RIP Arthur C. Clarke

Having spent most of the day offline, I was quite saddened by the news of Arthur C. Clarke's death. I certainly couldn't conceive of a better tribute than that written by Patrick Nielsen-Hayden.

I'm apparently a bit odd in my immediate thoughts and memories going to Rendezvous with Rama rather than 2001, but that was the first book I ever read by him, and the sense of mystery and wonder from it has never left me.