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Bill Gates on the Colbert Report

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T

themadhatter444

Neo Member
Along the same vein, I recommend the book "Leaving Microsoft to Change the World". It's not about Gates, but the guy is an executive at Microsoft and resigns from his position to create Room to Read while in Nepal.

Cool stuff. Hooray for philanthropy.
 
D

demon

I don't mean to alarm you but you have dogs on your face
RSP said:
Wow, what a bad interview. Here is your chance to ask the worlds most interesting filantropist a couple of questions, and all you do is joke around about money?
Click to expand...

Haven't watched the interview yet but I can imagine what you mean. His interviews are often frustrating and awkward when he tries too hard and his schtick comes off as very forced.
 
B

border

Member
dorkimoe said:
He always has been a super nice guy. Love him. But am I the only one that wishes he would do more to help the united states? I mean dont get me wrong, he is doing amazing work...but we could use some help here. Then again we have a lot of people who would get the help through school and what not and still turn out to be terrible people
Click to expand...

I don't care about the US specifically, but I would prefer to see all that money spent on stuff like cancer/AIDS research that would have an effect across the globe.

Vaccinating kids in countries that are already overpopulated and have dwindling resources seems like it only adds to the problem.
 
S

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
My wierdest Bill Gates moment (and I have met him a few times) was watching Nacho Libre at a Seattle theater. In walks Bill G and Paul Allen. They sit down in our row, no security at all, and watch the movie. Bill G quietly laughs throughout the whole thing. Then repeats the line "Nutrients" and snorts through his soda.
 
C

Chichikov

Member
border said:
I don't care about the US specifically, but I would prefer to see all that money spent on stuff like cancer/AIDS research that would have an effect across the globe.

Vaccinating kids in countries that are already overpopulated and have dwindling resources seems like it only adds to the problem.
Click to expand...
Are you really advocating we let poor people die because there are too many of them?
Not to mention that even white people can get polio.
 
Wiktor

Wiktor

Member
border said:
I don't care about the US specifically, but I would prefer to see all that money spent on stuff like cancer/AIDS research that would have an effect across the globe.

Vaccinating kids in countries that are already overpopulated and have dwindling resources seems like it only adds to the problem.
Click to expand...

Well..how about you make your own billions and then you will be able to decide you prefer to spend it on research than saving little kids lives.
 
Q

Quixzlizx

Member
border said:
I don't care about the US specifically, but I would prefer to see all that money spent on stuff like cancer/AIDS research that would have an effect across the globe.

Vaccinating kids in countries that are already overpopulated and have dwindling resources seems like it only adds to the problem.
Click to expand...

Security is the most effective form of birth control.
 
C

clav

Member
Stinkles said:
My wierdest Bill Gates moment (and I have met him a few times) was watching Nacho Libre at a Seattle theater. In walks Bill G and Paul Allen. They sit down in our row, no security at all, and watch the movie. Bill G quietly laughs throughout the whole thing. Then repeats the line "Nutrients" and snorts through his soda.
Click to expand...

This was when Bungie was with Microsoft?
 
T

The Real Abed

Perma-Junior
Cool. Thanks! I'll watch this later. Both Bill and Steve have always been my role models. In different ways from each other of course.
 
B

border

Member
Jackben said:
border...I know you don't really mean this. Come on man.
Click to expand...

To say that it adds to the problem might not be right. It just potentially creates a different problem - a large population increase in areas that were already struggling for food and water. So people starve to death rather than getting malaria or whatever.

Quixzlizx said:
Security is the most effective form of birth control.
Click to expand...

That is the flip side of it -- people might not have as many kids if they could be assured that their first two kids could live into adulthood.
 
C

ClosingADoor

Member
border said:
To say that it adds to the problem might not be right. It just potentially creates a different problem - a large population increase in areas that were already struggling for food and water. So people starve to death rather than getting malaria or whatever.

That is the flip side of it -- people might not have as many kids if they could be assured that their first two kids could live into adulthood.
Click to expand...
Better education and health are the best way to combat overpopulation. Not that long ago, families in Europe and America were way bigger also then they are now.
 
L

Leeroy3101

Banned
Gates' ideas for education reform is anything but good. He, including many others, envision an education system that is run like a business, promotes teaching to a test, and increasing corruption in K-12 education.

The man had done a lot for humanitarian efforts, though.
 
Z

zero shift

Banned
Leeroy3101 said:
Gates' ideas for education reform is anything but good. He, including many others, envision an education system that is run like a business, promotes teaching to a test, and increasing corruption in K-12 education.

The man had done a lot for humanitarian efforts, though.
Click to expand...
This. I appreciate what he does. However he sold stay the fuck away from education.

The problem with Gates, Bono, and Oprah is that they always assume that people are going to be as good hearted as they are with these businesses.
 
H

HollovVpo1nt

Banned
What surprises me the most is that Gates' activity are not linked to Microsoft whatsoever. I imagine Jobs would be bragging about this at every keynote trying to win moral support for his company and sell more products.
 
B

Bombadil

Banned
Stinkles said:
My wierdest Bill Gates moment (and I have met him a few times) was watching Nacho Libre at a Seattle theater. In walks Bill G and Paul Allen. They sit down in our row, no security at all, and watch the movie. Bill G quietly laughs throughout the whole thing. Then repeats the line "Nutrients" and snorts through his soda.
Click to expand...

I like that scene. "Those eggs were a lie, Steven. A LIE!!!"

I read in an official biography that Gates was so stressed during college he had a bout of ulcerative colitis. Although this sucks, it gives me hope that Gates will bring some attention to inflammatory bowel diseases in the near future, once he's done saving the rest of the world.
 
Vigilant Walrus

Vigilant Walrus

Member
I wish more people knew about Biill Gates charity. People almost rather want to talk about Steve Jobs, than Bill Gates! It's strange...
 
S

SoulPlaya

more money than God
dorkimoe said:
He always has been a super nice guy. Love him. But am I the only one that wishes he would do more to help the united states? I mean dont get me wrong, he is doing amazing work...but we could use some help here. Then again we have a lot of people who would get the help through school and what not and still turn out to be terrible people
Click to expand...
He hasn't always been a "super nice guy". Dude was a pretty ruthless businessman. However, his recent efforts are spectacular, and need to be commended.
 
B

B-Dubs

No Scrubs
Vigilant Walrus said:
I wish more people knew about Biill Gates charity. People almost rather want to talk about Steve Jobs, than Bill Gates! It's strange...
Click to expand...

Gates doesn't really market his charity work though, Jobs marketed himself pretty heavily so people know about his stuff. Gates is just doing what he does with no regard for if people know it's him doing it or not.
 
N

nelsonroyale

Member
Chichikov said:
Are you really advocating we let poor people die because there are too many of them?
Not to mention that even white people can get polio.
Click to expand...

Here, here...there are lots of poor people as well. Also, I think what he was trying to articulate is that improvements in health care have actually added to the population explosion, which have had negative effects at a population level. Ie decrease infant mortality in countries with high birth rates has led to issues in overdensity, especially where infrastructure is poor.
 
P

Plywood

NeoGAF's smiling token!
I know some people have said that someone of his position could just be doing this to look good, but in the end he is doing a great good in helping millions of people he will never know.
 
B

Bombadil

Banned
nelsonroyale said:
Here, here...there are lots of poor people as well. Also, I think what he was trying to articulate is that improvements in health care have actually added to the population explosion, which have had negative effects at a population level. Ie decrease infant mortality in countries with high birth rates has led to issues in overdensity, especially where infrastructure is poor.
Click to expand...

Yes, but in addition to that, Gates has been working to increasing the distribution of birth control methods to those same regions. I think his goal is to help people have children when they are ready, rather than them having children just because they couldn't practice safe sex. Gates has actually been accused of being a eugenicist because of his work.

Also, while his annual letter highlights the goal to end childhood mortality, I'm certain there are a whole lot of other things that the charity does in an effort to improve the infrastructure of impoverished nations. A couple of you posters sound like you're just looking for ways to criticize him.
 
T

teh_pwn

"Saturated fat causes heart disease as much as Brawndo is what plants crave."
border said:
I don't care about the US specifically, but I would prefer to see all that money spent on stuff like cancer/AIDS research that would have an effect across the globe.

Vaccinating kids in countries that are already overpopulated and have dwindling resources seems like it only adds to the problem.
Click to expand...

He's eradicating diseases that are part of the reason why 3rd world nations have trouble getting established. If everyone is sick, dies young, and the average age is 22, then you're going to have instability.

When these 3rd world nations become 1st world nations and there are no 3rd world nations, the population will contract as it has in most 1st world countries.
 
F

freenudemacusers

Member
RSP said:
Wow, what a bad interview. Here is your chance to ask the worlds most interesting filantropist a couple of questions, and all you do is joke around about money?

Do yourself a favor, watch Gates' TED talk. 30 minutes of greatness from healthcare to education and energy.
Click to expand...
Yeah, that interview was poor. Will look into the Ted talk, thanks.
 
G

GhaleonEB

Member
I got the biggest grin when Bill said he was geekier than Jobs, at the end of the segment. Great geek, and great person.
 
B

border

Member
HollovVpo1nt said:
What surprises me the most is that Gates' activity are not linked to Microsoft whatsoever. I imagine Jobs would be bragging about this at every keynote trying to win moral support for his company and sell more products.
Click to expand...

Except that Apple does give money to charities and pretty much never mentions it at press conferences or keynotes.

Nor could Gates' activity be tied to Microsoft. He's giving away his own money, not MS's.
 
J

Jenga

Banned
Chichikov said:
I'm pretty sure that's intentional, and I don't know how much the general public was aware of those things, but Gates definitely was the go to bad guy through the 90s.
I wonder if Slashdot still have a picture of him in a borg suit for every MS related story.
I wonder if Slashdot is still alive.
But not enough to actually go to that den of misery and find out.
Click to expand...
Because he was the iconic corporate bad dude for IT in the 90's

he still kinda is only he's trying to make his amends through philanthropy, which is fine and all but when you honor a man you look at the whole picture, not just the good side
 
R

Rocket Scientist

Member
He was in Holland recently to talk to some ministers because our country is planning on cutting foreign aid in 2014. Holland has been one of the most generous countries when it comes to foreign aid as percentage of GDP apparently. Now they're going to cut it and he said he was surprised and disappointed so he came here to promote what his foundation is and show how important foreign aid is. He also wants to help try and sway public opinion here, because the last few years politicians here have demonized foreign aid (as part of a larger display of xenophobia).
 
S

Slavik81

Member
LAUGHTREY said:
Business is like that, in hindsight it was a good thing.
Click to expand...

No, Microsoft's anti-competitive practices are not now suddenly good things just because a portion of their ill-gotten gains were donated to charity.

I like Bill Gates, because he is driven to do the best he can in everything he does. I'm just glad he's now focused on something that will help the world, rather than on expanding Microsoft's empire and his own personal fortune.
 
A

Always-honest

Banned
Yeah he's a pretty cool guy. Wow.

Windows still sucks donkey balls imo, but i like what it has contributed to the world and i like what he does with his money.
 
Wiktor

Wiktor

Member
Jenga said:
Because he was the iconic corporate bad dude for IT in the 90's

he still kinda is only he's trying to make his amends through philanthropy, which is fine and all but when you honor a man you look at the whole picture, not just the good side
Click to expand...

Well..his ruthlesness in his early days also benefited the whole world, even if it also screwed up his competitors
 
C

ClassyPenguin

Banned
Huge supporter of the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation and his work in getting PC's and computer education in the US, sad too see it's a lol u rich interview from Colbert.
 
L

linsivvi

Member
Slavik81 said:
No, Microsoft's anti-competitive practices are not now suddenly good things just because a portion of their ill-gotten gains were donated to charity.

I like Bill Gates, because he is driven to do the best he can in everything he does. I'm just glad he's now focused on something that will help the world, rather than on expanding Microsoft's empire and his own personal fortune.
Click to expand...

Same here, and look at Microsoft now. They are a shade of their former past.

Nobody wants one company to dominate the whole IT sector.
 
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