5 years today, the world lost Aaron Swartz. A death motivated by the judicial extremism of our government, and indirectly caused by prosecutors who only cared about advancing their own careers, at any cost. Aaron was only 26, but already had an extensive list of contributions to society, internet, freedom of expression, and more. We can only imagine how much more he would have accomplished by now, particularly in the current political environment. ...
Jason “@textfile” Scott and Ernest Cline We’re incredibly lucky to be the very first generation to play videogames. The first generation to have a computer at home. To program computers. Heck, we’re the first generation to have access to the internet! And play multi-player games, and see the creation of virtual reality environments. But history moves fast, and every day content is lost when services are shut down, or bits start to rot in some old and incompatible device (floppy disks, anyone? VHS? Betamax? Jazz and Zip disks?). Sony just announced they’re shutting down PlayStation Mobile this July. Maybe the games will stored in a vault somewhere, but that’s the exception and not the rule. ...
A month later, and this still hurts. Last week, I awoke to find Aaron with me. He was sitting next to my bed, grinning his cheekiest grin, holding my hand. For a few minutes, I savored a sweet uncertainty: Were the last few weeks all a nightmare, and Aaron was still with me? Or was I awaking inside a dream state, and in the real… continue reading: TarenSK: Why Aaron died ...
(Some will say this is not the time. I disagree. This is the time when every mixed emotion needs to find voice.) Since his arrest in January, 2011, I have known more about the events that began this spiral than I have wanted to know. Aaron consulted me as a friend and lawyer. He… Continue reading: Lessig Blog, v2: Prosecutor as Bully Photo credit: Boston Wiki Meetup, by ragesoss on Flickr ...
Lolcats. The Church of Scientology. Sony. HBGary Hack. FBI. Paypal, Visa & MasterCard. Mubarak. Occupy Wall Street. SOPA/PIPA. Anonymous has been busy for the past few years. It started as juvenile pranks on 4chan’s boards, but grew and became a powerful mechanism against oppressive governments and unscrupulous corporations. Its trajectory was beautifully captured in the documentary “We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists”, that will be released later this year. I had the pleasure to watch the premiere in Austin during SXSW, and I must say - it’s f..ing brilliant. The movie is still in post-production, so the theatrical release may be slightly different. ...