Arthur C. Clarke dies
 

The world is a less interesting place.

Good night, fontofinformation man.

*starts campaign to name the first space elevator the Clarke Memorial Tower*

Not any kind of a surprise, but still... :(

Sapristi indelible, I don't wish to know that. :(

That now just leaves one of my favourite sci-fi authors sill living. Darn.

Okay, this is bizarre. At the library today I checked out a book (The Writer's Guide to Creating a Science Fiction Universe, George Ochoa and Jeffrey Osier, Writer's Digest Books, 1993, page 1) and what do I find as the pre-Introduction quote?

Arthur C. Clarke: It should never be forgotten that without some foundation of reality, science fiction would be impossible, and that therefore exact knowledge is the friend, not the enemy, of imagination and fantasy.

Cool, huh? This also ties neatly (speaking of the Asimov/Clarke Treaty) with a quote that I greatly enjoy (The Solar System and Back, Isaac Asimov, Doubleday & Company, 1970, page 124).

Isaac Asimov (following a treatise on the absurdity of the "a giant insect could carry a huge load and jump huge distances" theory): You will find such nonsense nowhere in the S.F. magazines of today. Movies and television, however (with some notable and honorable exceptions such as "Star Trek") are still in the infantile stage as far as science fiction is concerned.

Yay! Trek isn't infantile! ;)

It still makes my degree hurt from time to time.

But in the end it's still worthwhile, right?

I dunno. For me Star Trek ends with a long pullback from Jake and Kira looking out the window on DS9.

Clarke > Star Trek writing staff

I'm afraid the shock is rather blunted for me because I, um, thought he was already dead. I was probably confusing him with Isaac Asimov; I do that sometimes.

In any case, he'll be missed. A true pioneer, not only of science fiction but of science fact.

^ Say a dozen I'm afraid I can't do that Dave's and you will be forgiven.