Aaron Swartz

Even just repeating his name gives me goosebumps, makes me sad, angry, feeling all together. I don't know, the system I hate so much, because of the ones that've always betrayed people like Aaron.

Such great documentary if you haven't watched already and know about this amazing human being.

His website (http://www.aaronsw.com/weblog/) is still online if you also want to read what he was thinking and making, before they cornered him, forced him, feared him, took his hope and killed him. I'm so sorry man, rest in peace.

Edit: I sometimes remember him with Tim Berners-Lee's poem:

Aaron is dead.

Wanderers in this crazy world,
we have lost a mentor, a wise elder.

Hackers for right, we are one down,
we have lost one of our own.

Nurtures, careers, listeners, feeders,
parents all,
we have lost a child.

Let us all weep.

Note that his blog is still online. It's an interesting read. E.g. when he talks about depression (he had depression himself):

> As George Scialabba put it, “acute depression does not feel like falling ill, it feels like being tortured … the pain is not localized; it runs along every nerve, an unconsuming fire. … Even though one knows better, one cannot believe that it will ever end, or that anyone else has ever felt anything like it.”

> The economist Richard Layard, after advocating that the goal of public policy should be to maximize happiness, set out to learn what the greatest impediment to happiness was today. His conclusion: depression. Depression causes nearly half of all disability, it affects one in six, and explains more current unhappiness than poverty.

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

also in the 02004-8 timeframe the danger hiptop was the hot smartphone

As aaronsw explained in December 02008 in http://www.aaronsw.com/weblog/forgottensidekick

> It’s been a frustrating year for us Sidekick users. It seems like every television show, periodical, and man in the street is raving about the amazing world-changing capabilities of the iPhone (and, to a lesser extent, the Google Phone). How having a device that can conveniently surf the Web, answer email, run third-party applications and fit in your pocket is as big a technological breakthrough as hovercars.

> Which is infuriating to those of us who have been using a superior device for the past five years.

The author mentions Jason Shiga's Meanwhile as one of the only other books using this flowchart+tabs "gameplay" system. Meanwhile is one of the best experiences I've ever had reading a book, including it's hidden/unreachable pages, it's circular and looping options, fourth wall breaking, etc. I highly recommend it - I also recommend all of Shiga's other works, such as Demon[1] and Fleep[2]. It seems he's also got another book in this style[3], which I'd missed the news of and have immediately ordered.

[1] http://www.shigabooks.com/ [2] http://www.aaronsw.com/2002/fleep/ [3] https://www.amazon.com/Adventuregame-Comics-Leviathan-Jason-Shiga/dp/1419757792

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

This short story from Aaron Swartz' blog changed my life.

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

It played a significant role in shaping my understanding of humanity, charity and what impact as a single human being can have. It was a big factor in why I joined the Effective Altruism movement and donate 10+% of my income yearly. I highly recommend reading it.

It saddens me greatly that person who was so forward thinking and was only looking out for the future of humanity was taken away so young.