Some thoughts of Aaron Swartz (FB/Duckman version)

Oh...

Two of the founders of two of the more interesting open source/activist projects out there: Diaspora (https://joindiaspora.com/) and DemandProgress (http://demandprogress.org/) have now taken their own lives. Here's a Forbes.com article on the demise of Ilya Zhitomirskiy from November 2011:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/meghancasserly/2011/11/16/ilya-zhitomirskiy-diaspora-suicide-speculation-depression-stress-anxiety/

And now we have news that Aaron Swartz co-founder of Reddit and founder of Demand Progress has gone too:
http://boingboing.net/2013/01/12/rip-aaron-swartz.html
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/01/farewell-aaron-swartz
http://lessig.tumblr.com/post/40347463044/prosecutor-as-bully

The link for me is clear: both were highly talented, even 'gifted' people. Both were adept at, and were actively challenging the status quo and what now passes for "the establishment", in such a way as to draw to themselves incredible stress and ultimately life-ending depression. What's disturbing is the seeming quality and depth of the support network both had - both online and IRL - and which they chose not to use.

I had reason to click the "report a problem" button at the bottom of one of Aaron Swartz's tools - you can see what I mean at the bottom here:

http://theinfo.org/

In my case it was for help with his 'Twitter context' tool - http://twitter.theinfo.org/ - for some odd reason it wasn't returning a conversation I'd had on Twitter which I wanted to archive/keep as it was interesting. Within an hour or so he'd replied having checked out the issue and determining the fault lay somewhere in how Twitter's API was working (or rather was not working). Dumbfoundingly rapid, awesome customer service! From the app writer! What an example to set - but he's now no more.

So if you work with someone who's technically adept, maybe a little introverted, but developing things that make your business more successful and drive in more long-term profitability than any of your competitors - you know, the sort that makes your bonus scheme actually work, making some of your employees "...rich, rich, rich, flushola, nipple-deep in greenbacks..."

http://www.infinitelooper.com/?v=ZLPoXxz7jiQ&p=n#/684;692

look out for them. Don't just nod and say hello, or ask how they are, scratch the surface a bit. You may never know when they're having a bad day, and when they may decide to make that day their last. But that little extra piece of interaction may just change their outlook.

And yes, that infinitelooper link does go to a segment from a Duckman episode - find it on YouTube (the ?v=... code in the URL is the clue to figuring out the real YouTube URL) - it's one of the best episodes of all, and I will keep on referring to segments from it again, and again, and again, and again!