Arthur C. Clarke's DNA odyssey

Kathleen Royal, Ft Worth, TX — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 21:50:07 GMT

Have a good journey, Sir Arthur C. Clarke. I own most of the books mentioned in the article. He was great.

Arthur C. Clarke's DNA odyssey

Alan Boyle — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 23:02:14 GMT

Here's a poser: Could you really recover DNA from plain old hair? This item raises questions about being able to do so, particularly if you snip the hair rather than pulling it out from the roots:

http://www.thetech.org/genetics/ask.php?id=129

Arthur C. Clarke's DNA odyssey

a p garcia — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 23:22:13 GMT

I never knew of the plans for Authur C. Clarke's DNA until now. Too bad it couldn't have been included in the "New Horizon" spacecraft. At least his DNA will survive and maybe live.

Arthur C. Clarke's DNA odyssey

CHARLES B. CLARKE — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 23:24:03 GMT

ARTHUR C. CLARKE WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR HIS INSIGHT INTO OUR FUTURE SPACE EXPLORATIONS. I WILL MISS HIS WRITINGS.

Arthur C. Clarke's DNA odyssey

Don Spencer, Alpena, MI — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 23:32:47 GMT

I have just one reading suggestion...all of them! The man was a true science fiction writer in that he put the science first and foremost in all his stories. I was deeply saddened by the news of his passing today. But I am thankful for the legacy of work he left behind. In that sense he will live on for a very long time. All of his work has stood the test of time. His attention to scientific detail in his writings has yet to be matched in the literary world. The world is a lesser place.

Arthur C. Clarke's DNA odyssey

Ken O'Harnett - aka - Keneau Arnet — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 00:12:02 GMT

Both "Fare well, my clone" and "So it goes" are gone... for now... to where, I do not know. But if they meet, I would surely like to listen at the keyhole. What a talk that would be! For now they will still muse inside our heads until each of us, too, will set off sometime to wherever they might be now.

Arthur C. Clarke's DNA odyssey

Spencer M. Ellis Staten Island, New York — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 00:56:22 GMT

Sir Arthur C. Clarke's DNA will morph into the Space Child in deep space! What a wonderful way to extend the life of a true cosmic visionary!

Arthur C. Clarke's DNA odyssey

Mark Ellis, Raleigh, NC — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 03:06:37 GMT

I miss you already old man. I bought three of your books today at a used bookstore before coming home today and seeing your obit on the internet. Two of them i've read, the other is new. I wanted the two read books in hardbound(first editions) for my growing Clarke collection(among other greats.)

I will miss your insight and style, but will always have your mind captured in print. If I ever need your advice, I need to look no further than my bookshelf.

Godspeed Sir Arthur. Say hello to Kurt V., Carl S. and Issac A. for me!

Arthur C. Clarke's DNA odyssey

Tinkoo — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 03:09:12 GMT

Thank you for linking my post, "Dial F For Frankenstein.

Arthur C. Clarke's DNA odyssey

Alberto Bernal, Albuquerque, NM — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 04:27:38 GMT

A new star joins the tapestry of the Universe: Sir Arthur now rest where he always belonged: the stars...

He is now one of the pioneers who started the path to the Cosmos in the uncorporal way, as his mind and knowledge did in his works.

Fare well, Sir Arthur!

Arthur C. Clarke's DNA odyssey

Kamama, Jefferson City, Missouri — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 04:40:38 GMT

Clarke's thought, science ventures, and fiction hugely impacted my life since childhood when in the early 1950's I read my first s-f book, "The City And The Stars" by flashlight under the bedcovers because my parents didn't believe the genre was "true" literature! From using logic and the scientific method to exploring philosophical and ethical values to utlizing intuition and creativity in my own life, Sir Arthur has taught me much. I'll miss you, my friend. Whether via tesseract, wormhole, or elevator, may we meet again sometime/where!

Arthur C. Clarke's DNA odyssey

James Ash,Mineral Wells,Texas — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 05:06:56 GMT

Where do we go from here?, International Space Univer-sity,2001,International Space Station,Fountains of Paradise,Internet,Rama,need I go on? Please???-can we all do something for space and our solar system in this new millenium or do we really say hello to HAL?!

Arthur C. Clarke's DNA odyssey

Antony E. Clarke Jr. — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 05:48:26 GMT

Dearest All,
From the Clarke Family,We appreciate the wonderful sentiments expressed at this time,Arthur C. Clarke was unique,and expressed a wonderful hope for humanity.I hope we fulfill his expectations.
Antony E. Clarke Jr.

Arthur C. Clarke's DNA odyssey

Cynthia Foley, Dubbo, NSW, Australia — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:35:30 GMT

In January 2000, my husband and I met Arthur C Clarke at his home in Columbo. I was delighted that he took us to his office and library, and even more delighted when he invited me to chose a book which he would, and did sign for me.
I chose '3001 The Final Odyssey', a prophetic tale of the Odyssey as it enters its perilous, ultimate stage. "The human race, incredibly has survived. A trio of of monoliths dominate the solar system. Then a single hope flickers. The body of Frank Poole, believed dead for a thousand years, is recovered from the frozen reaches of the galaxy and is restored to conscious life."
Farewell Arthur. Meeting you, and your brother Fred, was an unforgetable experience.
May someone in deep space in the future find the capsule containing your hair, and extract the DNA to begin a new race of extraordinary human beings.

Arthur C. Clarke's DNA odyssey

Jim Cooper, Kittery Maine — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 15:44:10 GMT

May his non-holy soul rest in peace

The Dog

Arthur C. Clarke's DNA odyssey

Brian Glanz, Seattle — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:26:59 GMT

Sir Arthur C. Clarke would remind all of us sending wishes for him and his soul that he isn't very well there to receive them, great and warm wishes though they are.

“Absolutely no religious rites of any kind, relating to any religious faith, should be associated with my funeral” Clarke wrote, and as Edward Rothstein at the New York Times put it, Clarke "had long seen religion as a symptom of humanity’s “infancy,” something to be outgrown and overcome."

Do not imagine Clarke on a cloud, receiving your wishes or your prayers, taking chai with Asimov. Asimov was another wise one, who knew better than to let his fear assign benevolence to the unknown.

It is up to each of us to learn as much as we can from what they gave us. We must carry on, better for knowing them and their work. To imagine we can speak to them now is an insult to them.

Take the money you give in church or temple, and give it to science. Help end the scourges of disease, of our fragility, of aging, of death. If Asimov and Clarke could then surely they would now instruct you likewise. Learn and do more science. Imagine and create more incredible technology. The wonderful message from Asimov, Clarke, and other humanists is this: you can save yourself if together, we save ourselves. Let the day dawn on which we no longer die.

Arthur C. Clarke's DNA odyssey

Tony Roof, Indiana, USA — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:43:34 GMT

Farewell Sir Arther C. Clark. You have entertained a wealth of persons the world over. It could be said that you might just be the greatest Science Fiction writer of the 20th centure if not of all time. I will certainly miss your contributions to engaging our minds with the thoughts of space exploration. You will be saddly missed.

Arthur C. Clarke's DNA odyssey

shelina, Vancouver, B.C — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:57:56 GMT

A life well-lived!!. Merci Mr. Arthur Clarke, for all your contributions to this little blue dot, we call the Earth.

Arthur C. Clarke's DNA odyssey

Tom Wishman, Fond du Lac, WI — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 19:15:24 GMT

We have lost a giant. Growing up in the 1960's, the writings of Sir Arthur had a profound effect on me and in many ways shaped my view of the universe, the future, and my place in it. He was a true visionary, and an esteemed member of that now seemingly very small group of people who can inspire by challenging us to THINK DIFFERENTLY about who we are, where we've been, and most importantly, where we're going.

Arthur C. Clarke's DNA odyssey

scalpod, Portland, OR. — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 19:23:28 GMT

Goodnight good Sir, you will be missed.

I have yet to see it mentioned in any articles related to his passing, but he was also the first to propose using geosynchronus orbit for communication satellites. In fact they are sometimes called 'Clarke orbits'. If it weren't for his visionary work, who knows how much longer we might've waited for such inarguably world-changing technology to come along?

GPS, global weather monitoring and analysis, international mobile phone networks, satellite radio and TV, all would've been pushed back substantially if it weren't for his efforts.

Arthur C. Clarke's DNA odyssey

J. Hobson — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 19:25:46 GMT

I'll miss him- my favorite all time writer. Godspeed, Arthur.

Arthur C. Clarke's DNA odyssey

Jonathan Rose, Lancaster, CA — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 22:22:24 GMT

A great one has gone before into the next step of life.

In all things great and small science is the key to our ability to grow as a species, as well as individuals. Let us all hope we can grow enough to do those great things that Sir Arthur's writings put into our future.

What a life it must have been to see the future become reality based on his own ideas. Let us all hope we can do the same for those that come after us.

Arthur C. Clarke's DNA odyssey

Randy Bradshaw — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 23:01:15 GMT

This explains his loss of hair ;-)
Best wishes old friend, I only knew you through your books, but we soared together in the same dreams.

Arthur C. Clarke's DNA odyssey

Jim L, Burlington, Vermont — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 00:23:29 GMT

3/20/2008 18:57:06

Thank you, ACC, for seeding my imagination! I’ve been blessed and influenced greatly by the likes of those such as yourself who it has been my pure pleasure, honor, privilege, delight, & joy to be able to have called contemporaries! I’ve been called & labeled crazy for believing in the possibilities, and even institutionalized & certified by the state on an occasion for my delusions, some of which have now transpired, and those same “professionals” & “know betters” with little imagination who are the same that will now claim they knew all along, as they embrace the current, and as irony goes, are some of the same who now nix those ideas yet to be advanced manifest physical from the minds of mice, men, & giants, but will again be of the first to have known all along when they do! Where there is a path there is someone who has come before you to blaze the trails to the future! May peace be yours, Point Man! Time is but a single moment beginning to end! To work with that & grasp the fleeting wisp of smoke we must sometimes step back to see we have been living in the midst of a rainbow! You appeared long before this student was anywhere close to ready! The absence of your corporeal manifest won’t go unnoticed and your influence will certainly survive that same of some of those of us you have left in tow, whether we realize it or not! Thanks again, Visionary! Your turn to take flight of the light! I’m told you can pick up the trail wherever you’re at! In the triumphs of your life I cheer!

-Jim L

3/20/2008 20:13:55

Arthur C. Clarke's DNA odyssey

Dave Tappe — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 00:41:38 GMT

Arthur C. Clarke is one of the greatest thinkers of our time. I read The City and Stars in the late 1970's and never looked back. I have read and reread his works many times. As a young man Mr. Clarke opened a world for me I always knew existed but had not yet found. He has helped me pursue my dreams. His profound influences will continue to inspire great thought for generations to come.

Arthur C. Clarke's DNA odyssey

Dave Glutek — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 03:24:35 GMT

May that small part of you find in, space, that which you could not find on earth. I beleive I am a better person for having read your stories and will always appreciate your contributions to our civilization. May you Rendezvous wtih Rama.

Arthur C. Clarke's DNA odyssey

Dr Michael V. Wiles, Bar Harbor, Maine, USA — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 14:23:43 GMT

as a child I read his work
as I adult and a scientist I still do
Michael V. Wiles

Arthur C. Clarke's DNA odyssey

Fe alcid — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 17:36:27 GMT

I agree with Alan Boyle, could you extract DNA from a snipped hair? Shouldn't it be from the root of the hair that you can extract the DNA. I might not be a scientist but from reading books about extracting DNA from someone especially the hair it would be impossible to extract ones DNA from snipped hair.

Arthur C. Clarke's DNA odyssey

Cody — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 15:45:25 GMT

A Futurist, Visionary and see'er. As for his recreated DNA I am not sure why the feel good other than mans own needs. God remembers the names of each and every star he creates. Arthur Knew this...

Arthur C. Clarke's DNA odyssey

Dave H. Seattle, WA — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 06:28:07 GMT

I agree with Brian Glanz that all the schmaltzy sentiments about meeting up with Sir Arthur in some imagined after life are an insult to everything Mr. Clarke's stood for.

As far as the possibility of his DNA being used to make a clone of Mr. Clarke in some distant future civilization, I think Clarke would agree with me that such an idea is beyond silly. In the millions or even billions of years it would take for his DNA to reach "the stars", it would be well fried, baked, and sauteed to the point of uselessness by all the interstellar radiation it would encounter during that time.

Get real, people, and get out of your silly Star Trek way of thinking.

Arthur C. Clarke's DNA odyssey

MichaelM, Palm Springs, CA — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 19:34:44 GMT

All of his writings are memorable.
One I think which is interesting as a science-fact book is: Report on Planet Three.

"Its origin and purpose, still a total mystery."

Arthur C. Clarke's DNA odyssey

John, Martinsburg, WV. — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 22:37:25 GMT

Good bye & fare well, my friend, my teacher, my guide. In this life you will long be remembered. In the next, who knows what is there? And for those who make the claim that there is no next life or any variation of life or awareness, it would be appropriate to remind them of one of your laws; "When an elderly & distinguished scientist says that something is possible, he is most probably right. When he says that something is impossible, he is most probably wrong."
Untill we meet again, be well my friend.

Arthur C. Clarke's DNA odyssey

Asantha U. Attanayake, Sri Lanka — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 17:14:28 GMT

Dear Arthur C. Clarke,
May you be reborn in Sri Lanka with the same and more greatness to light thousand intelectual lamps in the universe...

Arthur C. Clarke's DNA odyssey

Toroshan Sen ,Istanbul — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 20:11:32 GMT

Mr Clarke, C. Sagan, I Asimov all 3 of their ideas will survive in our thoughts and will be feed thousands, billions behind us minds of our childs.. Thanks you gave us mind "Broaden your horizons" and Many thanks for your books,lights of eternity of universe. Books you 3 of gave me, read them many times and leave them to my 8 years old daughter.