Paul Allen, the gazillionaire cofounder of Microsoft who has spent his subsequent years frittering away his cash on tech startups, sports teams, and a cable company or two, is ailing, reports Seattle tech blog TechFlash. Allen missed a "First Citizen" awards ceremony thrown by local realtors in his honor because of "an undisclosed medical procedure." We're thinking it can't have been something minor, or at least not easily postponed. Bill Gates attended the event, as did Patty Murray, one of Washington's senators. Murray's praise for Allen's civic contributions — including the Experience Music Project museum and the purchase of the Seattle Seahawks — brought the crowd to its feet. In 1983, Allen was treated for Hodgkin's disease. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)