The Inquisitr » bill gates

Bill Gates Gives $100,000 To Fight Malaria With Gum And Chocolate

James Allen Johnson — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:15:46 +0000

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has donated $100,000 to a group that’s fighting Malaria. The procedure used, providing gum and chocolate to patients may seem a little strange, but it’s also a simple and cheap means to fighting the disease.

Under the program children are given gum to painlessly determine if they carry the deadly disease, while chocolate is used to destroy a patients disease-feeding fat cells.

The program has shown a good deal of promise and the $100,000 donation should help increase testing. [Telegraph]

Bill Gates caught having an affair

Steven Hodson — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 18:23:51 +0000

I guess it was inevitable – *sigh*

They see me rollin’…

Kim LaCapria — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 21:45:06 +0000

…they hatin’.

[Via PunditKitchen]

Overkill: scientists building laser system to kill mosquitoes. But wait, there’s more!

Duncan Riley — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 02:45:16 +0000

Scientists in Seattle are developing a laser based attack system that will shoot down mosquitoes.

If that’s not overkill enough, it gets better: the system is based on the Strategic Defense Initiative proposal (Star Wars), the satellite based laser system championed by Ronald Reagan in the 80s, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

But wait, there’s another two twists.

The first one is that astrophysicist who is designing the system is the same astrophysicist who developed the original Star Wars idea. Second: the request to build the laser system came from former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates.

The system is all about combating Malaria. “We like to think back then we made some contribution to the ending of the Cold War. Now we’re just trying to make a dent in a war that’s actually gone on a lot longer and claimed a lot more lives,” said one of the scientists.

OK, I lied, there’s one last twist: the parts used in the mockup of the system were purchased from eBay.

So here’s the short version: Retired defense department scientists working to impress Bill Gates have used cold war technology acquired on eBay to build a laser based offensive system against Mosquitos. You just can’t make this stuff up.

A fireside chat with Bill Gates

Steven Hodson — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 23:57:32 +0000

Love him or hate him there is no denying that Bill Gates has brought about many changes in our world through his time at Microsoft. As he moves into the future with the Bill & Melina Gates Foundation he looks to bring a whole set of different changes to the world. In this long interview with Charlie Rose Bill looks back over his time at Microsoft and to the future with his thoughts on world health and development.

[hat tip to O’Reilly Radar]

Buffett now richest American; Gates poorer

Dominic Rivera — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 18:15:40 +0000

As if announcing who is rich matters especially at this time when everyone is poor (or feeling poor), a recalculated list by Forbes would name Warren Buffett as richest American in the Forbes 400 list.

The recalculation took into consideration the effect of the economic woes that we are all in. While my pathetic investment is down by 60% and will surely become dust soon, Buffett on the other hand added $8 billion to his net worth from August 29 to October 1 for a total of $58 billion.

How about Bill Gates? He is poorer now by $1.5 billion to $55 billion over the same period as Buffett. He relinquishes the top spot after 15 years.

The magazine is due to come out October 27. Don’t look for my name.

No related posts.

Microsoft’s Seinfeld Spots Smash “I’m a PC” For Viral Viewing

JR — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 21:57:24 +0000

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, it looks like Bill and Jerry’s short-lived Microsoft ad campaign made more of a dent than the current crop of “I’m a PC” spots — at least, when it comes to online interest.

Video viewing trend tracker Visible Measures says the Seinfeld/Gates ads have experienced 4.3 million more views than the “I’m a PC” ones. Both, the firm says, had the same number of placements. And even though the Seinfeld/Gates spots launched two weeks earlier than the current campaign, the figures are clear:

The Seinfeld/Gates ads grabbed 3.2 million views in their first 10 days; “I’m a PC” pulled in half of that
Two weeks in, the Seinfeld/Gates ads were still seeing 300,000+ daily hits; “I’m a PC” dropped to 50,000 daily views by the same relative point

So in the end, Microsoft’s often criticized claim of “driving buzz” and generating interest may have proven to be effective after all. The more commercial-typical “I’m a PC” approach, in contrast — while praised more highly by many of the blogosphere’s Seinfeld/Gates naysayers — doesn’t seem to have had anywhere near the impact.

Of course, what really counts is how it all adds up when it comes to actual sales. Any predictions?

Microsoft dumps Seinfield from ad campaign

Duncan Riley — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 00:13:31 +0000

Microsoft has dropped comedian Jerry Seinfield from its ad campaign after widespread derision, according to a report from Valleywag later confirmed by Kara Swisher.

You can see our full coverage on the campaign so far as follows: Microsoft says Seinfield, Gates ad a winner, Bill Gates Jerry Seinfield Microsoft Ad 2, Bill Gates Jerry Seinfeld Microsoft Ad and So Windows is like cheap shoes? [Microsoft WTF].

The official Microsoft spin on the move is that they are moving to phase two of the campaign, and that they had always planned to drop Seinfield, although no word yet as to whether Bill Gates will make another appearance.

It’s a sensible move, but a costly mistake. $300 million is budgeted on this campaign, and Seinfiled’s fees alone are probably in the millions. I’ll reserve judgement on phase two until we see it, but they couldn’t possibly be any worse.

Bill Gates Jerry Seinfield Microsoft Ad 2

Duncan Riley — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 02:35:51 +0000

After heavy head shaking following the first effort, the Bill Gates Jerry Seinfield Microsoft ad series returns for a second run above. According to VentureBeat this is the uncut version, which makes sense given it runs for 4:30, but still, it’s yet another ad about nothing, with a short bit about connecting people at the end.

Leave your thoughts in the comments. I’m being good and reserving mine for now

So Windows is like cheap shoes? [Microsoft WTF]

Duncan Riley — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 06:42:29 +0000

Microsoft has been forced to call reporters to explain their new Bill Gates Jerry Seinfeld advertising campaign. According to SFGate.com:

Microsoft officials who phoned reporters Friday said it is indeed a campaign to brand Windows, “the start of a conversation … easily the largest marketing campaign we’ve ever had.”

The good news (in terms of sanity anyway) is that Microsoft is to copy Apple’s Genius Bar initiative, starting with 155 “Microsoft Gurus” to be placed in Best Buy and Circuit City stores to be the public face of Microsoft products, providing expert advice and demonstrating Microsoft products.

$300 million is the figure mentioned for the campaign, a huge budget that used wisely could easily bring Microsoft a renewed level of positive public feeling, and yet instead we get Seinfield, Gates, a cheap shoe store, and Gates wiggling his rear?

I’ve watched the ad a couple of times now, and I still don’t get it. A positioning statement around nothing? Humanizing Bill Gates perhaps? Windows as an irreverent brand that stands for nothing? Windows is like cheap shoes while OS X is Italian leather?

Why not have Gates and Seinfield in a Kia dealership, looking at crappy Korean cars, after all, if this is a “positioning statement” the only message I get is that Bill Gates is a stingy old white guy, and buying Microsoft products is buying cheap…but reliable products as the side message. Was the bonus card scheme referring to the Windows Live Cashback scheme?

I’m not hating on Microsoft for the sake of it, although many others may do so for that reason alone, but at a time Microsoft is creating cool products and doing interesting things, the best we get in an advertising campaign is a shoe shop?

There is one explanation though, and the blame doesn’t lay at Microsoft’s feet, although they picked these guys; the campaign comes from Crispin Porter & Bogusky, the same outfit that delivered the Ask camapign that included references to the Unabomber and focused on the Algorithm while ignoring the core brand. Sound familiar here?

In case you haven’t seen it yet: Bill Gates Jerry Seinfeld Microsoft Ad

Bill Gates Jerry Seinfeld Microsoft Ad

Duncan Riley — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 02:04:12 +0000

The first Microsoft ad featuring Jerry Seinfeld has been released, and features Bill Gates and a shoe store:

Like Gizmodo, I don’t get it. What’s a conversation over shoes got to do with Microsoft products? Too clever by half perhaps? what do you think?

The “Condom Ringtone” — Seriously?

JR — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 19:55:30 +0000

If you think you’ve heard the wackiest of ringtones, think again. The hot new cell phone sound in India is — no joke here — the “condom ringtone.” Listen for yourself in this ad:

The catchy little a capella ditty in there is the real deal. The tune is part of a campaign — funded, amusingly enough, by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation — to promote safe sex in India. I guess hearing that song at the right moment could inspire you.

The ringtone’s available for free at the aptly named condomcondom.org. Organizers say it’s been downloaded 60,000 times since going live just over a week ago.