I was listening to the BBC on the radio [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8186761.stm] when I heard a rather condescending (even for BBC) report about Haystack Proxy server program [http://www.haystacknetwork.com/]. In it the reporter insisted on referring to the lead programmer, Austin Heap, for Haystack as a nerd (at their website he becomes a geek) with obvious disdain in her voice. I don't know if the programmer asked to be referred to that way but considering that much if not all the news coming out of Iran has been made possible by Haystack and similar programs I would think that a news organization would be happy that they have a free tool to communicate with people and receive information on a developing story regardless of the efforts to stop them by totalitarian governments.
I think in the 21st century an intelligent and knowledgeable person who can help people from his computer screen on the other side of the world tell their side of a story without being censored deserves some respect. If he went to Iran and was arrested he would be called at best brave or at worst become a pawn for the regime to force the West to negotiate for his release and the story would still remain hidden. I ask The Escapist Community this:
Do we not deserve some respect for what we have added to society?
I did a forum search but found nothing specific to this topic.
I think in the 21st century an intelligent and knowledgeable person who can help people from his computer screen on the other side of the world tell their side of a story without being censored deserves some respect. If he went to Iran and was arrested he would be called at best brave or at worst become a pawn for the regime to force the West to negotiate for his release and the story would still remain hidden. I ask The Escapist Community this:
Do we not deserve some respect for what we have added to society?
I did a forum search but found nothing specific to this topic.
