If you were an eccentric billionaire, and had millions...

[Australian rePublic]

If you were an eccentric billionaire, and had millions to spend on a project which would not be guaranteed to earn you money, but you wanted to anyway for whatever reason, and the motif wasn't charity, what would you spend your money. It can't be charity. Charity is a different catagory. I am refering to the way that Elon Musk wants to put people on Mars. Me, personally, I would build large city in places (on Earth) that I think require them, particularly in snowy areas. People deserve to grow up with snow. How about you?

[Len Hyet]

If you were an eccentric billionaire, and had millions to spend on a project which would not be guaranteed to earn you money, but you wanted to anyway for whatever reason, and the motif wasn't charity, what would you spend your money. It can't be charity. Charity is a different catagory. I am refering to the way that Elon Musk wants to put people on Mars. Me, personally, I would build large city in places (on Earth) that I think require them, particularly in snowy areas. People deserve to grow up with snow. How about you?

Death Star.

[Valentine Z]

1) Buy a huge mansion.
2) Adopt as many cats and kittens from the streets as possible. Max. cap depends on the mansion size.
3) Name myself Mr. Fluffy D. L. Moneybags, and live the life petting said cats.



And secondly, maybe buy the latest tech gadgets (laptops, smartphones, DSLRs, RED or Blackmagic Industry-grade video cameras, Phantom high-speed cameras...) that money can buy. I am a sucker for latest tech devices, even if I know that they are going to be obsolete one day.

[Dooom35796821595]

1) Buy a huge mansion.
2) Adopt as many cats and kittens from the streets as possible. Max. cap depends on the mansion size.
3) Name myself Mr. Fluffy D. L. Moneybags, and live the life petting said cats.



And secondly, maybe buy the latest tech gadgets (laptops, smartphones, DSLRs, RED or Blackmagic Industry-grade video cameras, Phantom high-speed cameras...) that money can buy. I am a sucker for latest tech devices, even if I know that they are going to be obsolete one day.

So the Hugh Hefner of crazy cat people?

[Valentine Z]

So the Hugh Hefner of crazy cat people?

Basically, yes.

[Gallia-]

Buy a yacht.

From which I would be able to provide seed money for a 501(c)(3) organization which provides free clinics and classes for people with high-functioning autism; funds scientific research into autism spectrum disorder and treatments for low-functioning autism; and increases public awareness and understanding for people with autism in general; and lobby the Congress, local, and state governments to increase funding for publicly available resources for helping adults with autism transition to independent living. Kind of like First Place or SAARC, but much bigger, nationwide across America. It would also seek to try to differentiate between low-functioning and high-functioning ends of the autism spectrum in public discourse, since it seems to me that both ends of the autism spectrum require two separate solutions [with the spectrum being Autism Speaks to First Place/SAARC].

But obviously I'm just buying a yacht.

[Internationalist Bastard]

I dunno, Mars colonization is up there. I guess short of colonizing space, building mechs or making anime real

[Kanadorika]

Build a Montana class battleship and operate "luxury" cruises on it.

[Cetacea]

I'd purchase Tahiti Nui from the French and then use it as an international hub for a fleet of giant trans-pacific Cruiseliners

[Anywhere Else But Here]

Build a bridge across 99% of the Channel, blow raspberries at France from the end.

[The New California Republic]

I would probably make a University for deaf and/or blind students. I occasionally work with students with disabilities like that at the University where I work, and the provision of various services for their needs could be a lot better. It would be a completely new campus, with new student halls and new teaching facilities, all the buildings would be designed to be deaf/blind friendly. The library would be a mix of normal textbooks as well as braille and audio books. All the teaching staff would know sign language. It would be a fairly small campus at first, but it would have room to expand if the demand requires it. It probably isn't as grand as the other projects proposed on this thread, but that's what I would do with the money.

I once discussed this idea with a colleague, and they wondered if it is too much like "segregating" the deaf/blind students, but I would argue that it isn't, as the student always has a choice about which University they apply for.

[Pax Nerdvana]

I would build a generation ship and launch it towards Proxima Centuri. I would also build mechs and buy a lot of old WWII American vehicles.

[Aureumterra]

Destroy this torturous, stupid, uncultured, dirty thing called “anime”

[Donut section]

Start drone mining the solar system. Develop self replicating drones with fertilised embryos to colonise the universe.

[Empire of Narnia]

Buy Boston Dynamics and go onto create the most advanced animatronics the world has ever seen.

[The Blaatschapen]

I'll spend my money like George Best did.

I will spend a lot of money on booze, birds(*) and fast cars. The rest I will squander.

* not actual birds, it is slang for women.

[Erythrean Thebes]

I would prepare the global North for global warming by trying to prepare housing/settlements and also trying to preempt mass migration of animals however I could

[Nouveau Yathrib]

Funding for green urban development in non-Western countries, synthetic meat production, and unorthodox forms of carbon sequestration. An open-source, comprehensive archive of the world's 7000 languages, literature, and traditional culture would be a secondary priority.

[Kubra]

Be George Soros but real

[Kubra]

I'll spend my money like George Best did.

I will spend a lot of money on booze, birds(*) and fast cars. The rest I will squander.

* not actual birds, it is slang for women.

no, spend it all on actual birds. You'll have the best birds, the finest, more feathers than any other birds.

[Godular]

If you were an eccentric billionaire, and had millions to spend on a project which would not be guaranteed to earn you money, but you wanted to anyway for whatever reason, and the motif wasn't charity, what would you spend your money. It can't be charity. Charity is a different catagory. I am refering to the way that Elon Musk wants to put people on Mars. Me, personally, I would build large city in places (on Earth) that I think require them, particularly in snowy areas. People deserve to grow up with snow. How about you?

RAILGUNS LAUNCHING SHIT INTO SPACE.

Fuck that space-elevator idea. It's not practical. Make a big damn rail gun that can send stuff into space. I think I coul get other investors on board if I had a bit of startup capital.

[Taihei Tengoku]

I would probably make a University for deaf and/or blind students. I occasionally work with students with disabilities like that at the University where I work, and the provision of various services for their needs could be a lot better. It would be a completely new campus, with new student halls and new teaching facilities, all the buildings would be designed to be deaf/blind friendly. The library would be a mix of normal textbooks as well as braille and audio books. All the teaching staff would know sign language. It would be a fairly small campus at first, but it would have room to expand if the demand requires it. It probably isn't as grand as the other projects proposed on this thread, but that's what I would do with the money.

I once discussed this idea with a colleague, and they wondered if it is too much like "segregating" the deaf/blind students, but I would argue that it isn't, as the student always has a choice about which University they apply for.

Have you heard of Gallaudet University? It's by Union Station in DC and is exactly what you are thinking of--a university for the deaf and hard-of-hearing.

[The Federation of Kendor]

I will spend the money to advance science in all manners. But since you are saying eccentric, it will be mostly sci-fi ideas

[Balerion the Dread]

Genetic manipulation to create dragons. Well spent imo.

[Coutuza]

Send automated drones to Alpha Centauri with laser propulsion