Farewell Mr. Clarke

On March 18, 2008, the world lost one of it's true shining stars. Arthur C. Clarke. Although he lived a full and long life, still his passing leaves me with a sense of sadness. Being a long time fan of science fiction, I have read a great deal of his work and enjoyed all of it.

In addition to his undeniable contributions to the field of science fiction and visionary literature, he was one of the scientists who invented radar. This invention came just in time and allowed Great Britain to survive and eventually win the battle of Britain against the numerically superior Luftwaffe of Hitler's Third Reich. His role was absolutely crucial.

He is perhaps best known for his "2001, A Space Odyssey". He had made enough of a name for himself to be approached by Stanley Kubrick with a proposal to make a "really good science fiction movie". So, after an extensive brainstorming session he sat down and wrote a film that is now considered legendary.

Among my personal favorites of his books are; Rendezvous with Rama, Imperial Earth, Childhoods End, The Songs of Distant Earth, and of course, 2001, a Space Odyssey. I've read some of them several times and enjoyed them immensely. His books were never about ray guns and rockets or space pirates blasting each other with lasers. They were a lot deeper than that. Visions of a truly believable future. Along with Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein, he is considered one of the big three of science fiction. A distinction he certainly earned.

He is also noted for his three laws of prediction:

1. When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.
2. The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.
3. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

In closing, I will quote his final line from the first chapter of 2001, a Space Odyssey; "Now that he was master of the world he didn't know what to do next. But he would think of something".