29 Sept 2025
This episode covers diverse technological advancements, including the launch of air taxis in Iran and new Apple product developments. It also delves into significant artificial intelligence predictions, digital security vulnerabilities, and reflections on personal experiences and user comments.
Episode 125 humorously references the fire department number and marks the last 'tik-tok' of the current year before a two to three-week holiday break. Special Eid programs are planned, with the next 'tik-tok' (episode 126) scheduled for April 16th.
Air taxis have been launched in Iran, but their practicality, high cost, and safety are highly questioned. Concerns stem from the use of small, propeller-driven planes with unknown maintenance records, and a historical inability to successfully transport mammals by air, as demonstrated by previous failed animal space missions. Air taxi services are described as expensive, costing 7 Tomans per hour or 150 for a package, leading to skepticism about their widespread adoption.
A critical zero-day vulnerability exists in Apple phones and various other products, as reported by computer ping. This flaw allows attackers to use malicious web content to escape the WebKit security sandbox (Safari engine) and gain unauthorized access to other parts of the system. The vulnerability affects a wide range of devices, including iPhones from XS onwards, various iPads, and all devices running macOS Sequoia and Vision Pro, necessitating immediate software updates.
The upcoming iPhone 17 is rumored to be only 4 millimeters thick, making it significantly thinner than previous models, which raises concerns about its structural integrity and the placement of internal components. This device is expected to feature silicon-carbon battery technology, providing more capacity in a smaller space, and a large sensor camera with 48x zoom. User preference is questioned between ultra-thin devices with short battery life and thicker devices with multi-day battery life.
Users who purchased iPhones illegally in Iran before the registration system was implemented can now register their devices. The process requires inserting a SIM card registered in the owner's name into both SIM card slots for 72 hours, then using the customs system with personal identification details. A controversial loophole reportedly allows users to declare a lower storage capacity (e.g., 128GB for a 512GB phone) to pay a reduced registration fee, though this is explicitly stated to be at the user's own risk.
Google has unveiled Gemma, an open-source artificial intelligence model praised for its superior performance on a single GPU compared to competitor models like DeepSec R1 and Lama S. Gemma can be downloaded and run locally on systems with sufficient RAM and powerful GPUs. Furthermore, Gemma's features are free for everyone through Gemini, including Gemini Live's support for the Persian language, and it is slated to officially replace Google Assistant on all Android phones by the end of 2025, integrating all Assistant functionalities into an AI agent.
The CEO of Anthropic predicts that within six months, artificial intelligence could write 90 percent of all programmer codes, and 100 percent within a year. This highlights coding and programming as areas where AI has made significant advancements and poses a direct threat to human employment in these fields, particularly given the high quality of code produced by models like Claude S7.
China is known for large-scale industrial espionage, often involving the physical copying of machine dimensions by journalists at trade fairs. This practice extends to targeting highly valuable secret algorithms, which can be worth millions despite consisting of only a few lines of code, within responsible companies like Anthropic.
Elon Musk asserts that Neuralink will enable telepathy, allowing remote communication through thought, and telekinesis, the ability to control objects with one's mind. These advancements are envisioned to have transformative applications in medicine and for improving various problems.
Candy Crush Soda is recommended as an effective time-killing application, particularly useful in social situations where one might prefer a distraction, such as during holiday visits. It offers an engaging and enjoyable gaming experience, designed to prevent player fatigue.
Iranian law, specifically Article 156 of the Islamic Penal Code, permits individuals to defend their life, property, or honor if facing a real and immediate danger and lacking the opportunity to seek help from the police. However, the defense must be proportionate to the threat; excessive force against an attacker can lead to legal complications.
The text offers commentary on the rapidly changing and often illogical pricing in the Iranian market, citing examples such as the significant price increase of the Nothing phone and the continued high cost of iPhones due to their classification as passenger goods. The inability of AI to generate specific business documents like letterheads for unique scenarios (e.g., a 1000-megawatt solar plant) highlights limitations in AI capabilities for certain bespoke tasks.
In a year, artificial intelligence will completely replace humans and programmers.
| Insight | Summary |
|---|---|
| Air Taxis in Iran Launch | Air taxis have been launched in Iran, but face skepticism due to high costs, safety concerns over small planes with questionable maintenance, and a history of failed animal transport experiments, suggesting impracticality for general use. |
| Apple Zero-Day Vulnerability | A critical zero-day vulnerability in Apple's WebKit engine allows attackers to escape the security sandbox via malicious web content, affecting numerous devices (iPhones, iPads, Macs). Immediate software updates are crucial. |
| iPhone 17 Design and Battery | The iPhone 17 is rumored to be ultra-thin (4mm), raising concerns about durability and internal component space. It is expected to utilize silicon-carbon battery technology for increased capacity in a compact design. |
| iPhone Registration Loophole in Iran | A process exists for registering illegally purchased iPhones in Iran, involving SIM card activation and customs system entry. A risky loophole potentially allows users to declare lower storage capacity to reduce registration fees. |
| Google Gemma AI Developments | Google's open-source Gemma AI outperforms competitors, supports Persian in Gemini Live, and will officially replace Google Assistant on all Android phones by late 2025, integrating all Assistant functionalities. |
| AI Threat to Programming Jobs | Anthropic's CEO predicts AI will write 90% of all code in 6 months and 100% in a year, indicating a significant and rapid replacement of human programmers by artificial intelligence. |
| Elon Musk's Neuralink Vision | Elon Musk envisions Neuralink enabling telepathy (remote communication through thought) and telekinesis (controlling objects with one's mind), with potential for major advancements in medicine. |
| Self-Defense Laws in Iran | Iranian law permits proportionate self-defense against real and immediate threats to life, property, or honor, provided there is no opportunity for police assistance; however, excessive force is illegal. |
