A friend just sent me a copy of the Phillip Lessen chat with prodigy and wise man Aaron Swartz, who started doing cool things in tech early on. Aaron's got the clear sight of a (much) older person, and his comments on sexism in tech made me snap to attention.

Some snippets:

• If you talk to any woman in the tech community, it won't be long before they start telling you stories about disgusting, sexist things guys have said to them. It freaks them out; and rightly so. As a result, the only women you see in tech are those who are willing to put up with all the abuse.

• But even the people who are quite social and competent misbehave and, furthermore, they support a culture where this misbehavior is acceptable. I don't exclude myself from this criticism.But even the people who are quite social and competent misbehave and, furthermore, they support a culture where this misbehavior is acceptable. I don't exclude myself from this criticism.

• I think all censorship should be deplored. My position is that bits are not a bug – that we should create communications technologies that allow people to send whatever they like to each other. And when people put their thumbs on the scale and try to say what can and can't be sent, we should fight back – both politically through protest and technologically through software like Tor.

Aaron, your comments rock.