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If you haven't already, you might pick up some of Baxter's single credit books. Reading those and then reading the collaborations leads me to believe that Baxter did the vast majority of the writing, while Clarke contributed ideas, etc.
For my money, he's the best hard SF writer working right now, with the POSSIBLE exception of Robert J. Sawyer. Baxter's books are always a huge treat for the geek in me.
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I just learned (in the Michael Benson book) that Clarke was gay.
All his great imagination and intellect in someone to whom I can "claim kin". What a nice surprise!
Now I just need to find and read more of his books. I know I've read 3001, and all the Rama books.
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I'm reminded that one of his forward-looking ideas as a young man was for the communication satellite, commonplace today. I'm also reminded that his original concept called for a human operator inside.
It's similar to "The Shape of Things to Come" in that way. The vision of the future depicted is limited by the constrictions of the technology at the time. For instance, the "Things to Come" movie had these fleets of enormous planes, right? But the enormous planes had enormous propellers on them. No one had invented the jet plane yet, get it?
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I just learned (in the Michael Benson book) that Clarke was gay.
All his great imagination and intellect in someone to whom I can "claim kin". What a nice surprise!
.to
Why do you think he.moved to Sri Lanka?
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I just learned (in the Michael Benson book) that Clarke was gay.
Michael Benson book -- great stuff, must-read for all 2001 (and Clarke, and HAL) fans. Permanent addition to my "keeper" shelf. I had always thought that "HAL" was a one-off for IBM (all three letters were the letters before IBM in the alphabet) but so much for that one. Not even close. In any event, I love "making of" film books, and this is one of the very best.
From it, I just learned that in spite of all his imagination and intelligence, Clarke could be seduced, by the charms of shapely youth, to his disadvantage.
"Seduced," in one case, was to the tune of thousands of dollars, investing in (and completing one of) several films of one Mike Wilson, who was himself the shapely youth.
I guess even brainy guys make questionable choices in who they pursue romantically.
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I just learned (in the Michael Benson book) that Clarke was gay.
All his great imagination and intellect in someone to whom I can "claim kin". What a nice surprise!
.to
Why do you think he.moved to Sri Lanka?
See: above
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Posted: |
Oct 11, 2019 - 10:07 AM
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By: |
jackfu
(Member)
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I just learned (in the Michael Benson book) that Clarke was gay.
Michael Benson book -- great stuff, must-read for all 2001 (and Clarke, and HAL) fans. Permanent addition to my "keeper" shelf. I had always thought that "HAL" was a one-off for IBM (all three letters were the letters before IBM in the alphabet) but so much for that one. Not even close. In any event, I love "making of" film books, and this is one of the very best.
From it, I just learned that in spite of all his imagination and intelligence, Clarke could be seduced, by the charms of shapely youth, to his disadvantage.
"Seduced," in one case, was to the tune of thousands of dollars, investing in (and completing one of) several films of one Mike Wilson, who was himself the shapely youth.
I guess even brainy guys make questionable choices in who they pursue romantically.
That wasn't you to whom he replied, "I'm sorry Dave, I can't do that.", was it?
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