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Ask HN: Hacker News Person Of the Year

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Re: Ask HN: Hacker News Person Of the Year

#61
post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's no question that the information he leaked concerns technology, but at the same time it's clear this is a throughly political problem. So that's how I can say that Snowden is not in tech, because he's not and the whole NSA storyline is only incidentally about tech. Believe me, I'm as pissed off about the whole affair as anyone, but this is a world stage event and I was thinking a HN POY could be, at least in…

On the flip side, getting a job working at the NSA and smuggling out hundreds of Top Secret documents, talking to a bunch of reporters across the globe to orchestrate a controlled release of the information, all while seeking asylum and evading capture is a pretty neat hack.

since you put it that way, I agree also.

Re: Ask HN: Hacker News Person Of the Year

#66
post #25

I don't feel comfortable voting unless you make me log in with Facebook or Twitter...

That was a great way for Time to ensure that not a single vote would be cast for Snowden.

He was still winning the other day, so I'm not sure how that was a great way to keep people from voting for him.

Re: Ask HN: Hacker News Person Of the Year

#67
The answers here expose the lack of gratitude and ethical backbone of certain HN readers. Snowden risked his life to expose the surveillance programs of the most powerful countries in the world. You could argue he did more for civil liberties than any other human being thats ever lived.

No one else even comes close in terms of taking personal risk for the benefit of the world.

Snowden FTW.

Re: Ask HN: Hacker News Person Of the Year

#69
post #23
post #5

Nice idea, but let's clarify, it should be someone in technology, as opposed to politics or entertainment. I nominate Bret Victor.

Bret Victor has been fantastic inspiration for me. I believed no programming video can make my jaw drop any longer, but Bret pulled it off. Hugely recommended: http://vimeo.com/71278954

Aesthetics can be fun and entertaining, but a video has to have some new and novel ideas before its called jaw dropping.
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