Goodbye, Arthur C. Clarke

Today's post is dedicated to the memory of Arthur C. Clarke. I certainly didn't agree with Clarke on everything; in particular, I remember social concepts from both The Hammer of God and 3001 that I found to be ridiculous. Even so, I devoured Clarke's writings as a kid and then as a young man.

My adoration of science fiction started when I was about ten years old. I kept hearing about the legendary movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey, when I was twelve years old and confined to my house with the chicken pox. I had no clue what was going on, and I fell asleep partway through it. As I've grown to understand it (which involved discussions with friends, and reading the book), it's become one of my favorite films of all time.

Appreciation of the movie and the novel led me to read 2061, and 3001. (I will admit to never having read 2010, although I loved the movie - much different than 2001, but charming in its own right.) In high school, I read The Sentinel, the inspiration for 2001. I also loved The Hammer of God, which I was able to pick up at a discount book store during a family trip to Idaho (along with The Positronic Man by Isaac Asimov).

Clarke's ideas, and most of his writings (3001 was rubbish, really), were fascinating; and beyond being an inspiration for writers, science fiction enthusiasts, and NASA staffers, Clarke also made an indelible contribution to mankind with such inventions as the communication satellite. Clarke made truly excellent contributions to mankind, and his influence and ideas will be missed.

The BBC, normally a bunch of naive, self-righteous wankers, have rather good coverage of Clarke and an interview with one of my other favorite authors, Robert J. Sawyer, in one of their twice-daily global news podcasts. Check it out.

I've posted this once, and I've posted it recently, but I feel compelled to do it again: 2001, the "short version".



Irreverent? Yes, but sometimes chicanery and parody are a sincere form of flattery. Here's a satellite view of Shepperton Studios in England, where the movie was filmed back in the late 1960's.

Goodbye, Dr. Clarke. Thank you for your tireless work.