Sir Arthur C. Clarke, 1917-2008

[mabfan]

I'll have more to say about Arthur C. Clarke and his passing in the morning. But I have to admit that amidst the sadness I feel, I'm amused by one thing. All the news reports note that Clarke died early Wednesday morning, and here I sit on Tuesday evening and I already know. It's almost like time travel.

Many people know Clarke's Third Law; let me share with you his second, because it's what I've tried to do all my life.

"The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible."

The last of the Big Three is gone. The future belongs to us now. Let us make the most of it.

Comments

[ericreynolds.livejournal.com]

The last of the Big Three is gone. The future belongs to us now. Let us make the most of it.

And we still have his works to carry us along for a long time. His stories are way up on the re-readability meter.

[norda.livejournal.com]

I had much the same mix of sadness and amusement, for the same reasons.

I look forward to reading your tribute.

[rwl.livejournal.com]

I was at lunch at Fuddrucker's today, and they play oldies music there. One was an early 1960s hit I don't think I'd heard for maybe 30 years. It was "Telstar" by The Ventures. In retrospect, both appropriate, and even a bit eerie, as it happened maybe an hour or so before news reports appeared on Clarke's passing.

[kuroshii.livejournal.com]

All the news reports note that Clarke died early Wednesday morning, and here I sit on Tuesday evening and I already know. It's almost like time travel.

yup. 1:30a wednesday in sri lanka. gives ya vertigo of a sort thinking about it, no?

i've had an interesting conversation recently with a friend of mine who's in the process of moving from vancouver to australia. i started thinking it was only a few hours earlier-still than hawaii time, but no: "darn that pesky date line, forcing me to think the long way around like that!"

[jamietr.livejournal.com]

Like Asimov, he has not passed without leaving some new material behind. Locus and Amazon both report that a new Clarke book, a collaboration with Frederik Pohl, The Last Theorem, is due out by Del Rey books late this year.

[lisafeld.livejournal.com]

"The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible."

This feels very apropos for me this morning, as I try to contemplate moving halfway across the country. Very good words to live by.

He was a great writer, and had a huge impact on the genre. I'll be very curious to hear your impressions of him, and I'm sorry for your sadness at the loss.

[aunt-becca.livejournal.com]

I got introduced to his works about 10-15 years ago, and now I'll go back and re-read his stories. He was a tremendous man. I remember watching on a random cable station a series narrated by Leonard Nimoy, and Arthur C. Clark was often interviewed. His depth of knowledge was impressive. He'll be missed by so many.