Naked Science Forum
General Discussion & Feedback => Just Chat! => Topic started by: neilep on 19/03/2008 12:26:06
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Sad news......one of the worlds greatest visionaries and author of over a hundred books Arthur C Clarke passed away.
He envisioned communication satellites years and years before they existed.......
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/2358011.stm
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Sad indeed.
Although for most he will be most famous for 2001 I like some of his essays and writings.
Some nice quotes of his:
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
"Nevertheless, it is vital to remember that information - in the sense of raw data - is not knowledge; that knowledge is not wisdom; and that wisdom is not foresight. But information is the first essential step to all of these."
"When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong."
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I had the utmost respect for him. I've read many of his books, both factual and fiction. One of my favourites is "The Fountains Of Paradise", the plot of which centred on his adopted country Sri Lanka.
Visionary is, indeed, an apt description.
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my condolences....