Submitted by Arthur C. Clarke, who peered into the heavens with a homemade telescope as a boy and grew up to become a visionary titan of science-fiction writing and collaborated with director Stanley Kubrick on the landmark film “2001: A Space Odyssey”, has died. He was 90. The knighted British-born writer died early Wednesday in Colombo, Sri Lanka, where he had made his home for decades, after experiencing a cardio-respiratory attack, his secretary, Rohan De Silva, told Reuters. May he rest in peace, and I’d like to extend my sincere condolences to his family and friends. The pod-bay doors will open for the last time.
Rest in peace.
“One of the biggest roles of science fiction is to prepare people to accept the future without pain and to encourage a flexibility of mind. Politicians should read science fiction, not westerns and detective stories.”
–Arthur C. Clarke
Edited 2008-03-19 11:01 UTC
Rest in hell.
“When Arthur Clarke on a BBC interview acknowledged his acceptance of a pedophile lifestyle, it did not trigger any investigation.”
— http://www.useless-knowledge.com/1234/feb/article248.html
Primelight, please take this vendetta somewhere else. The quote you link to is extremely vague, not supported by the author with evidence in any way, and in such exceedingly poor taste that words fail me in describing the magnitude.
And please get a life, as well.
Sincerely,
Steve Bergman
Vendetta, Steve? The dude is already dead. I’m just trying to balance the thread. It is not unlikely that the many allegations are true, and in that case he deserves no respect at all. It’s pretty much one of the worst crimes a person can do, famous sci. fi writer or not.
Now, that particular link was just a random hit when searching for the case. Granted, he was never convicted or even put on trial. That could say more about the corrupt country of Sri Lanka than his innocence (some articles claims several charges were dropped at the same time.)
You might have done a tiny bit of research, any at all, before making your slanderous accusations. Do you believe everything that people tell you that they read in the National Enquirer, as well?
http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue63/news.html
“””
Science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke has vehemently denied a story in the sensationalist British newspaper The Sunday Mirror that claims Clarke is a pedophile. Earlier this week Clarke released a statement to the press that said, “the accusations are such nonsense that I have found it difficult to treat them with the contempt that they deserve.” He added, “I categorically state that The Sunday Mirror’s article is grossly defamatory and contains statements which in themselves and by innuendo are quite false, grossly inaccurate and extremely harmful.”
“””
The Sunday Mirror is the Sunday version of this tabloid:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sunday_Mirror
Edited 2008-03-19 16:52 UTC
Badmouthing dead people without real proof is just inhuman. The British *tabloid* The Sunday Mirror spread this ‘information’, it was a newspaper hoax in the end.
What kind of moron condemns someone based on hearsay?
“One judges an artist not by his lifestyle, character, or actions, but by his art.”
One of the the most important lessons I’ve received (from my Dutch Literature teacher).
“”One judges an artist not by his lifestyle, character, or actions, but by his art.”
One of the the most important lessons I’ve received (from my Dutch Literature teacher).”
Thom,
So you are OK with possible child abuse as long as good art is produced?
I’m not impressed.
Don’t twist my words – I’m not approving of child abuse. All I’m saying is that someone’s personal lifestyle, or wrongdoings, have no influence in my appreciation for that person’s art.
If Hitler was actually a good painter (instead of the crappy one he was) and produced good art, I’d still say it was good art, despite his horrendous crimes.
UPDATE: Oops, I wrote it the wrong way in that comment. What I meant was: “One judges art not by the artist that made it, but by the art itself.”
Hope that clears it up.
Edited 2008-03-19 20:58 UTC
Except that that’s purely hypothetical.
“Rest in hell” – wasn’t that a Chuck Norris line before he trashed a whole mess of bozos in that one movie?
Anyway, for anyone who cares:
—
http://www.thelastoutpost.com/site/1456/default.aspx
On February 1st 1998, a British Tabloid newspaper (The Sunday Mirror) reported that Clarke, then a recent candidate for knighthood, was a pedophile and was living in Sri Lanka in order to facilitate that lifestyle. The Mirror article quoted a supposed interview with Clarke: “Once they have reached the age of puberty, it is OK… It doesn’t do any harm. and “I am trying to think of the youngest boy I have ever had because, of course, you can’t tell it here. I think most of the damage comes from the fuss made by hysterical parents afterwards. If the kids don’t mind, fair enough.”. The newspaper account also claimed that Clarke had links to well-known pedophile rings operating in Britain and Europe
On February 3rd 1998, Clarke issued a statement denying the charges and asked for a postponement of his knighthood ceremony. He said that having always had a particular dislike of pedophiles, few charges could be more revolting to him than to be classed as one. Clarke said that he had not been sexually active in 20 years, and that the reports were “nonsense, contemptuous and revolting”. He also declined to speak with the media “on legal advice”.to him than to be classed as one. Clarke said that he had not been sexually active in 20 years, and that the reports were “nonsense, contemptuous and revolting”. He also declined to speak with the media “on legal advice”.
—
I would also add, that this is the website for the paper that this quote appeared in. Draw your own conclusions. I’m sure people in the UK are more than familiar with this paper, but maybe not those who aren’t in the UK.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/
None of this is going to change the fact that 2001: A Space Odyssey blew my mind and, having seen it as a young age, probably impacted the way in which I view the world significantly, at least in scale. I am sad that he is dead.
Edited 2008-03-20 03:13 UTC
“Any suitably advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”… and it’s true – do people know (or even care) how the international networks of computers and phones operate? Noop… it’s a good as magic!
Strangely enough, I thought he had died years ago. Maybe I’m thinking of someone else.
Maybe you were thinking of Stanley Kubrik?
“ALL THESE WORLDS ARE YOURS, EXCEPT EUROPA. ATTEMPT NO LANDINGS THERE. USE THEM TOGETHER. USE THEM IN PEACE” (From the MOVIE 2001 A Space Odisey)
Actually, it was from 2010….but nice quote anyway.
Yes, you’re right. It was in 2010. Curiously in the book the part “use them togheter. Use them in peace” doesn’t exist. :S
Really? I didn’t read the book. Probably better than the movie. I did read 2056, though. That was pretty cool. Good enough for me to read twice, back to back.
Alas the third book is 2068
and the last is 3001.
2061
I thought that one was a bit boring. But it would have been even more so if they’d really been 7 years late and the comet had already gone.
LOL You’re entirely right. I gotta re-read ’em all, it’s been sooo long ago^aEUR|
Here’s the complete serie:
2001 – A Space Odissey
2010 – The Year we Made contact
2061 – The Third Odyssey
3001 – The Final Odyssey
And I remember that in 2061 they used Halley Comet… yes! It was about them landing on Europa and being rescued. I read it like 20 years ago. :S Must re-read, Must re-read
Yeah, 2061, 56, 68…one of those. It was the story that had Jupiter turn back to a planet, if I remember correctly. They landed on Europa and pissed the aliens off. It was probably over 15 years ago that I read it.
Well it’s a complex story that mixes strange stuff
A “giant” diamond grows on Europa… yeah. It was a boring book, but nice anyways 
What a coincidence, I’m reading Rendez-vous with Rama right now, and I love it.
RIP Clarke.
This is a sad day, have a peaceful trip Mr. Clarke.
See you at the stars.
then Clarke? It has been a sad few weeks for geeks
All the greats are passing their energy into the cosmos. Authur C. Clarke, John Stewart “Jack” Williamson, Gary Ernest Gygax, Carl Sagan.
We are all children of stardust, it’s just a matter of time before Sol reclaims its children and then scatters us back into infinity.
Just as Dave Bowman’s last words.
By far 2001: A Space Odyssey is one of my all-time favorites books and the movie that I have re-watched the most. At least 12 times.
RIP
I’ve found myself choosing the “Martians” as my nation, and he’s my preferred leader. I don’t know why, I just seem to have better luck when I choose him.
Sad to hear this. Martians, march on!
I’ll have to dig up my old copy of “The Fountains of Paradise” to reread in honor. It seems appropriate.
Some authors remain with us always. It’s been 16 years, and I still miss Isaac Asimov very much.
Great authors enjoy an odd sort of immortality. They don’t die. They just fade away.
He has a new book coming out.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Theorem
I can honestly say that I would probably not be an Aerospace Engineer today if I hadn’t become incurably addicted to Mr. Clarke’s writing in High School. His science fiction, having a fairly solid root in reality and generally staying confined within the actual limits of physics, was incredibly awe inspiring. I absolutely HAD to be a part of that stuff.
I can’t imagine I’m the only person for whom that is the case. I think A.C.C. has a huge legacy of people who were inspired to pursue science and engineering by his work. I think thats what he would have wanted; knowing that the world is closer to accomplishing the things he dreamed about because of his contributions. RIP, Mr. Clarke.
Rest in peace.
I read 2001 when I was in college getting my BS in Mathematics and it helped to have a different understanding of the world around me. Also, I found out later that he invented the communication by satellite which I think it is one of the best invention of the modern world.
For me he was a genius, a visionary and a good man. God bless you.
-2501
Nice article he wrote about his predictions.
-2501
————
Beyond 2001
Reader’s Digest
February 2001
Sir Arthur C. Clarke:
No one can see into the future. What I try to do is outline possible “futures” – although totally expected inventions or events can render predictions absurd after only a few years. The classic example is the statement, made in the late 1940s, by the then chairman of IBM that the world market for computers was five. I have more than that in my own office.
Perhaps I am in no position to criticise: in 1971 I predicted the first Mars Landing in 1994; now we’ll be lucky if we make it by 2010. On the other hand, I thought I was being wildly optimistic in 1951 by suggesting a mission to the moon in 1978. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin beat me by almost a decade.
Still, I take pride in the fact that communications satellites are placed exactly where I suggested in 1945, and the name “Clarke Orbit” is often used (if only because it’s easier to say than “geostationary orbit”).
Some of the event listed here, particularly the space missions, are already scheduled. I believe all the other events could happen, although several, I hope, will not. Check me for accuracy – on December 31, 2100.
2001 Cassini space probe (launched 1997) begins exploration of Saturn’s moons and rings. Galileo probe (launched 1989) continues surveying Jupiter and its moons. Life beneath the ice-covered oceans of one moon, Europa, appears likely.
2002 The first commercial device producing clean, safe power by low-temperate nuclear reactions goes on the market, heralding the end of the Fossil Fuel Age.
2003 The motor industry is given five years to replace all fuel-burning engines with the new energy device. The same year, NASA’s robot Mars Surveyor is launched.
2004 First (publicly admitted) human clone.
2005 First sample sent back to Earth by Mars Surveyor.
2006 Last coal mine closed.
2008 A city in a developing country is devastated by the accidental detonation of an atomic bomb in its armoury. After a brief debate in the United Nations, all nuclear weapons are destroyed.
2009 The first quantum generators (tapping space energy) are developed. Available in portable and household units, from a few kilowatts upwards, they can produce electricity indefinitely. Central power stations close down: the age of pylons ends.
Electronic monitoring virtually phases out professional criminals.
2011 Largest living animal filmed: a 76-metre octopus in the Mariana Trench. By coincidence, even larger creatures are then discovered when the first robot probes drill through the ice of Europa.
2012 Aerospace-planes enter commercial service.
2013 Prince Harry becomes the first member of the British royal family to fly in space.
2014 Construction of Hilton Orbiter Hotel begins by converting the giant shuttle tanks previously allowed to fall back to Earth.
2015 An inevitable by-product of the quantum generator is complete control of matter at the atomic level. Within a few years, because they are more useful, lead and copper cost twice as much as gold.
2016 Existing currencies are abolished. The “mega-watt-hour” becomes the universal unit of exchange.
2017 On his hundred birthday, December 16, Sir Arthur C. Clarke is one of the first guests in the Hilton Orbiter.
2019 A major meteor impact occurs on the north polar ice cap. The resulting tsunamis cause considerable damage along the coasts of Greeland and Canada. The long-discussed “Project Spaceguard,” to identify and deflect potentially dangerous comets or asteroids, is finally activated.
2020 Artificial Intelligence reaches human level. From now on there are two intelligent species on Earth.
2021 The first humans land on Mars.
2023 Dinosaur facsimiles are cloned from computer-generated DNA.
2024 Infrared signals are detected coming from the centre of the Galaxy, obviously the product of a technologically advanced civilisation. All attempts to decipher them fail.
2025 Neurological research finally leads to an understanding of all the senses, and direct input becomes possible, bypassing ears, eyes, skin, etc. The result is the metal “Braincap.” Anyone wearing this close-fitting helmet can enter a whole universe of experience, real or imaginary.
The Braincap is a boon to doctors, who can now experience their patients’ symptoms (suitable attenuated). It also revolutionises the legal profession, as deliberate lying is now impossible.
2040 The “Universal Replicator,” based on nanotechnology, is perfected: any object, however complex, can be created – given the necessary raw materials. Diamonds or gourmet meals can, literally, be made from dirt.
As a result, agriculture and industry are phased out – along with work. There is an explosion in the arts, entertainment and education. Hunter-gathere societies are deliberately recreated, with huge areas of the planet allowed to revert to their natural state.
2045 The totally self-contained mobile home (envisaged almost a century ago by Buckminster Fuller) is perfected. Any additional carbon needed from food synthesis is obtained by extracting carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
2050 Bored in this era, millions decide to use cryonic suspension to emigrate into the future in search of adventure.
2057 On October 4, the centenary of Sputnik 1, the dawn of the space age is celebrated by humans on Earth, the Moon, Mars, Europa, Ganymede and Titan, and in orbit around Venus, Neptune and Pluto.
2061 Halley’s Comet returns – first landing by humans, And the sensational discovery of both dormant and active life forms vindicates Wickramasinghe and Hoyle’s century-old hypothesis that life exists through space.
2090 Burning of fossil fuels is resumed to replace carbon dioxide “mined” from the air and to try to postpone the next Ice Age by promoting global warming.
2095 The development of a “Space Drive” – a propulsion system reacting against the structure of space-time – makes the rocket obsolete and permits velocities close to that of light. Human explorers set off to nearby star systems.
2100 History begins…
I started to reply that the 2017 prediction has turned out to have been a tad optimistic. But then I remembered that with science fiction authors, anything is possible. I guess I’ll have to wait another 10 years to see if he somehow shows up. And if he does, I really hope he brings Isaac with him.
Edited 2008-03-19 22:46 UTC
The racist Sri Lankan government deported all foreigners. Clarke was the last one remaining. The created a smear campaign to get rid of him. End of story.
http://spectrum.ieee.org/mar08/6075
AC Clarke’s writings caused me to study science. I know of no other author that has had such a profound effect on me even though others has caused me to change my thinking or ways. Thank you for showing me a way to put my curiosity to use.