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[GK86]

Link. YT video.

Since Satya Nadella became Microsoft's third CEO in February, we've gradually learned more about him. He writes long memos, quotes poetry, and doesn't like to talk about the Nokia acquisition. But today we learned another, possibly even more important thing about Satya Nadella, and it is this: he will let you dump a huge bucket of water on his head for charity. Nadella is helping raise money to help fight amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, and Microsoft contributed by staging a hackathon. (The result was a cool new way for people to communicate with the Surface using their eyes.)

But the real action was in the video embedded in this unfathomably long post on the corporate blog today. It shows Nadella taking what's known as the "ice bucket challenge," which the company describes as: "a social media movement wherein people post videos of themselves dumping a bucket of ice water over their heads. Once they're sopping wet with cold water, they then challenge others to either do the same or make a donation to an organization dedicated to fighting ALS, and that's just what Nadella did."

Nadella was challenged to do this on Twitter by former NFL player Steve Gleason, which just goes to show that people will do pretty much anything if you tweet at them.

The result is a GIF that we will revisit time and again. It's not quite Steve Ballmer chasing cake across the stage at CES, but then — nothing is.

Nadella, for his part, is trying to get the CEOs of Amazon and Google to follow suit. What say you, Jeff Bezos and Larry Page?

Here, have a donation link.
http://web.alsa.org/site/Donation2?df_id=27420&27420.donation=form1

Edit posted in the thread:

The ice bucket.
The NY Jets and Jimmy Fallon both did this challenge too BTW.
http://youtu.be/8Sfb0kVbh-8
http://youtu.be/b_kdke345NQ

Mark Zuckerberg took the challenge. He challenged Bill Gates, Sheryl Sandberg and Reed Hastings.

Looks like nobody thinks Apple likes to have fun.

Phil Schiller already did

Tim Cook took the ice bucket challenge as well:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_T1K7pFsI0&feature=youtu.be

Bill Gates just did it and he challenged Elon Musk, the TED guy and Ryan Seacrest.

Lol that was great.

Conan did it as well. Challenged Jimmy Carter, Pele, and Haley Joel Osment. Random people lol.

 

[CriterionDog]

What an awesome guy. : ) Dang, challenging the CEOs of Amazon and Google. I hope they follow through!

 

[dinazimmerman]

Heh cool ALS is a horrible horrible disease

 

[killer rin]

Thats awesome. Good job Satya Nedella for doing this. Hopefully this helps raise awareness for the terrible disease. It'd be cool if Jeff Bezos and Larry Page also followed suit now that they have been challenged.

 

[Brakke]

Losing it at "unfathomably long post". Yes, The Verge, it does take more words to actually discuss a thing than to throw up "heh check out this gif of a rich guy gettin' dunked".

 

[Frustrated_me]

Satya Nedella is awesome.

 

[Gozer the Gozerian]

so if you dump the bucket on your head you don't have to give to the charity??

 

[Dramos]

My admiration for this new CEO, gets better and better everytime.

 

[Impeccable]

What exactly is the challenge part?

 

[KHarvey16]

so if you dump the bucket on your head you don't have to give to the charity??

If you take a video you donate less...I've seen challenges of $10, $20 or $30. If you don't you're challenged to donate at least $100 usually.

 

[Kurt Angle]

If you take a video you donate less...I've seen challenges of $10, $20 or $30. If you don't you're challenged to donate at least $100 usually.

so what youre saying is nedella is a cheapskate

 

[DSKMan]

The sad thing there is a treatment that adds a decade or so to the lives of people with ALS, but outside of the U.S it isn't eaisly available.

 

[KHarvey16]

so what youre saying is nedella is a cheapskate

Ha, well it depends on what the challenge was and if he decided to meet it or go over.

 

[TheAbsolution]

What exactly is the challenge part?

The ice bucket.
The NY Jets and Jimmy Fallon both did this challenge too BTW.
http://youtu.be/8Sfb0kVbh-8
http://youtu.be/b_kdke345NQ

 

[ReturnOfTheRAT]

I just saw Ronda Rousey do it.

 

[Van Owen]

This is the new #kony2012

It'd be better to just donate money.

 

[kendrid]

The sad thing there is a treatment that adds a decade or so to the lives of people with ALS, but outside of the U.S it isn't eaisly available.

What are you referring to? I had a family member with ALS going to some of the 'best' docs in this country (US) and he lived 2 years.

 

[TheAbsolution]

This is the new #kony2012

It'd be better to just donate money.

They can do both, Y'know?

 

[Niven]

This is the new #kony2012

It'd be better to just donate money.

So awareness is not a good thing anymore?

 

[KHarvey16]

This is the new #kony2012

It'd be better to just donate money.

You do donate money. The ALS Association, last year, collected $22,000 between July 29th and August 11th. Over that time period this year they collected $1.35 million.

 

[Kwixotik]

They can do both, Y'know?

Well, in the terms of the challenge it says either do the challenge (fun thing) OR donate (give away free money). I'm guessing most people are going to do just the former, and the challenge is more about ice buckets than about ALS.

You do donate money. The ALS Association, last year, collected $22,000 between July 29th and August 11th. Over that time period this year they collected $1.35 million.

I stand corrected, that's a lot of money

 

[TheAbsolution]

Well, in the terms of the challenge it says either do the challenge (fun thing) OR donate (give away free money). I'm guessing most people are going to do just the former, and the challenge is more about ice buckets than about ALS.

Yeah, that's not what is happening.

You do donate money. The ALS Association, last year, collected $22,000 between July 29th and August 11th. Over that time period this year they collected $1.35 million.

 

[GK86]

You do donate money. The ALS Association, last year, collected $22,000 between July 29th and August 11th. Over that time period this year they collected $1.35 million.

ABC news is saying $4 million over the past two weeks.

1:05 mark.

 

[kendrid]

You do donate money. The ALS Association, last year, collected $22,000 between July 29th and August 11th. Over that time period this year they collected $1.35 million.

It is actually $4M after they counted donations to subsidiaries. I bet that doubles in a week now that huge names are getting involved.
http://boston.cbslocal.com/2014/08/...gs-4-million-in-donations-to-als-association/

My family does the Les Turner ALS Walk 4 Life in Chicago every year. That walk raises $1M a year. This internet challenge is going to dwarf that and every other charity event for ALS. Plus it gets ALS in the news and raises awareness.

 

[Yaboosh]

Whoever started this is a brilliant mofo.

 

[Earthstrike]

Is there anything difficult about the challenge?

 

[Zantetsuken]

Out of some of the other asinine challenges this year (fire), this is the only one that might make some sense. It is for a good cause after all.

 

[NaturalHigh]

This is all so brilliant. It is wonderful they are raising awareness for ALS. This is my favorite by far:

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/08/paul-bissonnette-nhl-ice-bucket-challenge-helicopter

 

[echoshifting]

Hmmm, but did he do it right?? My brother and dad have both done this and it was actual ice. That looked and sounded like mostly water...redo!

Awesome either way of course! This really is a clever idea.

 

[metalslimer]

I'm really glad to see this. ALS really is one of the worst neurodegenerative diseases out there, and we have pretty much no idea why it even happens let alone how to treat it.

 

[DSKMan]

What are you referring to? I had a family member with ALS going to some of the 'best' docs in this country (US) and he lived 2 years.

Tracheotomy and feeding tube, even in the U.S most doctors advise against it. There is a idea that people shouldn't live like this.

 

[Rojo]

Tracheotomy and feeding tube, even in the U.S most doctors advise against it. There is a idea that people should live like this.

I'd hardly call that living we pulled the plug on my grandma when her time came. 2 Years sounds about right.

 

[bodyofanamerican]

Did Cook do it already? Should have thrown him in there too.

 

[Bsigg12]

I wonder how much he's donating. Drew Brees is doing it and donating up to $10k if his Tweet about it gets 10k retweets.

 

[Omega]

Is there anything difficult about the challenge?

Yeah. To get people like you to not be so cynical and maybe donate to a real cause.

 

[DSKMan]

I'd hardly call that living we pulled the plug on my grandma when her time came. 2 Years sounds about right.

Yes, but there are people who have ALS who have decided to live like this, many have lived up to 10 to 15 more years as a ventilated quadriplegic, whose only muscle movement is their eyes. Their only method of communication is in the eyes. Many of these people say they are happy to be living. But people are made to believe they shouldn't live like this, so the vast majority of ALS patients reject this option.

 

[kendrid]

Yes, but there are people who have ALS who have decided to live like this, many have lived up to 10 to 15 more years as a ventilated quadriplegic, whose only muscle movement is their eyes. Their only method of communication is in the eyes. Many of these people say they are happy to be living. But people are made to believe they shouldn't live like this, so the vast majority of ALS patients reject this option.

My father in law had a Tracheotomy and feeding tube. He still only lived a little over two years after diagnosis.

His ALS was the more rare kind where he lost his voice and ability to eat first then the rest of his motor skills. He was able to walk for at least a year after diagnosis but had to use a tablet to talk and the feeding tube to eat.

Here he is exactly one year before he died (he died on Christmas morning). It is amazing to me looking back at this photo. He still had a little bit of a beer gut and when he died he was incredibly skinny even with the feeding tube.
He loved being with his grand kids and would do anything to extend his life to enjoy seeing them, even if he couldn't interact anymore.

 

[Edwardo]

I did the challenge and donated last week. I hate that I have friends who won't participate just because it's something popular on facebook.

 

[DSKMan]

My father in law had a Tracheotomy and feeding tube. He still only lived a little over two years after diagnosis.

His ALS was the more rare kind where he lost his voice and ability to eat first then the rest of his motor skills. He was able to walk for at least a year after diagnosis but had to use a tablet to talk and the feeding tube to eat.

Here he is exactly one year before he died (he died on Christmas morning). It is amazing to me looking back at this photo. He still had a little bit of a beer gut and when he died he was incredibly skinny even with the feeding tube.
He loved being with his grand kids and would do anything to extend his life to enjoy seeing them, even if he couldn't interact anymore.

Sounds like he had progressive bulbar palsy, the worst kind of ALS or MND.

 

[kendrid]

Sounds like he had progressive bulbar palsy, the worst kind of ALS or MND.

That is it. The name was escaping me.

 

[zhorkat]

Here, have a donation link.
http://web.alsa.org/site/Donation2?df_id=27420&27420.donation=form1

 

[TOP SHOTTA]

I know it's a good cause but I see all these people on my Facebook doing it... some of them are scum bags, they're all doing the ice bucket challenge as if they've fucking philanthropists by day and they aren't. In life they're just shitheads that care about nothing but themselves. For as good as it is likely to be, it's annoying that the one charitable thing that some folks have done in years needs to be filmed and put on Facebook lookin' like they're Pope Pious the 3rd.

One guy on a friend of mine's FB "accepted" the "challenge" and was filmed from a hot tub doing it. I felt at that moment we're pretty far astray from having it retain its purpose.

Then there's the people that put the ice in at the last moment, or no ice at all. Whatever. It's a meme, meme's can get annoying, and now this is.

For some, it seems like a great way to spread awareness. For others it's an empty gesture. I'm well aware of it, having donated every year since I read Brief History of Time and fell into deep admiration of Hawking.

I have not done it nor have I been nominated. But I donated separately early in the year. Only my dad knew I had given.

 

[DSKMan]

Here, have a donation link.
http://web.alsa.org/site/Donation2?df_id=27420&27420.donation=form1

Yes, people. Try to donate to these people. Diseases are one of the things are donate a good amount of money to each year, and ALS is one of the disease I donate too. So unfortunate for so many people, I feel I should do more to help people with ALS and other diseases who are fighting for their lives.

 

[KHarvey16]

I know it's a good cause but I see all these people on my Facebook doing it... some of them are scum bags, they're all doing the ice bucket challenge as if they've fucking philanthropists by day and they aren't. In life they're just shitheads that care about nothing but themselves. For as good as it is likely to be, it's annoying that the one charitable thing that some folks have done in years needs to be filmed and put on Facebook lookin' like they're Pope Pious the 3rd.

One guy on a friend of mine's FB "accepted" the "challenge" and was filmed from a hot tub doing it. I felt at that moment we're pretty far astray from having it retain its purpose.

Then there's the people that put the ice in at the last moment, or no ice at all. Whatever. It's a meme, meme's can get annoying, and now this is.

For some, it seems like a great way to spread awareness. For others it's an empty gesture. I'm well aware of it, having donated every year since I read Brief History of Time and fell into deep admiration of Hawking.

I have not done it nor have I been nominated. But I donated separately early in the year. Only my dad knew I had given.

Everyone is ok with you being annoyed if it means $4 million for charity in a couple weeks.

 

[TOP SHOTTA]

Everyone is ok with you being annoyed if it means $4 million for charity in a couple weeks.

Seriously I get that. I really do.

 

[Yaboosh]

I have not done it nor have I been nominated. But I donated separately early in the year. Only my dad knew I had given.

Lol.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

Why a bucket of ice water? Is there some relation to that with ALS? Also why not a bucket of feces or bull semen?

 

[Majine]

Hmm, he challenges Googles CEO but not Apples?

 

[ActStriker]

Whoever wrote that article probably has no idea who Steve Gleason is.

Also, don't forget the guy who started it: BC alum Pete Frates

 

[KHarvey16]

Seriously I get that. I really do.

It doesn't really sound like it. It comes across like the hipster buying that underground band's albums only to get pissed when everyone else buys them too. Do you care about the charities receiving this money? If so, how can your reaction be to complain about some asshole posting a video of himself on Facebook?