On: Richard Branson Announces Virgin Oceanic Submarine...

[keiferski]

This is why you should aspire to make it big. Not so you can buy a jet and fancy cars, but to go on awesome adventures and push the definition of "what's possible."

Or maybe I just admire Richard Branson a little too much.

[akozak → keiferski]

This is the frustrating thing about most modern billionaires. They're so... boring and conventional.

I'd much rather Zuckerberg took those millions he dumped into New Jersey public schools and built a spaceship that billions of kids around the world could watch fly into space.

I mean, yea Bill Gates malaria is important to solve, but can't you do that AND build a totally sweet space station?

[oldstrangers → akozak]

Another Microsoft billionaire, Paul Allen, has done some pretty cool space related things like SpaceShipOne.

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

[cpeterso → akozak]

SF author David Brin proposes an organization that champions philanthropic ventures that might earn rich donors a historic legacy. For example, funding a flight to the moon or Mars or building a free university in a third-world nation.

http://www.futurist.com/articles-archive/business-and-econom...

[ErrantX → keiferski]

No you're not alone on that. Branson has always pushed to be at the "edge", see Virgin Galactic as the prime example of that :)

[Apocryphon → ErrantX]

As cool as the venture was, have they been making any progress at all recently?

[mcdowall → Apocryphon]

I would say so...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12909071

[stevenj → keiferski]

I found it interesting (though not surprising) that the entrepreneur Branson admires most is Steve Jobs.

http://twitter.com/richardbranson/status/53092854683287552

[duck → keiferski]

And just to do awesome things for the world. Who knows what we might learn as we go deeper in the oceans.

[archgoon → keiferski]

Or rebuild the Super Conducting Super Collider. AKA The Hole in Texas.