Happy Birthday, Arthur

After the previous post I just wrote, I also wanted to add something on a much more positive note.

Legendary science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke turns 90 years old today. Best known as the author of "2001: A Space Odyssey" and a founding father of "hard science fiction", he wrote numerous other classics including "The Hammer of God" and "Childhood's End", which in its own weird way might be the scariest book I've ever read.

Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, 1917-???

Clarke is also famous for his "Three Laws of Technology", especially the third one:

• 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.
• The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.
• Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

He seems to like the number 3. Besides his Three Laws, he is the last surviving (and by far my favorite) member of the "Big Three" SF authors (the others being Isaac Asimov and Robert A. Heinlein), and now he offered his Three Birthday Wishes. Here's hoping they come true.

Finally, in tribute to Sir Arthur and his achievements, I offer Planetary Politics, a very amusing article about science fiction books and the presidential candidates who should read them.