Bill Gates is back after his trip to Antarctica, and here’s what BMB has to say.

“It’s a nice reader, but there’s nothing on the iPad I look at and say, ‘Oh, I wish Microsoft had done it.”

That’s a quote from an All Things Digital article on Bill Gates and his opinion of the iPad. More here.

Screengrab from Business Insider.

Earlier this week, Microsoft founder Bill Gates popped up (“Hello, world”) on Twitter. Didn’t Tiger say that way back when?  Now, he has his own blog.  This man must be stopped.  I mean, what if El Jobso had his own blog?  Wait…never mind.

Happy Birthday, old friend. I mean it. Peace.

Who knew that the dynamic duo weren’t always in perfect sync?
Bets, people. Who would win this steel cage match?

Update: Dear readers point out that the above link is for WSJ subscribers. News to me that we pay for this. (Note to Katie: Fix that.) For the story, see here. Love to James and Phess for the link.

The NY Times poses a question for the ages: “Who’s smarter, Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg?

Hmmm. Let me put it this way: Would you rather be stranded at the end of days with the Beastmaster Bill or Faceberg?

Thanks to the dear readers who wrote in with an infinitely better choice.

Check out the the Beastmaster and Monkey Boy at AllThingsD.

Highlight: Goatberg does a great imitation of Brat-Pack-era Sammy Davis Jr. laughing just a little too hard at the Beastmaster’s “funnies.”

The team started to count Goatberg’s self-references but gave up. We have deadlines to meet people!

Interesting commentary from Goatberg-in-training on the AllThingsD site after the inevitable demo:

“Windows 7, like other Microsoft OS’s before it, seems to have borrowed a thing or two from Mac OS X. This time it’s Apple’s Dock, which Microsoft appears to have borrowed. Multi-touch and a Dock. In Windows. Steve Jobs must be so proud.”

Proud isn’t the word I’d choose.

Girlfriend Kara Swisher’s doing the Beastmaster’s bidding this week, talking up the borg’s alleged “organic” Web-search-and-ad stew. Project Granola they call it. The thinking is that Microsoft has so much cool crap in house it doesn’t need no stinkin’ Yahoo.

Yeah. Okay. We’ve heard about the billions the Borg spends on R&D. Problem is, no one can think of one truly creative thing it’s ever done. Oh, wait: my people do rave about Nathan Myrvold’s cassoulet.

Word of warning to the Yangster if he’s still in the game: Despite all its cash, the Borg won’t buy what it can steal.