The Darker Side of Aaron Swartz (2013)

Refreshingly well-researched and honest piece from the New Yorker.

My favourite writing by Aaron is his explanation of what happens in the "ending" of Infinite Jest. [1] I'm of the opinion DFW deliberately left it somewhat open to interpretation, and that his famous quote "If no such convergence or projection occurred to you, then the book’s failed for you" was a tad tongue in cheek. That said, Aaron's explanation is certainly the most plausible, and I'd kill to know what DFW would have thought of it.

[1] http://www.aaronsw.com/weblog/ijend

I have trouble even seeing the implied mechanism of how this article would have any impact on an election. And after reading the article, I wouldn't even be able to guess if people consider it slanted for or against Swartz. To me it reads of an exceptionally well-researched text showing that Swartz was a human being with all the complexity that comes with having a soul. And that a completely ridiculous prosecution was a necessary, but probably not sufficient, condition for his suicide.