MillenniumTechnologyPrize
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Linus Torvalds shares Millennium Technology Prize with pioneering stem cell scientist
It's not often we see Linux creator Linus Torvalds in a tux (as opposed to with a Tux), but he had a good reason to ditch the casual look this week. He was just named as the co-recipient of the 2012 Millennium Technology Prize (often referred to as the "tech Nobel"), an award that he shares with pioneering stem cell scientist Dr. Shinya Yamanaka -- the two will also each get an equal cut of €1.2 million prize fund. Torvalds was of course recognized for the creation of Linux itself, with Dr. Ainomaija Haarla of Technology Academy Finland (the prize's organizers) noting that Torvalds' work "has kept the web open for the pursuit of knowledge and for the benefit of humanity -- not simply for financial interests." What's more, Torvalds also sat down for a fairly in-depth interview with the BBC for the occasion, in which he talks about Linux at length and offers a few thoughts on Google, Microsoft and Raspberry Pi -- you can find it at the link below. [Image credit: Millennium Technology Prize]
Michael Grätzel, inventor of the dye-sensitized solar cell, wins 2010 Millennium Technology Prize (video)
In 1991, a pair of scientists published a paper in Nature, detailing a intriguing new discovery: the dye-sensitized solar cell. Today, one of them won €800,000 for his efforts, and the 2010 Millennium Technology Prize. Michael Grätzel accepted the award for the low-cost solar cells that often bear his name, and which make possible the sunglasses, windows and iPhone patents we seem to spot every few days. Hear the good professor speak about his invention in a video after the break.
