Geeks We Envy No. 3: James Cameron

Photo: National Geographic

James Cameron probably could have made our list on the strength of making Terminator, alone, but it turns out he was just getting started. He produced both of the good Terminator movies, Aliens, the Abyss, the cult TV hit Dark Angel, and of course, Avatar, with all of the software development that made it possible. What about Titanic and Rambo? We’re pretty sure he did those for the submarine. If anyone is going to find a “Shark with a firkin laser beam,” it’s James Cameron, the guy who goes bigger than he should (and way over budget), and always makes it work in the end.

Why He’s a Geek: Everything above, plus a lifelong fascination with deep-sea diving.

Why we envy him: To start with, he married Sarah Connor, though it didn’t end well. (He’s currently on wife No. 5.) But there’s a lot more: 

• Gets to play with cutting-edge 3D tech that’s years ahead of anyone else;
• The US government called him for advice about the BP oil spill;
• Is in talks with RKK Energia to visit the International Space Station;
• Piloted a pressurized coffin called the Deepsea Challenger into the deepest spot on earth, and will do it again.

View previous geeks:
No. 4: Kevin Mitnick
No. 5: Jeff Skoll
No. 6: Larry Page
No. 7: Mark Pincus
No. 8: Sean Parker
No. 9: Eduardo Saverin
No. 10: Kim Schmitz aka Kim Dotcom