COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Arthur C. Clarke, a visionary science fiction writer who won worldwide acclaim with more than 100 books on space, science and the future, died Wednesday in his adopted home of Sri Lanka, an aide said. He was 90.
Clarke was always my favorite. "Childhood's End" was also my introduction to science fiction, and I loved "Rendezvous With Rama." Clarke was a visionary.
Submitted by knoxvegas99 on Sat, 2008/03/22 - 12:00am.
A technological visionary and a superb science fiction craftsman, whether working in short fiction or novel form. The news prompted me to pull out some of my dusty anthologies and revisit his work. If you've never read such classics as "The Star," "The Nine Billion Names of God" or "Rescue Party" get to the library or bookstore and treat yourself.
Submitted by redmondkr on Sat, 2008/03/29 - 10:05am.
A friend sent me this copy (caution - 3.3 MB pdf file) of Clarke's original article in which he proposed the orbiting of communications satellites.
Titled Extra-Terrestrial Relays, it was published in Wireless World in October, 1945.
Imagine how many thought this idea pretty far fetched.
Some time ago I posted this page (pdf) of predictions taken from a January 7, 1950, KNS article I found in the bottom of my grandmother's cedar chest. Some of those are still a bit strange.
Submitted by redmondkr on Sun, 2008/03/30 - 9:59am.
How cool that your grandmother kept this article.
I doubt that she kept the article on purpose. It just happened to be on the front page of the section that she chose to line the bottom of her cedar chest. I scanned that portion and put it back in its place.
I need to dig that thing out and look it over again. I remember a 'Sluggo' cartoon on the page and who knows when KNS quit running those?
I did wonder if lining the cedar chest was the goal, not the article. My mother has lots of old newspapers and magazines around. I can't imagine the purpose, except for, of course, Lady Vols articles.
I loved reading their science fiction.
was one of the first sf novels I ever read. He was truly one of the great ones.
Did you read the Rama series? Pretty damn good. Childhoods End was probably the best one I've read of his though.
Clarke was always my favorite. "Childhood's End" was also my introduction to science fiction, and I loved "Rendezvous With Rama." Clarke was a visionary.
~Russ
A technological visionary and a superb science fiction craftsman, whether working in short fiction or novel form. The news prompted me to pull out some of my dusty anthologies and revisit his work. If you've never read such classics as "The Star," "The Nine Billion Names of God" or "Rescue Party" get to the library or bookstore and treat yourself.
Larry Van Guilder
A friend sent me this copy (caution - 3.3 MB pdf file) of Clarke's original article in which he proposed the orbiting of communications satellites.
Titled Extra-Terrestrial Relays, it was published in Wireless World in October, 1945.
Imagine how many thought this idea pretty far fetched.
Some time ago I posted this page (pdf) of predictions taken from a January 7, 1950, KNS article I found in the bottom of my grandmother's cedar chest. Some of those are still a bit strange.
Visit us at
The Home
How cool that your grandmother kept this article.
"A boundless supply of industrial power obtained by harnessing the energy of the sun---"
One of the six wonders "scientists expect to see arrive between the years 1950 and 2000".
What can you say? The one thing I wish they had developed. We're 9 years behind and who knows when the "boundless supply" will be achieved.
I doubt that she kept the article on purpose. It just happened to be on the front page of the section that she chose to line the bottom of her cedar chest. I scanned that portion and put it back in its place.
I need to dig that thing out and look it over again. I remember a 'Sluggo' cartoon on the page and who knows when KNS quit running those?
Visit us at
The Home
I did wonder if lining the cedar chest was the goal, not the article. My mother has lots of old newspapers and magazines around. I can't imagine the purpose, except for, of course, Lady Vols articles.
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