Death of a Visionary

[Geof]

Arthur C. Clarke died early today.

In 1945 he showed the possibility of a worldwide communication network based on geostationary orbits, and predicted such things as space stations, cell phones and the Internet. His most far-out concept was the space elevator.

Even Asimov praised him.

[ImanCarrot]

Man, that is sad news indeed. I can think of no finer SF author. Alongside Peter F. Hamilton he was my favourite

[Caprirs]

Sad to hear. I read most of his stuff numerous times. I keep The Nine Billion Names of God next to the bed for a quick read. His "realistic" approach to sci-fi held my interests because he presented things from the perspective of known physical laws instead of Hollywood dreamers. His short stories are great with wry sublte humor.

[Geof]

Originally Posted by Caprirs ... I keep The Nine Billion Names of God next to the bed for a quick read....

I liked that one, and my experience growing up in New Zealand out in the country, then living the rest of my life near a big city gave me a different perspective on the story.

One thing that I miss from my childhood is being able to go out on a moonless night and look at the Milky Way. It was awe inspiring. Now it is difficult to get places that are really dark, and even when you can the high level haze from airplanes reduces visibility so the visible star density is reduced.

The stars are going out.

[Caprirs]

I live in the southeast corner of the Phoenix, AZ metro area. I can still make out the Milky Way from my house. My wife is from St Louis, Missouri. When she moved in with me a few years ago, I looked up and commented on being able to see the galaxy. She had never seen it before. My neighbors just moved from Indiana. Same reaction. Don't underestimate how much water vapor (humidity) "clouds" your view. Desert living has its perks sometimes.