observer/blog
1
0
Fork 0
Code Issues Pull Requests Actions Packages Projects Releases Wiki Activity

Update shr4pnelblog “2023-08-08-swartz”

Browse Source
This commit is contained in:
shr4pnel 2024-04-08 02:23:34 +01:00
parent 3aaa969c4e
commit 5fec3165ed
1 changed files with 34 additions and 34 deletions
Show Stats Download Patch File Download Diff File Expand all files Collapse all files

68
_posts/2023-08-08-swartz.md
View File

@ -1,11 +1,12 @@
--- ---
title: "The death of Aaron Swartz, or: \"fiction's about what it is to be a fucking human being\"" title: "The death of Aaron Swartz, or: \"fiction's about what it is to be a
date: "2023-08-08T18:22:30.706Z" fucking human being\""
permalink: "swartz" date: 2023-08-08T18:22:30.706Z
description: "Tyler covers the life and death of Aaron Swartz, a software pioneer and savant who stuck to their principles to the end." permalink: swartz
description: Tyler covers the life and death of Aaron Swartz, a software pioneer
and savant who stuck to their principles to the end.
layout: post layout: post
--- ---
![Aaron Swartz standing amongst books in a library](/article/swartz/aaronswartz.jpg) ![Aaron Swartz standing amongst books in a library](/article/swartz/aaronswartz.jpg)
Aaron Swartz was born on November 08, 1986, and died at age 26 on January 26 2013 after 2 years of court proceedings. At age 13, he created RSS. At age 15, he created what would become reddit, and as people often forget, he also invented the markdown language which any user of VCS systems has used in the past. Aaron Swartz was born on November 08, 1986, and died at age 26 on January 26 2013 after 2 years of court proceedings. At age 13, he created RSS. At age 15, he created what would become reddit, and as people often forget, he also invented the markdown language which any user of VCS systems has used in the past.
@ -14,7 +15,7 @@ Aaron was caught sharing paywalled scientific journals freely accessible to MIT
Carmen Ortiz, the presiding judge over his case, faced multiple inquiries after the case, but was not removed from office and to this day continues to deny that Aaron was overcharged. Carmen Ortiz, the presiding judge over his case, faced multiple inquiries after the case, but was not removed from office and to this day continues to deny that Aaron was overcharged.
"Our beloved brother, son, friend, and partner Aaron Swartz hanged himself on Friday in his Brooklyn apartment. We are in shock, and have not yet come to terms with his passing. [Aaron's death is not simply a personal tragedy. It is the product of a criminal justice system rife with intimidation and prosecutorial overreach.](https://web.archive.org/web/20130112233941/https://rememberaaronsw.tumblr.com/post/40372208044/official-statement-from-the-family-and-partner-of-aaron\)" "Our beloved brother, son, friend, and partner Aaron Swartz hanged himself on Friday in his Brooklyn apartment. We are in shock, and have not yet come to terms with his passing. \[Aaron's death is not simply a personal tragedy. It is the product of a criminal justice system rife with intimidation and prosecutorial overreach.](https://web.archive.org/web/20130112233941/https://rememberaaronsw.tumblr.com/post/40372208044/official-statement-from-the-family-and-partner-of-aaron)"
One of Aaron's favourite books was infinite jest, by David Foster Wallace, who also tragically passed 5 years prior to Aaron of hanging. "[Fiction's about what it is to be a fucking human](https://web.archive.org/web/20150520115701/https://isismagazine.org.uk/2015/03/the-isis-short-essay-competition-fictions-about-what-it-is-to-be-a-fucking-human-being-david-foster-wallace-is-it)" is a quote of his. I spent a long time looking for a fitting title and it just seemed to click for me. Maybe this is tenuous, but i have never thought that art, software and fiction were that far from each other. Aaron's work enabled the creation and sharing of all three through the often overlooked power of RSS. One of Aaron's favourite books was infinite jest, by David Foster Wallace, who also tragically passed 5 years prior to Aaron of hanging. "[Fiction's about what it is to be a fucking human](https://web.archive.org/web/20150520115701/https://isismagazine.org.uk/2015/03/the-isis-short-essay-competition-fictions-about-what-it-is-to-be-a-fucking-human-being-david-foster-wallace-is-it)" is a quote of his. I spent a long time looking for a fitting title and it just seemed to click for me. Maybe this is tenuous, but i have never thought that art, software and fiction were that far from each other. Aaron's work enabled the creation and sharing of all three through the often overlooked power of RSS.
@ -22,7 +23,7 @@ Looking through old archives of Aaron's, one of the most memorable things I've f
![yellowing page for aaron swartz memorial service](/article/swartz/aaronswmemorialprogram_0015.jpg) ![yellowing page for aaron swartz memorial service](/article/swartz/aaronswmemorialprogram_0015.jpg)
Quotes from top to bottom, "he had written the code that had written that code". "bits are NOT a BUG". "When the host approaches zero, the guests are limitless.", "TO BE taken seriously". "When the writer owns his/her words, the WRITER CAN GIVE". "to make salt for the people". "he felt responsible for the carcinogens he didn't stop". "when we built the internet there was no subscribe button". "Why haven't you read the books of your condition". "LICENSED | THE PUBLISHER OF THE PEOPLE". "I still think he's wrong about the Chinese room argument.". "The night before he died we shared a grilled cheese sandwich". "you can tell because i'm wearing my radical tie". "When the citizenry is well informed". "the bad thing may be in the news tomorrow do you want to hear from me?". "the first time he spoke, the audience didn't get it". "the thrill of meeting ACTUAL grown-up copy[write] activists". "i'm not sure you're right but maybe we can get out of this theorem". "**THERE IS NO NEXT Aaron... ONLY YOU**". "The 5 whys of TM cannot solve... why we call toyota, TM, -our management". "It's sort of like having a national park with moats and guns and turrets". "the revolution will be A/B tested" - Aaron. "What we choose to fight is so tiny / this is how he grows, by being beat constantly by greater beings.". "stop discouraging bulk downloads". "the government had copyrighted the copy-right database". "HEARING THE TRIAL Aaron DIDN'T WAIT for". "Let computers read". "I ansewered [sic] a couple questions about it at the end". "Yes, actually typography". @DAVIDSMOOKE Quotes from top to bottom, "he had written the code that had written that code". "bits are NOT a BUG". "When the host approaches zero, the guests are limitless.", "TO BE taken seriously". "When the writer owns his/her words, the WRITER CAN GIVE". "to make salt for the people". "he felt responsible for the carcinogens he didn't stop". "when we built the internet there was no subscribe button". "Why haven't you read the books of your condition". "LICENSED | THE PUBLISHER OF THE PEOPLE". "I still think he's wrong about the Chinese room argument.". "The night before he died we shared a grilled cheese sandwich". "you can tell because i'm wearing my radical tie". "When the citizenry is well informed". "the bad thing may be in the news tomorrow do you want to hear from me?". "the first time he spoke, the audience didn't get it". "the thrill of meeting ACTUAL grown-up copy\[write] activists". "i'm not sure you're right but maybe we can get out of this theorem". "THERE IS NO NEXT Aaron... ONLY YOU". "The 5 whys of TM cannot solve... why we call toyota, TM, -our management". "It's sort of like having a national park with moats and guns and turrets". "the revolution will be A/B tested" - Aaron. "What we choose to fight is so tiny / this is how he grows, by being beat constantly by greater beings.". "stop discouraging bulk downloads". "the government had copyrighted the copy-right database". "HEARING THE TRIAL Aaron DIDN'T WAIT for". "Let computers read". "I ansewered \[sic\] a couple questions about it at the end". "Yes, actually typography". @DAVIDSMOOKE
I can only ruminate about the meanings behind the scrawlings on this note. So many conversations, experiences and in-jokes condensed into one A4 sheet of paper. I can only ruminate about the meanings behind the scrawlings on this note. So many conversations, experiences and in-jokes condensed into one A4 sheet of paper.
@ -38,32 +39,32 @@ I can only ruminate about the meanings behind the scrawlings on this note. So ma
This is a difficult to transcribe poem, the contrast is a little garish for my eyes but i will try to the best of my ability. This is a difficult to transcribe poem, the contrast is a little garish for my eyes but i will try to the best of my ability.
The fans that keep the internet cool The fans that keep the internet cool\
sing behind the congregation sing behind the congregation
angel wings spinning angel wings spinning\
maybe angels have to hide maybe angels have to hide\
in reformation churches in reformation churches\
turned church of internet turned church of internet\
the wings of angels keep the wings of angels keep\
the internet cool; wings sing on the internet cool; wings sing on\
over the voices of mourners over the voices of mourners\
mourning in the evening mourning in the evening\
for suicide heroes and lost youth for suicide heroes and lost youth\
aaron never made it to the promised land aaron never made it to the promised land\
so who will be our moses? so who will be our moses?\
infuriating and wrong and brilliant all at the same time infuriating and wrong and brilliant all at the same time\
making promises to ghosts making promises to ghosts\
keeping promises to the living keeping promises to the living\
there's nothing to do for the future there's nothing to do for the future\
once you are in the past once you are in the past\
once you have passed once you have passed\
free speech is free books is free knowledge free speech is free books is free knowledge\
is free information is free information\
**he killed himself for the sorrows of knowledge** **he killed himself for the sorrows of knowledge**\
incarcerated by dollars incarcerated by dollars\
knowledge denied to those without dollars knowledge denied to those without dollars\
access to knowledge is a human right access to knowledge is a human right\
suicide is a human regret :heart: suicide is a human regret :heart:\
R.I.P. E.K.Keith R.I.P. E.K.Keith
![Yellowing memorial page for aaron swartz' memorial](/article/swartz/aaronswmemorialprogram_0047.jpg) ![Yellowing memorial page for aaron swartz' memorial](/article/swartz/aaronswmemorialprogram_0047.jpg)
@ -80,7 +81,6 @@ Ideas never really die.
![Yellowing memorial page for aaron swartz' memorial](/article/swartz/aaronswmemorialprogram_0063.jpg) ![Yellowing memorial page for aaron swartz' memorial](/article/swartz/aaronswmemorialprogram_0063.jpg)
Thank you for showing us how to care about something more than our paychecks. I just wish it hadn't come at such a great cost. You are, always will be, my inspiration. - Vivek Thank you for showing us how to care about something more than our paychecks. I just wish it hadn't come at such a great cost. You are, always will be, my inspiration. - Vivek
Thank you for reading Thank you for reading