2009

If you can, spare a thought for former Iranian vice president Mohammad Ali Abtahi, who I had the pleasure of meeting in November 2007 here in Oakland, as seen above. The Associated Press: BEIRUT (AP) — The wife of a prominent pro-reform Iranian politician said Monday her husband was forced into confessing he helped fuel post-election riots as part of a plot to topple the government and said he appeared drugged days before the trial. The contention by Fahimeh Mousavinejad…

I just penned this for PBS’ MediaShift: by Cyrus Farivar, August 3, 2009 A couple of years ago, while browsing in a Philadelphia bookstore, I found a small red hardback book. Its worn woven cover was used, but in decent condition. The side of the book, in a matching faded red background, had a small vaguely Islamic curved label that reads in gold lettering: Mission for my Country / His Imperial Majesty Mohammed Reza Shah Pahlavi Shahanshah of Iran. This…

For the record, I *love* to cook, as evidenced by the photo above. Just made some flippin’ fantastic pizza last night, too. Still, this article is pretty thought-provoking. -CF Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch by Michael Pollan The New York Times Magazine August 2, 2009 But here’s what I don’t get: How is it that we are so eager to watch other people browning beef cubes on screen but so much less eager to brown them ourselves? For…

So this Sunnyvale ad company, VoloMedia, has been awarded U.S. patent 7,568,213 for podcasting. The abstract: A personalized media service provides, e.g., user customization of radio channel selections, immediate availability of multiple preprogrammed and/or customized channels, the ability to intersperse different types of content including periodically refreshed information content, availability of personal radio functions on devices such as car audio systems, PDAs, smartphones, MP3 players, etc. Available channels include, e.g., pre-programmed channels selected for the user based on an interest…

I’m speaking at this event in San Francisco on August 3! August 3, 2009 WHAT: The recent protests over the elections in Iran have shown that social media can be a force for good — and a target for misinformation and censorship. How can technologists build tools for freedom, and defend Net users across the world? WHEN: Monday August 3rd – 7 pm to 9 pm WHO: Danny O’Brien is EFF’s International Outreach Coordinator. He works to help us collaborate…

Al’s hiring again: I wanted to ask for your help again in getting the word out about a high-responsibility (short-term) ICT4D role with TechnoServe’s East African dairy program. It’s a technical job that would involve interesting travel and work on a cutting-edge development project. Note: Do not email me (Cyrus)! Please follow the instructions below. TechnoServe: Database Process Design, Development, and Implementation East Africa Dairy Development Program (EADD) REPORTS TO: EADD Regional Manager or his designee POSITION LOCATION & TRAVEL…

Late last night, the Senate passed the Victims of Iranian Censorship (VOICE) Act. Nico links to the presser just co-released by a number of senators, including leads McCain, Liberman and Graham, Casey, Kaufman and others. Important bits: • Authorizes $30 million to the Broadcasting Board of Governors to expand Farsi language broadcasting into Iran by Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty’s Radio Farda and the Voice of America’s Persian News Network. The funds may be used to develop additional transmission…

For the uninitiated: Haystack is an awesome, new, anti-filtering software that’s custom-designed for Iran. It’s run out of San Francisco run by my new friend and green hat hacker extraordinaire, Austin Heap. Haystack is moving along quite quickly — heck, they’ve even got a swank new website! — and in addition to donating money, you too can help in a really easy, but meaningful way, too: If you’ve got a spare USB thumb drive (at least 128MB or greater), send…

How Geeks (and Non-Geeks) Can Help Iranians Online By CYRUS FARIVAR in Oakland | 17 July 2009 [TEHRAN BUREAU] In the past few weeks, I’ve seen a surprising number of my non-Iranian friends utterly captivated by news coming out of Iran. It’s easy to understand why — the power struggle in Iran’s post-election aftermath is dramatic, to say the least. Indeed, some of the best English-language blogging about Iran has come from non-Iranians, including The New York Times, The Atlantic…

Dear Friends, I’ve been informed that my radio piece on the rise of the Pirate Party in Europe (including France, Switzerland, and yes, Estonia) is airing today. It will be available on any of these stations (and their Internet streams): NYC – 3 pm Eastern – WNYC – 820 AM – www.wnyc.org Washington, DC – 8 pm Eastern – WAMU – 88.5 FM – www.wamu.org Los Angeles – 12 pm Pacific – KPCC – 89.3 FM – www.kpcc.opg Boston –…