
He wrote the future: On Arthur C. Clarke's centenary - samclemens
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v541/n7637/full/541286a.html
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sparkzilla
I met Arthur C. Clarke once. He told me a joke.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NEh8nspzXw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NEh8nspzXw)

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jacobush
VERY fun, short and SFW clip.

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ENTP
Clarke made a TV series in the UK called "Arthur C. Clarkes Mysterious World".
If you've never heard of it, I highly recommend you check it out!

[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_C._Clarke's_Mysteriou...](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_C._Clarke's_Mysterious_World)

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arethuza
I loved that program when it first came out because of the episode that
mentioned vitrified forts - which are still (AFAIK) a complete mystery:

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitrified_fort](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitrified_fort)

I also love the account of the meeting that Clarke, C.S. Lewis and Tolkien had
in a pub:

 _" An extensive correspondence with Dr. Lewis led to the a meeting in a
famous Oxford pub, the Eastgate. Seconding me was my friend, Val Cleaver, a
space buff from way back (and now chief engineer of the Rolls Royce Rocket
Division). Supporting Lewis was Professor J. R. R. Tolkien, whose trilogy, The
Lord of the Rings created a considerable stir a few years ago. Needless to
say, neither side converted the other, and we refused to abandon our
diabolical schemes of interplanetary conquest. But a fine time was had by all,
and when, some hours later, we emerged a little unsteadily from the Eastgate,
Dr. Lewis’s parting words were "I’m sure you are very wicked people – but how
dull it would be if everyone was good."_

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at-fates-hands
>> and now chief engineer of the Rolls Royce Rocket Division

Did I read that right? Rolls Royce had/has a rocket division?

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arethuza
Turns that Val Cleaver was quite an interesting chap:

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Val_Cleaver](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Val_Cleaver)

"he became general manager and chief engineer of the Rolls Royce's rocket
departments, where he was responsible for the engines which powered the Blue
Streak missile and Black Arrow launch vehicle"

Sadly the UK did have our own launch capability - but we only ever launched
one satellite - Prospero:

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prospero_(satellite)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prospero_\(satellite\))

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pklausler
Clarke had such a positive view of humanity. I've read all of his novels and I
don't think that he ever had a villian character.

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Florin_Andrei
I love his work. He's by leaps and bounds my favorite sci-fi author ever. His
optimism remains unparalleled.

It's a measure of how much darker the world has turned recently that I've
started in the last few years to think of ACC as perhaps a bit naive. Or maybe
he was just too far ahead of the times? That's an optimist thought - albeit a
long-term one.

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zem
ironically, the first author i have been inclined to call "the new clarke" is
liu cixin, based on the anything-but-optimistic "death's end" trilogy. still
has a very clarke-like feel, but dark.

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Florin_Andrei
> _a very clarke-like feel, but dark_

I've no idea how that is even possible :) so I'll have to read something by
that author to figure out what you mean.

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zem
check out "the three body problem"; it has a very clarke-like sense of wonder
tinged with both optimism and melancholy, and the same blend of science and
"magic science", but it also adds a dark feel that is nothing like clarke.

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at-fates-hands
interesting article about a guy who snuck into his house and what they found:

We Snuck Into Arthur C. Clarke’s Home, And. .(2013) :
[http://asiaobscura.com/2013/11/sifting-through-arthur-c-
clar...](http://asiaobscura.com/2013/11/sifting-through-arthur-c-clarkes-dvd-
collection-in-colombo.html)

~~~
sparkzilla
Thanks for posting that. I interviewed Arthur C. Clarke at his house (see joke
above), so it was cool to see it again.

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at-fates-hands
I did see that, really good stuff.

He seemed like he was quite lucid and articulate, even in his later years. I
bet he has a ton of stories he could tell. . .

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sohkamyung
_Arthur C. Clarke: A Life Remembered_ is a good read for those who want to
learn more about Arthur Clarke's life. It features lots of photos and stories
about Clarke from his brother and other associates. Here's a review of it [1]

[1] [ [http://www.centauri-dreams.org/?p=29276](http://www.centauri-
dreams.org/?p=29276) ]

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caseyf7
If I only have time to read three, which ones would you suggest?

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peter303
Dec 16, 1917

