Arthur C. Clarke Dies
The great author, inventor, and futurist Arthur C. Clarke has died in Sri Lanka at the age of 90, according to reports.
Some of our favorite Clarke observations:
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
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.
If we have learned one thing from the history of invention and discovery, it is that, in the long run -- and often in the short one -- the most daring prophecies seem laughably conservative.
It may be that our role on this planet is not to worship God -- but to create him.
Every revolutionary idea evokes three stages of reactions: At first people say, “It's completely impossible.” Then they say, “Maybe it's possible to do it, but it would cost too much.” Finally they say, “I always thought it was a good idea.”
At the present rate of progress, it is almost impossible to imagine any technical feat that cannot be achieved -- if it can be achieved at all -- within the next few hundred years.
Politicians should read science fiction, not westerns and detective stories.
He will be deeply missed.
UPDATE: Read this tribute from David Brin.
Tags: nanotechnology nanotech nano science technology ethics blog
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