The OP talks about how Aaron needed to be more pragmatic, like a Steve Jobs. I don't disagree...and as much as I admire his almost total-lack of self promotion and the minimalism on his sites, I wonder if Aaron would've felt more of a force had he more of the weight and attention of the world. Think of how much even digital media celebrities like David Pogue can make things happen (Remember how fast police in another state acted when he lost his iPhone? http://money.cnn.com/2012/08/03/technology/david-pogue-iphon...)...
Some tech prodigies have the desire to stay anonymous, but Aaron clearly wanted to be at the forefront of civic action, if not the "spotlight", so to speak. It's unfortunate that his accomplishments and virtues did not attract the celebrity that they deserved.
I most definitely do not despise Aaron. I think it's highly detestable that someone of his passion and skill gets less followers than an early-cut-contestant from American Idol.
We can argue that maybe he would've been less productive if he really got into tweeting or whatever. But he was hardly shy from talking about himself, and he shouldn't have been. It's a shame that didn't result in the kind of deserved following that would have gotten more public sentiment on his side.
His SOPA/PIPA campaign is a prime example. The reason why it succeeded when at first legislators ignored it was not because the merits of its argument became better over time, but because more people, beyond the choir, had joined the cause.
>I think it's highly detestable that someone of his passion and skill gets less followers than an early-cut-contestant from American Idol.
Every week reddit gives me the latest talking point jerks like Kim Dotcom or Ron/Rand Paul, yet its own guy was ignored by it until his death. PR is everything now. Social media is reputation media. Working on your image is just as important as your work, which sounds like something out of The Prince, but its truer in the age of instant communication. Christ, what a sorry world we live in where our actions are meaningless and we are nothing without good PR.
Some tech prodigies have the desire to stay anonymous, but Aaron clearly wanted to be at the forefront of civic action, if not the "spotlight", so to speak. It's unfortunate that his accomplishments and virtues did not attract the celebrity that they deserved.