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Geek Culture / Sir Bill Gates?

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Dave J
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Posted: 3rd Mar 2005 14:38
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Not quite. Although Billy-boy was knighted today, he actually can't use the title 'Sir' because he's a US citizen. Instead, he will be known as 'Bill Gates KBE', KBE standing for 'Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire'.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3428673.stm

Oh, and in case you didn't realise, he was obviously knighted for all his computer-jazz stuff.


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BatVink
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Posted: 3rd Mar 2005 16:55
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Quote: "Mr Gates, 48, the world's wealthiest man, said it was "a great honour" to be recognised for his assistance to old ladies troubled by jay-walking, and for his voluntary work cleaning up McDonald's car parks."


Well, if I make myself laugh, it's all that matters.

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Van B
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Posted: 3rd Mar 2005 17:35
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For his charity work I'd accept that, but how can they possibly give anyone a knighthood for their contribution to IT?

I bet the Queen never had to re-install XP on any of her machines .


Van-B


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Jeku
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Posted: 3rd Mar 2005 18:13
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I don't think it's just his contributions to IT, but rather the fact that his company is responsible for just about anything we take for granted today with computers.

Also, I don't understand why an American can't use 'Sir'. That's ridiculous. How about Canadians?


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BatVink
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Posted: 3rd Mar 2005 18:25
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I think only Knights of the Realm can use "Sir". It's just like us British not being able to bring ourselves to use "Buddy".

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Dazzag
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Posted: 3rd Mar 2005 18:26
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Quote: "Also, I don't understand why an American can't use 'Sir'"
Then let foreigners become president. Same sort of thing.

Quote: "but how can they possibly give anyone a knighthood for their contribution to IT?"
Fair enough, but I'd also not give a knighthood to actors and other such non-deserving jobs. Then again, to go back to what a knight originally was supposed to be, then none of them deserve it unless they are pulling swords out of the backs of bad guys (take the term "bad" how you want, they just happened to be in the way) Still, they are all better than those tosspots who got the title because their daddy handed over like half a county in inheritence.

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adr
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Posted: 3rd Mar 2005 20:32
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Quote: "Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire"

Technically, and rather embarassingly, KBE stands for "Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire". I get mixed emotions when I read the ".. most excellent..." part. Part of me says "how pretentious" and the other says "most excellent" in a Bill & Ted way.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_British_Empire

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flibX0r
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Posted: 3rd Mar 2005 23:31
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Quote: "but how can they possibly give anyone a knighthood for their contribution to IT?"


he got his knighthood from his vast charity work, not for his IT work. If he would get it from his IT work, then Linus Torvald would be god by now


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BatVink
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Posted: 4th Mar 2005 00:32
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I don't knock charity work, it's all good, but put this in perspective.

If you believe the figures that are mentioned, he's given less than 1.5% of his net worth to charity, which still leaves him with 28 billion GBP to play with. He doesn't need to work to live.

Take the avergae voluntary worker; they can't afford to live without working. Take your average citizen, they probably donate as much percentage-wise by buying the Big Issue and dropping spare change in collection boxes. If you include doing the lottery, Joe average is doing more.

Buy Jo Average doesn't get knighted for it.

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Jeku
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Posted: 4th Mar 2005 04:37
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Quote: " Then let foreigners become president. Same sort of thing. "


We let foreigners become prime minister.

And BillG has given way more than 1.5% of his money away. He's given billions of it away. And even though it can't be hard giving a billion away when you're worth 50 billion, at least it's something. You never hear about people like Donald Trump giving a billion away.


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BatVink
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Posted: 4th Mar 2005 06:04
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I agree entirely, Jeku. All charity is good. I just think that if Bill Gates deserves a knighthood, there are thousands of others that do too.

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Dave J
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Posted: 4th Mar 2005 06:11
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I really hate the snobby charities that don't accept money from casinos and lotteries because it promotes gambling, I think there was something like $50 million that was going to be donated to World Vision which they refused to accept. I understand where they're coming from, but there's a point where they've got to ask themselves: "Should we really let thousands of children continue to starve just to strengthen a moral standpoint?"


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Dazzag
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Posted: 4th Mar 2005 07:52
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Most excellent rocks in a most definite Bill and Ted way dude Computer science students in Uni at the time (ie. me) enjoyed that stuff way too much (make the squeely guitar noise while doing air guitar please).

Cheers (party on dudes - me, circa 1991ish)

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Newbie Brogo
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Posted: 4th Mar 2005 10:55
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I'm just curious, how much did good 'ole Billy do charity/donating wise?


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Jeku
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Posted: 4th Mar 2005 17:04
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Well him and his wife's foundation is the second largest giving charity in the world apparently. That's quite substantial.


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Ian T
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Posted: 4th Mar 2005 23:37
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It's easy to say it's all percentile, but at the end of the day Bill's 1.5% is doing more good than a thousand average individual's 50%. Sure, it's considerably less inconvinience to him, but nobody's making him do it and that's what's important.

I have to note, though, that some of the charities and funds he helps support are less than a positive force in the world. But there's too much seperation there for me to blame him for that.

Frankly I'm surprised he hadn't been knighted already. When does Lee get his ?

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Peter H
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Posted: 5th Mar 2005 01:22
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Quote: " you believe the figures that are mentioned, he's given less than 1.5% of his net worth to charity, which still leaves him with 28 billion GBP to play with. He doesn't need to work to live.
"

exactly what i was thinking...

just because he gives alot of money doesn't mean he's charitable...in all raelity he's pretty selfish...

considering how much money he has i would only consider him charitable if he gave away all of his money except for say $1,000,000,000 (and even that's too much )

if somebody who has $10 gievs away all of it...then they are MUCH more charitable then he is

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Ian T
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Posted: 5th Mar 2005 02:17
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Well he's not being knighted for his charity anyways

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TravisP
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Posted: 5th Mar 2005 02:27
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Quote: "$1,000,000,000 (and even that's too much )

if somebody who has $10 gievs away all of it...then they are MUCH more charitable then he is "

What helps more? $1,000,000,000 or $10?

Note: The above I didn't say, your just crazy.

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JeBuS
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Posted: 5th Mar 2005 03:57
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I do believe that, since he's now been knighted, he cannot become President of the US. So... that's one positive.


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Newbie Brogo
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Posted: 5th Mar 2005 05:07
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if bill gave all his money besides $1 billion..... it might be more charitable if I gave $6, because he just gave like... a lot of cash...

If someone had $10 total, and gave it all away, it's not a big help, because then that person is in trouble. Considering their life savings consists of $10, now they have nothing....

Unless they live with their parents....


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GothOtaku
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Posted: 5th Mar 2005 05:09
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Quote: " I do believe that, since he's now been knighted, he cannot become President of the US. So... that's one positive."

Really?
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Dave J
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Posted: 5th Mar 2005 07:40
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Quote: "If any citizen of the United States shall accept, claim, receive or retain any title of nobility or honour, or shall, without the consent of Congress - from any emperor, king, prince or foreign power, such person shall cease to be a citizen of the United States, and shall be incapable of holding any office of trust."


However, it's one of those mysterious, hidden laws that exists but is never enforced.


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Mx5 kris
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Posted: 5th Mar 2005 10:08
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wasnt one president knighted before prolly wrong...

if a man has a baby then something IS wrong.
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Jimmy
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Posted: 5th Mar 2005 10:11
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maybe Billy got the consent of Congress.


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Mx5 kris
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Posted: 5th Mar 2005 10:13
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probably...*cough*bribes*cough*

if a man has a baby then something IS wrong.
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Dave J
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Posted: 5th Mar 2005 10:18
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Quote: "wasnt one president knighted before prolly wrong..."


Former President Bush Sr, although, there is a huge difference between being knighted after your presidential term has ended and being knighted before becoming president.


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Mx5 kris
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Posted: 5th Mar 2005 10:19
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ah. sorry for the confusion

if a man has a baby then something IS wrong.
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Ian T
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Posted: 5th Mar 2005 13:17 Edited at: 5th Mar 2005 13:18
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No, it is regarded and to an extent enforced. That's why while he went through the process of being knighted he cannot be refered to as Sir (it has nothing to do with British law as some people seem to think). Frankly I think the whole thing is a bit odd, but I can see a decent case for it. There are other laws I'd knock off first

(Btw, didn't know H W Bush was knighted. That's pretty cool )

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Jeku
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Posted: 5th Mar 2005 14:02
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I think BillG is well deserved for knighthood. Others on my "should-be-knighted list" include:

Linus Torvalds

That is all.


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Fallout
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Posted: 5th Mar 2005 23:24
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You're all forgetting that the monarchy is quite rubbish and knighthoods are a modern day mockery. I'd rather get a 3rd prize rosette at an under 12s gymkhana. Cliff Richard, Elton John ... I mean, what?

The best function of the monarchy is a tourist attaction, so we should give all the knighthoods in the world to europeans and americans. They can all come along and get great pleasure from looking at bucking-ham-palice, and walking around real medieval castles before asking "so where does the king live?"

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Benjamin
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Posted: 6th Mar 2005 00:29
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Quote: "Elton John ... I mean, what?"

What do you mean WHAT? He deserved to be knighted......


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Mx5 kris
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Cats deserve knight hood

if a man has a baby then something IS wrong.
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Neofish
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Cats dont even deserve to be crushed under foot of knights!

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Mx5 kris
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Die uber stupid human

if a man has a baby then something IS wrong.
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Dazzag
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Posted: 6th Mar 2005 06:22
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It is pretty common knowledge that a foreigner cannot be the american president, and the same goes for a proper "Sir" titled knighthood. All Billy got was a honourary knighthood. Because thats all he can currently get. Bribe the queen (few billion should do it) to change the rules perhaps...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3429589.stm

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Dazzag
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Posted: 6th Mar 2005 06:23
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Oh yeah, and I thought the head of Ikea was now the worlds wealthiest man? Until the next OS obviously...

Cheers

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GothOtaku
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Posted: 6th Mar 2005 06:28
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Quote: " Oh yeah, and I thought the head of Ikea was now the worlds wealthiest man? Until the next OS obviously..."

Nope, he never was. They reported his earnings incorrectly and some of the Ikea folks got mad since he doesn't own all the company so all it's worth can't be counted towards his.
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Dazzag
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Posted: 6th Mar 2005 06:40
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Fair enough. Interesting reading though about the 13th amendment if you look around. Basically is the anti-title effort printed above. Apparently it never made it through, but some extremists are convinced it did. Mainly to get rid of lawyers or somesuch (Esquire title apparently making you noble or somesuch nonsense - coff governor...)

Apparently only six states signed it, but it's still open. So get something like 26 other states to sign it, and you can send old Billy boy down the river. Or to another country assuming that not a US citizen anymore bit sticks to the letter.

Learn something everyday.

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Neil19533
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For a Canadian to be knighted they have to prove they are loyal to the queen by becoming a British citizen. It isn’t the queen who chooses the people to knight it is the government and I believe it was the defence secretary who choose him as it was him who made a statement about it and it would make sense as windows is used as the OS for military computers so there was properly a deal made. But that is just speculation.

Any spelling mistakes are totally In tensional.
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Mattman
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Posted: 7th Mar 2005 06:24
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I personally think theres a bunch of musicians who are well worthy of awards:

Ian Curtis
Adrian Borland (both two are dead now)
Bernard Sumner
Peter Hook
Robert Smith (Although I think I remember him being knighted)

Something to doing?
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Newbie Brogo
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Posted: 7th Mar 2005 06:43
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Tom Jones


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Benjamin
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Is a big


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Newbie Brogo
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Posted: 8th Mar 2005 05:35
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man who owns you all


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