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Bill Gates Lecture, etc. (25 Feb 2004 at 12:24)
Attn: Bill Gates is BORING. Summary of talk ("Solving the toughest problems of computer science"): Blah blah Moore's law, blah blah lip service to major areas of CS research at CMU, blah blah needlessly 3D computer interfaces demo that doesn't work right.

During the question and answer session though, he did have an amusing rejoinder: Some nerd from the KGB asks Bill, "Will you accept this gift of linux?" (waving a CDR, presumably loaded up with some hip distroz). Bill responds sharply, "I don't know, what's it worth?"

If you've ever been by my office you know that there's a loud hum from the HVAC turbines in the ceiling that can be heard all through the hallways and nearby offices. Today I succeeded, by accident, in filling my water bottle so that it just resonated with that tone. The amount of vibration I could feel from the bottle and the volume of the sound at the bottle's mouth was actually pretty surprising. But I get surprised by really boring stuff like how Bill Gates is boring and how my students don't know how to prove stuff. Grading sucks.
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Dwindlehop (jffwpr04.jf.intel.com) – 02.25.04 16:55:05
Needlessly 3D computer interfaces? I got yer needlessly 3D computer interface right here:

http://desk3d.sourceforge.net/screenshots.php
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Anonymous (ppp-251-10.26-151.libero.it) – 02.25.04 16:56:04
I just can't believe that. HIM! BORING! I think now my life has no sense any more,( yesterday it had, I believe). I use your fonts, I found a link to your web site, hoping you're as amazing as your creations are. And what discover?! Your students have problems as mine do, you work in a noisy office (you should visit mine), and Gates is boring ... my students won't believe...My grandma would say that the world is going to finish (but she didn't speak English, just like me). What I wanted to say is that I love your fonts ... and don't care for GAtes. regards
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Tom 7 (gs82.sp.cs.cmu.edu) – 02.25.04 17:29:59
Dwindlehop: Man, that is also needlessly 3D, but I actually think the windows one we saw is worse.

Anon: Yeah, I don't care for Gates much either, but he is a supposed visionary and also the richest dude in the world, so I figured I'd engage in some healthy celebrity worship and collect another "I've seen him" point. You know?
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Marc (h00102b024a85.ne.client2.attbi.com) – 02.28.04 10:41:42
Pffft, ain't nothing healthy about celebrity worship, especially when they're fuckwads...
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Tom 7 (h-66-167-161-198.phlapafg.dynamic.covad.net) – 02.28.04 19:04:26
Marc, done with a sense of irony, I assure you.
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