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HOWTO: Spend A Billion Dollars

shine-shine writes: "Forbes is running an article helping you figure out how to spend that spare billion you got laying around (don't you just hate when that happens?). Apparently, a geek would buy 500 black-market clones of himself, while the narcissist would most likely build "a monument similar in size and scale to Mount Rushmore, featuring his own face.""

42 of 508 comments (clear)

  1. I would... by boa13 · · Score: 4, Funny

    ... most probably spend some of it to go into space or to the Moon. Also, a big badass Beowulf cluster would be helpful to speed up those lengthy Gentoo emerges. Look 'ma, I'm compiling Linux faster than you're booting Windows!

    1. Re:I would... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      ... most probably spend some of it to go into space or to the Moon.

      You should really try another approach: Start drinking Pepsi, and get a free ride into space...

    2. Re:I would... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Well, first I'd have to pay about $500 million to the government for taxes.

      Then I'd take $100 million and go on an insane buying spree.

      Then I'd take the remaining $400 million and invest it with the top hedge fund manager I can find. Live off a quarter of the yearly returns and re-invest the other 3/4 of the returns. Compound interest, baby. Nobody in my family would ever have to work again for dozens of generations.

    3. Re:I would... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      "invest it with the top hedge fund manager I can find"

      If were good at math you would know that's not good investment. *cough* Anderson *cough*

      The safest investment is keeping the money under your bed mattress.

  2. whores by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    whores. more whores than charlie sheen and hugh grant combined could go through in a lifetime.

    1. Re:whores by AgentTim3 · · Score: 3, Funny

      You know, I'd rather pay for the whores than risk attracting someone like Anna Nicole Smith...

    2. Re:whores by spudnic · · Score: 3, Funny

      Man: Would you make love to me for $1,000,000?
      Woman: Yes!
      Man: Will you f*ck me for $50?
      Woman: You asshole! What kind of a woman do you think I am?
      Man: We've already established that. Now we're just quibling over the price.

      --
      load "linux",8,1
  3. Re:Easy... by Khaed · · Score: 2, Funny

    Even better.
    Pay someone to buy a new P4, video card, et al. Preferably someone female with little to no inhibitions and a french maid outfit.

  4. What would you do with your billion? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    First, I'd buy a house. Then I'd pay off my car. I'd spend the remaining 999.5 million buying two senators and a representative.

    1. Re:What would you do with your billion? by Zocalo · · Score: 4, Funny
      two senators and a representative

      Yeah, it'd be worth $1b just to see the looks on Hilary Rosen's and Jack Valenti's faces when their paid for Senators told them to go and blow Cowboy Neal. Priceless!

      --
      UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
  5. Found a typo by rde · · Score: 5, Funny

    The average male uses about 600 pairs of underpants over his lifetime
    Obviously, this is meant to say 6.00 . I haven't grown in decades, so I haven't needed a new pair.

    And did you notice that the phrase 'take over the world' doesn't appear once?

  6. I'd never clone myself by ComaVN · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'd clone my girlfriend (2 or 3 times should be enough)

    Imagine the possibilities!

    --
    Be wary of any facts that confirm your opinion.
    1. Re:I'd never clone myself by MikeDX · · Score: 2, Funny

      Yep, thats a sure fire way of getting the money spent 3 times faster! :)

    2. Re:I'd never clone myself by bokketies · · Score: 3, Funny

      Imagine a beowulf cluster of my girl friend!

  7. I'd buy a whole ton of those desktop tank robots.. by torpor · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... from ThinkGeek (I'd get the camera option, I think I can afford that), stick little fluffy penguins on top, and march the whole affair into Redmond during rush hour. I'm thinking about 400,000 of them.

    Okay, there'd be a lot of casualties, but for a billion bucks, I think I could afford a fleet sizable enough that eventually, one of my little robot warriors will plant themselves on Bills ass^H^H^Hdesk.

    Failing that, I'd just get an island in Thailand, a whole bunch of hot chicks, some serious nuclear technology, and I'd spend the rest of my life batting away hero types.

    Nobody touches my bitches.

    Nobody.

    --
    ; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
  8. How we southerners would spend it... by gnovos · · Score: 5, Funny

    I for one would buy myself a space-shuttle, paint it with primer, and leave it up on blocks in my front yard...

    Either that or I'd do it the Bart Simpson way:

    Me: One billion dollars on black!
    Dealer: Aaaaand, it's red.. red is the winner!
    Me: Doh!

    --
    "Your superior intellect is no match for our puny weapons!"
  9. Bill Gates has a spare billion ... by dpt · · Score: 2, Funny

    ... or two!

    So what does he do with it? Answer: like most true geeks, on accumulating more wealth and power due to a massive inferiority complex.

    Has anyone ever even *heard* of poor old billg having any fun with all that money?

    Okay, he might be working on the clone thing. Except, of course, they'll be so slow, liable to freezing up, susceptible to viruses, and busy try to catch up with the features the *other* clones had since the seventies (like being able to think about more than one thing at once), that they won't be all that effective.

  10. No imagination by blincoln · · Score: 5, Funny

    What kind of marketing drones did they poll to make this list? Especially "The Geek." Big Macs and a Russian bride? Where are the orbital weapons platforms, zeppelins full of hot chicks, and house with audience chamber built from the actual Imperial throne room set from Return of the Jedi?
    And what's up with their "the cost to bail out the Catholic Church from pending sexual misconduct charges"? If they're going to equate being liberal with being a NAMBLA member, they could at least have tried going over-the-top to make it funny.

    --
    "...always new atoms but always doing the same dance, remembering what the dance was yesterday." -Richard Feynman
  11. MSFT Shares by unsinged+int · · Score: 5, Funny

    Enough voting shares to be a pain in their rear...especially all the write-in votes for Linus and CowboyNeal.

  12. I'd make a big statue by IvyMike · · Score: 5, Funny

    I've wondered about this: how come it seems like the age of big statues is behind us? Mount Rushmore, Statue of Liberty, those kind of things, doesn't seem like people do those much anymore. Yes, I'm aware they're still working on Crazy Horse, but that was started a while ago.

    I'd probably go the "Statue of Liberty" route, and make a big chick. Maybe I'd model it after Brooke Burke; that should be worth some poontang points with her.

    (Yes, I'm aware using the phrase "poontang points" is worth negative poontang points. But what the hell, in this fantasy, I'm a billionaire, I can pay the slashdot editors to delete this post so she never sees the evidence.)

  13. Couldn't resist... by CBNobi · · Score: 5, Funny

    1977 Star Wars poster: $400
    500 Black-market clones: $1,700,000
    Companionship: $40,000,000
    Being able to afford a Beowulf cluster of anything: Priceless

    There are some things money can buy, and then.. er, there's more things money can buy.

  14. Re:I think I would do that french thing by dryopterix · · Score: 1, Funny

    Ménage à trois

  15. If I had a billion dollars... by jbayes · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...I'd buy you a thousand green dresses (but not a thousand real green dresses, that would be cruel).

    --

    "It sure was strange to see something on Usenet about me that didn't involve Klingon gang rape." -- Wil Wheaton

  16. Obligatory Office Space quote by Flounder · · Score: 5, Funny

    Peter Gibbons: What would you do if you had a million dollars?
    Lawrence: I'll tell you what I'd do, man, two chicks at the same time, man.
    Peter Gibbons: That's it? If you had a million dollars, you'd do two chicks at the same time?
    Lawrence: Damn straight. I always wanted to do that, man. And I think if I had a million dollars I could hook that up, cause chicks dig a dude with money.
    Peter Gibbons: Well, not all chicks.
    Lawrence: Well the kind of chicks that'd double up on me do.
    Peter Gibbons: Good point.
    Lawrence: What about you, what would you do?
    Peter Gibbons: Besides two chicks at the same time?
    Lawrence: Well yeah.
    Peter Gibbons: Nothing.
    Lawrence: Nothing, huh?
    Peter Gibbons: I'd relax, sit on my ass all day, I would do nothing.
    Lawrence: Well you don't need a million dollars to do nothing, man. Just take a look at my cousin, he's broke, don't do shit.

    --

    No boom today. Boom tomorrow. There's always a boom tomorrow. - Cmdr. Susan Ivanova

  17. So... by Sycraft-fu · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...you're a Masochist then, are you? I should think that one woman nagging you would be more than enough. :)

  18. This is the second part of the HOWTO right ? by theefer · · Score: 2, Funny

    Where is the first part ?
    The one entitled "HOWTO: Get A Billion Dollars"

    --
    theefer
    1. Re:This is the second part of the HOWTO right ? by Corporate+Troll · · Score: 3, Funny

      No problem: I can send you that one for the small fee of 100$.

  19. Spend it, no problem! by miffo.swe · · Score: 3, Funny

    I would build an army of fluffy penguins on the redmond lawn infront of the main entrance. Just to see the reaction on the PHB's when they get to work. Maybe with some nice voice abilitys too and make them chant

    "developers! developers! developers!"

    --
    HTTP/1.1 400
  20. Re:Prepare to wait... by ComaVN · · Score: 2, Funny

    So? When the current one gets old and ugly in 18 years time, I got 3 fresh ones coming up. That's even better.

    --
    Be wary of any facts that confirm your opinion.
  21. Re:R&D by Tyler+Eaves · · Score: 5, Funny

    > or possibly help engineer some sort of
    > food/weed that will grown nearly anywhere.

    It's called Marijuana. :)

    --
    TODO: Something witty here...
  22. Re:I'd buy a whole ton of those desktop tank robot by Angry+White+Guy · · Score: 3, Funny

    It's pronounced "Nucular"...

    --Homer Simpson

    --
    You think that I'm crazy, you should see this guy!
  23. Re:I'd buy a whole ton of those desktop tank robot by pr0t3uS · · Score: 2, Funny
    Bush's real target is your bitches repository.


    That would be Bill Clinton. Bush is a gay who's father buyed the elections so the real Texas man would stop making fun of him.
  24. I second the whores comment by AssFace · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'd spend it all on booze and whores and then just waste the rest.

    Friends and family would know how to find me - just follow the trail of dead strippers.

    --

    There are some odd things afoot now, in the Villa Straylight.
  25. Re:Land, land, and more land by victim · · Score: 5, Funny
    At death, Uncle Sam will get a cut (unfortunately), and the rest will go to worthy causes of my choice (my alma mater, Debian project....)

    Please let hitsquad@debian.org know when you get that billion dollars. The bequest acceleration team will take care of the rest.
  26. for a billion by digitalsushi · · Score: 3, Funny

    for a billion dollars, i could finally pay for half of the stuff I stole off Kazaa!

    --
    slashdot: where everyone yells sarcastic metaphors to themselves to understand the issue
  27. Re:Over the Moon by SEWilco · · Score: 2, Funny
    No, he can get as far up as the Moon fairly easily. Any geosynchronous launch technology can reach the Moon (years ago Hughes actually sent a geosynch bird around the Moon to move it from an accidental orbit to a more useful orbit).

    Oh, you want him to reach there alive and to return? That's going to require more mass. I thought he was going for distance...

  28. Re:Bill's donation schedule by swfranklin · · Score: 2, Funny
    A foundation that will give money to people who end up buying his products for a long time.

    I hope you didn't strain your back, stretching for that conclusion... Just because he saves the lives of countless people, world-wide, with his TWENTY THREE BILLION DOLLAR foundation endowment - Well, that's not charity because they might buy Microsoft Streets & Trips 2024 someday!

    This guy should be a writer for the X-files :-)

  29. Re:Land, land, and more land by spike2131 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Way to post an unobfuscated email address on the net... better let hitsquad@debian.org know that they are in for a mountain of spam.

    of course, if the spammers can be tracked, they could make great target practice while waiting around for the bequest acceleration orders to roll in.

    --
    SpyDock: Scientific Python in a Docker container
  30. Harcourt Fenton Mudd! by tlambert · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Harcourt Fenton Mudd! Have you been DRINKING?!? ..."

    -- Terry

  31. Obligatory Office Space quote by runlvl0 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Peter Gibbons: What would you do if you had a million dollars?
    Lawrence: I'll tell you what I'd do, man, two chicks at the same time, man.
    Peter Gibbons: That's it? If you had a million dollars, you'd do two chicks at the same time?
    Lawrence: Damn straight. I always wanted to do that, man. And I think if I had a million dollars I could hook that up, 'cause chicks dig a dude with money.
    Peter Gibbons: Well, not all chicks.
    Lawrence: Well the kind of chicks that'd double up on a dude like me do.
    Peter Gibbons: Good point.

    --

    Carthago delenda est!
  32. Office Space by goodhell · · Score: 2, Funny

    "Two Chicks at one time!"

    "Two chicks?"

    "Yeah sure, a guy like me'd need money to get that thing on."

  33. With my Billion Dollars... by TellarHK · · Score: 3, Funny

    I would build my $200,000,000 fortress of evil, nestled in the rockies. It would have a fake nuclear missile silo full of Apple Xserves running as a cluster to freely host worthy websites (and maybe some porn) over a dual T3 connection. I would carve a sheer rock wall out of the mountainside to project movies and television onto for my viewing pleasure, and that of any neighbor within fifty miles. I would encourage people to create a commune near my home where people would be encouraged to program OS X software by being provided with decent housing, three meals a day, and accesss to a Dual-G4 1.25Ghz tower. My sub... er, the programmers would be provided plenty of caffeinated beverages and weekend-long LAN parties for those who submit something credible to the CVS repository on site.

    My evil would be wholly subjective, as I would dedicate $100 million to pushing back the Microsoft monopoly by donations to not just one or two, but a few dozen Open Source projects in key areas that Microsoft has yet to defeat. I'd drop ten million or so to the EFF, keeping plenty in reserve for ongoing expenses and the defense of my enclave against the BATF even though there wouldn't be many guns on site. (Unless ESR dropped by, then I'd be in trouble)

    I would be a kind ruler, yet my iron fist would be felt across the globe. I wouldn't fight hunger, or disease, or educational flaws - other people with more of a conscience do that. My fleet of monochromatic black Suburbans would be well-known as they drove through cities and towns handing out black CD's loaded with the latest distribution of the Linux distribution dubbed "Overlord Linux" that I would have created in order to serve the desktop user with my "Obsidian" user interface (heavy on the black) and...

    Okay, okay, okay, I'll take my damn ritalin. Shaddap already!