Official Statement from the family and partner of Aaron Swartz • Hacker News Board

Re: Official Statement from the family and partner of Aaron Swartz

#141

Post by lawnchair_larry » Sun, Jan 13, 2013, 7:21 PM UTC

jacquesm wrote: post #135

FireBeyond wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At the risk of antagonizing an upset crowd - to me, no, he wasn't. A hero is someone admired for courage and/or other noble qualities. It's also a word greatly overused in culture today. Swartz was accomplished, certainly. Though to me "co-founded the website reddit.com, co-wrote one of many specifications for syndicating content and repeatedly hacked and trespassed to download content to which he was not authorized"…

Before you make a bigger fool of yourself why don't you go and read up on what Aaron did besides the things you know about: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Swartz

I agree with GP, even after having read that. It is okay for people to have different definitions of "hero", without one of them having to be a fool.

In a way it hits home even more, because it shows how any poor sap not unlike myself can be steamrolled by the justice system. I've probably done "worse", or at least comparable things.

Weev is about to go to jail for something equally preposterous.

Re: Official Statement from the family and partner of Aaron Swartz

#142

Post by skeletonjelly » Sun, Jan 13, 2013, 10:47 PM UTC

stesch wrote: post #125

colechristensen wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fortunately or not, there are whole sections of Reddit devoted more or less to quickmeme.com. Some subreddits auto-ban quickmeme which I highly encourage, but a sitewide ban is unreasonable because of how engrained it is in the culture. Image captioning is, in our opinion, a bit worthless, but this is what we actually find objectionable not just one site of many which provides this. Blogging itself is not what is obj…

Where is the option to auto-ban certain domains? I've never seen it.

Doesn't exist. Spam filter learns.

Re: Official Statement from the family and partner of Aaron Swartz

#143

Post by ghshephard » Sun, Jan 13, 2013, 11:08 PM UTC

danielweber wrote: post #76

rcgs wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> When you are going into a wiring closet wearing a mask over your face to hide your identity, you pretty much know you are "doing something wrong." I disagree. You know you're doing something that isn't allowed and will get you into trouble, but you might feel that it's morally right to do so.

I was responding to someone who thought that Aaron was doing this with absolutely no idea he wasn't allowed to.

I would appreciate it if you would stop misconstruing my position. I said that I had webscraped and didn't think it was wrong. I said as a student I would have stuck a laptop in an unlocked closet on campus with an Ethernet port and not thought that it was criminal. And, at no point, have I tried to characterize Aaron's thought and motives. Honestly - he working for higher principles than I ever have, so I am in no position to comment on his behavior, just mine.

Re: Official Statement from the family and partner of Aaron Swartz

#144

Post by dinkumthinkum » Mon, Jan 14, 2013, 5:41 AM UTC

One sort of reform many have not discussed, or I have not seen, is in changing the way federal prosecutors pursue cases and sentencing. Very, very few federal cases ever go to trial because of obscenely long prison sentences. The defendant in federal cases is at such a disadvantage.

Re: Official Statement from the family and partner of Aaron Swartz

#145

Post by dinkumthinkum » Mon, Jan 14, 2013, 5:50 AM UTC

larrys wrote: post #136

jacquesm wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It would be gracious of you if you stopped questioning each and every bit about this story that doesn't mesh with your paranoid fantasies. What would it take for you to be satisfied? Birth certificates? Passport copies? Take it for what it is or prove that it isn't until you have proof that it is not have the good grace to be quiet and let these people grieve without adding insult to injury. Enough damage has been do…

"mesh with your paranoid fantasies" You're being a bully. Sorry but I stand behind what I said which brings up a realistic question given the way the information was presented and that lack of contact info (at the time I viewed the page). You can choose to be trusting and you could very well be correct . I'm just asking a question.

In reality, they kind of were paranoid fantasies or delusions. It's ok.

Re: Official Statement from the family and partner of Aaron Swartz

#146

Post by dinkumthinkum » Mon, Jan 14, 2013, 5:55 AM UTC

FireBeyond wrote: post #91

sonabinu wrote: post #79

The Washington Post calls him an American Hero ... he was one, wasn't he? http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/01/12/a...

At the risk of antagonizing an upset crowd - to me, no, he wasn't. A hero is someone admired for courage and/or other noble qualities. It's also a word greatly overused in culture today. Swartz was accomplished, certainly. Though to me "co-founded the website reddit.com, co-wrote one of many specifications for syndicating content and repeatedly hacked and trespassed to download content to which he was not authorized"…

All right, you're being a bit pompous. You imply that someone is ignoble for technically breaking a law. In the same way would you condemn Rosa Parks? Even if you don't agree with the cause, to dismiss so rashly is a bit childish and pedantic. You could say he was naive but to say someone that had no profit driven motive and only sought to make information free for the people that actually paid for that information, tax payers, is somehow of low character is just kind of ridiculous.

Re: Official Statement from the family and partner of Aaron Swartz

#147

Post by SyneRyder » Mon, Jan 14, 2013, 8:58 AM UTC

whatusername wrote: post #40

seiji wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Okay, poorly worded on my part. I was thinking more in line with Gates leaving everything to the Gates Foundation. My brain can't reconcile why someone would want to donate to something that already takes money from people in return for services. Kinda like the onion half-headline: "Man Has Alarming Level Of Pride In Institution That Left Him $50,000 In Debt."

Remember that some of those donations go to scholarships/etc so that there may be a reason for reciprocity. (That being said-it doesn't really seem to exist in Australia. I've never been contacted by my old university (a Gof8) and asked for donations.

There's some in Australia who do. UWA telephones & writes to me every year for donations to their Alumni fund - this year they even invited past students to a cocktail party called "A Celebration Of Giving". I don't donate anymore but did once in the past, specifically because the funds went towards scholarships.

Re: Official Statement from the family and partner of Aaron Swartz

#148

Post by FireBeyond » Mon, Jan 14, 2013, 4:37 PM UTC

dinkumthinkum wrote: post #146

FireBeyond wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At the risk of antagonizing an upset crowd - to me, no, he wasn't. A hero is someone admired for courage and/or other noble qualities. It's also a word greatly overused in culture today. Swartz was accomplished, certainly. Though to me "co-founded the website reddit.com, co-wrote one of many specifications for syndicating content and repeatedly hacked and trespassed to download content to which he was not authorized"…

All right, you're being a bit pompous. You imply that someone is ignoble for technically breaking a law. In the same way would you condemn Rosa Parks? Even if you don't agree with the cause, to dismiss so rashly is a bit childish and pedantic. You could say he was naive but to say someone that had no profit driven motive and only sought to make information free for the people that actually paid for that information,…

On re-reading, I'll certainly grant you that. I did exaggerate a perspective to make a point, which was a little pompous.

Re: Official Statement from the family and partner of Aaron Swartz

#149

Post by FireBeyond » Tue, Jan 15, 2013, 4:01 PM UTC

jacquesm wrote: post #135

FireBeyond wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At the risk of antagonizing an upset crowd - to me, no, he wasn't. A hero is someone admired for courage and/or other noble qualities. It's also a word greatly overused in culture today. Swartz was accomplished, certainly. Though to me "co-founded the website reddit.com, co-wrote one of many specifications for syndicating content and repeatedly hacked and trespassed to download content to which he was not authorized"…

Before you make a bigger fool of yourself why don't you go and read up on what Aaron did besides the things you know about: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Swartz

I think it's the height of arrogance to tell someone they are a fool for having a different perspective of heroism from yours.

I read that article and see some very worthwhile beliefs and endeavors, though beyond contributions to fighting SOPA, I'm not sure what I didn't "know about".

So yes, I'll stand by my belief that I don't see anything particularly 'heroic' there. Which isn't to say he didn't make many valuable contributions to things.