sereshk – Nina's Homepage

July 1, 2026

AI as a Search Hub? – Reliability and Knowledge or: ‘(Never) Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth’

Collage of a horse inside a gift carton and two hands typing and a virtual chat box website in front. — Images licensed via Adobe CC, my arrangement

That gift horse… it’s been around for a long time now… Actually, when you think about it, AI is just a gift horse. That’s why you should really ‘look into its mouth’.

Where does that saying come from and why? A gift horse is one you are presented with, for free. Very old horses though originally were considered to be less valuable. Partly because as horses in farming they wouldn’t have power enough. For riding they might also be unequal.
In order to ascertain the age of a horse you look at its teeth, into its mouth, and with experience and knowledge you would know its age with great precision then.

A gift horse comes free. So, don’t look too closely, it’s exactly that: A gift we would want to be grateful for.

In business, people may appear to give something away. But there’s always a reason behind it.

In the case of the major AI applications and chatbots, such as Google, ChatGPT, perplexity.ai, Gemini, Copilot(s), Apple Intelligence and many more, apparently published almost daily these days – they come with a ‘long tooth’:

When you use them, they gather your data, any data you leave, by asking, by searching, by disclosing your whereabouts or even the cookies stored inside your browser. At least their own.

More importantly even:

- When you know about a subject well, such as your profession of long standing, you will easily be able to judge where AI goes wrong.
- On the other hand, you cannot possibly be completely sure, if you are still learning.

How Do I know? And Why?

I have documented AI successfully, with the support by a mathematician at the time and the Product Owner and Designer, IT business. That documentation even was mentioned specially by the US agency Gartner in their Magic Quadrant for Metadata Applications in 2019.

AI per definition does and can do these things:

- It is programmed for finding and using patterns of – and inside – knowledge in the shape of data.
  - This kind of pattern recognition is based on mathematical probability calculations: Statistics.
- At first, known data.
- After it’s been trained, it will be let ‘loose’ on other, more and unknown data to again find patterns.
- The next step is the re-assembling of those patterns in a likely manner.
- Or making predictions based on probability: “How likely is it that the cases A or B will occur again, after they had occurred before such and such number of times?“

This means that

- in cases where you are sure of your ground or the expected results and can double-check them, you are save ‘trusting’ AI.
- Equally, when you ask about a known text or data such as an image or given page/file, it will use that.
- But as soon as you would ask it like a search engine to look for answers online, you may find results be faulty.
  - AI will never ‘tell’ you so. Because it is not able to. It does not recognise meaning. It finds patterns in texts and words.
    Reassembling them.
  - Therefore it will always ‘tell’ you in so many words that everything it ‘says’ is of course right. True.
  - Online sources can be anything from a Wikipedia article through to an advertisement on some page mentioning the phrases you were entering in the chat’s search box/field.

The conclusion to all of this:

Look into any gift horse’s mouth that is an AI you can use for ‘free’!

June 25, 2026

Circadian Rhythms – “Daylight Saving Time” or: “My Way”

A music sheet with notes, and the shadow of a hand in front, holding a rose. — Image by Ri Butov from Pixabay

“My Way” is a song first rendered in French, actually: Comme d’habitude. The English version has the same melody but different text, saying that a full life can mean to do it ‘your way’. To me there’s of course community. Or the necessities of earning a living. But preferably with things I love to do. In my case that’s texts and technology, being a technical writer.

Yet, in my free time I like to listen to my inner rhythms. The ‘clock’. The necessities arising from an eventful professional life and other considerations, making it a challenge at times.

I’ve learned doing Yoga routines. I know about Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Enough to know that being at one with yourself can mean:
“Less is more.”

Circadian rhythm refers to the fact that the sunlight and darkness means something to our everyday life. There’s a lot of scientific research around by now and they confirm the age-old systems I just mentioned.

It may also depend on the phase in life we go through which can mean that adventure or eventful days are aimed at.

But “the times they are a’changin’.” In other words, to be able to live calmly and quietly, doing the mundane things, really, such as writing here; exchanging ideas. Or have a fine, late breakfast on a holiday, with friends even, can be the ‘order of the day’.
Blissful living in the true sense of the word.

Rhythms.

June 21, 2026June 26, 2026

Popping Up All the Time – AI, Its ‘Agents’ and My Equilibrium…

A human hand tapping an AI icon in space or a transparent wall, to the left the shadowy figure of a person with trench coat, Fedora hat and the face itself completely in shadow. — Images licensed via Adobe CC, my arrangement

“Agentic AI” – short for AI workflows you save or set up to reuse and even combine. A little like those macros in MS Office at the time they were popular, before their potential to introduce malware became known.

Well, it reminds me of those thrillers a little: In general, AI can be a help and a fine tool, no doubt about it.
But it also is comparable to knives. In the wrong hands it can do a lot of damage.

How Do I Know?

I am a technical writer by profession and documented AI successfully, with the support of a mathematician and other SMEs. That documentation in 2019 even was mentioned specially by the US-agency Gartner in their Magic Quadrant on Metadata Management Applications.

What I find extremely irritating is the fact that – agents or no agents 😉 – it’s constantly being pushed on me: Not just those pop-ups, but actual AI chat boxes instead of searches. Big, first time logging in, as if nothing else existed.

Paid services or not: I hate being forced to use a technology whose results are doubtful at times and have to be checked and checked backwards again.

I know that selling these days can be hard. Kudos to all sales and marketing people who try it anyway. These days especially where only wars seem to be able to let markets ‘look up’…

Still, forcing it on me is like trying to sell a cookie by forcing me to eat it… Imagine someone being allergic to nuts and having to eat a ‘nutty’ cookie…
Can drive you ‘nuts’… ┐( ͡◉ ͜ʖ ͡◉)┌

June 17, 2026

Truce the US-Administration’s Way…? – Light at the End of the Tunnel – The War on Iran

A map of Iran, showing its flag, behind it barrels of oil and a dollar sign. In frot a dove of peace flying across, bearing the olive twig as sign of peace. — Images licensed via Adobe CC, my arrangement.

Such suffering, such useless destruction and waste – completely unnecessary killings.

I am happy that there is actually a light at the end of the tunnel, as that famous phrase goes.

But at what price!

People scarred for life. Civil population as well as military: What does all this do to a human being?

Interestingly one of the most striking records of souls in pain comes from the US: Award-winning director John Houston as early as 1946 directed and published “Let There be Light“.

The present president whose name I avoid naming, is wholly responsible for this ‘charade’:
Just as was the case with Iraq in 2003-2011, no reason could be found. Not the weapons of mass destruction. But: Oil in abundance. And a nation reeling from the onslaught to this day.

The present president and his ‘horde’ cancelled working and observed contracts of uranium enrichment control with Iran as early as 2018. Confirmed fact. Do we need to say – or think – more?

“Cui bono?” – “Who benefits?” The central question, so often.

If it wasn’t so dreadful, cruel and cold-hearted, a moneymaking ‘cult’ behind it: One would have to laugh at that behaviour for being so extremely ridiculous, practically childish.

Let’s hope – and pray, if you will – that an actual agreement finally will be reached.

Do we need to ask what they plan to do for the ‘victory festivities’ in the US surely to be held – and just as the inauguration – financed by the big tech companies…?
That agreement needs to be reached in a hurry to have a reasonable period of time elapse before they start them…and early enough before the end of the last term in office of this sorry excuse for a man that is that US president.

June 11, 2026June 12, 2026

FIFA World Cup, the USA and Money – Making ‘Social’ News

A glass ball reflecting a hundred euro bill and two black silhouettes of figures pushing it, standing on more euro bills at their feet. — Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

It’s not new anymore, these days: But it still is worth another look and thought: How moneymaking as a cult has apparently taken over our lives. I am old enough to remember life with the Soviet Union still in place. Looking at it from today’s vantage point I feel more and more: since moneymaking as a system has no rival, no ‘enemy’, no opponent anymore, it’s like medieval times – two hard-liners in moneymaking and serving their own personality (character would be the wrong term) at the top (?) in order to make their followers and themselves even more – money. In Russia and the US.

‘Raw capitalism’, unleashed as it were, again. Yes, of course, some people will argue the same way: Just let it be. It will take care of itself, if you only let it.

That’s Adam Smith’s theory, who stated that enterprises should be left to their own devices and the ‘market would take care of itself’. The USA’s national myth. That’s what myths are: A basic fairy tale.
Well, more than 200 years into the picture – and we are still waiting for it – to take care…

Have some ‘guys’, the tough stuff, at the top. The more they misbehave, an actual felon as a US president, the more they make some people believe that ‘tough guys’ still exist, the more they feel reassured.

Because there’s that other view… always lurking around the corner; they just might not be all that tough inside; they just might feel doubtful and insecure deep down about the ‘cowboy’ and ‘hunter’ and ‘soldier’, not to say ‘hero’ image they long for most of their lives.

Some will never get it, not in this life: Male precedence has a history.

And being a man does not mean, be tough, unyielding and unflinching in the face of adversity. If we could finally get that new male image into place (again), we might even stop wars altogether.

One day, women, children, elderly people and even men (who are out of the picture these days because they are so busy saving the others in wars they started in the first place) might be living in peace.
Greetz to all those fine guys out there, who know that being a male human is more than just being tough!

The FIFA World Cup this year, starting today is one more instance of that embarrassing excuse for a man called the present president of the United States and his priorities – not to mention that actual name once in a while. Prices for anything related rocketed sky-high. Just so many people even refused to enter the US, for no justifiable or indeed any sort of ‘reason’, as in: rational thinking.

Related to all that moneymaking and the question of ‘news’ are social media, many of the largest consumed around the world in one or two ‘pockets’.

They don’t do it for nothing: They sell our data.

Interestingly, in front of that court in the hearing about his company’s policies in regard to content control or data privacy, when asked, Mark Zuckerberg himself refused to state then and there the name of the hotel he had slept in the previous night. Or the phone number of the last person he had called before entering court.

That’s what it is about: The right to privacy.

Privacy? Decency? Yes, but only for oneself…?

June 4, 2026June 4, 2026

Politics and the UN Security Council: Stand By Your Convictions…

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay and Adobe CC, my arrangement

Germany and the UN security council: I am German by birth and upbringing. Political and community responsibility were a central part of education as well as discussions in our family. As indeed in the majority of German families and households.

The security council was from the start and always will be a highly political body. When we look at unjust and forced decisions by its 5 permanent members over the past 80 years since its founding, we will start to realize that anywhere in the world power and third party interests influence such bodies.

We also can easily ascertain that good forces and good deeds are strong and at the moment still prevail throughout Europe, including Germany.

Yet, Germany reserves its right to stand up and point at injustice. These days, with an extreme-right-wing president in the US, a dictator in Russia as heads of government, who are basically best buddies, it’s practically impossible to ‘please all’.

You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.
(John Lydgate)

That’s also very clear:
We should not at any time confuse Israeli politics and the reactions to those politics with the past or present of people using antisemitism as a weapon in discussions.

It is tragic and also very true:
In politics and dictatorships all around the world certain methods were – and still are – used to manipulate those of less well-educated mind to gather and hunt those that were a minority, or are an easy target.

‘Minority bashing’ occurs in Russia, in China and the US, in the UK and France. The USA were the first – and so far the only nation – to use a nuclear bomb in a war against another.

They have forfeited their ‘right’ to be counted among the righteous at least in politics: Their present government is nothing to write home about. And that’s putting it rather nicely yet. What would you expect from a president who’s a convicted felon and his administration?

The same holds true for nations such as China or Russia, both also permanent members.

To stand up for our beliefs and the same right for all to justice, peace and support of those rights is a central aspect in German politics and has been for a long time.

I for my part think we can be proud and at the same time unassuming about the great history of science, philosophy and arts this country of Germany possesses.

May 31, 2026May 31, 2026

Iran – Iraq – “Weapons of Mass Destruction” – When Patterns Repeat…

An owl drawing with mandala patterns all over it, a grey mandala pattern and a coast with red sand and red reflecting light in small water lines — Images by 경복 김, Mumtaha Tabassum and Barbara A Lane from Pixabay; my arrangement

When the USA decide on making war, they are adamant. That’s a fine quality in many respects. Yet, in war…? Or making it…? Why, really? After the attacks on the twin towers the US declared war on half the world. That attack was a tragic and cruel occurrence. But it does not provide any justification for shunning international law.

On the contrary: Laws are there for all of the community. In ancient Greece Socrates, the philosopher proved it by accepting a rule that was common then – and drinking the poison from a cup he could have avoided, as a punishment. He died.

When something goes wrong, the US are the first to claim their right, their benefit… the ‘rights’ of the NATO members, for example; that is they ask for and actually pressurize the others to spend more on their annual defense budget, 5% instead of 3%, as only happened around 1.5 years ago.

But: How often did – and do – the US to this day act cruelly against other nations? Without consulting anything but their own foreign interests? What about Japan?
The first and last time ever that nuclear weapons were used in a war. As a testing ground, more or less.

The tests of nuclear weapons in the archipelagos of Bikini they used, to spare their own country? The Bikini islands feel the consequences to this day. So nice and small and quiet and right there… easy to use.

Usage. Benefit. Profit.

That are the pillars of the US-American society and have been since their founding.

The weapons producing industry is the most important, influential and powerful there. And they benefit from NATO members ordering.

In 2003 the war on Iraq was started: “Weapons of mass destruction”, so the official message, apparently had to be recovered. Since Iraq’s dictator Saddam Hussein had apparently accumulated them breaking international agreements they had to be made safe.

To this day, those weapons weren’t found. That’s official. None.

Saddam Hussein originally had been instated with US support. He was their ‘vassal’ in a country that also has huge reservoirs of oil and gas. When he started to become too independent, war was declared. Eventually he was found and killed.

The oil wells burned for years after that. The country is devastated.

Any old lie will do.

Check your sources. Refer to books in libraries written by respected authors of the field. Check more than one important and traditional newspaper of (reasonably) working democracies.

Iran? It’s got oil. It’s got the largest oil recovery industry in the world. Uranium enrichment control contracts were in full working order until 2018, when Trump and his ‘cohorts’ cancelled them. But: the government in place since the revolution of 1979 did not succumb to US pressure.
Regarding their internal affairs that government was a poor example of a dictatorship ‘dressed’ as democracy, including all legal pressure, limitations and punishment as well as control into the bargain typical for such systems.

But let’s remember: The last shah had been instated by the US too. He sold oil to them at dumping prices. When the literally hungry and ‘huddled’ masses rose in the country, his power waned. Finally even his downfall and flight from the country was supported by the US.

The people of Iran are of a peaceful and also proud mindset. If attacked, they fight to the last. They always did. They do not sell out their country for cheap bargains to anyone.

Looking at history as well as present ideas you can be pretty sure of that.
This completely unnecessary war has to be stopped.

May 24, 2026May 25, 2026

Pentecost: “Love Actually” – The Sense of Community and Clear Thought

The original story that is part of the Christian tradition, runs basically like this: After Jesus had been crucified, resurrected and ascented to heaven, his disciples sat around a table, in fear of the future.

Then something happened, which you might call enlightenment and suddenly they started to understand about what matters in life, really:

A strong sense of community, respect and kindness towards your fellow beings, understanding and clear thought.

I also think that the tradition, which with every reason so often states love to be at the centre of life, makes a lot of sense:
Because, it is life, to my mind. People who feel unacknowledged, even unloved may despair of life.
Babies die without love, even if properly fed, cared for and clothed.

That’s why I wish all of you good people out there:

Lot’s of love – and happy Pentecost!

A meadow with violet spring flowers in the front and a sunrise in the back. — Image by Joe from Pixabay

May 18, 2026May 18, 2026

The Sad Story of an Unnecessary War – Iran, the US and a Uranium Enrichment ‘to Use’…

War: a means to an end. Indeed, often it’s more than one end only. In this case there are several:

- Sell weapons (for the industry, the providers of supplies…), make a profit – or two.
- Get your hands on the oil in the country: The US need oil. Iran has it, in abundance. Additionally, it’s got the largest oil recovery industry in the world.
- Distract attention from severe internal problems, such as Epstein papers in the US.
  - Or the waning support for a president and his administration who seem to ‘lose it’ – not just once or twice, but regularly.
  - A president, who’s also a criminal, ruled guilty on 34 counts in front of a US legal court of law, for bribery, corruption and molestation.
  - The ever increasing drug problems of a society that far too long advocated the always handy pills – and the always ‘working human’.
- Make people forget that this had been planned long in advance, as long as 2018, at least, rather longer: When the Trump administration during his first time in office cancelled the working contracts for uranium enrichment control with Iran – that had taken 10 years to negotiate.

It would be a wise man to get proper counselling well in advance – and act accordingly. But then: Whenever did the current president prove to be wise…?

He has been proven to have committed about any felony in the book… This war is a shame and a crime. Nothing else and nothing in between.

May 14, 2026

“People of Like Mind” – The ‘Either Or-Principle’? – First Things First

“A person after my own heart.” Another way in English to express that special type of closeness you can feel at times to some people: People who think and feel similar to yourself about life. That feeling often starts even before you have exchanged a word, yet.

But it is not always sufficient to feel similarly about things for a close and supporting/sustaining friendship. The knowledge, experiences and ideas you can share can be many – or just a few. You would want a person to accept and even understand those special thoughts. Be able to not only barely trace that thread of thoughts… but fully grasp ideas and feeling.
Apart from sharing values, of course. The good ones.

I have gone through many varied times due to the fact that I grew up in the German culture, am German by birth as well as upbringing – and at the same time not only studied Persian culture and literature at university – but also spent a lot of of my adult life so far around Persians and refugees in particular.

Such experiences and realizations as well as reading and ideas cannot be shared easily among any kind of crowd.

I also from childhood was raised to use discretion and care in choosing friends.

In the Western, industrialized world we tend to think that things or people are either ‘black’ or ‘white’, either ‘good’ or ‘bad’.

People, situations, life itself are usually not just that – but many things in between. “The truth is bitter.” That’s a Persian proverb and it is sometimes true too.

“Talk is silver, quiet is golden.” That’s a German proverb I translated and it is also sometimes very true. So many people talk such a lot on any single day. It can be heartwarming to exchange ideas! To share the heart’s burden! Or just make jokes in order to relieve life’s sometimes cruel dealings. But to know when to keep quiet can be an art, as well.

I consider myself lucky, I have seen hard times a lot, but I also met quite a number of good people, was raised by kind and smart and highly-educated parents.

That’s how I learned to focus, keep my calm, focus on “first things first”. Because if you try to do everything at once, you will at one point get the receipt, the bill in the shape of minor pains or problems.

I know how to take care of myself, because:

We are not just one thing – or another. People are more than just the sum of their parts.

Greetz to all of my readers out there who can relate!