Arthur C. Clarke 1917-2008

[Roadwolf]

Today is a sad day for me as one of my favorite authors has died. Truly a visionary in SCIENCE fiction and a great humanitarian. Those unfamiliar with him or his work would recognize his greatest contribution to the genre and film (along with Stanley Kubrick) being 2001: A Space Odyssey. I also loved the Rama series and Childhood's End. He will surely be missed.

 

More details here:

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080318/ap_on_en_ot/obit_clarke

[AdventurePoser]

Heard him speak a few times out here at the Claremont Colleges lecture series. He will be missed.

 

Steve

[ShovelStrokeEd]

A really great mind and a heck of a writer.

I'm off to B&N, assuming Shreveport is still here in the morning, to pick up a couple of my favorites for re-reading. Childhood's End will be the first.

[Mr_Ed]

His books were a refuge for me during some very awkward teenage years. I'm sorry that we've lost such a great mind,

[Bheckel169]

During my most formative years in junior high school I read every science fiction book in my school library, Arthur C. Clarke, Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, Poulson and a handful of others took me away and to the future. I will miss Clarke as I have others who opened the future to me. You notice how so much of what they wrote has come true? These were not only great writers, they were true visionaries.

Bruce

[StuGotz]

Clarke, Asimov, Philip K Dick... my fav's

 

sad day indeed.

 

But we are left with treasures in word.

 

MB>

[Lynn]

Darn it. Thank goodness he left us his wonderful stories. One of the true masters of hard SF.

[smiller]

His writings had a big impact on me during my adolescent years, both fiction and non-fiction works alike. He was a true visionary.

[RFW]

Darn it. Thank goodness he left us his wonderful stories. One of the true masters of hard SF.

Stories are one thing.... the synchronous communications satellite would seem to me a far more important contribution of his. He "invented" it long before there were satellites. The concept was first published as an article he wrote in the British "Wireless World" magazine in 1945.

[Boffin]

Darn it. Thank goodness he left us his wonderful stories. One of the true masters of hard SF.

Stories are one thing.... the synchronous communications satellite would seem to me a far more important contribution of his. He "invented" it long before there were satellites. The concept was first published as an article he wrote in the British "Wireless World" magazine in 1945.

I agree, the paper he wrote was more than just conceptual, he had worked through the mathematics of the problem and calculated the height and speed needed to achieve geostationary orbit. His contribution to comms satellites is recognised by the fact that the orbit required for geostationary satellites is called the "Clarke Orbit".

 

A truly talented writer and a gifted thinker. I too was helped through my adolescence by his words.

 

All of my childhood heroes are passing.

 

Andy

[Lynn]

Darn it. Thank goodness he left us his wonderful stories. One of the true masters of hard SF.

Stories are one thing.... the synchronous communications satellite would seem to me a far more important contribution of his. He "invented" it long before there were satellites. The concept was first published as an article he wrote in the British "Wireless World" magazine in 1945.

 

I would not belittle his very real science contributions (any more than I would Asimov's) nor would I try to rank them as opposed to his literary contributions.

 

I would, however, say that his stories inspired countless readers to take an interest in the world of real science. Heck, I have started introducting my nephews to my book collection, including strong showings by the grandmasters-including Clarke. They have suddenly started being interested by science, rather than bored by it. That, to me, is a pretty real contribution. Just as real as the satellite, just in a different way.

[Ken H.]

Stories are one thing.... the synchronous communications satellite would seem to me a far more important contribution of his. He "invented" it long before there were satellites. The concept was first published as an article he wrote in the British "Wireless World" magazine in 1945.

Yes, true. It is amazing to look back at many of the things we take for granted today and realize that for many of them the original idea had its gestation in science fiction writing.

 

"2001" A Space Odyssey" - One of the deepest, most complex visions of what what we know today as humans, might someday become. Unfortunately for the most part people are familiar with it only through Kubrick's movie, and only see/get the "HAL" artificial intelligence computer run amok aspect of the story. But miss the underlying (and I'd say - more important) storyline, that is clearer in the book, of the possible next step in human evolution.

[VinnyR11]

Inspired writer and a sad loss. I can't count the number of times I've read through his books. Still read the Rama series every year or two.

 

In addition to the great "science" in his science fiction, I always enjoy his conscience regarding social issues. Acceptance of others is a theme that comes across in many of is writings.

 

He seemed to be a great person as well as a great mind.