In Memoriam: Arthur C. Clarke

On Fri, 21 Mar 2008 13:34:24 -0300, "Lawrence" wrote:

"Bob Fry" wrote in message
...
I read a lot of sci-fi as a kid and he was the best. Better writer
than Heinlin but not as prolific. He influenced many, many people I'm
sure.

It's unfair to compare. I have an extensive collection of Sci-Fi, and I
often re-read the big three Heinlien was my first, Asimov was great but
published some real crap when he got to believe his own hype, Clarke was the
master of continuity and detail, both of the physical and spiritual. His
worlds are the truest and best and he had the largest impact on the real
world, far larger than Asimov. A great mind, and a great author.

My personal opinion is that Clarke fall excelled in the extrapolation of
technology and predicting what the scientific/human impacts would be. However,
the *people* in his novels always seemed pretty stiff. Heinlein was better with
characterization; inventing interesting people to interact with the technology.

The earliest Clarke novel I remember reading is "A Fall of Moondust," as a
Reader's Digest Condensed book back in the '50s or '60s. Though I read it many
times and remember the plot real well, I remember little about the characters.
But I can see a Heinlein title and say, "That's the one with the guy who...."

Ron Wanttaja

On Fri, 21 Mar 2008 18:34:31 -0700, Ron Wanttaja wrote:

My personal opinion is that Clarke fall excelled in the extrapolation of
technology and predicting what the scientific/human impacts would be. However,
the *people* in his novels always seemed pretty stiff. Heinlein was better with
characterization; inventing interesting people to interact with the technology.

Reading Clarke, in the early 60s I thought that was the way the
advanced, scientific community, ultimately the populace, was to be.
Focused, time concerned, mission oriented. When I watched 2001 (1970?),
the characters were wooden, almost unreal. The emotional star was a
computer, I took from these characterizations that this was the world I
would grow old and accustomed. Analytical and godless.

The earliest Clarke novel I remember reading is "A Fall of Moondust," as a
Reader's Digest Condensed book back in the '50s or '60s. Though I read it many
times and remember the plot real well, I remember little about the characters.
But I can see a Heinlein title and say, "That's the one with the guy who...."

Ron Wanttaja

My first Clarke was a RD and it set RD apart from all other subscription
magazines at the time.

From then to here, RD jokes and articles to email, globalization of
communication. I know for a fact that my own fascination with the
future, and interest in technologies, spawned directly from the works of
Clarke and those like him.
--

On Mar 21, 9:34 pm, Ron Wanttaja wrote:

My personal opinion is that Clarke fall excelled in the extrapolation of
technology and predicting what the scientific/human impacts would be. However,
the *people* in his novels always seemed pretty stiff. Heinlein was better with
characterization; inventing interesting people to interact with the technology.

That's an interesting observation because my feeling about Heinein was
that he had about four characters altogether. He'd insert them in
every story in the ways that they needed to be used to keep the tale
moving. That's what made them so much fun to read when I was 12 or
so, I suppose.

The earliest Clarke novel I remember reading is "A Fall of Moondust," as a
Reader's Digest Condensed book back in the '50s or '60s. Though I read it many
times and remember the plot real well, I remember little about the characters.
But I can see a Heinlein title and say, "That's the one with the guy who...."

My first was the probably "Island in the Sky," but I read "A Fall of
Moondust" and would love to have that RDCB version because of the
illustrations. It would make a good movie.

And I remember clearly NONE of the "Moondust" characters, but the
characters in "Island" I will never forget. I felt like I knew the
crew of "Rocket Ship Galileo," but all I remember of other Heinlein
characters is the Martian flatcat.

Neither of them wrote about aviation, did they? Sci-fi was always
space.


Mike

On Sat, 22 Mar 2008 07:05:00 -0700 (PDT), "
wrote:

"A Fall of
Moondust" and would love to have that RDCB version because of the
illustrations.

Is this the one?

http://www.alibris.com/booksearch?qt...connor&qsort=p

Jim Logajan wrote:
"Lawrence" wrote:
"WJRFlyBoy" wrote in message
.. .
I was told that to best see Clarke's brilliance, read Heinlien. I
never did. Got talked into Tolkein. Mistake, ymmv.
--
That's interesting, I'd never heard that before.

News to me too. I've read Heinlein, Clarke, Asimov, and a host of others.

Heinlein did as good a job at the science as Clarke, IMHO - particularly in
his "juveniles". For example, Heinlein's explanation of space suit
requirements in "Have Space Suit, will Travel" was instructive to me when I
read it in my early teens. (The idea of a used rocket dealership in
"Rolling Stones" caught my fancy too. Man, where does one go to buy a good
used nuclear powered VTOL rocket when you want to go to Mars to picnic on
the edge of Valles Marineris?)

If you'd like to relive a little of the old
Heinlein "kids and science fiction" stuff,
try Jerry Pournelle's new book "Starswarm".

On Sat, 22 Mar 2008 07:05:00 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

Neither of them wrote about aviation, did they? Sci-fi was always
space.

There was that cool scene in 2001 on the Pan Am spaceplane flight where
the food went weightless, does that count?
--
Remove numbers for gmail and for God's sake it ain't "gee" either!
I hesitate to add to this discussion because I'm not an instructor,
just a rather slow student who's not qualified to give advice that
might kill someone.

Stumbled across the complete text to Clarke's short story "The Star" while
looking for something else:

http://lucis.net/stuff/clarke/star_clarke.html

I hadn't read that in over three decades. Great writing. Do they still make
writers like that anymore?

In article ,
wrote:

Neither of them wrote about aviation, did they? Sci-fi was always
space.



Not always 'space'. Some were set strictly on the surface of other planets.
or even on Earth (in the distant -- or not-so-distant -- future).

Also, there is one of the 'Robots' stories that involves aviation as a primary
plot theme.

Can't remember the name right now, but the plot-line involves a 'survey'
visit to the surface of a gas giant. descent by glider wing, with return-
to-orbit via gas-bag lift to moderate altitude, then JATO to build speed to
the point ramjets function, then at peak ramjet altitude, cut in the ion
drive.

The glider has an implanted 'brain' running everything in addition to the
one-man 'crew', and a malfunction develops in the JATO/ramjet controls -- loss
of control functions detected after landing, but before the return attempt.
'Cure' involves dumping methane(?) ice into in-wing access panel. doesn't
last long enough to get to launch altitude -- crewman has to wing-walk to
replenish the cooling in flight before ramjets can be used.

In article mbGdnfJl5sivJ5bVnZ2dnUVZ_tGonZ2d@nuvoxcommunicati ons,
(Robert Bonomi) wrote:

In article
,
wrote:

Neither of them wrote about aviation, did they? Sci-fi was always
space.

Clarke wrote "Glidepath", about the early development of Ground
Controlled Approach systems, with which early development he was
involved. It wasn't wholly fiction, though, much less science fiction.

Not always 'space'. Some were set strictly on the surface of other planets.
or even on Earth (in the distant -- or not-so-distant -- future).

Also, there is one of the 'Robots' stories that involves aviation as a
primary plot theme.

Can't remember the name right now, but the plot-line involves a 'survey'
visit to the surface of a gas giant. descent by glider wing, with return-
to-orbit via gas-bag lift to moderate altitude, then JATO to build speed to
the point ramjets function, then at peak ramjet altitude, cut in the ion
drive.

The glider has an implanted 'brain' running everything in addition to the
one-man 'crew', and a malfunction develops in the JATO/ramjet controls --
loss of control functions detected after landing, but before the return attempt.
'Cure' involves dumping methane(?) ice into in-wing access panel. doesn't
last long enough to get to launch altitude -- crewman has to wing-walk to
replenish the cooling in flight before ramjets can be used.

That sounds very much like one of Larry Niven's early stories; "Becalmed
in Hell".