Book Review: Empire of AI by Karen Hao linocoria.com/home/f/book-... #artificialintelligence

Sometimes we have skills that come so naturally to us that we fail to recognize how powerful they are. When I was six years old, my teacher asked me to say a few words in front of the class and, after that, I was always chosen for public speaking events. I never thought much of it... 1/2

I have to admit I read ebooks faster than regular books. Two reasons: 1) I can read in bed with the lights off and 2) I can read hands free while I eat lunch.

Mis comentarios sobre el libro “El Imperio de la IA: Sam Altman y su carrera por dominar al mundo” de la periodista Karen Hao. El libro explora la historia de OpenAI y el impacto ecológico que las empresas tecnológicas tienen en el planeta. #inteligenciaartificial #openai #libro #tecnología

Is there a movie where you see yourself? This doesn’t happen to me often. But, right now, about half of this movie, Brad’s Status, is so close to stuff I’m going through. youtu.be/22w8T9K8iRU?...

Thinking about Spain. Just because. Pensando en España. Nomás porque sí.

I have amazing students this semester. They are focusing on learning and not so much on grades. (Having said that, when you focus on learning, you usually get very good grades)

La IA está transformando el mercado laboral. El 21 de marzo estaré en CDMX compartiendo lo que creo que los jóvenes profesionistas necesitan saber para no quedarse atrás. Lo haré desde mi perspectiva como profesor de ciencias de la computación y papá de dos hijas adolescentes. Los espero.

AI is reshaping the job market faster than most of us expected. On March 21st, I'll be in Mexico City sharing (in Spanish) what I think young professionals need to know to stay ahead. I'll bring my perspective as a CS prof and as a dad who thinks about this every. Come join the conversation.

Northeastern University GLOBAL STUDY EXPO Empower Your Career with Northeastern: Building Al Skills for Today's Changing Workplace Date: March 21, 2026 (Saturday), 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Venue: Mexico City (JW Marriott Hotel Polanco)

Si tienes vínculos con México: es completamente natural querer estar informado y ayudar. Por eso mismo, te pido que solo compartas información de medios verificados y organizaciones periodísticas independientes. Un mensaje de WhatsApp bien intencionado puede causar más daño que ayuda.

He encontrado libros sobre las clases sociales y el sistema de castas de los Estados Unidos. Si conocen algo similar pero sobre las clases sociales mexicanas les agradeceré que me compartan la información. Me fascina este tema (me produce enojo y dolor pero se me hace tan interesante).

I'll be giving a Master Class in Mexico City very soon. Please join us if you are in the area and interested in our graduate programs at @northeasternu.bsky.social connect.northeastern.edu/portal/mexic...

Qué bonita y qué triste la canción de LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii. #BadBunny

I asked my 17-year-old if she wanted to go with me for a walk in the woods. She said yes and we had a warm, meaningful conversation. I’m kidding. She said no and is now staring at her phone 📱

Random thought of the day. We are irrelevant but it’s ok to believe we are special when we are young.

According to Claude my name is Lino Estrada Barba, PhD 🫠 (it's not)

Most answers to the world’s problems can be found in this book by Isabel Wilkerson.

My daughter’s last soccer season. She’s turning 18 soon and heading to university. My little girl ❤️

Here is a new Claude-made game I created for my daughter. She needs to practice converting improper fractions to mixed numbers (and vice versa). linonu.github.io/puppy-treat-... #MathEducation #EdTech

I submitted three documents to two conferences today! My secret? My amazing students. A team of students wrote the original draft (course project) and then one of the students kept improving the document.

[Gift Article] From the New York Times: "Driven by the artificial intelligence frenzy, Microsoft is internally projecting that water use at its data centers will more than double by 2030 from 2020, including in places that face shortages." www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/t... #artificialintelligence

Always say thank you.

[Gift Article] A couple of years ago I really enjoyed Cade Metz's book "Genius Makers: The Mavericks Who Brought AI to Google, Facebook, and the World." Now he's written a profile of Dr. Yann LeCun that's worth your time. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/t...

Many people dislike the last third of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn because of what Tom Sawyer does. But that’s the whole point. Tom Sawyer is a sociopath. He is like Ferris Bueller. Both Tom Sawyer and Ferris Bueller are selfish and do things that they find amusing without thinking who gets hurt.

Here's how the game looks

I was helping my 12-year-old with math the other day and discovered she cannot do basic math with her head anymore! (e.g., 9x5, 35/7). Why? She is relying too much on the calculator. I used Claude to create this fun, Gen Alpha-inspired game. Feel free to use it. linonu.github.io/tidy-up-game/

I had ZERO meetings today

Got to dress up for the 2025 Committee Volunteer Appreciation Dinner organized by the City of Port Moody.

“Pedro y el Lobo” no es lo mismo que “El pastorcito mentiroso.” Las dos son historias que involucran a un niño y un lobo pero son distintas. Digo esto porque mucha gente se refiere al cuento del pastorcillo mentiroso (the boy who cried wolf) como Pedro y el Lobo. Debo admitir que me irrita mucho.

I hope that we all learn that any topic is complicated and, usually, something isn’t 100% good or 100% bad. An example of this is Gen AI. There are people who love this technology and rely on it excessively. There are others who hate it so much they claim they will never use it.

I made an effort to eat healthier during the second half of 2025 and it payed off (health wise). Now I need to keep that discipline but add more exercise to my life in 2026.

Granville Island is always fun.

My Christmas presents 🎁

I feel seen.

Rocky Point Park in Port Moody, BC, Canada. 🇨🇦

Reunión de primos Mendoza. Tres países distintos. Cinco ciudades distintas. The Mendoza cousins virtual holiday celebration. Three countries, five cities.

My teen was telling me how much she learned from TV shows when she was little. She specifically mentioned “The cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That” and “Mr. Peabody and Sherman.” Tons of shows that are both fun and educational. However, once kids turn ten, almost everything they get is garbage.

Something I’ve decided to do from now on is to only write reference letters for students I know very well… beyond the classroom. Example: they came to office hours, they were TAs for my courses, I saw them volunteering or helping their peers.

Both my daughters had soccer games today. One of them won and the other one got hit in the face with the ball.

Guess who?

We borrowed the English (original) and Spanish (translation) versions of this graphic novel so that my youngest daughter can improve her reading skills in Spanish.

So sad so many people live their entire life thinking this is Mexican food.

Random thoughts while walking in the woods

When you speak at events you usually get swag. Last week I talked at an event and got, among other things, some coffee beans!

My goal/challenge for next semester is to teach computational thinking + Python programming while asking my students to not use their laptops and phones during at least 50% of class time.

The second season of Man on the Inside is not about solving a case. It is about the importance of higher education. Particularly the arts and social sciences. Higher education not as a way to make more money but as a way to become a well rounded individual and make strong, long lasting connections.

The Screen That Ate Your Child’s Education www.nytimes.com/2025/11/16/o...

Power washing by drone. Main branch of the Vancouver Public Library.

Great news, everyone! The Western Canadian Conference on Computing Education (WCCCE) 2026 is coming soon and will be hosted at @northeasternu.bsky.social Vancouver! event.fourwaves.com/wccce2026/pa...