Queer Quote: Aaron Swartz

Lots of people around the world are mourning the news today of the death of Aaron Swartz at age 26 (by suicide). Swartz was well-known around internet freedom as a pioneer and prodigy. He was one of the co-founders of the reddit social networking site as well as instrumental in promoting RSS feeds and stopping the "Stop Online Privacy Act" last year in the U.S. Congress.

Interestingly, Swartz was part of a generation of young people who see sexuality as more fluid and a different construct than older people (like yours truly). In 2009, in  an article he wrote an article titled "Why I am Not Gay" explaining this belief, which I am excerpting here as today's Queer Quote:

Having sex with other people of your gender isn’t an identity, it’s an act. And, like sex in general among consenting adults, people should be able to do it if they want to. Having sex with someone shouldn’t require an identity crisis. (Nobody sees having-sex-with-white-people as part of their identity, even if that’s primarily who they’re attracted to.)

People shouldn’t be forced to categorize themselves as “gay,” “straight,” or “bi.” People are just people. Maybe you’re mostly attracted to men. Maybe you’re mostly attracted to women. Maybe you’re attracted to everyone. These are historical claims — not future predictions. If we truly want to expand the scope of human freedom, we should encourage people to date who they want; not just provide more categorical boxes for them to slot themselves into.

Interesting ideas. I don't disagree with his hope, but I think it discounts the power and historical echoes of the heterosexist society that we currently live in. Thoughts, anyone? If so, please add your responses in the comments.

 Hat/tip to TowleRoad

What Browser Do You Use?

Matthew Yglesias over at Slate posted the above diagram showing the rise of Google's Chrome and the fall of Microsoft's Internet Explorer as popular browsers used to access the World Wide Web.

I use Chrome as my primary browser but at work "for da gubmint" most of the applications are written to be optimally run using Internet Explorer.

According to this blog;s stats, roughly 37% of you use Chrome, then 22% Firefox, 19% Internet Explorer and 9% Safari.

What browser do you prefer to use?

We're NOT #1: U.S. Ranks #28 In Internet Speed

One of the enduring myths promulgated by many conservatives is that "the United States is the best country in the world," usually condensed to a meaningless slogan "We're #1." For example, during the ongoing health care reform debate, Republicans keep on claiming that "The United States has the best health care in the world" when most independent assessments rank France as having the world's best health care system.

Recently, a report ranking the world's countries on average internet speeds came out and the United States (home of Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, etc) was listed at #28. South Korea was first with an average speed of 20.4 Mbps, ahead of Japan with an average of 15.8 MBps. The Los Angeles Times covered the report from Speed Matters, a publicationof the Communications Workers of America and said:

The study also pointed to the relatively slow rate at which the average U.S. broadband speed rose in recent years, gaining only about 1.6 Mpbs since May 2007. That was a much slower increase than was seen in the U.S. states with the fastest speeds.

California, perhaps the nation's most high-tech-friendly state, ranked only 11th among the 50 states, well behind the national leaders. Still, the state's 6.6 Mbps average put it ahead of where it was two years ago, when it ranked 22nd among states, with barely more than 3 Mbps.

Delaware residents now enjoy the nation's fastest broadband at 9.9 Mbs, nearly twice the national average -- and up more than 5 Mpbs since 2007. At the lower end of the speed range, sparsely inhabited states such as Idaho, Alaska and Montana were well below the national average, clocking in around 2.5 Mbps.

Hat/tip Harry Shearer of KCRW's Le Show.

President Obama Wants Your Questions!

President Barack Obama gave his second official prime time press conference on his 64th day in office on Tuesday. On Thursday, the President will answer questions submitted to him via the White House website, at WhiteHouse.gov/openforquestions. Here is the question I submitted:

"Do you agree that all 9th grade students in the U.S. should be able to solve the simultaneous equations 7x+5y=1 and x-y=1? is this an important learning outcome of our education system? Why is learning algebra more important than other math skills?"

You can also vote on other people's questions. There is no "civil rights" section but you can do a search or "gay" or "lesbian" or "HIV" and vote (up or down) questions of interest to the LGBT and HIV communities.

The questions are accepted until 9:30am EDT on Thursday. The online town hall starts at 11:30am EDT.

Bill Gates Saves PlanetOut From Bankruptcy

Towleroad, Joe.My.God, Boy Culture and others are all covering the story of Microsoft founder Bill Gates stepping in to invest over $26 million for a controlling interest in PlanetOut Partners, Inc. in order to save the first online gay media company publicly traded (under ticker symbol LGBT) from an imminent bankruptcy. Joe.My.God has been doing the best job of covering this story and last week reported that PlanetOut was selling it's racier adult properties. PlanetOut Partners is a holding company which currently controls Out magazine, The Advocate, gay.com, planetout.com, and RSVP Cruises.

DISCLAIMER

Mad Professah used to be on the Board of Directors of the original PlanetOut, LLC. back in the late 1990s way before the takeover merger by Liberation Partners during the dot-com boom/bust period. I have no financial stake in the company at this time.