for the COST GRADE project. A little walking around led me to Level 9 on Google Maps. It’s a pretty city. I could not make it, but there are many walking tours. I recommend. I saw many groups walking around. And now the workshop starts. I am in … Read more
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
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
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
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