9 Fascinating Things You Didn't Know About Bill Gates

Did you know Bill Gates was banned from using a Computer Center Corporation computer when he was 13 because he was caught exploiting bugs in the system?

Bill Gates's house is a geek's dream, packed with modern tech like heated floors, custom music and temperature settings, and sensors that track your movements around the house. Additionally, the home is eco-friendly — it is made of recycled wood and materials, and is built into the hillside so as not to disturb the natural surroundings.

Since becoming wealthy, Bill says the cheapest things that give him the most pleasure are: "Kids. Cheap cheeseburgers. Open Course Ware courses. "

He wrote and sold his first computer program — for scheduling classes — to his high school by the time he was 17.

Bill says that some of the first things he'd save in a fire are documents he's collected from famous historical icons — Isaac Newton, Abraham Lincoln, and Leonardo da Vinci — like da Vinci's Codex Leicester notebook, which he bought in 1994 for over $30 million.

Tease all you want about other tech companies' dominance in the market; Bill remains loyal to Microsoft products:

• "I just got my Surface Pro a week ago and it is very nice. I am using a Perceptive Pixel display right now — huge Windows 8 touch whiteboard. These will come down in price over time and be pervasive . . ."
• "Seriously Bing is the better product at this point. Try the challenge. I am biased but the work to make Bing better has been amazing."