Blog on Shirin Manzari

I Built a Desktop App with Both Tauri and Electron

shirin.manzari@gmail.com (Shirin Manzari) — Wed, 14 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0330

When it comes to desktop apps, I’m a native-first person. I like software that feels like it belongs on the OS it runs on. I’d rather use the platform’s native stack than put a web UI inside a desktop shell. That said, native development gets expensive once you want to support multiple platforms. So yeah, I get why companies go for Electron. But honestly, I still hate it. From a developer point of view, I’m not a fan of shipping Chromium with every desktop app. That’s what made Tauri interesting to me.

A Cozy Game for Late Autumn Nights

shirin.manzari@gmail.com (Shirin Manzari) — Sat, 03 Oct 2026 15:25:22 +0330

Sometimes, you just want a stress-free, comforting, cozy game to sink into at the end of the day. For me, that game was Tiny Bookshop . Honestly, I picked it mostly because of the name. Lately I’m really into reading again. So, when I saw the title and also overwhelmingly positive Steam reviews, I knew it would be good.

My bookshop on a rainy day in Tiny Bookshop

You’re a new face in town, running a tiny second-hand bookshop out of a wooden trailer attached to your car. Every morning, you stock the shelves, decorate your trailer, and choose a destination for the day.
Most of your tasks include deciding what books to stock, choosing where to open the shop for the day, talking to people, and trying to figure out what kind of book someone might enjoy more.
And as someone who likes books, the recommendation system is probably my favorite part. During these little challenges, where you help people find the right book, I actually came across a few titles that ended up on my own to-read list. The selection of books in the game feels curated and thoughtful, which makes this part really enjoyable.
Another satisfying part of the game is preparing the shop itself. You can collect decorations and arrange them to match the vibe of your destination and seasons. The decorations aren’t purely cosmetic. Different items can add small gameplay bonuses.
There’s also a part of the game where you talk to people, follow their little quests, and collect items for them. It wasn’t my favorite part, but it does help to keep things from getting boring.
The beautiful visuals and chill music, combined with the slow pace and relaxing gameplay, make it a great choice for unwinding after a long day or playing for a while before bed. Especially if you experience it on a handheld like the Nintendo Switch.

How Do I Feel About AI in 2026?

shirin.manzari@gmail.com (Shirin Manzari) — Thu, 17 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0330

Well, at first, I wasn’t one of those people who welcomed AI with open arms. I absolutely hated those overwhelming, busy, and grotesque pictures people made of themselves with AI.

I gave AI chatbots a few chances, but they weren’t that good at the time. I had also used a few AI assistants for coding before the actual boom, so I wasn’t that hyped about AI. Actually, I kind of got mad; not because AI was getting better, but because people started to actually use it for everything in the wrong way.

Bigger Isn’t Always Better When It Comes to Context Windows

shirin.manzari@gmail.com (Shirin Manzari) — Sun, 21 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0330

If one model supports a 30,000-token context window and another supports a million, the second one probably sounds better to you. More context means access to more information, so it must be smarter? Well, not always.

Book Review: Kelidar (fa)

shirin.manzari@gmail.com (Shirin Manzari) — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0330

کلیدر شاخص‌ترین عنوان داستانی ایرانی‌ست که در ده جلد و بیش از ۲۸۰۰ صفحه منتشر شده است. این مجموعه علاوه بر نام بلندش حواشی زیادی هم داشته است. گفته می‌شود محمود دولت آبادی از ۲۷ تا ۴۲ سالگی درگیر نوشتن این مجموعه بوده است. همان‌طور که می‌گوید: «قریب به ۲۰ سال عمرم به خلق کلیدر گذشت. رویا و واقعیتی که در تمام آن سال‌ها درهم آمیخته بود و قرار بود در هیات کلمات و واژه‌ها زنده شود.»

Why Are Women Missing from the Data? (fa)

shirin.manzari@gmail.com (Shirin Manzari) — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0330

Why You Won't Find Me on LinkedIn

shirin.manzari@gmail.com (Shirin Manzari) — Mon, 29 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0330

Back in 2017, in my first year of university, one of our seniors strongly suggested that we create a LinkedIn account, explaining how useful it could be for our future careers, particularly in our major, which is Software Engineering. So, like many others, I just followed their advice and signed up.

Learning from Inequality: Is AI Really Unbiased? (fa)

shirin.manzari@gmail.com (Shirin Manzari) — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0330

Tokens, Not Words

shirin.manzari@gmail.com (Shirin Manzari) — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0330

These days, tokens feel like a new kind of money. We count and budget them, and look for ways to spend fewer. At the same time, AI companies compete to offer us larger context windows, bigger token limits, and models capable of devouring enormous amounts of text to burn thousands of tokens in a few seconds.

Brogrammer Culture in Tech (fa)

shirin.manzari@gmail.com (Shirin Manzari) — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0330

Why Do Digital Assistants Have Female Voices? (fa)

shirin.manzari@gmail.com (Shirin Manzari) — Mon, 06 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0330

When Programming Was Women’s Work (fa)

shirin.manzari@gmail.com (Shirin Manzari) — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0330

Invisible Women: Erased from Tech History (fa)

shirin.manzari@gmail.com (Shirin Manzari) — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0330