Arthur C. Clarke 1917-2008
A very great man and one of the founders of modern science fiction, Arthur C. Clarke, passed away on Tuesday, March 18. Clarke authored the short story (The Sentinel) and book behind, and collaborated with Stanley Kubrick to create, my favorite movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey. Clarke published, in 1945, a paper on the concept of using geostationary satellites in communication. His book, The Fountains of Paradise, described the building of a fixed cable “space elevator,” an idea that is now being seriously considered by space companies. IMHO (in my humble opinion), Clarke’s Hugo- and Nebula-award-winning novel, Rendezvous with Rama (1973), is a masterpiece of descriptive prose.
Clarke was born in Somerset, England and was educated in physics and math at Kings College. He served in the Royal Air Force (RAF). He also covered the flights of Apollo 11, 12, and 15 for U.S. television.
Arthur C. Clarke is most famous for his third law, but all three are worth repeating here:
1) When a distinguished but elderly scientist says that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he says it is impossible, he is very probably wrong.
2) The only way to find the limits of the possible is by going beyond them to the impossible.
and the famous –
3) Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
Arthur C. Clarke, the world owes you a debt of gratitude for your vision, and it becomes a darker place without you. We will miss you.
– Bill at Cheshire Cat Photo
