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LEGAL MATTERS
Last Updated: June 7, 2026
Owner / Publisher: Ardan Michael Blum
Applies to: www.ardanmichaelblum.com and associated subdomains, including, without limitation, links.ardanmichaelblum.com and diary.ardanmichaelblum.com, plus any other content hosted on these domains collectively, the “Site.”
1) ACCESSIBILITY STATEMENT
I aim to make this Site accessible and usable for as many people as possible. I strive to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA and continue to review and improve pages, templates, and content.
Accessibility is an ongoing process. Some pages, features, or embedded materials may change over time. Some content may be provided by or embedded from third parties, including maps, video players, forms, or external documents, and may be outside my direct control.
If you encounter an accessibility barrier, including keyboard navigation issues, missing or inaccurate alt text, focus-order problems, low-contrast text, or assistive-technology compatibility issues, please contact me. I will make a good-faith effort to review the issue and help where reasonably possible.
To help me troubleshoot quickly, please include, if available, the page URL or page name, what you were trying to do, your device and browser, any assistive technology used, and a brief description of what happened.
Phone: +1 650 427-9358, voice or text
Online: Contact Form
2) TERMS OF SERVICE
2.1 Definitions
“Ardan,” “I,” “me,” or “my” means Ardan Michael Blum.
“You” or “your” means any person who accesses or uses the Site.
“Site” means the domains and subdomains listed above and all hosted pages, files, and materials on those domains.
“Content” means all text, posts, articles, images, graphics, audio, video, design elements, layout, compilations, and code available on the Site, unless clearly stated otherwise.
“Service” means the Site and any features, tools, forms, or contact mechanisms made available through it.
“Third-Party Services” means websites, platforms, services, embeds, tools, or resources not operated by me, including linked sites and embedded features.
2.2 Agreement and Acceptance
These Terms of Service, referred to as the “Terms,” constitute a legally binding agreement between Ardan Michael Blum, 345 Forest Avenue, Suite 204, Palo Alto, California 94301, and you.
By accessing or using the Service, you confirm that you have the legal capacity to enter into this agreement and that you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Site.
2.3 Changes to the Site or Terms
I may update the Site, its features, its Content, or these Terms at any time. Changes become effective when posted. Your continued use of the Site after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.
2.4 Eligibility; Children
The Site is not directed to children under 13. If you are under 13, do not use the Site or submit information through it. If you are a parent or guardian and believe a child has provided personal information through the Site, contact me so I can take appropriate steps to delete it.
2.5 Intellectual Property; Ownership
Unless otherwise stated, the Content is owned by me, licensed to me, or used in a manner permitted by law. The Content is protected by applicable intellectual property laws, including copyright, trademark, trade dress, and related laws.
The look and feel of the Site, including layout and design, may also be protected. All rights not expressly granted to you are reserved.
2.6 Limited License; Permitted Use
You may print Content for personal, non-commercial use; and quote brief excerpts for commentary, criticism, scholarship, review, or similar purposes, with attribution where reasonably feasible.
You may not, without my prior written permission, copy, reproduce, republish, redistribute, sell, sublicense, rent, publicly display, commercially exploit, or create derivative works from the Content, except where permitted by law. You may not remove or alter copyright notices, attribution, or proprietary marks. You may not use the Site or Content in a way that suggests sponsorship, endorsement, approval, or affiliation where none exists.
2.7 Automated Access; Scraping; Data Mining; AI Training
You may not use automated means to access, acquire, copy, monitor, scrape, extract, train on, or mine any portion of the Site or Content, including, without limitation, robots, spiders, scrapers, crawlers, data-mining tools, automated harvesting tools, or bulk-download methods, except with my prior written permission or as otherwise permitted by applicable law.
2.8 User Submissions, Contact Forms, Messages, and Feedback
If you send messages, files, feedback, corrections, or suggestions through the Site, you agree not to submit unlawful, infringing, defamatory, abusive, threatening, deceptive, harmful, or malicious content.
You agree not to submit sensitive information that you do not wish to share, including medical records, full financial account numbers, government identification numbers, or similarly sensitive information.
You understand that messages may be processed and delivered through Third-Party Services that support Site operations, including hosting, forms, spam filtering, security, analytics, or email delivery.
If you provide suggestions, corrections, or feedback, you grant me a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free right to use, consider, incorporate, adapt, or decline that feedback to improve the Site, without compensation or obligation to you.
2.9 Acceptable Use; Prohibited Conduct
You agree not to violate any applicable law or regulation; interfere with Site security or functionality; transmit malware, viruses, spam, or harmful code; impersonate any person or entity; misrepresent affiliation; attempt to gain unauthorized access to any portion of the Service or related systems; or use the Site in a way that damages, disables, burdens, or impairs its operation.
2.10 Third-Party Links, Embeds, and External Resources
The Site may contain links to Third-Party Services or embedded content, including maps, video players, social widgets, external documents, or other resources. I do not control Third-Party Services and do not endorse them by default.
Your use of Third-Party Services is at your own risk and is subject to their own terms, policies, privacy practices, accessibility standards, and content rules.
2.11 Disclaimers
A) Informational and Editorial Purposes Only; No Professional Advice
All Content is provided for general informational, editorial, critical, creative, and reference purposes only. Content on the Site reflects independent research, interpretation, commentary, and editorial judgment.
The Content is not legal, medical, financial, tax, investment, safety, travel, technical, or other professional advice and is not a substitute for advice from a qualified professional. You should consult a qualified professional for guidance on your specific situation. Reliance on information from the Site is solely at your own risk.
Unless expressly stated otherwise, the Site and its Content are not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, approved by, or officially connected to any individuals, organizations, productions, institutions, agencies, businesses, universities, public bodies, or other entities mentioned or referenced.
B) No Professional-Client Relationship
Using the Site does not create a professional-client, attorney-client, medical, financial-advisory, consulting, fiduciary, or other professional relationship between you and me or between you and any associated person or organization.
Such a relationship exists only if and when I expressly agree in writing through a signed written agreement.
C) Artificial Intelligence Assistance and Editorial Responsibility
Articles and other materials on this website may be researched and revised with the assistance of artificial intelligence tools, including support for factual review. AI may be used as an editorial aid to review sources, improve organization, identify weak or unsupported claims, flag inconsistencies and support the revision process.
AI assistance does not replace human editorial judgment. Said differently: The use of AI does not mean that content has been automatically generated without human review or adopted without evaluation.
Although reasonable efforts may be made to review factual claims, consult relevant sources, and correct identified errors, no guarantee is made that all content is complete, current, error-free, neutral, or suitable for every reader’s circumstances. AI-assisted review may help identify factual, structural, or logical issues, but it does not guarantee legal, medical, financial, technical, historical, or professional correctness.
References to fact-checking, source review, or AI-assisted research describe part of an editorial process, not a warranty, certification, or independent verification. Sources may change, public information may become outdated, and reasonable interpretations may differ. Readers should independently verify important information before relying on it, especially for legal, medical, financial, safety-related, travel-related, historical, or professional decisions.
D) Sources, Attribution, Corrections, and Editorial Maintenance
Sources may be consulted where appropriate, and reasonable efforts are made to distinguish direct quotation, factual summary, commentary, and original analysis.
Any errors, omissions, misstatements, attribution issues, quotation issues, citation issues, permission issues, outdated information, unclear references, formatting problems, or other inaccuracies are unintentional and may be corrected if identified. Readers may contact the author regarding corrections, attribution, quotation, citation, permission, or related editorial matters.
Articles and other content on this website may be reviewed, revised, corrected, clarified, expanded, updated, reorganized, or removed from time to time as part of an ongoing editorial maintenance process.
All content is provided for informational, editorial, educational, cultural, historical, or commentary purposes only. Nothing on this website should be understood as professional advice unless expressly identified as such. Readers remain responsible for their own use of the information presented.
E) “As Is” and “As Available”; No Warranties
To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Service and Content are provided “as is” and “as available.” I disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, accuracy, completeness, availability, security, and any warranties that the Service will be uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error-free.
F) Accuracy, Completeness, and Updates
I strive for accuracy, but I do not warrant that Content is complete, current, reliable, suitable for your purposes, or free of errors. Information may become outdated, incomplete, disputed, superseded, or inaccurate over time.
I may change, update, correct, expand, reorganize, or remove Content at any time without notice.
2.12 Limitation of Liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, Ardan Michael Blum will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, exemplary, or punitive damages, or for any loss of profits, revenues, data, goodwill, opportunity, reputation, or other intangible losses, arising out of or related to your use of, reliance on, interpretation of, or inability to use the Service or Content, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.
If any liability cannot be excluded under applicable law, it will be limited to the minimum extent permitted by law.
2.13 Indemnification
You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Ardan Michael Blum from and against claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, arising out of or related to your use of the Service, your submissions, your violation of these Terms, or your violation of any rights of another person or entity.
2.14 Disputes, Arbitration, and Venue
Disputes arising from or related to these Terms or the Service will be resolved by binding arbitration on an individual basis administered by the American Arbitration Association, unless applicable law requires otherwise.
You waive the right to a jury trial and the right to participate in class actions, class arbitration, representative actions, or consolidated proceedings to the fullest extent permitted by law.
If a claim is not subject to arbitration, you agree to exclusive jurisdiction and venue in the state or federal courts located in Santa Clara County, California.
2.15 Governing Law
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.
2.16 Severability; Waiver; Entire Agreement
If any provision is held invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full force and effect. No waiver is a continuing waiver. These Terms constitute the entire agreement regarding your use of the Service.
3) PRIVACY POLICY
A) Information I Collect
I may collect information you provide directly, including your name, email address, phone number, message content, and any information you choose to submit through a contact form or other communication method.
I may also collect basic technical and usage information, including IP address, approximate location derived from IP address, device type, browser type, operating system, timestamps, referring pages, requested pages, and similar server-log or analytics information.
Cookies and similar technologies may be used as described in Section 4.
B) How I Use Information
I use information to operate and maintain the Site; respond to messages and provide requested information; improve content, usability, accessibility, and security; protect against fraud, abuse, spam, and security incidents; comply with legal obligations; and enforce these Terms.
If you have opted in where required, I may use your contact information to send updates or communications you requested. You can opt out of non-essential communications at any time.
C) Sharing and Disclosures
I do not sell personal data for money.
I may share information with service providers, including hosting, analytics, security, spam-prevention, form, or communication providers, who process information on my behalf.
I may disclose information to legal authorities or other parties if required by law, to protect rights or safety, to investigate fraud or abuse, or to enforce these Terms.
If there is a business transfer, merger, acquisition, restructuring, or sale of assets, information may be transferred as part of that transaction.
D) Security and Retention
No website can guarantee absolute security. I take reasonable steps to protect information, but transmission over the internet is not risk-free.
I retain personal information only as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this policy, including responding to inquiries, maintaining records, resolving disputes, protecting the Site, and complying with legal obligations.
E) Children’s Privacy
This Site is not directed to children under 13. If you believe a child has provided personal information through the Site, contact me and I will take appropriate steps to delete it.
F) Privacy Requests
You may request access, correction, or deletion of personal information by contacting me through the contact information in Section 8. I may need to verify your identity before fulfilling a request.
4) COOKIE POLICY AND CONTROLS
A) What Cookies Are
Cookies are small files stored on your device that help websites function and, where enabled, may measure traffic, remember preferences, support security, and enable certain features.
B) How This Site Uses Cookies
Depending on Site configuration and third-party services in use, cookies may be used for strictly necessary functions, basic security, preferences, analytics, performance measurement, and advertising or embedded features only where enabled by third-party services you interact with.
C) Your Cookie Choices
You can block or delete cookies using your browser settings. Where required by law, including in the EEA or UK where applicable, a consent banner or cookie-settings option may be provided to allow you to manage preferences.
Disabling cookies may affect how websites function.
D) Google Services
The Site may use Google services, including Google Sites or related tools. Google may process certain technical data and set or read cookies as part of providing those services.
E) Industry Opt-Out Tools
Where applicable, you may use industry opt-out tools to manage certain interest-based advertising or analytics preferences.
5) JURISDICTION-SPECIFIC RIGHTS
A) California
If you are a California resident, you may have rights under California privacy laws, including rights to know, access, correct, delete, and obtain information about certain personal information, and to opt out of certain sale or sharing of personal information where applicable.
B) Other U.S. States
Residents of Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Texas, Oregon, Montana, Delaware, Iowa, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Tennessee, Minnesota, Maryland, Indiana, Kentucky, Rhode Island, and other states with active comprehensive privacy laws may have rights to access, correct, delete, obtain a copy of personal data, or opt out of certain targeted advertising, sale, or profiling where applicable.
C) EEA and UK
If you are located in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, you may have rights including access, correction, erasure, restriction, portability, objection, and the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, subject to applicable limits.
Cookie-based processing generally relies on consent where required. Basic security and site operation may rely on legitimate interests where applicable.
D) Canada
If you are located in Canada, you may request access to personal information and challenge accuracy, subject to legal limits.
6) DMCA COPYRIGHT NOTICE
If you believe material on this Site infringes your copyright, send a notice consistent with 17 U.S.C. § 512(c) to the contact form and or the address in Section 8 including: • identification of the copyrighted work claimed to be infringed; • identification of the allegedly infringing material and where it appears on the Site; • your contact information (address, phone, email); • a statement that you have a good-faith belief the use is not authorized by the copyright owner, agent, or law; • a statement, under penalty of perjury, that the information is accurate and you are authorized to act on behalf of the owner; and • your physical or electronic signature.
Designated Agent: Ardan Michael Blum.
If material is removed or disabled in response to a copyright notice and you believe the removal was due to mistake or misidentification, you may submit a counter-notice. A counter-notice should include your contact information; identification of the material removed or disabled and where it appeared before removal; a statement, under penalty of perjury, that you have a good-faith belief the material was removed or disabled as a result of mistake or misidentification; consent to the jurisdiction of the Federal District Court for your address, or Santa Clara County, California, if you are outside the United States; and your physical or electronic signature.
7) TOURISM INFORMATION
All Content relating to Palo Alto and surrounding communities is provided for general informational, editorial, and reference purposes only and is offered on an “as-is” and “as-available” basis. While accuracy is prioritized, no warranties or guarantees are made regarding completeness, reliability, accuracy, timeliness, accessibility, suitability, or availability.
Tourism, walking-route, local-history, transportation, parking, campus, and visitor information is independently created and maintained. Unless expressly stated otherwise, this Site is not affiliated with, sponsored by, endorsed by, approved by, or officially connected to any city, university, business, agency, institution, nonprofit, public body, or organization mentioned or referenced.
Operational details may change without notice. This includes, without limitation, transit schedules, parking regulations, entry requirements, construction impacts, safety conditions, accessibility conditions, public access, operating hours, ticketing rules, weather-related disruptions, private events, staffing limitations, institutional policy changes, maintenance, closures, or other factors. This includes information involving entities such as Stanford University, the City of Palo Alto, Caltrain, local businesses, museums, gardens, parks, and related agencies or institutions.
Visitors should independently verify all time-sensitive, safety-related, accessibility-related, or location-specific information through official sources, posted signage, direct contact with the relevant organization, or other reliable current sources before traveling or relying on the information. This Site does not provide real-time emergency notifications, safety alerts, live transit updates, live parking updates, or official public-agency notices.
Suggested walking routes, paths, landmarks, and points of interest are followed at the visitor’s own discretion. They may not reflect current construction, closures, hazards, accessibility barriers, private-property restrictions, weather conditions, campus restrictions, or safety considerations.
By using this Site and its associated materials, users acknowledge responsibility for their own travel decisions, route choices, activities, and personal safety. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the creator and publisher of this Content shall not be liable for inaccuracies, omissions, disruptions, delays, inconveniences, denied access, injuries, losses, damages, or other consequences arising from the use of or reliance on the information provided.
Special Notes: Institutional facilities, including locations such as Memorial Church and Hoover Tower, may operate on restricted schedules or close without notice because of private events, holidays, maintenance, security needs, construction, staffing limitations, or institutional policy decisions. Major events, including football games, commencements, conferences, festivals, protests, performances, or other large gatherings, may significantly affect traffic conditions, parking availability, transit service, pedestrian movement, campus access, public access, and visitor experience.
8) CONTACT INFORMATION
For accessibility concerns, privacy requests, copyright notices, correction requests, attribution matters, permissions inquiries, or other legal or editorial matters, you may contact:
Ardan Michael Blum
345 Forest Avenue, Suite 204
Palo Alto, California 94301
United States
Phone: +1 650 427-9358, voice or text
Online: Contact Form