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twg
Joined: 02 Nov 2006
Location: Getting some fresh air...
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 Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 5:47 pm Post subject: Arthur C. Clarke dies at 90 |
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http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jfE8qUikNEG6MVWqYku2k8BD_RcgD8VG4VI00
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Writer Arthur C. Clarke Dies at 90
By RAVI NESSMAN � 1 hour ago
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) � Arthur C. Clarke, a visionary science fiction writer who won worldwide acclaim with more than 100 books on space, science and the future, died Wednesday in his adopted home of Sri Lanka, an aide said. He was 90.
Clarke, who had battled debilitating post-polio syndrome since the 1960s and sometimes used a wheelchair, died at 1:30 a.m. after suffering breathing problems, aide Rohan De Silva said.
Co-author with Stanley Kubrick of Kubrick's film "2001: A Space Odyssey," Clarke was regarded as far more than a science fiction writer.
He was credited with the concept of communications satellites in 1945, decades before they became a reality. Geosynchronous orbits, which keep satellites in a fixed position relative to the ground, are called Clarke orbits. |
While I always thought his books were more a string of neat ideas attached together with a bare plot, his neat ideas were always pretty awesome. |
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JustJohn
Joined: 18 Oct 2007
Location: Your computer screen
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| Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 6:08 pm Post subject: |
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| Sci-fi's importance is often dramatically understated. Virtually all of our new technology is inspired by sci-fi. Clarke was definitely up there with regard to putting out new ideas, and it's sad to hear he's gone. |
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ED209
Joined: 17 Oct 2006
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| Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 6:52 pm Post subject: |
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| JustJohn wrote: |
| Sci-fi's importance is often dramatically understated. Virtually all of our new technology is inspired by sci-fi. Clarke was definitely up there with regard to putting out new ideas, and it's sad to hear he's gone. |
We should build space elevators to commemorate his passing. Or reanimate his corpse with nano-bots. |
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billybrobby
Joined: 09 Dec 2004
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| Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 8:37 pm Post subject: |
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| First Heath Ledger, now him. unbelievable. this is what it must've felt like when people heard lennon was shot. |
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Hank the Iconoclast
Joined: 08 Oct 2007
Location: Busan
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| Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 8:47 pm Post subject: |
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Great author  Really sad to hear of his passing. |
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Khenan
Joined: 25 Dec 2007
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| Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 8:50 pm Post subject: |
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| *beep*. Three of my top five authors have died in the last year... |
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Tiberious aka Sparkles
Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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| Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 2:43 am Post subject: |
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| billybrobby wrote: |
| First Heath Ledger, now him. unbelievable. this is what it must've felt like when people heard lennon was shot. |
Cold, man.
In memoriam, I'm watching half of A Space Odyssey tonight. On purpose, I mean. |
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flummuxt
Joined: 15 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 2:50 am Post subject: |
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What's Sri Lanka like?
Sound's like a pretty solid endorsement of a country. Wonder if they need any ESL teachers?
I used to read lots of Arthur C. Clarke's among the stacks of sci fi books I read as a kid.
It's really a kick the way so many of the things that were once sci fi fantasy when some of us were kids are now commonplace reality. And Clarke lived to see many of them become reality, but not all. I wonder if the world will survive long enough for the rest to reach fruition.
It's quite a life he had. It is a great man who knows when to make his exit. |
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mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
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| Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 5:19 am Post subject: |
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Technically cbcclark beat you to it:
http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=117035
Observations: his title was a bit obscure:
Space Odyssey Requiem - Dead at 90
What or who was he talking about exactly? Many topics, not a lot of time to figure out if it is of interest. Tip: make your titles clear as possible.
This thread was posted in the off topic forum, which is usually the one people read before current events. And the title was much clearer. I personally work backwards, starting with the tech forum. Anyway, I think cbcclark has the thread in the right spot. It's an event (a death) and current (happened yesterday). The current event forum shouldn't be just for Ron Paul threads. People should not be afraid to post events that are current there.
My two. |
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BreakfastInBed
Joined: 16 Oct 2007
Location: Gyeonggi do
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| Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 6:32 am Post subject: |
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| billybrobby wrote: |
| First Heath Ledger, now him. unbelievable. this is what it must've felt like when people heard lennon was shot. |
You're being facetious right? Right? I liked Childhood's End, but I liked almost all of Vonnegut's stuff more.
Lennon? John Lennon? Heath Ledger!? Sure he was a good actor, but John M.F'ing Lennon!?
Sorry. I'm sad too. Death sucks. Let's keep some perspective though.
I am sad to hear of his passing. |
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Khenan
Joined: 25 Dec 2007
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| Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 8:03 am Post subject: |
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| BreakfastInBed wrote: |
| billybrobby wrote: |
| First Heath Ledger, now him. unbelievable. this is what it must've felt like when people heard lennon was shot. |
You're being facetious right? Right? I liked Childhood's End, but I liked almost all of Vonnegut's stuff more.
Lennon? John Lennon? Heath Ledger!? Sure he was a good actor, but John M.F'ing Lennon!?
Sorry. I'm sad too. Death sucks. Let's keep some perspective though.
I am sad to hear of his passing. |
I can only assume that he's joking...
(Good lord, I hope so.) |
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butlerian
Joined: 04 Sep 2006
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 8:59 am Post subject: |
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| Khenan wrote: |
| BreakfastInBed wrote: |
| billybrobby wrote: |
| First Heath Ledger, now him. unbelievable. this is what it must've felt like when people heard lennon was shot. |
You're being facetious right? Right? I liked Childhood's End, but I liked almost all of Vonnegut's stuff more.
Lennon? John Lennon? Heath Ledger!? Sure he was a good actor, but John M.F'ing Lennon!?
Sorry. I'm sad too. Death sucks. Let's keep some perspective though.
I am sad to hear of his passing. |
I can only assume that he's joking...
(Good lord, I hope so.) |
? |
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Khenan
Joined: 25 Dec 2007
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| Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 9:38 am Post subject: |
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I take it from your response that you weren't joking.....
I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to make fun of you. Clearly you hold this man in high regard. To me, it seems comical to compare him to Arthur C. Clarke in pretty much every way that I can think of. Please forgive me a bit of fanboy-ism in a thread discussing the death of one of the great minds of the 20th century. |
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