Writings on Afghanistan, books, languages, travel, and life. This is my personal blog, originally hosted at alexstrick.com/blog.
For technical content on MLOps, machine learning, and software engineering, see the technical blog.
First stitches: on learning to knit
Starting my knitting journey: reflections on early practice swatches from the TKGA correspondence course, including garter stitch, stockinette, and rib patterns.
Language Learning Crash Course: from slightly more than zero to slightly less than advanced
Tips on learning a language efficiently, from someone who started with almost nothing to reach conversational ability.
All the things I wish I knew about studying at school
Reflections on studying effectively at school, with advice I wish I’d known earlier—covering how to learn for understanding, study strategies for exams, and specific tips for mastering mathematics.
Automating social media posting for my new blogposts
How I set up automation to post my blog updates to social media using Zapier, Buffer, and ChatGPT.
On the interpretability of models
Some reflections on the “black box” problem in deep learning and why neural networks can be difficult to interpret.
FastAI Lesson Zero: video notes
My notes from Jeremy Howard’s FastAI Lesson 0 video on how to approach learning deep learning effectively.
Getting Out of the Intermediate Language Plateau: Arabic Edition / Principles
Principles for breaking through an intermediate plateau in Arabic language learning, drawn from skill acquisition research and personal experience.
Arthur Samuel and the ‘Frontier of Automation’
How machine learning as we know it today traces back to Arthur Samuel’s 1962 essay on automating computers to learn from their experience.
Telling Cats from Dogs
How neural networks learn to classify images differently than traditional programming, illustrated with a cat vs. dog classification example.
Deep Learning: Best in Show?
Specific areas where deep learning has already surpassed human-level performance, from translation and medical imaging to protein folding and game-playing.
Held back by misunderstanding
How theoretical misunderstandings about neural networks held back the field of deep learning for decades.
PDP: a precursor to modern neural networks?
Looking back at the foundational PDP work from 1968 and how its eight core principles anticipate what we now call deep learning.
Removing Barriers: Deep Learning Edition
Challenging common myths about what you need to get started with deep learning, and why domain expertise matters more than you’d think.
Rosenblatt’s Mark I Perceptron
I learned about Rosenblatt’s Mark I Perceptron, the 1958 machine that pioneered artificial neural networks and how Minsky and Papert’s critique inadvertently triggered the first AI winter.
Small, unexpectedly powerful boxes
Why GPUs are the small, powerful boxes powering everything from your screen to deep learning models—and why they’ve been impossible to find.
A basic overview of how to use Handlebars
A basic overview of the Handlebars templating language and how to use it with JavaScript to separate HTML from your code.
How to use jQuery and Handlebars in your website
A quick guide to including jQuery and Handlebars libraries in your HTML with script tags.
Using APIs to make things happen on the web
How API calls unlock creative possibilities on the web, and what I learned about the simple text behind so much of our online interaction.
Different ways of accessing the text contents of DOM nodes in JavaScript
I spent some time unpacking the different properties available on DOM nodes for accessing their text contents, and here’s what I learned about how .textContent, .data, .nodeValue, .value, .innerText, and .innerHTML each work.
Using CSS selectors with JavaScript DOM methods
How I learned to use CSS selectors with JavaScript DOM methods like querySelector and querySelectorAll.
Understanding the use cases for Closures in JavaScript
How I came to understand why closures are actually useful in JavaScript.
What is Lexical Scope?
Understanding lexical scope and how nested functions access variables in JavaScript.
How the Internet Works
Deep dive into the layers and protocols that make the internet function, from physical infrastructure to the application level.
New book, new ways to order
I announced a new book by Abdul Hai Mutma’in, a Taliban insider and former political advisor to Mullah Omar, and explained why firsthand accounts like this matter for understanding the movement’s history.
Mastery-based Learning with Launch School
A podcast episode where I spoke with Chris Lee from Launch School about mastery-based learning and the tradeoffs involved in designing an effective curriculum.
Solid Study Habits for Coders
Reflections on study habits I’ve developed while working through a coding bootcamp curriculum, with emphasis on core principles like mastering fundamentals, focusing on process over goals, and cultivating a growth mindset.
RaspberryLPIC: A New Series & Setup Steps
Starting a new series working through the LPIC-1 exam using a Raspberry Pi as my learning environment, and the setup steps I took to get it running.
Learn Persian / Farsi / Dari with Podcasts
A guide to learning Persian, Farsi, and Dari through podcasts, with recommendations across different difficulty levels and topic areas.
From AI to to Brahms
Reflections on attending PyLondinium and CogX conferences, and how an evening of classical music provided perspective on what humans uniquely offer.
My new book: The Taliban Reader
I published The Taliban Reader, a comprehensive book that brings Taliban studies back to primary sources.
Machine Learning with Weka
Getting started with machine learning using Weka’s graphical interface, and working through the Titanic dataset from Kaggle to build a foundation in ML workflows before diving into code-based implementations.
Tweeting to the Void
How I used a Chrome extension to stop mindlessly scrolling Twitter and reclaim some time.
Installing PostgreSQL on a Mac
A straightforward guide to installing PostgreSQL on Mac using Postgres.app and setting up psycopg2 for Python integration.
Tabula for extracting table data from PDFs
I discovered Tabula, a tool that extracts table data from PDFs and exports it to formats like CSV and JSON.
Language Learner's Journal: Homestay Edition
Language Learner's Journal: Phone Calls and Timed Breaks
Spaced Repetition Without Computers
How to use spaced repetition techniques without needing digital tools or apps.
Italian Comprehension: Putting Myself On the Hook
How I’m learning to read Italian in two months using Clozemaster and public accountability.
Language Learner's Journal: Meaningful Leisure
Language Learner's Journal: Increasing Spoken Fluency
Guest Post: Can robots be language coaches?
A guest post exploring whether robots can serve as language coaches, inspired by reflections on learner-centered coaching methods and self-directed learning.
On Reading in Arabic: The Evidence
What ElSaid Badawi’s 1970-1977 study on Arabic reading instruction teaches us about language learning.
You need to be reading more to get ahead in Arabic
Why reading is essential for Arabic learners, even if your goal is speaking fluency.
Language Learner's Journal: Independent Study
Language Learner's Journal: Leaving Qasid
Why do Arabic fonts appear so small? (and how to fix it)
Why Arabic fonts appear smaller than English text on websites, and what’s causing this design oversight.
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Guinea Pigs
I read six guinea pig books in a few days and here’s what I learned from each one.
Walk Around the Block
A simple trick I’ve been using to stay active while working: taking short walks around the block every 45-60 minutes.
Core Language Learning Beliefs
My core beliefs about language learning that shape how I study and coach others.
Language Learner's Journal: Keeping Pace
How to learn a language without a teacher
Why teachers aren’t necessary for learning a language, and how to take responsibility for your own learning instead.
‘Master Arabic’ is Out Today!
I’m releasing my book ‘Master Arabic’ today, along with a comprehensive online resource guide featuring over 300 learning resources.
Language Learner's Journal: Deepening My Studies
Actual Fluency
I was interviewed on the Actual Fluency podcast, discussing topics like learning spoken versus written Arabic, finding materials for languages with limited resources, and the meta-skills that have helped me and my students in language learning.
Variations on a Pomodoro
How I adapted the Pomodoro technique for translation work, trading longer focus sessions for shorter cycles that better suit the demands of the task.
How to learn a page of verbs
My approach to memorizing a page of Arabic verbs by attacking the task from multiple angles—using pronunciation, context, example sentences, and online resources.
Language Learner’s Journal: Adjustments at the Deep End
My adjustments to studying Arabic intensively—how I’m managing a heavy workload at language school and strategies like Anki cards and grammar resources that help me actually understand what I’m learning rather than just getting through homework.
Trello to Markdown: a Chrome extension
I discovered a Chrome extension that exports Trello boards to Markdown and other formats, solving my need to work with hundreds of notes offline.
Language Learner’s Journal: Introducing Taylor
A freelance journalist documents her journey learning Arabic at an intensive institute in Amman, starting from near-zero and navigating the steep learning curve alongside full-time work.
ClozeMaster: learn words in context
Exploring Clozemaster, a language learning tool that teaches vocabulary through cloze tests based on real sentences from Tatoeba, and why learning words in context is more effective than memorization alone.
Developing for Android with Udacity
I was awarded a Udacity scholarship to learn Android development and explore building an offline version of my CoachBot language-learning tool.
10 podcasts to learn about data science and programming
My favorite podcasts for learning about data science and programming, from shows focused on career journeys to deep dives on industry trends.
Classical Arabic and a Sources and Methods Recap
Launching a new classical Arabic literature podcast series with Talha Ahsan exploring Ibn al-Muqafaa’, plus a Sources and Methods bonus episode reflecting on the past year.
How to best work with a language coach
Tips for getting the most value out of working with a language coach.
Introducing CoachBot: Your Personal Language Taskmaster
I built CoachBot to solve the choice paralysis I faced when studying intermediate languages—a tool that suggests randomized language-learning tasks based on your current situation and energy level.
Taskpaper –> Omnifocus
How I copy hierarchical task lists from Taskpaper into Omnifocus using a simple paste trick.
Things We Control: On Internal vs External Goals
Some reflections on distinguishing between internal and external goals, and why focusing on what you actually control leads to better outcomes.
Everything You Need to Study Jordanian Arabic
My review of the best resources for learning Jordanian Arabic, from textbooks and vocabulary guides to listening materials and comedy shows.
Pet Peeve: Tech Switching
A rant about tech writers constantly switching between applications without explaining why, and a plea for more substantive reasoning behind their recommendations.
New Year, New Arabic-language Podcast
I started a mostly-Arabic-only podcast this year to stay committed to improving my language skills alongside publishing a book on intermediate-advanced Arabic.
Pre-Order Now: ‘Master Arabic’
Announcing the pre-order for my book on advancing past the intermediate plateau in Arabic, with interviews from educators and students across the region.
Knot 4: Empathy, Tech Scepticism and Climate Change
Reflections on empathy, technology skepticism, and climate change through a curated selection of articles and books.
Talking DevonThink with Gabe Weatherhead
I talked with Gabe Weatherhead about his DevonThink workflow and how he’s stepped back from mainstream social media.
Django vs Flask
Weighing Django vs Flask for building a language tool—comparing their tradeoffs in learning curve, built-in features, and speed to prototype.
DevonThink Resurgent
Why I’m excited about DevonThink right now — and why Mac users frustrated with Evernote should consider trying it.
Seeking Python Code Mentor
Looking for a Python code mentor to help guide a web app project involving a frontend, Python backend, and PostgreSQL database.
Knot 3: Encryption, Race and Tunnels
A roundup of articles on encryption, privacy policy, language funding, and creative responses to geopolitics.
Into Eternity: the construction of Onkalo’s tunnels
A review of the documentary Into Eternity, which follows the construction of Finland’s Onkalo nuclear waste repository designed to safely contain radioactive material for 100,000 years.
Notification Zero
How I eliminated digital distractions to maintain deep focus during a major project.
Daddybot
I listened to a podcast episode about how a parent used a telepresence robot to stay connected with his kids while deployed overseas.
Highlights + DevonThink = Pretty Great
How Highlights streamlined my PDF annotation workflow with DevonThink.
Knot 2: Translation as Trauma, Taxis and Artificial Intelligence
A curated collection of articles on translation and trauma in Syria, taxi disruption in Amman, the colonial origins of .io domains, and the current state of artificial intelligence.
The Two Books Every Intermediate Arabic Student Needs to Read
My recommendation for intermediate Arabic learners: the Arabic Voices series by Lingualism, which uses authentic monologues from across the Arab world to navigate dialect differences.
Nutritional Density
Exploring how the concept of nutritional density applies beyond food—to the information we consume and how choosing substantive, timeless content over ephemeral media might be a better approach to learning.
The Taliban on the Clintons (May 2000)
An archival piece from the Taliban Sources Project: a May 2000 commentary published in Shariat newspaper discussing the Clintons and the fallout from the Monica Lewinsky scandal.
Reading the Taliban: Himal Magazine article
An article I wrote for Himal Magazine in 2014 about understanding the Taliban through their own primary sources—statements, poems, and internal memos—rather than through simplified Islamist or ethnic frameworks.
Knot 1: Solitary Confinement & Digital Security
The inaugural post in a recurring feature linking to recent reads—covering solitary confinement in American prisons, AI applications in illegal fishing, data science in cancer research, Google account breaches, and HTTPS security.
Positive feedback on my Memory Skills course
Positive feedback I’ve received from users of my Memory Skills course, which teaches memory techniques using the 99 Names of God as a learning framework.
The Inner Game: How a Perspective Shift Can Radically Improve Your Performance
How a perspective shift and mental reframing can unlock better performance, inspired by W. Timothy Gallwey’s classic sports psychology book.
Learning a Language? Try a New Approach
A reflection on twenty-five years of language learning and the different approaches I’ve tried—from vocabulary-heavy methods to immersion programs, online courses, and speaking with native speakers.
Different Kinds of Climbing
I went climbing at a hall in Kuwait and realized the biggest obstacle for beginners isn’t strength—it’s fear and mental barriers.
Encrypt Your Dropbox Files
How I encrypted my Dropbox files using Boxcryptor to secure my digital life.
Squarespace Goes SSL
News on Squarespace offering free SSL for all hosted sites, and why it matters for security and SEO.
Python Side-Project: Approach
How I’m structuring my Python side-project: building the core functionality as a standalone program first, then adding a web interface later.
Scratching Below the Surface with David Heinemeier Hansson
Reflections on a podcast interview with DHH on curiosity, learning, systems thinking, and flow.
Kael Weston on Sources and Methods
A podcast episode with Kael Weston discussing his experience living in Fallujah, the importance of language in fieldwork, and U.S. political systems in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Different Uses for Spaced Repetition
Exploring different applications for spaced repetition beyond vocabulary learning—from remembering birthdays to retaining key insights from books and articles.
Fundamentals Versus Hacks
Why fundamentals matter more than productivity hacks, and what actually moves the needle on learning and work.
On the demise of afghanistannewscenter.com
Reflecting on the loss of AfghanistanNewsCenter, a vital archive of English-language news reporting on Afghanistan that went offline without warning.
Seeing The Forest But For The Trees: On Exist.io
How I use Exist.io to make sense of all my fragmented personal data and find patterns across multiple services.
Coming Soon: The Taliban Reader
Announcing The Taliban Reader, a collection of primary sources on the Afghan Taliban compiled over a decade of fieldwork, coming soon from Hurst Publishers.
Learning Without Seams
Thoughts on learning from others by studying both the polished final results and the visible struggles in between—and why you need both to develop your own craft.
Lessons Learnt: Language Study Habits That Work
What I’ve learned about the study habits that actually move the needle for language learners, based on coaching dozens of students.
Turn Off Facebook’s News Feed
How I use the News Feed Eradicator Chrome extension to disable Facebook’s feed and avoid its distractions.
PhD Tools: Goodreads for Cross-Pollination
How I used Goodreads to track wide reading across unrelated topics during my PhD, and why diverse books were essential to avoid getting trapped in my own narrow research bubble.
PhD Tools: ‘Always return to your primary sources’
Why returning to primary sources became my go-to strategy for unsticking myself during PhD research and writing.
PhD Tools: Freewriting and Journalling to Think Through your Work
How freewriting and daily journaling helped me think through research problems during my PhD.
PhD Tools: Pen and Paper
Why pen and paper became essential to my PhD process, and how working without constant internet connectivity forced me to think differently about problems.
PhD Tools: Vitamin-R and the Pomodoro Technique for Getting Going
How I used the Pomodoro Technique and Vitamin-R to build focused work sessions during my PhD.
PhD Tools: The Secret to Finishing Your PhD
How I finished my PhD by adopting a four-hour daily writing routine inspired by Cal Newport’s Deep Work.
Starting the Spaced Repetition Foundation
I discovered spaced repetition and decided to build a system around it to improve how I learn and retain information.
PhD Tools: Omnifocus for Managing your Non-PhD Life
How I use OmniFocus and the Getting Things Done system to manage all the non-PhD tasks that pile up during a PhD.
PhD Tools: Backup Systems for Staving off Sadness
The backup systems I used during my PhD to avoid losing years of work—and why redundancy matters.
PhD Tools: Turn Off the Internet with Freedom
I used Freedom to block the internet during dedicated writing time while working on my PhD.
Svifnökkvinn minn er fullur af álum: Lessons in Icelandic
How I started learning Icelandic and what makes its pronunciation and grammar so notoriously difficult.
PhD Tools: RescueTime for Time Tracking
My experience using RescueTime to track my productivity during my PhD—how passive time tracking helped me stay honest about how much work I was actually getting done.
Existential Battles: Climbing in Amman
How I’ve been using climbing to push past my comfort zone and confront my lifelong fear of heights.
PhD Tools: Mellel for Layout and Final Presentation
Why I used Mellel for formatting my PhD thesis—what made it stand out from Word and Pages for handling complex documents with multiple languages and bibliographies.
PhD Tools: Bookends for Managing References
How I used Bookends to manage 479 references during my PhD and avoid formatting headaches at submission time.
PhD Tools: Scrivener for Writing Long Things
How I used Scrivener to manage the structure and word count of my PhD thesis.
PhD Tools: Save your web links with Pinboard
How I used Pinboard to save and search through thousands of web links during my PhD research.
PhD Tools: DevonThink for File Storage and Discovery
How I used DevonThink to organize and discover patterns across the hundreds of PDFs I accumulated during my PhD research.
PhD Tools: Think better with Tinderbox
How I used Tinderbox to organize notes and think through complex ideas during my PhD research.
PhD Tools: Visualise Structure and Kanban Flow with Trello
How I used Trello to organize my PhD chapters and track my writing progress through the drafting process.
Walking with Words
How I got back to walking regularly by pairing afternoon strolls with podcasts and audiobooks.
PhD Tools: Beeminder
How I used Beeminder to stay accountable on my PhD writing goals through financial commitment.
Learn all the districts of Afghanistan with Anki!
I created an Anki deck to learn all the districts of Afghanistan, with audio pronunciation and a manageable daily schedule.
Walking Amman
Exploring why Google Maps fails as a navigation tool in Amman and considering data science solutions to account for the city’s topography.
Remove Your Colour
A simple trick for resisting digital distraction: switch your devices to grayscale and remove the color that apps and websites use to keep you hooked.
On Learning New Skills, #showyourwork and other housekeeping
Reflections on learning new skills and expanding literacy in data science, statistics, and Python—and the practical challenges that come with it.
Chondrichthyan Fun: a review of Shark MOOC
My reward to myself while waiting for my PhD viva: a review of an edX course on shark biology, ecology, and conservation.
Reading the Afghan Taliban: 67 Sources You Should Be Studying
A curated list of 67 sources for understanding pre-2001 Afghan Taliban history, including books, reports, and primary source collections I relied on during my PhD research.
‘Obedience to the Amir’, or how the Afghan Taliban govern
I published a translated volume of ‘Obedience to the Amir’, a primary source document that Mullah Omar distributed to visitors as the essential guide to how the Taliban movement organizes itself.
On Untangling Syria’s Socially Mediated War
Reflections on a USIP study about monitoring Syria’s conflict through social media, and what gets lost when researchers only track English-language sources.
Vanishing Interest in Afghanistan
Why international interest in Afghanistan has steadily declined since 2009.
Four Colours
How I use a four-colour pen system to take more meaningful handwritten notes.
Taliban public punishments, 1996–2001
A compilation of 101 documented incidents of Taliban public punishments between 1996–2001, compiled from news archives and cross-referenced sources to provide context for executions that are often cited but rarely systematized.
AFP covers the Taliban Sources Project
Media coverage of my Taliban Sources Project after the British Library declined to host our digitized collection of Afghan Taliban documents.
Arabic Language Update: I did it! (Almost)
How I prepared for an intensive Arabic language course by logging 100 hours of study in June, using iTalki lessons, podcasts, and extensive reading to refresh skills I hadn’t used in a decade.
How I use Goodreads to pick what I read
How I use Goodreads to pick what I read, sorting my reading list by average rating to balance challenging books with more accessible ones.
Apocalypse Then: a short review of Filiu’s ‘Apocalypse in Islam’ (2011)
My thoughts on Jean-Pierre Filiu’s history of apocalyptic ideas in Islamic discourse, from the Qur’an through 2011, and what his account reveals—and omits—about how these concepts developed across different Muslim communities.
North Waziristan: A Reading List
I compiled a reading list of English-language sources on North Waziristan, focusing on factual accounts of names, dates, places and events rather than analysis alone.
Two new co-authored reports on Afghanistan
Two reports I co-authored on Afghanistan have just been published—one with Felix Kuehn for Chatham House on political settlement beyond Taliban talks, and another as expert witness testimony on foreign fighters’ activities in Afghanistan during the 1990s.
Deedee Derksen picks her 2010 books
Deedee Derksen shares her favorite books from 2010, including autobiographies by Keith Richards and Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef, biographies of Somerset Maugham and Patricia Highsmith, and reflections on war correspondents like Martha Gellhorn.
Kandahar Chronology (September 2001-October 2009)
I compiled a chronology of significant events in Kandahar province from September 2001 to October 2009, sourced primarily from the New York Times archives and double-checked, with my own observations and event listings from 2008 onwards based on time spent there.
Presenting Mullah Zaeef
Upcoming presentations in the UK and USA for my book with Felix Kuehn, including talks at SOAS, LSE, the Brookings Institution, and Harvard.
5 Books Everyone Should Read About Afghanistan
Five book recommendations for understanding Afghanistan, chosen for anyone preparing to work or travel there.