Annual Donations
and why they matter
It feels a little weird to write about annual charity donations in public but this has been a year of feeling a little weird anyways so I’ll roll with it. I asked Squirt if he knew who I would be donating to and, unsurprisingly, he immediately answered with Wikipedia (a site I send him to constantly) but here’s the whole list…
Wikipedia
I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that this is the most important website on the internet. There is no greater purpose for the internet than to democratize information as much as possible. There is no greater force multiplier for human civilization than putting information at its fingertips, and that’s what I see as the purpose of Wikipedia. Like all information, it can be flawed. Like all tools, they can be abused. But as an overall organization I feel like it achieves it’s goal of creating a world where almost everyone can learn about almost anything and that is priceless.
FIRE | The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
Just like there is no greater purpose for the internet than to democratize information, there is no greater threat than information control. FIRE fights against exactly that, speaking out for the fundamental protection of free speech in America. They fight for freedom of speech as those in government throughout all parties and affiliations try to control what can be said. It’s a horrid job that results in almost everyone hating them at some point or another, because almost everyone actually does want to control speech, but they fight against it all. In the end the only way to win the information control game is to keep anyone from playing it and let speech be free.
Our World in Data
The world is hellishly complex, humans are horribly emotional, and this leads to a place where it is incredibly hard to find capital-T Truth. Our World in Data’s job is to establish quantitative analysis that cuts through the complexity and the emotion and let us see the world as it really is. I am endlessly amazed at just how much information they have collected over the years and their website finds its way on to my screen on a weekly basis.
The American Heart Association
Heart disease has touched everyone and is the leading cause of death in the modern world. No high minded ideals or anything else here, just a hope in the American Heart Association’s tireless trek up a mountain that saves lives because each one is precious and each one adds to civilization.
Squirt Says…
I have heard you talk at one point about all of these. And I can see
why you support them.
