Key Insights by Merlin AI HISTORY OF TED TED was co-founded in 1984 by Richard Saul Worman and Harry Markx, initially as a conference focused on technology, entertainment, and design. The first TED conference featured groundbreaking demonstrations, such as early compact discs and Apple Macintosh presentations, but faced financial challenges, leading to a six-year hiatus. … Read more
Here I show up in Anadolu Agency’s YouTube documentary on social media addictions. Well, you know me, I tried to be as objective as possible, and I am always distant from technological addiction rhetoric. Here I show in a short MESAM video on data security: I am a member of the scientific committee at this … Read more
Key Insights by Merlin AI RAM Price Surge and AI Demand – RAM prices have skyrocketed, with increases as high as 314%, primarily driven by the surging demand from AI applications. – The focus has shifted from traditional DRAM to HBM (High-Bandwidth Memory), which is crucial for AI processing as it provides faster data access … Read more
When I saw this A wave of posts claimed Benjamin Netanyahu was dead. Here’s how it spread. I realized it is time to update the disinformation patterns: Disinformation and War Propaganda in the Iran-Israel-US War (As of 23 March 2026) Overview Since Operation Epic Fury began on 28 February 2026, the Iran-Israel-US conflict has generated … Read more
I saw this Politico news, EU cuts Hungary out of sensitive talks over leaking-to-Russia fears, diplomats say and I asked Perplexity to do more inquiries on this. Here is the report: The claim that “the EU is cutting Hungary out of sensitive talks over leaking‑to‑Russia fears” refers to a real, ongoing diplomatic practice, but not … Read more
I have attended a workshop of a COST project, and now I am flying back to İstanbul. The workshop took place on 19-20 March 2026 at Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, Lithuania. RELINK2 is one of the COST projects I could align my studies with. Glad to be part of it. By … Read more
Below is a broad, data-style mapping of the educational careers of leading Iranian and U.S. political/military figures involved in the 2026 war, separated into living and killed leaders where relevant. Iranian leaders (living) Name Role in 2026 war Highest/primary education & training Type Mojtaba Khamenei New Supreme Leader Seminary studies in Qom; mid‑level clerical … Read more
Just finished an article by dear Joakim Parslow, who knows this blog well. I have done some research on the history of the internet in Türkiye, but Joakim goes far past the pre-internet decades, where Cybernetics had some resonance. The article link is here. Parslow, J. (2021). The Mechanical Atatürk: Cybernetics and State Violence in … Read more
Key Insights by [Merlin AI](https://merlin.foyer.work/) Impact of AI on Employment Opportunities – The unemployment rate for recent college graduates (ages 22-27) has risen to 5.8%, nearly double the rate for older workers with degrees. – Industries like finance and insurance have seen a 14% drop in youth employment between 2010 and 2024, reducing job opportunities … Read more
While the world is burning with the war, I was busy playing with the staff Claude and Perplexity offer. I rely on both AI tools, and although their aid with the computer tasks looks similar, they are more complementary than interchangeable. Here is an in-depth comparison: Claude vs. Perplexity: How They Help Users with Computer … Read more
Kürecik and Incirlik bases in Türkiye together form a tightly linked “eyes and fists” system for the US and NATO against Iran: Kürecik is the early‑warning radar, Incirlik is the main operational hub that can act on that data.[1][2][3][4][5][6] Here is an interactive map I created via Perplexity. What Kürecik actually does Function: Kürecik (Malatya) … Read more
I was once a trainer in an EU-funded project, and I spent a few hours with Prof. Ortaylı in 2015 in one of its workshops. I was really anxious about whether he would make fun of me, but he did not (!). According to the project page of RUMVADER (Cemaat Vakıfları Temsilciliği), it was the … Read more
When Algorithms Translate: Linguistic Colonialism, Data Sovereignty, and the New Role of the Translator This post is based on a talk I delivered at the panel “Translation and the Role of the Translator in Digital Communication,” organized by the Translation Association of Turkey (Çeviri Derneği) at Istanbul Aydın University on March 13, 2026. In Turkish, … Read more
AI in Military Operations – The Pentagon has begun employing Anthropic’s AI model, Claude, for military operations, marking a significant shift in modern warfare tactics. – AI has been utilized in key operations, including the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and during conflicts involving Israel and Iran. – The U.S. military’s reliance on … Read more
Today I was invited to a talk at CNBCE Turkey. The topic was, of course, war, AI, and disinformation. While I was preparing for the talk, I updated my previous report on disinformation in the current war. A few instances of interest: 1- Unconfirmed stories on X and in some regional outlets allege that Quds Force … Read more