Dave Bacon is a theoretical ski bum who is also an assistant research 
Arthur C. Clarke, science fiction author, predictor of the future, and inspirer of at least one little kid from rural Northern California, is dead at age 90.
Although I learned to cringe at some of Clarke's writing as I grew older, I have very distinct and fond memories of reading "Childhood's End" and "Rendezvous with Rama." (Like all such memories, I dread rereading these for fear of losing my even now foggy recollections of the joy these books brought me.)
And then, of course, there are Clarke's Three Laws:
- 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.
Humanities & Social Science
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I just found out about this all of 30 seconds ago, and after snuffling at the computer screen, I immediately went on to ScienceBlogs to see if anybody had mentioned it, so thank you.
Hopefully everybody will be giving Clarke his due commentary.
Such a brilliant writer, I can't even handle it. Have you read Childhood's End, The Trigger, or The Light of Other Days?
I was just blown away.
Posted by: Pel Beyak | March 18, 2008 8:00 PM
As a software developer specializing in user interfaces, I prefer and code by the first corollary of Clarke's Third Law: Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
Posted by: Joe Shelby | March 18, 2008 11:10 PM
I myself am the synthesizer of the Clarke - Sturgeon law: 90% of any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from crap.
Posted by: Larry Lennhoff | March 19, 2008 12:16 AM
Joe -
I love that corollary. Keep with it!
Only one question: Is it the American "core-o'lairy" or the British "cuh-ROL-ary"?!
Posted by: Ian | March 19, 2008 10:04 AM
I tend to use "CORE-o[r]-lary". Guess its how English in America has changed (slightly) with the influence of the Irish Dactylic (DA da da - think a limerick poem) over English's historical Iambic (da DA).
Posted by: Joe Shelby | March 19, 2008 12:28 PM
*Sniff*
Rendezvous with Rama ... so many fond memories. It is a sad, sad day.
Posted by: Bilal | March 19, 2008 4:30 PM