skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
If you can make the case that there is a clear causality then the prosecutor could be held partially accountable, if not legally at least morally. There is a precedent, somebody committed suicide allegedly as a result of a bullying act and the bullier was hold accountable and got jail sentence.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/21/justice/new-jersey-rutgers-sen...

I think partial causality between his suicide and the act of bullying is probable/possible in this case, it should of course be proven beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law and not in the court of public opinion. What I struggle with though is : should the prosecutor be held accountable or the system she represents, meaning : was she acting very differently than any other prosecutor would have, in the same situation?
First off, it's Swartz, not 'Schartz' or 'Schwartz'.

As for the rest of your uninformed writings I think that 'intellectually dishonest' nicely covers it.

Please at least correct the name.
MIT and Aaron Swartz
I didn't say cut it out -- just ramp down. Lower quantity, and do alcohol/coke in "boring" ways, like medicine, vs. associating them with fun stuff. Or, replace with somewhat less destructive drugs (alcohol abuse is way worse than coke, IMO, except that coke is illegal)

Do visa waiver for 3 months, and work for cash/informally, or as a contractor. I'm sure you can figure out a way to stay past that. (if a company really likes you, they could help) Or, Vancouver, BC is probably adequate. If you're otherwise going to kill yourself, I don't think pushing the limits on a visa is a big deal.

The other thing would be get into a US university. If you can't get into a top-tier school, go to an ok school in an interesting location (I'm not sure how they do foreign students, but even something like Foothill College in the Bay Area would get you near a bunch of startups).
MIT President on Aaron Swartz
>The United States did more to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the last year (by substituting natural gas for coal in electric power generation) than China ever has since the Kyoto Protocol was signed by many countries.

I was going to say that the US was the largest contributor to CO2 emissions, so it would be fitting if they were also the quickest to take measures to reduce them. But this page shows otherwise:

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/global.html#fo...
They routinely say "no comment" to demands to do something like freeing an accused defendant, so that wouldn't give a lot of information
White House Responds To Death Star Petition
Yes that makes sense. Not an easy problem to fix as ideally it would take minimal management but as new 'keywords' need filtering with every new event flooding your stream you'd be spending all your time filtering. Kinda defeats the purpose. Maybe you'd want to set a maximum distraction level per day over all your social media and simply mute the biggest meme offenders automatically. I might even sign up for that :)
Maybe not the best, but I think it solves one of the most painful problems. It's bring some good design to the ones that most needed (we programmers).
Did porn warp me forever?
A canadian once told me that in canada atmospheric temperature is measured in celsius but body temperature is measured in farenheit, or maybe the other way around.
The Generosity Paradox
If they believe that early fiddling from the press will result in a permanent black mark on the platform, then it is a savvy move regardless of how disappointed people are now.

Anyway, it is really doubtful that they will get much traction against iOS, let alone iOS + Android, even with a perfect launch.
But the editor changed the style of the answer. And what's the limit to what an editor can do? Can he re-write it completely without my approval?

If I contributed to something like SO, I would be furious if someone else changed a piece of text that's attributed to me as the author, into something that's not my style, my grammar, my way of writing.
> if winter comes early, you still have to wait for November 15 for when the heat gets turned on.

This happens in the first world, too. In Minneapolis (where I currently live) landlords are, on paper, required to provide at least 68°F starting October 1st. In my experience they turn on the heat a week or two after that, whenever they get around to it, basically. You have nothing for the cold late-September days. You don't control your heat in multifamily buildings, and sometimes it's more like 60° or below and you have to nag the landlord for a week to turn it up. There was a week right around Christmas where I could practically see my breath.

I imagine you can buy your way out of this by paying (a lot) more to rent a nicer, more modern place, but for many, of course, that's not an option.
That's the wrong way to look at it. The process had wiped him out financially and almost certainly damaged his mental state. It doesn't matter if you're acquitted if you are punished before the trial even begins.
Thanks, that's helpful. I've toying with porting some code I wrote (in Java) to access an embedded GSM modem over the serial port to Go as a learning exercise, hence thinking about the "right" way to handle the underlying read/write semantics.

What you say is exactly the class of problems I've previously encountered when, for example, you're trying to send an SMS via AT commands and the modem does something asynchronously (eg. RING indicator, or a periodic signal quality report), and you lose track of who's supposed to get the trailing "OK". Very tedious. In Java I implemented the equivalent of a bidi channel with some timeout tricks for buffering up entire response lines, but it wasn't much fun.
The brilliant mind, righteous heart of Aaron Swartz will be missed (MSNBC)
I hate the news
Lazy K[1] and Funciton[2] are two of my personal favourites.

[1]: http://homepages.cwi.nl/~tromp/cl/lazy-k.html

[2]: http://esolangs.org/wiki/Funciton
The same will be true for any device of real use which stores data. Either you are going to depend heavily on backups, or you are going to require a constant internet connection to a centralized service (in effect the same thing).
UV Light Emitting Robot Disinfects Hospital Rooms
OpSci: Against close-source publishing
Why wouldn't they? They are protecting the assets of America..
This comment does not contribute to the discussion.

http://tirania.org/blog/archive/2011/Feb-17.html

It was quite clear what I meant — they have proven by example that they can do it.
The Github Pirates
Using something which isn't Gnome 2, or similar clone of the Win95 interface, because it is the default, and not knowing that there is a shell one-liner for installing an alternative desktop.
We Want Chromeless
This seems like a timely subject. I've not the guts to take this as far as other individuals, however this code base will get you as close to these locked down papers as is legal without a subscription, including the referrer links to the paywall routing. And Proof: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AtOqyz8P_fJ0dHN...
There is also this one, whose goal is to "Posthumously pardon Aaron Swartz" to "send a strong message about the improportionality with which he was prosecuted": https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/posthumously-pardo...

While I have mixed feelings about the idea of governments pardoning people who should never have been prosecuted in the first place (think of Turing -- why should the government get to absolve themselves of their misdeeds so easily?), this petition might be more likely to get a real response than ones calling for the reprimand or firing of high-level government employees.
If that is what your contract says.

Nobody should accept such a contract, however.
It has some semantic errors. "allegedly minor and non-violent electronic crime", for example.
I will not attempt to summarize here the complex events of the past two years. Now is a time for everyone involved to reflect on their actions, and that includes all of us at MIT. I have asked Professor Hal Abelson to lead a thorough analysis of MIT's involvement from the time that we first perceived unusual activity on our network in fall 2010 up to the present. I have asked that this analysis describe the options MIT had and the decisions MIT made, in order to understand and to learn from the actions MIT took. I will share the report with the MIT community when I receive it.

That was a much more contrite and accountable message than I had expected. When he said "not attempt to summaraize...Now is a time for..." I expected the sentence to end with "now is the time to grieve and celebrate Aaron's life, not cast blame"...

Certainly, the same message and promises won't be made by the government handlers.
Why do you conclude that the prosectors were not human?
What language should I learn first?
Some languages have arbitrary precision types or use BCD. Next time you see someone using floating point types for money, please stop them. There's too many financial libraries out there like OFX4J which get this wrong (or at least did the last time I looked).
Cloudapp Roulette (Hacktool)
Ask HN: best music background to work? 
For example, I am finding I prefer not to listen to songs I know since I would try to follow the lyrics and that would take part of my brain and distract me.What's your favourite music when you code,design or work in general?
Why pastebin?
He’dn’t’ve had to “determine” it, had he known the basics of IEEE-754.
This seems in rather poor taste.
I usually just go on 8tracks and listen to the first 'coding' or 'programming' playlist that shows up.
I just want to emphasize the difference between "code that was used to produce the results" and as algorithm that is the key element of the paper.

If I can't reproduce the results because you're using methods that I can't reasonably find/replicate, then the paper should not be accepted. That's still true for code, and sometimes providing source code is the missing piece. That's definitely not what the OP is about.
This one photo might have more negative marketing effect than any of their flashy Windows Phone ads on TV can make up for.

No-one outside of tech blogs cares about this photo.
It was probably originally an e-mail sent to everyone at MIT based on the 'Dear MIT community'
This kind of post pisses me off because of how obvious it that you're talking out of your ass.

Aaron was depressed for a considerably long time, as pointed out by his lawyer. His previous coworkers had sent the police to his house six years ago after a suicide scare[1].

I don't understand how you've come to the conclusion that he's a martyr for his cause because he killed himself. I understand emotions are fresh in everyone's mind, but it's bizarre that he's being portrayed as an 'American Hero'. I suppose after things have calmed down, then we'll finally be able to have a rational discussion about all this instead of an emotionally-charged one.

[1]http://www.aaronsw.com/weblog/dying (Note: He edited the name to Alex from Aaron after the event).
Step number 2 is especially helpful:

2. Choose your language settings, and then click "Next."

Unix had a funny "not a typewriter" error message that eventually ended up in an Apple OS:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TA31349
>Life is what you make it. That doesn't mean it is a void

Life means nothing. There is no moral standard, universal ideal, or God to live up to or for. "Making" your life is painting a picture on a blank canvas. That is filling a void, and your saying "get out of your head!" is nothing more than your way of filling said void.

Regarding our conversation, yes, it is neat. However that it is neat doesn't magically infuse life with meaning. We are wherever we are, conversing, and life is still meaningless. I am still gazing into the void. And the void is still gazing back at you.

Regarding the cogito. That life exists in many forms does not give life meaning. The likeliest case is that life means absolutely nothing and that all there is is nothingness. We have no purpose here other than what we've invented for ourselves, and even then we have different conceptions of what that is. "I think therefore I am," and what next? That is the void.
Correct. /Received said email
Does anyone have some highlights or a suggested viewing list?
you can also just use Number() to be safe
Take technical people or power users out of the equation, as they are not the masses that use PC's. What is left is social media, e-mail, chat, browsing, games, and office productivity. If you really think people will keep buying PC's to do that stuff when an ipad is better at most of them, I have a bridge to sell you :)

Especially in markets like china I cannot see people investing in a PC when it costs more than a tablet and basically does the same things.

This is why laptops trounce desktops in sales. People don't want DIY, they don't want high-powered hardware. They want to get basic stuff done. If a tablet does that, that's good enough.
Aaron Swartz was mentally ill and committed suicide as a direct result of his mental illness. He comtemplated suicide in 2007 long before any of this DOJ stuff happened.

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

Furthermore the "glorification" of his suicide is doing nothing more but encouraging other suicidal "hackers" to go over the edge so they have their "story" and inconsequential blog posts plastered all of Hacker News. The focus should be on figuring out a way to get mental health services to those who need it most. Not a witch hunt for every person who had something to do with Aaron's prosecution for crimes he knowingly committed.
C/C++:

printf("%lf\n", 1000000 * 8.2);
8200000.000000

Here, printf() is doing the necessary rounding to hide the fact that 8.2 isn't exactly representable. It's interesting that other languages don't do something similar when outputting a float to text.
http://interglacial.com/javascript_spec/a-8.html

The Number type has exactly 18437736874454810627 (that is, 264-253 +3) values, representing the double-precision 64-bit format IEEE 754 values as specified in the IEEE Standard for Binary Floating-Point Arithmetic, except that the 9007199254740990 (that is, 253-2) distinct "Not-a-Number" values of the IEEE Standard are represented in ECMAScript as a single special NaN value.
It seems like its picking up, judging by coming back and forth every couple hours. Deadline still far away, BUT seriously this Administration is a joke even bigger than Bush so do not expect Washington to go along with it and actually do something.

Recently they replied to Piers Morgan deportation petition [1] that we should not forget about the first when talking about the second amendment... the problem is that US Supreme ruled multiple times US Constitution does not apply to non-citizens. So their response seriously is a waste of someone times and our tax dollars.

On the other hand, issues on less important matter will get very deep and thorough response, including youtube videos! [2]

Come to think that this guy and his Administration will run the country for another 4 years, I really do not know what to expect this soil will look like...

[1] http://www.prisonplanet.com/white-house-formally-responds-to...

[2] https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/response/ale-chief-white-ho...
Seems like a good idea but I can imagine government accounting gimmicks.

I'm very curious about something that I read in Lessig's post about not being able to reach out to others for funds without incurring the ire of the District Court Judge. I wonder what that is about?
"Whoopsy. Also: throwing Prof. Abelson under the bus."
Rainbow: your code is beautiful, show it off
All of this talk about depression and suicide makes me wonder what we can do to make future generations more resilient.
I wonder if kids were taught about the way depression can affect you they'd be less susceptible? Surely it would be a lot easier to try to prevent it then cure it?
I think you're being a bit harsh here. As many people have pointed over the last day, most suicide decisions are made in less than an hour, often less than 5 minutes. A substantial portion of people who 'want to die' don't really want to die all the time - they have more and less depressed periods, and during one of those periods they make an impulsive decision.

Suicide has a lasting impact on friends and family; it significantly increases the risk that another family member will also attempt to kill themselves. I don't know if you've ever dealt with depression, but the impact on friends and family is the one thing that consistently stops me when I have suicidal thoughts. I don't think it's a stretch to say that, if your friends and family support you (or don't know), killing yourself impacts them in a substantial way that you should consider.
For anonymity. The person who posted it is likely an MIT Student/Alumnus/Faculty who received the email and others might not like them sharing it.
He may have been trying to flash Windows RT.
This could be useful, except for the fact that you have to register to download the pdfs.
We can both strive to provide mental health services to those in need and work to prevent overzealous prosecution (which in this case was a major contributory factor to an avoidable tragedy). The two aren't mutually exclusive.
No -- Abelson is an uninvolved, very respected professor. It's normal to appoint someone like that to run an investigation. There is every reason to suspect it will be comprehensive, fair, and public.
Very well written. Reif understands that there is nothing to be gained by outright pointing fingers. He knows that MIT played some part and basically admits it. What he doesn't want to do is go into details until he readily understands what role MIT played.
The focus is and should be on fanatical public employees that have an overinflated sense of their importance.

Aaron was worth 100 Federal prosecutors.
> "the CFAA is wrong and should be abolished"

> "There should be no criminal penalty at all for unauthorized access to a computer system"

These are not equivalent.
As a member of the MIT community, I honestly do not feel very bad about how MIT (Administration) handled this situation. MIT's tradition of careful and thoughtful rule breaking clearly recognizes that rules will be enforced and that the police may be involved in criminal matters.

MIT does not and should not decide prosecution strategy. This was not a civil case, but a criminal prosecution in the American tradition of criminal justice. The victim is not the one prosecuting the crime but rather the government prosecutes on behalf of all people, not on behalf of the victim exclusively.
This goes way beyond what I expected MIT would do. I guess MIT is more responsive to public opinion than any prosecutor's office or politician.
I haven't watched all of them yet, but my favorite so far is "Enemies of the State."
Wow, great find. Thank you for sharing. This is why I love Hacker News, one of the best things on the front page right now! Something that takes me outside my comfort zone and makes me think. These past two days have been some of Hacker News' best.
A quick opinion on the A-list ("...these stars of the web...")
I don't see how. Hal Abelson is on the boards of Creative Commons and the Free Software Foundation (and as such is hardly a standard bearer for restrictive copyright), and he's being asked to independently review how MIT handled the entire series of events leading up to this. How is he being thrown under the bus?
Thanks for your hard work!

I think we all really appreciate the values of openness and ease of access. But I have two questions along those lines. The first is why, as people asked below, must one be a registered member to download a paper? The second is why the terms of use contain this:

> Fees. You acknowledge that Academia.edu reserves the right to charge for the Academia.edu Services and to change its fees from time to time in its discretion. If Academia.edu terminates your Membership because you have breached the Agreement, you shall not be entitled to the refund of any unused portion of subscription fees.

Do you anticipate charging for Academia.edu in the future?
I don't know if it's terribly hipster, but I'm interested in the experience of shooting on film, as much as the hardware. I don't get to do it often, but I find I shoot much more methodically when I have to count my shots, and I don't end up with a million bracketed shots of the same boring thing that I thought might be cool. Obviously there are spray-and-pray film photographers, but when I want that experience, I grab my DLSR.
This is like saying Feynman got blamed for the Challenger disaster.
Haha cool deal. Appreciate the honesty there.
Without the CFAA, what criminal penalty would there be for unauthorized access to a computer system?
Jacob Applebaum Keynote: Not My Department - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNsePZj_Yks

howto hack the law - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWdkSGuGOfQ

enemies of the state - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oH2tJcU9lqU
So either plead guilty to a felon and get a slap on the wrist, or due to some concept of 'wasting time' the prosecutor goes after the maximum of 30 years in jail?

I guess you are write, we should give the prosecutor the benefit of the doubt and be angry with the system that creates such a situation instead.
It is not just wrongful prosecution that leads one to depression. The much harder thing is the feeling of lack of support. We should have been protesting when Aaron was alive, it's too late now. We are to blame for his death, and we should make a lesson out of it.
OK, a larger ship, which is the topic at hand. More resources means more complexity.

Just last night my girlfriend was up for a couple hours late on a Saturday night PM'ing a bugfix for a missing ellipsis in her (very large and technologically famous) company's website's "...More Info" link. It took 10 hours to get her off the hook, and it's still not fixed.
Simple solution: I wouldn't write anything that requires numeric accuracy to run in the browser.
The witch hunt angle has been bothering me a lot, and should be ample evidence that the people of Hacker News are no better than the reactionaries of Reddit or even 4chan. No sooner had the man's death hit the news that people started foaming at the mouth, writing long manifestos and diatribes, and calling for the head of everyone and anyone related to the prosecution.

We are better than this.

Actually, evidently, no we're not. We will take a single piece of news, and then fly off the handle, careening into supposition after rumor, and proceed to label people whose actions (or inactions) are far from certain, with the most heinous crimes our society knows - up to and including murder.

We will take the news of one man's death and twist that into character attacks against people and groups we don't know, and make blanket statements galore: whether it's about the staff of MIT, all lawyers, all prosecutors, all investigators, all Federal employees, etc, ad nauseum.

We will write posts filled with hyperbole after hyperbole, followed by insinuations, emotion-appealing analogies, and mindless rhetoric.

So no, we are evidently just as knee-jerky reactionary as every other stupid online community.

But we should be better than this.
The university does, what makes sense for a university to do. They do an analysis, and produce a report.

What I hope happens afterward is that MIT take in the report and create meaningful changes. This however is not in the nature of universities and is where the challenge will be if MIT want to learn from this tragedy.
I agree that Aaron was ultimately responsible for his own suicide. However, the overzealous overprosecution of either minor crimes or non-criminal civil violations wrecked his life. Doing that, even had he not killed himself, was more than bad enough.
What makes you think he was thrown under the bus? I figured they chose him because he's widely respected within the MIT community.
edit: http://xkcd.com/386/