Arthur C. Clarke remembered

Arthur C. Clarke died this week - 19 March, 2008.
I recall as a very young pup, being taken to the movies by my big brothers -  the movie?
2001, A Space Odyessy.

At that young age, I was already into sci-fi and horror stuff - influenced by my big brothers who enjoyed terrifiying me by forcing me to site through old movies in the dark, The Blob, War of the Worlds, Day of the Triffids, and all the Alfred Hitchcock ones... but no single movie has had more impact on my life than 2001.
To me - the others were just plain spooky (remember, I was very little and easily influenced !) But 2001? This was the future! This was how it was going to be! And - of course - man landed on the moon about 1 year after 2001 was released!
This is when I decided I wanted to be an astronaut... I got over it... the closest I got was working in the airline industry for 15 years -  but I never got over the impact 2001 had on me...
I've been an avid follower of Arthur C. Clarke's works ever since - what an extraordinary visionary the world has lost this week!

2 dominant quotes from Clarke that remain as current influencers on my work:

"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."
- Arthur C. Clarke, The Exploration of Space, 1951

"In the next Century, the education revolution will ensure that learning will be completely liberated from the tyrannies of schedules and locations.
Anybody, anywhere will be able to study any subject and access any form of information, at his or her most comfortable speed.
This will make education the lifelong process it must be."

- Arthur C. Clarke, 1997

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