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Aaron Swartz commits suicide

tech.mit.edu

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Re: Aaron Swartz commits suicide

#291

Post by pretoriusB »

nanook wrote: post #121
antics wrote: post #34

Better eulogies will follow, to be sure, but in the mean time, much of what can be said about him is captured in a touching talk he gave called "How to Get a Job Like Mine" [1]. What I think is especially touching about this is how he gently deconstructs his success, demystifying his own legend by pulling back the curtain on what would have otherwise appeared to be a string of miraculous accomplishments. In the proce…

> he reveals himself to be a sensitive, seemingly grateful, and thoughtful person. Definitely. He wrote a bunch of blogposts last year on improving life, called "Raw Nerve": http://www.aaronsw.com/weblog/rawnerve Wonderful writing.

Nicely written, yes, but today's news is not a testament to those writings' effectiveness.

Re: Aaron Swartz commits suicide

#292

Post by smogzer »

https://www.google.com/search?q=doj+presecute gives me : DOJ Will Not Prosecute Goldman Sachs in Financial ... - ABC News 9 Aug 2012 – The Justice Department has decided it will not prosecute Goldman Sachs or its employees for their role in the financial crisis...

http://www.aaronsw.com/weblog/productivity

Share the load Even if your friends aren’t cheerful, just working on a hard problem with someone else makes it much easier. For one thing, the mental weight gets spread across both people. For another, having someone else there forces you to work instead of getting distracted.

Re: Aaron Swartz commits suicide

#293

Post by pinaceae »

alan_cx wrote: post #245
rohamg wrote: post #211

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is right. I'm shocked at the "suicide apologists" in this thread.

I'm shocked at "life bullies". Which lets face it is a Christian rule, and not applicable to all people. I would like to die right now. I'm just too cowardly. There is no simple switch to do it quickly and painlessly. No way to stop others being upset. No way to stop others discovering something that may scar them. I do not wish to mess up others. Why? I simply do not belong. I don't understand the human race at all,…

oh aren't you special.

http://xkcd.com/610/

Re: Aaron Swartz commits suicide

#294

Post by mekarpeles »

Aaron, thank you for all you've done. It's had a tremendous impact on my life.

Aaron had a really interesting blog post on pain worth reading called, "Leaning into the Pain". It's worth considering that pain doesn't just impact the individual. Try to let others help. http://www.aaronsw.com/weblog/dalio

Re: Aaron Swartz commits suicide

#295

Post by markbao »

I'd like to write something nice, but I'm in too much shock to even know where to start. He showed his brilliance through code and his humanity through his writing.

And as much as it is "right" to respect him for his very personal decision, I can't help but wish he were still here. This is the premature end of the life of someone who could have dramatically changed the world. Reminds us that, now more than ever, that's our job here, too.

Re: Aaron Swartz commits suicide

#296

Post by doktrin »

zatara wrote: post #275
jacquesm wrote: post #159

Man this so sucks. If you hit someone with enough felony counts sooner or later something can snap. This in response to those that claim the DOJ didn't have anything to do with Aaron killing himself. For some people the mere fact of being suspected of a crime they didn't commit is enough to push them over the edge. When you're placed in a holding cell the police will remove your laces from your boots so you don't han…

If anyone is still in doubt about how the DOJ impacted Aaron's life, it may be interesting to have a look at his last published blog post ( http://www.aaronsw.com/weblog/tdk , discussion on http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5047421 ). Aaron makes a parallel between the Batman movie and his own struggles, highlighting the corruption of the system and how the Joker was actually the only "sane" person in an insane wor…

> "Thus Master Wayne is left without solutions. Out of options, it’s no wonder the series ends with his staged suicide."

Haunting.

edit : It's an insightful piece of writing purely in its own right, as are the rest of his works that I have come across.

Re: Aaron Swartz commits suicide

#297

Post by argumentum »

Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.

rip

Re: Aaron Swartz commits suicide

#298

Post by rdl »

SquareWheel wrote: post #202
guywithabike wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://aaronsw.jottit.com/reddit

I'm sorry, but merging with a company doesn't make you a cofounder of that company. You were not there when it was founded, thus it's not an applicable label. I'm just asking for a title correction, not trying to slander the guy.

It depends on the terms agreed during the merger.

Elon Musk and Peter Thiel (and a bunch of other people from each of X.com and Confinity) are considered members of the set of PayPal founders, for instance.

Re: Aaron Swartz commits suicide

#299

Post by smogzer »

In April 2011 i was accused of a small crime that could have given prison also. I was judged in January 2012 and accused to pay a fine of 500€ despite the accusation had no proofs. Every day i though about how to prove my innocence despite being a small accusation, it destroyed my work and mood for the whole year.

How to fix ? if no damage was done there is nothing to accuse of.

And distribution of knowledge should be free, or ransom ware the release of that info to the public should be made available upon compen$ation for the work done, ransomware maybe.

Aaron ideals of greater good and sharing are nobler than any politician or any other bullshitter that get media coverage and have the power to change the world for the better.

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