Bill Gates brings far-ranging musings to the Web

(AP) -- When Bill Gates was at Microsoft's helm, his internal memos set the company's course for such radical shifts as the rise of the Internet.

Now, Gates is making his musings public on a new Web site called The Gates Notes.

There, the head of The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has started posting his opinion on topics from the international response to the H1N1 pandemic ("The real story is that we are lucky it wasn't worse because we were almost completely unprepared for it) to the book "Super Freakonomics" ("It is very well written and full of great insights").

The site collects Gates' thoughts via video, podcasts and written notes. It also includes his responses to books, online courses and conversations with experts in such fields as clean energy and education.

Gates, who also recently signed up for a Twitter account, says he plans to update the Gates Notes site regularly.