The Sunday Diigo Links Post (weekly)

• In the Wake of Aaron Swartz’s Death, Let’s Fix Draconian Computer Crime Law | Electronic Frontier Foundation

  So many responses to Aaron Swartz’s untimely death by suicide (many posted to Twitter and/or Facebook), and here is the EFF’s piece, bookmarked to Diigo.
  QUOTE
  The CFAA’s vague language, broad reach, and harsh punishments combine to create a powerful weapon for overeager prosecutors to unleash on people they don’t like. Aaron was facing the possibility of decades in prison for accessing the MIT network and downloading academic papers as part of his activism work for open access to knowledge. No prosecutor should have tools to threaten to end someone’s freedom for such actions, but the CFAA helped to make that fate a realistic fear for Aaron.

  Aaron was a powerful force for change, and he would still be working toward that goal if he were here. His memory should challenge us to make the Internet, the law, and the world better. One place to start is the CFAA.
  UNQUOTE

  tags: aaron_swartz

• There’s More to Life Than Being Happy – Emily Esfahani Smith – The Atlantic

  A wonderful article about Viktor Frankl, the pursuit of happiness, and the importance of a meaningful life.
  QUOTE
  [Viktor Frankl:] “Being human always points, and is directed, to something or someone, other than oneself — be it a meaning to fulfill or another human being to encounter. The more one forgets himself — by giving himself to a cause to serve or another person to love — the more human he is.”

  Baumeister and his colleagues would agree that the pursuit of meaning is what makes human beings uniquely human. By putting aside our selfish interests to serve someone or something larger than ourselves — by devoting our lives to “giving” rather than “taking” — we are not only expressing our fundamental humanity, but are also acknowledging that that there is more to the good life than the pursuit of simple happiness.
  UNQUOTE

  tags: viktor_frankl happiness meaning atlantic_monthly psychology health

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.