find it rather discouraging that the founder of modern communication, one of the most forward thinking individuals of the 20th, and to a certain degree the 21st century, could pass without a mention by the technological community.
This Nobel nominated scientist, best known for his collaboration with Kubrick on 2001: A Space Odyssey, was way more than that.
He worked with the British and American forces during WWII to develop a usable version of RADAR.
He came up with the concept of Geosyncronous Satellites providing communication, thus leading to modern communications technology. This is why its called the C-Band, which is short for CLARKE BAND.
This same individual has become one of the masters of the Science Fiction novell and short story, and actually provided a Scientific moderation viewpoint for the Apollo moon landings, as well as the year 2000 telecast.

He died on the 19th of March 2008, and will be sorely missed by myself and others that remember his contributions to the world in general, and mine specifically.

Rest easy HAL9000, Arthur is on his way.....


I don't know why this doubled, but yes I know, I just don't know why my text didn't show up.

Lol what did you write about Arthur? Did you just find out he passed away last month?

I edited the original posting.
I'm not sure why a empty post came up. I also mis-spelled his last name. Doh.
No I didn't just find out, I'm just sorely unhappy with the coverage, or lack thereof of his passing, and contributions to our society.

I loved his books, 2001 Space Odessey, his tv series in the 80's. I was intrigued with
him. What's more spooky, is that I and one of my mates were talking about him a
week prior to his passing (we were on about how we've not heard or seen of him for years
and wondered if he was still alive) then a week later, it was on the news. Sadly missed

I actually had just finished watching 2001: A Space Odyssey for the first time when I clicked on CNN and saw breaking news that he had passed away.

This is one of the things that ticks me off.
A. C. Clarke did SO much more that we take for granted.
I also think Robert L. Foward is in the same boat.
Both were Scientist first and Novelist second, but it is only for the novels that we remember either one of them.
ACC was involved with one of the earliest PC games, the RAMA series.
RLF likewise was involved with governments, the scientific community and computers before just about anyone else.

Who's left? Who in the technological community actually offers the foward thinking that these two individuals provided? Google, they both went there. simultaneous connectivity world, or even galaxy wide, they both went there....etc., etc.,.....

We all seem to sing the praises of new User Interfaces, while forgetting these originators of the thought of the Internet. Who do we have now that are actually stretching the way we THINK about the internet, think, or even the nature of the universe?

I think we've all become way too complacent.

Gerritt

Blame technology for out complacency!