I love this discussion, but the thread is so long that I'm intimidated into not replying on FriendFeed. (I also really wish they had paragraphs in comments.) So, replying here:
Gates, school, startup (how ambitious is the startup? If we're talking another Google, this rises to #1), car, government, S&P.
The Gates Foundation focuses on health in developing nations, which is a prerequisite to everything else. You can't exactly learn, work, or start a company if you're sick.
School gives you the raw materials with which to found startups.
Startups innovate and come up with better ways of doing things for everyone.
The car, government, and S&P 500 are all basically a wash. They redistribute wealth but don't create it, unless you really really want that Prius.
I'm also puzzled by Robert Scoble's idea that creating jobs is the best way to benefit the common good. Doesn't he know that hiring that talented engineer may mean that he doesn't start his own startup, depriving society of his innovations? ;-)
Gates, school, startup (how ambitious is the startup? If we're talking another Google, this rises to #1), car, government, S&P.
The Gates Foundation focuses on health in developing nations, which is a prerequisite to everything else. You can't exactly learn, work, or start a company if you're sick.
School gives you the raw materials with which to found startups.
Startups innovate and come up with better ways of doing things for everyone.
The car, government, and S&P 500 are all basically a wash. They redistribute wealth but don't create it, unless you really really want that Prius.
I'm also puzzled by Robert Scoble's idea that creating jobs is the best way to benefit the common good. Doesn't he know that hiring that talented engineer may mean that he doesn't start his own startup, depriving society of his innovations? ;-)