rawthought

d running a script to download the JSTOR archive, a digital library that locks millions of academic journals, papers, books, and primary sources behind expensive paywalls. JSTOR caught on, and started firewalling him. Aaron bypassed the firewalls by entering an unlocked utility closet in the basement of MIT's Building 16 and connected his laptop to the network switch, hiding it under a cardboard box. This did not end well. MIT and JSTOR found the laptop and contacted the authorities, who turned this into a federal sting operation, and used a camera to catch Aaron in the act. Federal prosecutors and U.S. attorneys tried to make an example out of him. Instead of a simple trespass or civil suit, they charged him with multiple felonies including CFAA and wire fraud, threatening him with 35 years in prison and $1 million in fines (comparable to sentences for manslaughter, bank robbery, and worse crimes). Aaron rejected a plea deal that would brand him a felon. After three years, Aaron was still facing trial and the full weight of the federal government. On January 11, 2013, he took his life. He was 26 years old. Today, we pay tribute to a pioneering builder and thinker of the open web. Some links: Aaron's manifesto on freeing academic knowledge: https://ia600101.us.archive.org/1/items/GuerillaOpenAccessManifesto/Goamjuly2008.pdf Aaron's weblogs: https://github.com/joshleitzel/rawthought/tree/master An excellent documentary on Aaron Swartz: https://archive.org/details/TheInternetsOwnBoyTheStoryOfAaronSwartz Aaron’s keynote “How we stopped SOPA”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fgh2dFngFsg 16 year old Aaron speaking at the launch of Creative Commons: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpT_V-DB1JU

in the toilet, which I think is a habit I picked up from home (I grew up with a book shelf in the toilet and we used to call the bathroom the "National Library"). As a matter of fact, I'm writing these very lines sitting on the throne. I've never read as much as during my unemployment (I could read like 20 hours per day, but it's not for everyone). On my way to work and after work, I reach for my laptop and get stuff done if I'm fortunate to have a seat. I work on features, do refactoring, etc. If I'm standing, I get my phone and read an ebook. By the way, I recently found Aaron Swartz' blog posts in epub format. https://github.com/joshleitzel/rawthought The takeaway from this is the following: - Making the most out of time that would otherwise be wasted: amortizing commute time, waiting time, etc. - Exposing myself to a variety of topics opened up a graph of interest that sent me to different directions and topics. I've learned a lot of things.