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Aaron, 5 years later

bensw.com

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Re: Aaron, 5 years later

#111

Post by redog »

khazhoux wrote: post #61
pwaai wrote: post #31

His crime was scraping a website. The accusers killed an innocent man for violating Terms of Service. Who's the real criminal here? https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/01/ninth-circuit-doubles-...

The prosecutors were in the wrong, but they did not kill him.

Aaron robbed them of their prestige, that I think was his point. A big fuck you. You're not going to use me as your "example" of why you're such a fucking big shot. MIT failed us all and the powers that be are never going to apologize until apology is the only way to get elected.

Re: Aaron, 5 years later

#112

Post by whisk »

I will always remember Aaron Swartz. I was a student when he leaves. His story really shocked me and taught me what is free, taught me what should I do with my knowledge. I didn't aware it has been five years since then. But now I gaze at the past five years, I'm glad that I'm on the right way which I expected five years ago.

Re: Aaron, 5 years later

#113

Post by eeZah7Ux »

0xBA5ED wrote: post #67
mentalhealth wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a reasonable statement to want to make, but (with a vanishingly small number of exceptions), suicide is not a choice. It's the result of depression combined with loss of inhibition (due to stress, chemical imbalance, or other factors). Your rational state of mind now has no bearing on whether you are capable of taking your own life under certain circumstances.

I'm sorry, but then nothing is a choice. This may technically be true, but it's no way to think.

> I'm sorry, but then nothing is a choice.

No, this is a generalization. Without getting into a discussion on determinism you can call a "choice" a decision that a person is able to ponder, discuss, explain.

People can be temporarily pushed out of the ability to make rational decisions in many ways. Examples abound.

Re: Aaron, 5 years later

#114

Post by 0xBA5ED »

eeZah7Ux wrote: post #113
0xBA5ED wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sorry, but then nothing is a choice. This may technically be true, but it's no way to think.

> I'm sorry, but then nothing is a choice. No, this is a generalization. Without getting into a discussion on determinism you can call a "choice" a decision that a person is able to ponder, discuss, explain. People can be temporarily pushed out of the ability to make rational decisions in many ways. Examples abound.

>Examples abound.

Correction: Examples infinite. If you're going to venture anywhere outside the realm of split-second fight-or-flight behavior such as with drug addiction or suicide, then you can rationalize anything as out of your control. You can also choose to take responsibility for your own actions; and let others take responsibility for theirs, rather than trying to rationalize away their agency, or yours.

Re: Aaron, 5 years later

#116

Post by zandorg »

aplorbust wrote: post #77
a3_nm wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I also thought this was interesting, but I don't see what this is referring to. Google has bought the DejaNews archive https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Groups and I haven't find any reference of the fact that they would have given it to Internet Archive, neither on the wikipedia article nor on places where it could have been mentioned like https://www.archiveteam.org/index.php/Usenet or https://archive.org/detail…

https://archive.is/PUk3 http://web.archive.org/web/20110110080509/http://www.skrenta... <--- This is the collection I am most interested in. 1981-1991. Thankfully, one does not need Google to get it.

UT Zoo is indexed on my usenet site: http://www.dejadejadeja.com/

Re: Aaron, 5 years later

#117

Post by toastking »

MollyR wrote: post #2

"Information is power. But like all power, there are those who want to keep it for themselves. The world’s entire scientific and cultural heritage, published over centuries in books and journals, is increasingly being digitized and locked up by a handful of private corporations." - Aaron I think about his quote quite a bit lately. I wonder what he would have thought about modern facebook, google, and the extreme cons…

Code as well, the other day I couldn't access code that was stored in Github because it was down. There was no mirror of it. The entire point of Git is that it's supposed to be decentralized and now we're even forgetting that.

Re: Aaron, 5 years later

#118

Post by glacials »

Ben, every point I've been lucky enough to witness you argue at Twitch has alway shone this Neutral Good seed behind it. Unjustified process, user-harmful acts, and any worsening of free speech cause you to interject, never to "wait and see" forever and never to disagree without speaking up.

I honestly have become better at this skill by being nearby when you exercise it. And I believe I have spread that to others in my life in turn. I absolutely would be a different person had our desks not happen to end up across from each other through three office shuffles. And I never met Aaron, but I believe by influencing those around you in this way you've done so much more to honor him than the two big ticket items you give yourself credit for.

Re: Aaron, 5 years later

#119

Post by indemnity »

toastking wrote: post #117
MollyR wrote: post #2

"Information is power. But like all power, there are those who want to keep it for themselves. The world’s entire scientific and cultural heritage, published over centuries in books and journals, is increasingly being digitized and locked up by a handful of private corporations." - Aaron I think about his quote quite a bit lately. I wonder what he would have thought about modern facebook, google, and the extreme cons…

Code as well, the other day I couldn't access code that was stored in Github because it was down. There was no mirror of it. The entire point of Git is that it's supposed to be decentralized and now we're even forgetting that.

Git !=== GitHub.
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