"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."
Prolific sci-fi visionary author and staunch atheist Arthur C. Clarke passed away on Wednesday. He is justly respected for his many sci-fi novels as well as non-fiction work, but I am a big fan of his co-written screenplay with Stanley Kubrick for the groundbreaking film ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’. Clarke and Kubrick butted heads with each other over many key aspects of the project, and Clarke admitted to being somewhat baffled by Kubrick’s finished product; but Clarke's ideas were key to the film (which was born from his short story, "The Sentinel"). He came up with the concept of communications satellites in 1945, decades before their use (and he pioneered the idea of geostationary satellites). Greatly respected throughout his long career, Clarke has been cited by many scientists and top minds at NASA as a key inspiration. He is honored as a national hero in his adopted home of Sri Lanka. RIP ACC.
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