Gates computes by himself

New York Daily News: "Maybe diet Orange Crush is the true breakfast of champions. Microsoft giant Bill Gates recently wrapped up another of his 'think week' sessions - seven days of seclusion spent pondering the future of his computer empire while guzzling his favorite orange soda. The twice-yearly getaways in a secret Northwest locale have become legendary in technology circles. The sessions have yielded some of Microsoft's most innovative ideas, including its Internet browser, the tablet computer and its online video games. Gates has been stealing away on these private brainstorming sessions since the 1980s. It's a time of serious solitude. No family. No employees. No interruptions, save for a caretaker who slips him two meals a day. One lunch for the world's richest man consisted of grilled cheese and clam chowder, The Wall Street Journal reported. Gates, 49, spends this time poring through dozens of papers penned by employees pitching their ideas - everything from suggestions for beefing up software security to leads on new technology trends. 'It's the world's coolest suggestion box,' Microsoft MapPoint general manager Stephen Lawler told The Journal."