Slog - Comments on God Is Working His Way Through the A's http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/god_is_working_his_way_through_the_as Arthur C. Clarke, a writer whose seamless blend of scientific expertise and poetic imagination helped usher in the space age, died early Wednesday in Colombo, Sri Lanka, where he had lived since 1956. He was 90.... Copyright 2008 Tue, 18 Mar 2008 16:03:05 -0800 Wed, 19 Mar 2008 09:37:48 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by Reverse Polarity Sad. I knew it would happen eventually, of course; he was damned old. But still sad nevertheless. I've been reading his books for well over 30 years, and am a great admirer and fan. He was a great writer and thinker. And he frequently had sympathetic gay characters in his books, long before it was popular or acceptable.

If anyone's remains deserve to be sent into space, it is his.

RIP Arthur C. Clark.

]]> Reverse Polarity http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/god_is_working_his_way_through_the_as#c973151 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/god_is_working_his_way_through_the_as#c973151 Books Tue, 18 Mar 2008 16:38:04 -0800 Comment by COMTE Damn, another of the Giants no longer walks (well, in Clarke's case wheels) among us.

I personally preferred Clarke to contemporaries such as Asimov and Heinlein, and always felt he more successfully walked the line between rationalistic hard-science writing, and "new agey" metaphysics in his work; and of course, "2001" was a seminal influence on my later childhood and young adulthood.

I'll crack out the good Scotch for a toast to Mr. Clarke tonight beneath my "2001" full sheet, and maybe read a couple of passages from "Greetings Carbon-Based Bipeds!" for good measure.

]]> COMTE http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/god_is_working_his_way_through_the_as#c973152 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/god_is_working_his_way_through_the_as#c973152 Books Tue, 18 Mar 2008 16:38:26 -0800 Comment by wisepunk He was probably one of the most important figures of 20th century scientific thought. Can you say "telecommunictions satellite?"

Goodnight, funnyman.

]]> wisepunk http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/god_is_working_his_way_through_the_as#c973166 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/god_is_working_his_way_through_the_as#c973166 Books Tue, 18 Mar 2008 16:57:08 -0800 Comment by Will in Seattle Tonight all robots will observe a nanosecond of silence in his honor.

]]> Will in Seattle http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/god_is_working_his_way_through_the_as#c973186 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/god_is_working_his_way_through_the_as#c973186 Books Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:14:17 -0800 Comment by McG Childhood's End

]]> McG http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/god_is_working_his_way_through_the_as#c973268 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/god_is_working_his_way_through_the_as#c973268 Books Tue, 18 Mar 2008 19:21:06 -0800 Comment by Brad ahh, wisepunk, you are a farker, no?

RIP, funnyman.

]]> Brad http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/god_is_working_his_way_through_the_as#c973285 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/god_is_working_his_way_through_the_as#c973285 Books Tue, 18 Mar 2008 20:17:00 -0800 Comment by drewl COMTE, you beat me to it. The last of the giants has fallen. Sharp and optimistic to the end.

RIP ACC

]]> drewl http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/god_is_working_his_way_through_the_as#c973290 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/god_is_working_his_way_through_the_as#c973290 Books Tue, 18 Mar 2008 20:30:23 -0800 Comment by Andrew Dude was a hard-core pedophile.

]]> Andrew http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/god_is_working_his_way_through_the_as#c973292 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/god_is_working_his_way_through_the_as#c973292 Books Tue, 18 Mar 2008 20:38:18 -0800 Comment by umvue "It may be that our role on this planet is not to worship God, but to create him." Quoted from Clarke's autobiography.

]]> umvue http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/god_is_working_his_way_through_the_as#c973297 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/god_is_working_his_way_through_the_as#c973297 Books Tue, 18 Mar 2008 20:46:33 -0800 Comment by Jonah s andrew, he was cleared in 98.

]]> Jonah s http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/god_is_working_his_way_through_the_as#c973299 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/god_is_working_his_way_through_the_as#c973299 Books Tue, 18 Mar 2008 20:58:24 -0800 Comment by COMTE Not only that, but the British tabloid that ran the original story not only printed a public retraction and apology, but paid him a tidy sum to boot.

]]> COMTE http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/god_is_working_his_way_through_the_as#c973302 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/god_is_working_his_way_through_the_as#c973302 Books Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:03:02 -0800 Comment by Big Sven Hard to say if he was better than Bradbury. But he was absolutely my favorite writer.

"Songs of Distant Earth," for one of his least ambitious but most complete works.

]]> Big Sven http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/god_is_working_his_way_through_the_as#c973306 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/god_is_working_his_way_through_the_as#c973306 Books Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:15:31 -0800 Comment by Andrew @10, yeah and so was OJ.

]]> Andrew http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/god_is_working_his_way_through_the_as#c973313 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/god_is_working_his_way_through_the_as#c973313 Books Tue, 18 Mar 2008 22:01:14 -0800 Comment by COMTE True Andrew, except the media never gave OJ a public apology and an out-of-court cash settlement.

]]> COMTE http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/god_is_working_his_way_through_the_as#c973322 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/god_is_working_his_way_through_the_as#c973322 Books Tue, 18 Mar 2008 22:16:32 -0800 Comment by Captain Underpants This is way sad. Childhood's End is one of my favorite sci-fi books. He was a pretty incredible storyteller and thinker.

]]> Captain Underpants http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/god_is_working_his_way_through_the_as#c973329 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/god_is_working_his_way_through_the_as#c973329 Books Tue, 18 Mar 2008 22:58:00 -0800 Comment by John I think he made us all progressives - loved the guy and his writing.

Amazingly productive and interesting themes and plots - a true creative genius. Too few of that gendre in any era.

Farwell. And the best story of all might be where he is at now.

]]> John http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/god_is_working_his_way_through_the_as#c973363 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/god_is_working_his_way_through_the_as#c973363 Books Wed, 19 Mar 2008 07:04:21 -0800 Comment by Rotten666 One of my favorites growing up. I will celebrate his life and art by fondling an 12 year old Asian boy.

]]> Rotten666 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/god_is_working_his_way_through_the_as#c973368 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/god_is_working_his_way_through_the_as#c973368 Books Wed, 19 Mar 2008 07:56:47 -0800 Comment by wisepunk @6

Why yes Brad, I am. I have main page greenlights and everything.

]]> wisepunk http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/god_is_working_his_way_through_the_as#c973393 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/god_is_working_his_way_through_the_as#c973393 Books Wed, 19 Mar 2008 08:53:39 -0800 Comment by Original Monique He was truly an inspiration to us all.

He will be missed. =(

RIP ACC

]]> Original Monique http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/god_is_working_his_way_through_the_as#c973401 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/god_is_working_his_way_through_the_as#c973401 Books Wed, 19 Mar 2008 09:05:32 -0800 Comment by DW Images and video from Dan Savages' glorious war on Iraq.

http://iraq.reuters.com/

This comment to be deleted soon as off-topic.

]]> DW http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/god_is_working_his_way_through_the_as#c973421 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/god_is_working_his_way_through_the_as#c973421 Books Wed, 19 Mar 2008 09:37:48 -0800