Random Pips

The date of March 19, 2008 marks the departure of the last surviving member of science fiction’s ”Big Three” from our physical world: the great Sir Arthur C. Clarke.

What elevated Arthur Clarke to the highest echelon in the science fiction realm is his rare gift in postulating the possibilities of the future and meticulously supporting them with hard science, thus giving us the exhilarating sense that his predictions are very plausible and that they are undeniable truths. There is no doubt that he played an essential role in laying down the foundations for science fiction. He has stretched our imaginations past unimaginable limits and opened our eyes to the magnificent macro-view of the Universe through the proper end of a telescope. He is the monolith heralding the grandeur the human race can achieve.

As Tedson Meyers, chairman of the Clarke Foundation, so aptly summed up the extent of Arthur Clarke’s influence on our world, “The question for us is, how does human imagination bring about such talent on both sides of the brain? How do you find the next Arthur Clarke?” (CNN.com)

It was Arthur Clarke’s wish to launch the DNA from his hair into an eternal orbit around Earth. Let us all take this moment to bow our heads in remembrance of Sir Arthur C. Clarke, the pioneer who has lighted our way to the frontiers of space and will continue to do so as his spirit traverses the heavens above us. 

Sir Arthur C. Clarke’s last message to the world