2005-02-10 16:11
If I Had One! Million! Dollars!
Over on LiveJournal, Crisper asks:
Through hard work and a little bit of luck, your little dot-com idea gets bought for huge bucks, you got a bunch of stock that went nuts, you sold at the perfect time, and now you're a free-and-clear billionaire. Travel, yes. Personal living comforts, naturally. Charity and philanthropy, yes, yes, of course. But what else? What would you do if money were truly no object, that maybe other rich people wouldn't spend their hard-earned cash on?
For the charity bit, I'd throw mad cash at animal shelters and historic preservation projects. There wouldn't be a historic splinter in all of California falling outside my benevolent protection. But this question isn't about charity -- it's about loot. So...
My own island. Specifically, an island smack in the middle of San Francisco Bay, because I can't be too far from civilization. I want the pretty view perk that comes with being just filthy, disgustingly rich, and I'm pretty sure you can't get Project Runway out in the middle of the South Pacific. I'd build my own, unless Angel Island were available, because that would mean I'd be within easy bombing distance of Tiburon, and then I'd pay some failed dot-commers to trick it out all James Bond villain-style.
I'd have a huge telescope, the place would be riddled with pneumatic tubes (which haven't been cutting-edge since the 1880s, but they're cool, so I'm getting 'em), my minions will ride around on Segways (because by then they'll be so retro) and buzzing, flashing, twinkling little gadgets will be at my disposal at all times. And I'd have a killer supervillainess wardrobe in which to do my plotting. I wouldn't actually *be* evil, of course, but what's the fun in letting people know that?
So how about you?