What I’ve been discussing with contemporary problem solvers

What About Wind?

Energy sources that provide power without producing CO2 are critical to addressing the challenge of global warming. The book Sustainable Energy – without the hot air prompted Bill to ask climate researcher Ken Caldeira what the prospects are for generating power from wind in the upper atmosphere.

Posted 01/23/2010

A Maniacal Focus on Global Health

In an April appearance on the Charlie Rose Show with his father, Bill Gates Sr., Bill spoke about his focus on malaria, TB, and HIV, and his hope that malaria will be eradicated within 20 years. He also explained why he released mosquitoes during a speech at the TED Conference.

Posted 01/22/2010

The Failure to Measure Innovation

Quantifying the economic impact of innovation has turned out to be surprisingly difficult. Bill, astrophysicist Lowell Wood, and Nathan Myhrvold, former chief technology officer at Microsoft and founder of Intellectual Ventures, talk about how innovation is overlooked in economic statistics.

Posted 03/09/2010

On the Importance of Giving

On the Charlie Rose Show, Bill and his father, Bill Gates Sr., spoke about the important role that Bill’s mother played in inspiring him to focus on philanthropy and use his resources to help solve global issues.

Posted 01/14/2010

The Free Market and Energy Innovation

Speaking with Time managing editor Rick Stengel at the Microsoft CEO Summit in May, Bill explained why he believes it will take large R&D investments by hundreds of companies to develop innovative solutions that will pave the way for new approaches to generating energy.

Posted 01/14/2010