Fantastic, deep-reaching essay by Paul Graham on Hackers, the last American heroes:
When you read what the founding fathers had to say for themselves, they sound more like hackers. "The spirit of resistance to government," Jefferson wrote, "is so valuable on certain occasions, that I wish it always to be kept alive."Imagine an American president saying that today. Like the remarks of an outspoken old grandmother, the sayings of the founding fathers have embarrassed generations of their less confident successors.
Update 4/06: Maciej Ceglowski opines that Graham is on much-thinner ice when he steps beyond the boundaries of hacking. (I love that bit about Dave Winer "snorfling cashew nuts". Tee-hee!)
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