# Arthur C. Clarke passes away **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 18, 2008, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arthur-c-clarke-passes-away/441843 "2008-03-18T21:56:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arthur-c-clarke-passes-away/441843/61 "2008-03-19T04:37:49Z")
A great man and a great author has passed away. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arthur-c-clarke-passes-away/441843/62 "2008-03-19T04:52:46Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] The last of the Big Three. A giant passes. I’m sure Isaac and Bob have a seat for him somewhere. [/QUOTE] I nice sentiment, but I did get a chance to meet Dr. A a few times, once for quite a while, and he never thought there was anything beyond death but nothing. I think Clarke thought similarly. Heinlein, on the other hand, had proof of life after death as one of the discoveries to be made in his Future History timeline. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arthur-c-clarke-passes-away/441843/63 "2008-03-19T05:07:28Z")
Wow. He was one of my true inspirations. Time for his final odyssey, I guess… ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arthur-c-clarke-passes-away/441843/64 "2008-03-19T05:15:12Z")
[QUOTE=Arthur C. Clarke] Overhead, without any fuss, the stars were going out. [/QUOTE] RIP ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arthur-c-clarke-passes-away/441843/65 "2008-03-19T05:56:40Z")
I’ve just started rereading **City and the Stars** written in 1956. In the very first chapter he has the hero, Alvin, deep into what we recognize now as a virtual reality video game - in a cave. It could be D&D. He mentions that other games involve logic. How is that for hitting it on the nose? ---
**Author:** ![JimOfAllTrades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@JimOfAllTrades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JimOfAllTrades)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arthur-c-clarke-passes-away/441843/66 "2008-03-19T06:02:05Z")
[QUOTE=Rick] F 451 the first Sci-Fi book I ever read. Tales From the White Hart, the book that taught me that Sci-fi cold be fun. I will be drinking at the White Hart tonight. I may have to fie up the Fenton Silencer. RIP AC, you were one of the best. [/QUOTE] Hear, hear. Tales From the White Hart wasn’t the first science fiction I read, but I read it early, and it was always one of my favorites. I’ll have to dig out my old copy and hoist a glass tonight with Harry Purvis in Arthur’s honor. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arthur-c-clarke-passes-away/441843/67 "2008-03-19T08:26:05Z")
He recorded a little thank you for his fans recently when he felt he was not going to be around much longer, they played it on Radio 2 this morning, very nice. ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arthur-c-clarke-passes-away/441843/68 "2008-03-19T09:39:57Z")
Yep - they did an obit on Radio 4 as I drove into work. By doing it over _Also sprach Zarathustra_ almost had me blinking back tears (not a good thing on the M4 in Reading at 7:00am). I grew up with his books - short stories, novels and the movie. I drifted away a bit from the later books, but I think I’ll be looking for some collected short stories for a personal retrospective. _Daisy, . Daisy, . give … me … your … ans . wer … do …_ Si ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arthur-c-clarke-passes-away/441843/69 "2008-03-19T09:53:54Z")
Were there any justice in this universe, Mr. Clarke would have been worth at least as much as George Lucas is. (And can you imagine what _that_ would be like?) ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arthur-c-clarke-passes-away/441843/70 "2008-03-19T12:06:48Z")
I’ve only read a handful of his books, but I did enjoy them. I only just finished Childhood’s End a couple of months ago. I was expecting a bleak ending, but was happy to find an optimistic one. I’ll have to find some more of his books. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arthur-c-clarke-passes-away/441843/71 "2008-03-19T12:42:53Z")
[QUOTE=si\_blakely] By doing it over _Also sprach Zarathustra_ almost had me blinking back tears (not a good thing on the M4 in Reading at 7:00am) [/QUOTE] That’s a very nice touch indeed, not something you’d get on Radio 2, but I did muse that one of the pieces of music from the film would be nice to hear afterwards. ---
**Author:** ![Genghis\_Bob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/45deac/32.png) [@Genghis\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Genghis_Bob)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arthur-c-clarke-passes-away/441843/72 "2008-03-19T12:52:47Z")
For years I’ve had two quotes on the wall of my office (I’m an IT Manager). The first one is by Clarke: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arthur-c-clarke-passes-away/441843/73 "2008-03-19T13:09:59Z")
I usually have the local classical radio station playing in the background while I work. Yesterday afternoon, they played “On the Beautiful Blue Danube”, but I didn’t realize until later that it must have been a tribute to Sir Arthur. One of the things that I appreciated about his work was that his optimism about humanity, and his own generous spirit seemed to come through so well, and so often. Characters are more often foolish or misguided than they are really evil. I also enjoyed his subtle, dry humor. His work will live on. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arthur-c-clarke-passes-away/441843/74 "2008-03-19T13:25:26Z")
I believe Clarke’s farewell is available on the [BBC article](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7304004.stm) on his passing. I’m in work so I can’t check it right now, but there are three media links on the right of the page. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arthur-c-clarke-passes-away/441843/75 "2008-03-19T13:41:30Z")
From my window, I can probably spot a half dozen unwitting monuments to Clarke… parabolic-shaped and aimed at a point 36,000km above the Equator. Pretty good job, and a full life. Good bye, Sir Arthur. ---
**Author:** ![LateComer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b5ac83/32.png) [@LateComer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LateComer)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arthur-c-clarke-passes-away/441843/76 "2008-03-19T13:46:34Z")
We may have geosynchronous satellites, but I’m still waiting for that space elevator. Clarke will definitely be missed. From [the Simpsons](http://www.snpp.com/episodes/7F19.html) > [@](#): > > Martin: As your president, I would demand a science-fiction library, featuring an ABC of the genre. Asimov, Bester, Clarke! > Student: What abouy Ray Bradbury? > Martin: [dismissing] I’m aware of his work… > [orating] Thank you, and… Keep watching the skies… ---
**Author:** ![lalenin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@lalenin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lalenin)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arthur-c-clarke-passes-away/441843/77 "2008-03-19T13:51:35Z")
The very first book I remember reading was “Islas en en Cielo”, or the spanish translation of “Islands in the Sky”. It had been my father’s book and it turned me into a science fiction fan. Many years later when I finally learned enough Engllish to read the original version I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the original was just as readable and enjoyable. ---
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arthur-c-clarke-passes-away/441843/78 "2008-03-19T13:52:13Z")
[QUOTE=Genghis Bob] For years I’ve had two quotes on the wall of my office (I’m an IT Manager). The first one is by Clarke: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” [/QUOTE] Just out of curiosity, is the other sign Merlin’s Converse to Clarke’s Equivalence Theorem? Forgot to say this in my previous post: May Sir Arthur’s memory endure as a blessing. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arthur-c-clarke-passes-away/441843/79 "2008-03-19T13:56:29Z")
I hope some future spacecraft is named after Clarke. I know Discovery and all but one should just be called The Clarke. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arthur-c-clarke-passes-away/441843/80 "2008-03-19T14:26:30Z")
[QUOTE=Genghis Bob] For years I’ve had two quotes on the wall of my office (I’m an IT Manager). The first one is by Clarke: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” [/QUOTE] This is from Clarke’s Three Laws, which came about haphazardly but appear to have been first collected in his 1973 revision of Profiles of the Future. He compared them to Newton’s three laws, but I’ve also heard that he jokingly made them a deliberate parallel to Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics. > [@](#): > > 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. > > The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible. > > Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. I have the first paperback edition, from Bantam in 1964, with the kind of beautifully abstract evocative scientific painting on the cover that nobody does any more. The books ends with a chart of future achievements, “not to be taken too seriously.” It includes: > [@](#): > > 1970 translating machines > > 1975 Efficient electric storage > > 1985 Gravity Waves > > 1990 Fusion power; cyborgs > > 1995 Artificial intelligence > > 2000 Colonizing planets; “wireless” energy; time - perception enhancement “Correct predictions,” depending on your definition of correct, are few. A global library in 2005. “Sub-nuclear structure,” undefined, in 2000. He was an eternal optimist about technology. There’s not a negative in the whole list. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arthur-c-clarke-passes-away/441843.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arthur-c-clarke-passes-away/441843.md?page=5)