Sir Arthur C. Clarke, 1917 - 2008

In 1945 Sir Arthur C. Clarke developed a revolutionary way, for which he was paid £15, to improve communications as well as many other things that are now common every day workings to which we pay no attention. He conceptualized geosynchronous orbits [now known as Clarke Orbits] as a way of allowing satellites to remain in a stationary orbit around the earth to improve communications, cable and satellite television, GPS, spying, and weather reporting, among many other things, that became easier and more precise. Of course, the first satellite, Sputnik, did not go into orbit until 1957, twelve years later. Forward thinking, no dreaming, is such an important part of life and Sir Arthur was a genius at it.

He was asked of which of the three main accomplishments in his life, writer, undersea explorer and space promoter, he would best liked to be remembered, he responded, writer. I spent hours reading his words over the years. Rendezvous with Rama is by far my favorite of his works, though 2001: A Space Odyssey is probably his most noted.

Sir Arthur died yesterday at the age of 90 in his adopted home of Sri Lanka with the hope that the ongoing civil war there would come to a peaceful end. His latest novel, The Last Theorem, co-written with Frederik Pohl, will be released later this year. I can't wait to read it.