Mosaferín-e Mohtaram
August 3, 2026
A story of a return to Kabul after decades away — through ordinary moments that carried unexpected weight, and a country that was both exactly as she remembered and entirely changed.
Specializing in a niche software field offers job security and develops strong interpersonal skills through direct user interaction. However, deep expertise in a narrow area can lead to career vulnerability if market demands shift. Specialized professionals risk finding their experience disconnected from broader technological trends and current hiring needs.
Do Not Trust the Sunset: Notes from a Doha August
August 4, 2026
Stepping outside in a Doha August is a tactical operation. A light-hearted look at heat, humidity, and the stubborn weekly football match that refuses to quit.
Finding the right tools for your development workflow is a constant struggle, and Git tooling is no exception. Despite the plethora of Git clients available, none of them ever felt quite right. For a while, I settled on GitFiend. It worked well enough, but my workflow was still not quite right: I’d use the GUI […]
Why XFCE Makes Windows Optional
July 24, 2026
Windows isn’t the default anymore. Xfce is fast, familiar, and finally polished — running it on Fedora’s bleeding-edge spin, coming off years of i3, and I haven’t noticed a single performance hit.
I tweaked my i3 configuration to automate application placement. During this process, I encountered a frustrating issue. LibreOffice was ignoring my workspace assignments. While the main suite started correctly, specific components like LibreOffice Writer refused to land in their designated workspace. The first attempt I originally used the assign directive in my config as it […]
But beneath all that, a profound reality is that we’re building tools that can engage in subtle, reflective, and culturally rich conversations.
Why I Ghosted My Blog (And What Brought Me Back)
June 11, 2025
It’s been quite a while…. such a long time that I can’t think of how to begin anymore. To be honest, I wasn’t sure I’d blog again. It wasn’t because I did not have anything to say. Somewhere along the way, life got busier and platforms got louder. At some point, the pressure, and maybe […]
Marx, Engels and Lenin in Pul-e-Charkhi Prison
November 30, 2018
With all the hype about Marxism and Socialism, I remembered this story. Someone in my family back in the 1980s spent some time in the infamous Pul-e-Charkhi prison. They had taken him because of suspected links to anti-government elements. There were certainly more than one in every family who the authorities had locked up with […]
Having lived in Australia, I’m no stranger to long-haul flights. If you’re going to be stuck on a plane for over 15 hours, why not break up the journey with a layover that feels like a mini-holiday? For travelers between Europe and Australia/New Zealand, a stop in the Middle East is often unavoidable. If you’re […]