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Bill Gates On the Past, Future, and Google
editingwhiz writes "eWEEK reports that Bill Gates told PBS talk show host Charlie Rose and a Stanford University audience at TechNet Wednesday that 'We're at the beginning of something important again' in the development of technology — just as in the 1980s with the advent of the PC. He also discussed the growing Microsoft-Google competition, world health issues, how to give lots of money away to the benefit of mankind, and whether he'll return to Harvard to finish his studies." From the article: "On whether there's another idea today that is as powerful as the idea of the personal computer in the 1970s: 'If I knew medicine like I do computers, I would like to be able to control the [human] immune system, to fight against the onset of disease on a world level ... but I think the idea of the PC still would have topped that.'"
If he knew medicine and could control the immune system in the human body as well as he and his company can control computers, just imagine the biological viruses we'd have faced by now. Every day your heart would stop beating for no reason and they'd have to restart it with CPR, but nobody would think that was odd.
Bill Gates on the Past, Future, and Google
So he's saying Google is the Present?
Damn straight ...
I hear there's rumors on the Slashdots
His job is to say things like this. He's been saying this for over a decade. It's a lot of hot air.
The microsoft windows monopoly is becoming less relevant with each new free web-based software application/service that comes out, be it Google, YouTube, Flickr, Writely, etc. And all of those run fine on Linux.
it's a blue bright blue Saturday hey hey
This is the original article for the dupe posted earlier today.
the movie "Back to School" after reading, "and whether he'll return to Harvard to finish his studies". Replacing Dangerfield with Gates would make for a weird, weird movie.
Monstar L
The reason I have been feeling as sick as a dog all day today is because my immune system is stressed out about what it might have to face in the future.
Anyway, I believe that the next big thing will be an expansion of high speed communication to cover most of the human race. Sure, it's pretty obvious... but as I recall so was the idea that the internet would be a world changing phenomenon in 1994 and I have a file that was originally written on a BBC master in 1987 explaining how the computer would be widespread in business and the home.
Over the next 20 years? Same as the last 20. Continual progress towards more devices that communicate more freely.
Think of the Children; Sleep with your Sister
What if the Hokey Pokey really is what it's all about?
Hey, quick, someone check on Charlie. Looks like he has the 'Blue Face of Death' again.
What if the Hokey Pokey really is what it's all about?
Bill doesn't know personal computers any better than the average hospital administrator knows the human immune system. And I'd bet you that when someone does make the next breakthrough in understanding and controlling the human immune system, that someone will not be a hospital administrator. I'd also bet that at least one hospital administrator will believe he did it though.
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Friends don't let friends enable ecmascript.
When you are evaluating bill gates's prognostication ability, do not forget to consider this prediction: in January, Mr Gates predicted that technology would make spam "a thing of the past" within two years.
Yes, that was January 2004.
-- Stop the violins!
Don't forget whole cities converted to zombie'ism. Crawling around, slower every day.
"Brains! Brains!"
"Refinance your home. Low rates. Buy herbal viagra!"
"Brains!"
"Teenage sluts want to gamble with you! Brains! Brains!"
"Brains! Protect yourself from zombie attack! Drink Zombie-B-Gone soda today! Guaranteed not to turn you into a zombie! Brains! \/14gra!"
I'd be happier to let an open source group develop medical software with clinic and hospital distributed databases where clinicians could be sure any data submitted to government would be entirely anonymised. I shudder to think of how the NPfIT in the UK will end up. Still, there are other countries to go and work in. IAAD in the UK
I like Apple. They make nice stuff which works most of the time.
When a guy's flat-lining, the most hilarious thing you can do to him is to use the defibulator and the detibulator to remove his leg from the knee down, then attach his feet directly to his femurs. When he revives, he starts walking around like a duck and looking confused. We crazy paramedics just about split a gut laughing every time!
Rich And Stupid is not so bad as Working For Rich And Stupid.
Whatever you say about him, he's donated more to charity than you and your children will ever earn combined!
Steal from 100 widows, support 1, collect humanitarian award.
Refuse to steal from widows, get arrested for indigence.
Such it has always been, so it shall always be.
KFG
His wish to be able to cure people and eradicate diseases is noble, but saving every sick person will not save the Earth. In fact, it will make the Earth's population grow way out of control.
So instead of dying from cancer, HIV or bird flu, we'll starve for lack of food and water.
In other words, dying is a necessary evil fact of life. If we can make it happen without pain and suffering, so much the better. But trying to prolongue it forever is foolish.
To Terminate, or not to Terminate, that's the question - SCSIROB
As he said, personal computers are very important for the world as a whole.
The policies of MS, and their way of doing bussiness has an effect everywhere.
Although MS is not the cause of all the bad stuff that is happiening around, they have some responsibilities, here and there, including developing countries.
They use some techniques I don't approve to convince my government to give them money, and I think that money has better places to be spent. The same thing is happening in Africa, for example.
The guy gives back some money, that is right, and he even gives in a sensible way. But the net gain for everybody, because of the existence of MS is not that clear.
Plus, charity is not that great, and it just doesn't work very well.
Charity alone is not something to praise a guy for. Good ethics, and an overall good effect on the community, that would earn my respect. Giving something back is sometimes not enough.
Anyone with Pirate genes will be left out in the cold, and will be comdemned to eventual privation and death. Won't someone please think of the Pirates? We'll never be able to defeat global warming without them.
What if the Hokey Pokey really is what it's all about?
Plus, charity is not that great, and it just doesn't work very well.
Charity alone is not something to praise a guy for.
That's why he has a foundation, and there are strict rules governing the way that the money is given to 3rd parties. It's run like a business - your charity has to produce results for you to get the money, and to keep getting more, you need to keep producing results. Otherwise, he gives his money to another charity which will do a better job.
Pretty smart way of handling it actually - which is why Warren Buffet jumped on board too.
Coming soon - pyrogyra
Obviously I'm only going from secondary sources here, but the quote - "If I knew medicine like I do computers, I would like to be able to control the [human] immune system, to fight against the onset of disease on a world level ... but I think the idea of the PC still would have topped that." - makes it sound awfully like Bill is claiming the PC. Either that's poor editing or severely delusional. Hell, Microsoft was the *second choice* OS vendor for IBM.
Which makes me wonder, what has Bill invented?
"One day I will be. I'll be the most powerful Jedi ever! I'll even be able to stop people from dying!" - Anakin Skywalker, Attack of the Clones.
Am I the only one who thought that these two quotes are pretty scarily similar?
Prove it.
The tricky part is reading between the lines...
From TFA:
[Gates on "powerful ideas"]
Translation: "Y'all better be glad I'm just screwing up your PC."
[Gates on how Live.com competes with Google]
...until we leverage all the content out of Google with IP lawsuits.
[Gates on recent struggles with the EU]
Interesting that there's no specific mention of what was modified to make the European Edition "unnecessary". It's obvious that Vista is still packing Windows Media Player (component in question) Is this IE/Netscape all over again)?
[Gates on the next 10 years]
This is after quoting all the "amazing stuff" that's coming with the Xbox360, Zune and voice recognition. Yes, World, be like the good ol' U.S. of A-holes! Cave-in to an oppression of content not seen since the book burnings of 1938 Germany!
[Gates on the delays of Vista]
Yes, it's later than we planned. But we want it to be right. It reminds me of when we released Windows 95 late that year, taking much longer than we planned.
...and we all know how "right" Windoze95 turned out to be. (...but it's got a killer version of MS-DOS!)
[Gates on the exposure of medical research furthered by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation]
I get a little upset with the media, which will cover a plane crash in India that killed 100 people, but it won't cover the fact that 1,000 times that many died in Africa today from malnutrition or disease.
Of course! That's why Billy has a problem with the media. ...or is it another
reason?
If Gates did turn out to be a doctor, I'm sure he'd be a plastic surgeon. If he can't make you well, he can at least make you look good.
This post © Copyrite Duggeek, all rights reversed.
The only reason he likes [compares] PC's and the human immune system is due to the control to make lots of $$$. His money donated goes to drug manufacturing companies to 'aid' the world health. Unfortunately drug companies are cartels anyway (like big Microsofts), and seeing as he and his family have an interest in/and investment in major drug manufacturing companies, where else is there to give away money to get it back straight in the front door.
Gates & co do not care less about human welfare or health. Money and control is the only thing on the agenda.
Lets do some sums.
Suppose the UK Health service has 100,000 PC's (I expect a lot, lot more). Suppose half of those run MSOffice. At £200.00 a licence (a conservative estimate on price), that is £10,000,000 straight away - before any patients even get an aspirin. Now use the same calculation on ALL the worlds health services that run MS products. I bet the bill (pun intended) is BILLIONS of £ to MS before anyone patient gets treated.
He really cares doesn't he?
Hi, it looks like you're having a near-death experience. Would you like me to help you with that?
... and then they built the supercollider.
.... then i don't know who it could be. gates is scared shitless of google, they threaten his office based control of the OS market. do not be fooled, just because gates is a billionare don't think losing his ill gotten monopoly won't bother him, to guys like this it's all about control and power, money is an after thought. besides, gates has as much insight into the future of computing as my grandmother. he is the guy who considered the internet unimportant, and thinks hardware will be free in 10 years time and you'll only pay for the OS. his ipinion means fucking NOTHING
If you mod me down, I will become more powerful than you can imagine....