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Paul Allen has died

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Re: Paul Allen has died

#251

Post by monsieurbanana »

sytelus wrote: post #237
rdlecler1 wrote: post #66

I'm sure most of us were envious of his life, but almost no one would trade places with him today. It goes to show that health really is more valuable than money.

Here's the thing... One rich-person-year is typically equal to 4 common-person-year. Why? Rich people (defined here as folks with net worth of $100M+) can spend all of the time in things they desire. They can outsource almost all of the chores like cleaning house or doing taxes or laundry or cooking leaving more free time besides not having to do 8-hour jobs. Their transportation and commute is frictionless and doesn…

What about all the studies (not that I've read them, so correct me if I'm wrong, I just hear them referenced all the time) that says once you have the minimum money needed to live comfortable, more money doesn't necessarily increase happiness?

I have no reason to doubt your x4 common-year-person, but how does that relate to happiness? Arguably the only metric that matters in the end.

By the way, private flying to paris and 3 star restaurants? Eh... not bad, but what I'm really looking forward once I'm old is having enough free time to play MMORPGs again.

Re: Paul Allen has died

#252

Post by neonblurb »

koslov wrote: post #208
PostOnce wrote: post #180

Many here have noted his many large-scale philanthropic efforts, which are fantastic, and often benefit our whole species. But my personal favorite, even if it doesn't benefit large swaths of humanity in the same way as a cell research insitute: https://livingcomputers.org/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Living_Computers:_Museum_%2B_L... It's a computer museum, but they work. They're turned on, and you can use them! Y…

It's by far my favorite museum. I always go every time I go to Seattle and there is always a new machine to play with. You learn many things of how computers evolved by using them. Like seeing your terminal session printed and how the display is actually some sort of never-ending paper. Also making your own punch cards or hearing the noise of mainframes cooling systems. Damn, it hurts to see Paul Allen go. Hope they…

I was hoping people would mention the Living Computers museum, I had a chance to visit on a short trip to Seattle a couple of weeks ago and in the space of about 45 minutes I played a game of chess with a PDP-8 entering moves on a working teletype, wrote some BASIC on an original working Apple I and Altair, played a maze game on a Xerox Alto and played around with the fascinating UI on a NeXTstation. Capped it off with a game of Oregon Trail on a Mac SE.

I'm so grateful that people like Paul invested in giving people the means to interact with such iconic machines and kept them running - the value of places like this is immense.

Re: Paul Allen has died

#253

Post by santix »

DavidAdams wrote: post #142
ribs wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Like Arthur Kane, bass player for the New York Dolls. Goes to the hospital thinking he has the flu, is diagnosed with leukemia, 2 hours - HOURS - later, he dies.

If you haven't seen the movie "New York Doll," about Kane's interesting life trajectory, I recommend it: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0436629/

I caught that movie already started on a TV channel once and saw like the last third of it. I didn't know the band, and all the while I thought it was a parody similar to Spinal Tap. It wasn't until the ending that I realized everything was a true story.

Re: Paul Allen has died

#254

Post by reachtarunhere »

rwc wrote: post #149

It's shocking to me that even now, hours after the announcement, Microsoft.com is completely bereft of mentioning the news. I know Paul Allen's impact at MS isn't akin to Bill Gates in popular culture, but it seems soulless to make no effort whatsoever.

I think it depends on your location. I didn't see anything in Singapore till I switched to the US version of the website.

Re: Paul Allen has died

#255

Post by obscura »

richev wrote: post #122
denzil_correa wrote: post #20

Paul Allen on Gates, Microsoft (CBS 60 minutes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IM0SvIiMI4

From Australia > The uploader has not made this video available in your country. Does anyone have a link that is viewable outside the US?

Odd - I'm not in the US and I can view it. Here's a link for you: https://openload.co/f/FFCGebcsLxY/Paul_Allen_on_Gates%2C_Mic...

Re: Paul Allen has died

#256

Post by youcantseeme »

cyborgx7 wrote: post #250
toomanybeersies wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most comments here seem to be remembering him for his philanthropy and contributions to science and humanity, rather than for being a co-founder of Microsoft. It's an interesting contrast to the thread from 7 years ago about the death of Steve Jobs [1]. Steve Jobs was a visionary, but he wasn't a philanthropist. His legacy is Apple, Allen's legacy is his contributions to charity. Gates will be the same, he will be re…

phillantropy is a marketing ploy by rich people you don't amass this much wealth without profiting off of the work of others by exploiting a position of power, usually gained through ownership

Exactly. The world's a better place now that this leech has died.

Re: Paul Allen has died

#258

Post by cronin101 »

waffle_ss wrote: post #198
chokolad wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

His tanks are definitely capable of shooting at least blank rounds. They do it weekly at the museum. I would not be surprised if they can shoot the actual live munition without issues if you can get hands on it.

As expected as there's no federal law against owning a fully-operable tank or fighter jet. Well the tank howitzer may need to be registered as a destructive device with $200 tax stamp in accordance with the National Firearms Act due to the bore width. It's also legal to equip them with machine guns, as long as the gun's transferable under the Hughes Amendment. An M2 Browning would set one back $20K or so.[1] But a gu…

When was the last time there was a school shooting using a Panzer tank or a MiG fighter?

I can't see the pragmatism in demanding equivalence of regulation.

Re: Paul Allen has died

#259

Post by Delmania »

almostApatriot1 wrote: post #115
Delmania wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm 100% certain he did more good for this world with his wealth than someone like you can even begin to dream of. He helped to build a successful computer company, intelligently navigated the exit to make significant wealth, and then donated 2 billion to various causes. Tell me, what the hell have you done for anyone?

Paul Allen was a good man but... "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God" Some think wealthy people should be held to a higher moral standard for a number of reasons

He donated 2 billion dollars of his wealth to advancement of science, technology, education, wildlife conservation, the arts, and community service. What standard are we talking about?

Re: Paul Allen has died

#260

Post by Delmania »

muraiki wrote: post #138
almostApatriot1 wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Paul Allen was a good man but... "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God" Some think wealthy people should be held to a higher moral standard for a number of reasons

I understand what you are saying, but I think that people unfamiliar with Christian theology might misunderstand you. It's worth noting that the disciples responded to that with astonishment: "Who then can be saved?" -- even though none of them were rich! Crucially, Christ's response is that with God, _all things_ are possible. Ultimately, the standard for the Christian is to become like Christ. To walk the path of t…

It's a bit more than that. That particular passage was also about eliminating anything that got in the way of following god. I believe Jesus also said if your hand causes you to steal, cut it off. You could also argue that this is a passage about trust as getting rid of everything to follow a god requires a lot of faith that a god will survive.

For those of us who are atheists, the messages would be to not place things above people and to take risks in aiding others. Usually the things we fear never materialize.

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