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Bill Gates Unleashes Live Mosquitoes on Gathering of Tech Elite
After taking the stage at the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conference, the former CEO of Microsoft declared, "Not only poor people should experience this," and let loose a swarm of mosquitoes on the crowd. It almost (but only almost) makes sense when you realize that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has spent millions of dollars and immeasurable amounts of man-hours to end malaria.
The completely out of character antics quickly made their way around the Internet thanks to Twitter. The tech elite on hand, such as Dave Morin, manager of Facebook; Ev Williams, CEO of Twitter; and eBay founder Pierre Omidyar all reported the swarm as it was unfolding.
Omidyar won our hearts, though, by announcing to his Twitter-reading public, "That's it, I'm not sitting up front anymore," following Gates' outburst.
We hope we haven't seen the last of this new 'Dennis the Menace'-like side of Bill. We're hoping for packs of wild dogs at the upcoming Mobile World Congress. [From: Twitter, Via: Gawker]
Bill Gates at Microsoft -- a Look Back
Posing for Teen Beat Magazine Back in 1983
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At the launch of Windows 95
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Introducing Windows 98 in 1998
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Pie in the face in 1998
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Unveiling Windows XP in 2001
Getty Images
At the World Economic Forum in 2008
Getty Images
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Comments
144
Subscribe to commentsVal FitzgeraldFeb 8th 2009 4:18PM
anton: you must be in the medical field, because you certainly do know what you are talking about.
People here seem more intent on imputing some kind of 'journalistic attention to detail' because somebody's spellcheck seams to have malfunctioned during the spelling of the word "unleashes". It doesn't seem to occur to anyone, (except maybe yourself) that what journalists MOST NEED TO DO, is to CHECK THEIR FACTS.
How the (pre-Murdoch) journalists USED to do it, is to get two dissimilar sources who nonetheless could agree upon the subject under discussion. Then the article could be said to be 'accurate'.
Compare that with the kind of superstition, fantasy and other lurid hogwash with which our so-called 'news' programs have been polluted, ever since Rupert Murdoch bought up all (previously independent) American newspapers; turning them into propaganda spinners for the Right Wing.
I'd be WAY MORE CONCERNED with the callous display of non-factual material, masquerading as journalism, than that someone spells "unleashes" correctly. The attention to detail that I want is what used to be MANDATORY to journalism: Verify, verify, verify.
Start with two dissimilar sources agreeing on your subject--leave the door open in case there's a third who disagrees, and if there is, then state THAT case and put that one through a new 'two dissimilar sources who agree' filter.
Result? Teachers thought nothing of assigning newspaper articles as fact-checks for social studies and science, as well as geography and politics.
Alas, those days are long LONG gone. However--insisting on accuracy in spelling is a good start for Journalism to begin to regain the trust of the people, in the reporting of today's news. As long as it doesn't stop there, LOL!
PrimalFeb 9th 2009 4:28AM
Bob..."By releasing mosquitoes and declaring "Not only poor people should experience this," he was setting everyone up for the next event he sponsors. He now won't have to serve any food or drink at that event because "not only poor people should experience" hunger and thirst."...
That is funny!!...
Aah, I'm disgusted with Gates!...And I certainly don't need a swarm of mosquitoes buzzin' around me to think about 'the poor'...Wanna' do somethin' to help 'em?...Support programs that supply family planning and help empower women...And support farmers fighting against the Big Corps. (like Monstanto) and the Gates Foundation that are tryin' to force more GMO on 'em...Go here for more on that...www.grain.org...(search Gates Foundation)...
"No serious effort has been made to bring representatives of peasant farmers, fisherfolk, indigenous people and urban organisations that represent affected people to the table."...
http://www.grain.org/m/?id=223
chrisFeb 10th 2009 11:59AM
sounds very like Germ Warfare.
stonemanFeb 17th 2009 7:43AM
The small gramatical mistake took over...serious? surious?
I'm thinkin its definitly more important to realize that Bill was obviously tryin 2 release mind altering nanobugs into this crowd of up and comers.Actually it wasn't even Bill...it was his robot double.
elementary my dear...elementary.