The little bits of new information, but mostly just the reminder of him and his life, which prompt me to read his writings again, and they often help me get out of some funk I might be in and pursue things I find worth pursuing. His suicide is not the main point of the article for me.
As such, this article is, for me, probably the most useful link on HN today, if not the week.
We need to remember the heroes who were brave enough to challenge the way the world operates.
This article in particular gave the reader a good insight into the thinking of Aaron.
I do believe the subjects (copyright law, police brutality, etc.) are worth discussing, but I also believe the politics around them make it difficult to discuss them rationally. People tend not to invoke Aaron Swartz to start conversations, so much as attempt to end them, or polarize them, or steer them into the same tedious and unproductive circles time and again.
I guess we're lucky there's no way to spin Marvin Minsky's death that way. If he'd gotten so much as a traffic ticket before the end, people would be implying his cerebral hemorrhage was caused by police batons.
I wish technologists would focus less on Aaron and his death.
I wish the Department of Justice would focus more on Aaron and his death.
I also wish the CFAA would die in a fire along with its authors, but that's not likely to happen. :(
Aaron's case in particular captivates the internet because of what he stood for, and what a lot of us hope to stand for. This article is highly relevant because as great as Aaron was, he had his shortcomings as well. And for those who really look up to him (including myself), it's insightful to look at them.
What baffles me is that people are so reactionary and outraged about anyone mentioning it. Like they hate him for trying to be a martyr and nobody should criticize the sacred infallible system. It seems likely he killed himself because of depression not to make the prosecutor look bad or make a statement so lets not resent him.