Bill Gates' mugshot is the fallback silhouette in Outlook 2010 | Hacker News Reader

Bill Gates' mugshot is the fallback silhouette in Outlook 2010

arstechnica.com

77 pointsstriking16 comments

Open articleView on HN

I really doubt the editor 'just noticed this.' He must have been tipped off.

It was on the front of reddit earlier today.

But the article is from 2010.

Fair enough. Guess that's why it's here anyway.

They should have used his sexy reclining pose, that would make a good icon.

Well played Bill !

Wow, now that is what I call Super-powered observation!

Someone noticing this does not have a keen sense of observation? Please explain how I got this wrong?

First time I've ever heard of the mugshot, and the arrest, was back in 1998. My boss told me it was a DUI arrest, but, this is complete hearsay and I didn't believe its certainty then just as I don't now. Where were you when you found out?

Gates has been open about it having been an arrest for speeding, specifically driving far above the speed limit. He apparently went so far as to buy a slower diesel Mercedes to drive in order to reduce his tendency to speed with sports cars (per an interview).

It was speeding. Bill is well-known for his love to fast cars. Later, in Seattle, he held the record of fastest Microsoft -> SEA airport drive, for a very long time. The legend says it was only beaten by someone illegally using HOV lanes, but Bill very justifiably refused to recognize that time.

I can't really think of any other driving offense that would result in arrest rather than a ticket unless it's even more serious (manslaughter) or unrelated (drugs, guns), all of which seem much less likely than DUI.

Well, it's also known that Gates did try some drugs. From a Playboy interview in 1994[1]:

> PLAYBOY: When you were at Harvard, did you frequent the Combat Zone, home of hookers, drugs and adult films?

> GATES: That's true. [Laughs] But just because I went there doesn't mean I engaged in everything that was going on. But I did go there. It's easy, you just take the subway. And it's pretty inexpensive. I ate pizza, read books and watched what was going on. I went to the diners.

> PLAYBOY: Ever take LSD?

> GATES: My errant youth ended a long time ago.

> PLAYBOY: What does that mean?

> GATES: That means there were things I did under the age of 25 that I ended up not doing subsequently.

> PLAYBOY: One LSD story involved you staring at a table and thinking the corner was going to plunge into your eye.

> GATES: [Smiles]

[1]: http://beginnersinvest.about.com/od/billgates/l/blbillgatesi...

You omitted the last line of that exchange, which I think is the most interesting:

> GATES: That was on the other side of that boundary. The young mind can deal with certain kinds of gooping around that I don't think at this age I could. I don't think you're as capable of handling lack of sleep or whatever challenges you throw at your body as you get older. However, I never missed a day of work.

Some states allow for arrests if you're far above the speed limit (In Ohio I believe it is 30 MPH, though I wouldn't trust that number). From my understanding, it's also dependent on the original speed limit, and where it was you were speeding (obviously).

rural states in the U.S. used to arrest and arraign you for traffic violations before seeing the 'Town Judge' for verdict and punishment.

I can imagine, during that era, being mugshotted for speeding through a rural town. Especially going through NM

Albuquerque is a major city, and not rural at all. The arrest was for reckless driving, I believe.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com