Arthur C. Clark dies at age 90

[Ocicat]

According to his aide Arthur C. Clarke died in his home in Sri Lanka today.

If you're a fan of SF, you know his work.  We all owe him a debt of gratitude for his work in the genre such as 2001 and Childhood's End, and contributions to science itself - such as the very ideas of geostationary satellites and space elevators.

A moment of slience please...

[clichekiller]

I am very saddened today.  The last of my holy trinity, Asimov, Adams and Clarke has passed away; and with it another little piece of my childhood.  These three men played a large part in shaping my mind, such as it is.   

[Darwinist]

Very sad news.  ACC's work was what got me interested in sci-fi, specifically Rendezvous With Rama.   His novels and short stories blew my mind as a kid growing up in a small town.   

[Heradel]

The 2001 series was probably the first adult SF I read.

It's a sad day, though he certainly drank life to the lees.

The NYT Obit.

[Thermonuclearpenguin]

Thank you Arthur....

I remember very clearly that Arthur C. Clarke's book The City and the Stars was the first full lenth SF that I had ever read. It was during a summer vacation to my Grandfather's house in Sunnyvalle in 1979. I was 10 years old, and I loved going there. He worked for TRW on a subcontract for Shuttle so to me he was outer space. I would sit with him every night and read out of Analog or Asimov while he read a math or physics book or some tech mannual. Then one night he went to his bookshelf and pulled a first addition City and the Stars off and said "here try this". That was it I was hooked. Thanks Grandpa and thanks Arthur.

[Liminal]

I found some free audio fiction versions of Arthur C. Clarke stories over at http://www.hardsf.org/HSF0Mind.htm. They come from an old radio series from the University of Wisconsin called Mind Webs that ran between '76 - '84. The stories on Mind Web include:

The Star
The Haunted Spacesuit
The Nine Billion Names of God
The Sentinel
Summertime on Icarus
A Walk in the Dark

[Talia]

Truly a sad day for the literary world.

At least he had a nice long life and left behind many stellar achievements.

[bolddeceiver]

We were fortunate to have him as long as we did.  He will be missed.

[AarrowOM]

:::moment of silence:::

Clarke was the first sf author whose works I exhausted.  His vision and style will be missed.

While not from his work, I offer this quote to his memory:  Hail and farewell, fellow Traveler.  The great dark is too great, and the night too deep.  We will never meet, you and I.  Let me pause therefore, and raise a glass.  (From The Engines of God by Jack McDevitt)

[RKG]

Favorite SF Author Ever.  Truly one of the giants. 

More than any other author, his works are what made me a lifelong SF reader. 

Many years ago I wrote a program (on an Apple II!) to print out all 9,000,000,000 names... but I was too scared to run it

Thank You Sir Arthur.

[Russell Nash]

NPR remembrance

And another

NYTimes

Sir Arthur C Clarke: 90th Birthday Reflections on Youtube

[Rain]

The city and the stars is in my opinion the best science fiction story ever. 90 years is a long time, but still too early for him to go

[Russell Nash]

Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me used Arthur C. Clarke as the subject of their "Not My Job" quiz this week.

[RKG]

Randy Cassingham's This is True had Sir Arthur as the "Honorary Unsubscribe" this week, with the following comment:

IT'S TRUE THAT the Honorary Unsubscribe is usually reserved for those who
you haven't heard about. Sometimes, though, I break the rules when it's
someone who means something to me. This week's honoree, below, did.

[Roney]

Michael Moorcock reminisces.

(Note for non-UK readers: November 5 is Bonfire Night, when all loyal subjects of the Crown commemorate the failure of a plot to blow up an earlier King.  I skimmed the article at first and was confused by the references to explosions until I spotted the significant date.)

[Heradel]

Another NYT remembrance.

Michael Moorcock reminisces.

(Note for non-UK readers: November 5 is Bonfire Night, when all loyal subjects of the Crown commemorate the failure of a plot to blow up an earlier King.  I skimmed the article at first and was confused by the references to explosions until I spotted the significant date.)

Huh. I'd never heard it mentioned he was gay. Guess it never really mattered.

[stePH]

(Note for non-UK readers: November 5 is Bonfire Night, when all loyal subjects of the Crown commemorate the failure of a plot to blow up an earlier King.  I skimmed the article at first and was confused by the references to explosions until I spotted the significant date.)

I thought it was a commemoration of Guy Fawkes, the only man ever to enter Parliament with honest intentions 

[Boggled Coriander]

Huh. I'd never heard it mentioned he was gay. Guess it never really mattered.

To quote the New York Times obit:

Mr. Clarke’s standard answer when journalists asked him outright if he was gay was, “No, merely mildly cheerful.”

This is of profound importance to me, as I care a great deal about which sex Sir Arthur C. Clarke preferred to have sexual relations with.