B I J A N

Lately I’ve been writing a lot about politics. I’ll get back to that soon. But this blog has never been about just one thing. Politics, yep. But also tech, travel, photography, music. Whatever’s on my mind. So today I want to share some personal tech I’ve been using now that I’m back in private citizen mode.

Here’s what I’ve been relying on:

Granola. I’ve tried a bunch of AI meeting tools but this is the first one that actually feels useful. It doesn’t record or transcribe. It just produces clean notes that capture what matters. After every meeting I use a Raycast hotkey to copy the notes into Apple Notes so I have them everywhere. Mobile version is great too.

Raycast. I put off trying this for way too long. I thought it was just a fancier Spotlight but it’s so much more. Crazy fast. Endlessly customizable. Packed with so many features. Clipboard management, text snippets, controlling Spotify with a quick command. The AI extensions are wild. I use it to summarize articles and translate text and generate playlists. Every time I think I’ve found everything it can do I stumble on something else.

Superhuman. I’ve used it for years but while I was in government most of my email was on a controlled system so I barely touched it. Now that I’m back I realize how much I missed it. The AI has gotten seriously good. Search is instant and smart. I can ask “when is my next flight?” or “show me tax documents from my advisor over the last three months.” But where it really shines is replying. A few prompts and I have a response that sounds like me.

Arc Browser and Arc Search. This one’s tricky. The Browser Company seems to be moving toward their next thing, DIA. But for now Arc Search is still my default on iPhone. Fast, great ad blocking, smooth gestures. On desktop Arc is packed with thoughtful features. Powerful UI, keyboard shortcuts, fast profile switching, solid Chrome extension support. 1Password works way better here than Safari. Just a great browser.

Chorus.fm. My go to for music discovery. Old school in the best ways. No algorithm. Just solid recommendations and real discussions.

Camera bags (or lack thereof). After years of trying every camera bag imaginable I’ve landed on two that aren’t meant for cameras. A tote from our local Nantucket grocery store and a backpack from Pakt. They don’t scream “camera bag” and they just work.

That’s the list. The political posts will be back soon :)

Elon Musk says Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is irrelevant and a waste of taxpayer money. He’s wrong.

If no one were listening, why do authoritarian regimes work so hard to silence it? Russia has designated RFE/RL a “foreign agent” and an “undesirable organization.” Labels reserved for direct threats. Its journalists face harassment and imprisonment.

One of them is Alsu Kurmasheva, a Russian American reporter detained in Russia for months. President Biden and colleagues at the White House and State Department secured her release. I met her afterward. A remarkable journalist.

When we defund institutions like RFE/RL, we cede ground to regimes that thrive on censorship and disinformation. RFE/RL reaches millions in places where state controlled media is the only alternative.

Václav Havel invited RFE/RL to move to Prague in 1995 because he understood what it meant to those behind the Iron Curtain. Czechs still tell me how it gave them hope during the Cold War.

People risk their lives to do this work. They deserve support.

An email recently sent to federal employees by Elon Musk and DOGE argued that government workers are less productive than those in the private sector. That American prosperity depends on pushing people out of public service. This is wrong.

I’ve worked in both. I spent years in tech and venture capital before serving as U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic. I know what productivity looks like in Silicon Valley. I know what it looks like in government.

The people I worked with in government were some of the most dedicated I’ve encountered. They weren’t chasing stock options. They were there to serve. They built transatlantic partnerships and countered foreign influence and helped stranded Americans during crises. They did this regardless of who was in the White House. Their allegiance was to the country. Some made real sacrifices. Sometimes the ultimate sacrifice.

To call these people less productive is uninformed. In the private sector I watched brilliant people chase trivial things. Flashy features. Short term metrics. There are exceptional people in the private sector. But the idea that public servants are less effective ignores reality.

Public service can’t be measured the same way. How do you quantify USAID workers running health programs that have saved millions of lives? Combating malaria and HIV/AIDS. Reducing child mortality. Stabilizing fragile countries. This work doesn’t generate profits. It saves lives.

The narrative that the private sector is superior demoralizes people already under strain and undermines institutions we depend on.

To Musk and his team: spend time with this workforce before making sweeping judgments. They’re not your adversaries.

For decades America’s strength has come from more than military or economic power. Our alliances have been our greatest strategic advantage.

In a few weeks Donald Trump has given Vladimir Putin a gift no Russian general could deliver: the undermining of those alliances.

He’s insulted Canada and Denmark. Countries that have stood with us through war and peace. He’s claimed the European Union has treated America “very badly.” That’s not true.

Our European allies have led the response to Putin’s war in Ukraine. The EU has implemented over a dozen rounds of sanctions on Russia at real economic cost. Despite Putin weaponizing energy they haven’t wavered. They’ve provided more military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine than we have.

I saw this as U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic. Every bipartisan congressional delegation that visited Prague thanked the Czechs for their support of Ukraine. EU nations have taken tough stands on China and confronted Beijing on human rights and its backing of Russia. These aren’t adversaries. They’re partners.

Yet Trump treats them like punching bags. He pushes away allies who share our values and security priorities.

Our allies are starting to question whether the United States is still reliable.

We need these alliances. To confront Russian aggression. Fight terrorism. Secure supply chains. Respond to crises. NATO grew bigger and stronger under Biden. Trump is unraveling that.

When I served as ambassador I woke up every day focused on strengthening alliances because they made America safer. That’s still true.