No Thread on the Death of Arthur C Clarke?

[Lote-Tree]

Arthur C Clarke died aged 90.

He was a visionary writer.

In his book 2001 - A Space Odessey (and together with Stanly Kubricks film of the same name) he explored the Brave New World of the Future and man's place in the cosmos and also a spiritual reawkening of man's evolutionary potential in the Grand Scheme of things.

He predicted the landing on the moon by 1970 and global satelite communications which made the internet possible :D

[PeterL]

There is one now.

Even more important than 2001, which I didn't especially like, were some of his earlier works, The Sentinel which featured geosynchronous satellites, and other ideas that contained completely new ideas. The company that built the first geosynchronous satellite found that they couldn't patent the things, because they were prior art. Similarly, in "The Man Who Ploughed the Sea" Clarke suggested extracting metals from ocean water. Several years ago a group tried to patent that idea, when Clarke learned of that, he sent a copy of the story to the patent office, and the patent was rejected.

Not only was a good writer, but he was original. The Fountains of Paradise is an excellent story, but it plots out how to run an elevator into space.

I never the man, so I won't personally miss him; and his books will be around for a very long time, so I won't miss his ideas or his writing.

[TheFifthElement]

Hats off to the man who discovered geo-synchronous orbit. I didn't know him, but he changed my world. May he rest in peace.

[SleepyWitch]

whaaaat? he died? :eek: how did I miss this?
he's one of my fave science fiction writers (out of the two I know, *cretin*)

[ben.!]

I was watching a documentary on 2001: A Space Odyssey from my newly bought 2-disc edition of the film and he was interviewed in it multiple times.

I found it sad that the next day I learned he died probably while I was watching his interview...:(

An amazing writer, probably the best sci/fi novelist we've had to date.

I've read 2001: A Space Odyssey and seen the film multiple times. An amazing story.

He will be missed.

[aeroport]

I was watching a documentary on 2001: A Space Odyssey from my newly bought 2-disc edition of the film and he was interviewed in it multiple times.

I found it sad that the next day I learned he died probably while I was watching his interview...:(


Something very similar happened to me with Ingmar Bergman last year. Very sad all around.

As long as we're talking about people who died yesterday, I would mention Anthony Minghella, director of such films as The Talented Mr. Ripley and The English Patient, who died yesterday at the age of 54.

[Lily Adams]

I still haven't read "2001: A Space Odyssey". :( Love the movie.

My friend told me this the day he died, and I was sad. Sill am. And then we had a conversation about how many fantastic science fiction writers are dying or are already dead. Kurt Vonnegut, Clarke now, and Ray Bradbury is pretty old. :(

[NikolaiI]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qLdeEjdbWE