Bored With PCs, Bill Gates Sets His Sights On Controlling the Weather

Friday, July 10, 2009 - 11:35 in Physics & Chemistry

Microsoft's chairman is part of a join patent filing for using fleets of vessels to stop hurricanes via geoengineering Truly this is the age of Greenfinger: Billionaire Bill Gates has patented the idea to halt hurricanes by decreasing the surface temperature of the ocean. The patent calls for a large fleet of specially equipped ships which would mix warm water from the ocean surface with colder water down below, according to five new patents that include Microsoft's chairman as a co-inventor. That could then reduce or perhaps eliminate the heat-driven condensation which hurricanes feed upon, thus significantly reducing their intensity. Patent-watcher "theodp" first spotted the new patent filings, and told TechFlash that the scheme reminded him of something Mr. Burns might have concocted in "The Simpsons" -- if the fictional industrialist hadn't already blown his master plan on blocking out the sun. The hurricane-stopper plan apparently...

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