Doing what is right, or following Aaron Swartz' example

Please watch this lecture by Lawrence Lessig on Aaron's Laws - Law and Justice in the Digital Age.

It is a really moving address about our obligation to try to do what is right for humanity.
It is about the need to reform dumb law.
It is about how we can honour Aaron's legacy.
It is about Aaron's form of civil disobedience and whether he actually caused any real harm.
It is about celebrating his hacking activity to advance the public good.
It addresses Aaron's pursuit of social justice and his fight against corruption.
It is about the absurdity of our continuous promotion of the knowledge elite who have privileged access to publicly funded research through their membership of "elite institutions".
It is about publishers selling access to research that is funded by governments.
And it is also about those who have not so much access to this knowledge.
It is about Aaron's Guerilla Open Access Manifesto.
It is about whether Aaron's crime was to hoard vast amounts of research material that he downloaded from JSTOR at MIT; or whether he wanted to use it for research purposes; or whether he wanted to liberate it for the Third World; or whether he wanted to liberate it for the whole world.
It is about what real harm can be cause by computer crime in cyber-space.
It is about a government bullying an individual and playing the example justice game in their disproportionate response to his "crimes".
It is about what we should do under unjust laws when the remedy is worse than the evil (apologies to Henry David Thoreau).
It is about recognising the cause of corruption and fixing the system.
And it is about fixing the obliviousness of our daily lives when we work within such systems and laws.

How to fly in the USA

In response to this article from The Huffington Post, I'm sharing my observations for boarding domestic flights in the USA:

1. There is no need to check any baggage. Just bring it all with you as you board. Try not to leave anything you own at home.
2. NEVER use the overhead locker nearest your own seat.
3. What you cannot squeeze into an overhead locker can be left in the seat next to you (whether occupied or not), under all of the seats in front of you on either side (keeping the one directly in front free for stretching out your legs), or given to an air steward (or one of the pilots if you cannot find a steward).
4. Nobody behind you will mind if you take as long as you need to store all of your personal possessions before moving towards your own seat.
5. Sit wherever you feel most comfortable. The chances are that nobody else really needs that seat anyway.
6. If moved to a seat you don't like, it is time to speak to the stewards or pilots again. There are many valid reasons you can use for getting a better seat: you are too fat; you are too tall; your back hurts; you need to supervise your children; you need to get away from your children; you need to sit closer to all or some of your luggage; you will be sick without a window view; you told the girl on the phone that you wanted an exit row; you are a frequent flyer; you are incontinent and your fast food will eventually disagree with your bowell; etc. Tears are good too.
7. Make sure you buy enough hot fast food to last you for at least several months, even if it is only a 30 minute flight. If you do manage to eat it and have to dispose of the rubbish, or if you lose interest in it, see #3., above.
8. Bring all of your small children with you. After all, the flight will be full of people with nothing else to do than look after them for you. Children should not be forced to leave any of their toys at home.
9. You can just ignore all of the warnings to switch off mobile devices until an air steward threatens you with physical violence. Then you need to take their name and their photo.
10. As soon as possible, recline your seat fully and leave it that way for the entire flight. If anyone wants to know why, say it is broken. You may as well relax.
11. On landing, should your flight actually manage to take off, it is OK to jump straight up and then rush to wherever you stored your heaviest possessions. No need to wait for lights to go off or announcements to be made. That would be foolish. There is a prize for the first person to stand up in the aisle. And there is a bonus for the first person off the plane.

Happy flying.

@snailx's traversal meme

What “City, Country” do you live in?

Sydney, Australia

What was the last country you visited other than your own (or that you want to if you haven’t been out of your country)?

The US.

What is your favourite kind of trip (i.e. camping, laying on the beach, cruise, etc.)?

Business class travel; decent serviced apartment; someone else is paying. (Not that it is happening!)

What is the farthest location south that you have gone?

Either Hobart or the South-West wilderness in Tasmania.

What is the farthest location north that you have gone?

Uppsala in Sweden. For the wedding of a friend from NZ!

What is your preferred mode of transportation when traveling long distances?

Jet aircraft, much as I hate the lack of leg-room and uncomfortable seats. At least it is quick. (I'm not really supposed to talk about my tardis.)

What kind of vehicle do you own (or would like to own)?

Alfa Romeo 147 2.0 T Spark. It has red leather seats: a long-held ambition.

What is your ideal destination?

Oahu, Hawaii or Stockholm, Sweden. I love them both for many reasons.

Who is your favourite travel companion?

Brad Pitt. If you ask him, he'll get all embarrassed and deny it.

What is the largest city you have visited?

London, UK.

What destination would you recommend to a friend?

Sweden.

If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

Oahu, Hawaii.

The questions for others to use:

What “City, Country” do you live in?

What was the last country you visited other than your own (or that you want to if you haven’t been out of your country)?

What is your favourite kind of trip (i.e. camping, laying on the beach, cruise, etc.)?

What is the farthest location south that you have gone?

What is the farthest location north that you have gone?

What is your preferred mode of transportation when traveling long distances?

What kind of vehicle do you own (or would like to own)?

What is your ideal destination?

Who is your favourite travel companion?

What is the largest city you have visited?

What destination would you recommend to a friend?

If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

The image is from 2009, somewhere over Colorado on my way to Denver.