Sir Arthur C Clarke, one of the founders of modern Science Fiction, died at the age of 90 in his home in Sri Lanka today. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 1998. Although he predicted the use of telecommunications satellites in 1945, most of his other technological foresights proved over-optimistic. He strongly believed that space exploration could turn human attention away from conflict and war, and unite humanity in an endeavor to reach the stars.
Born on Dec. 16, 1917, in the seaside town of Minehead, Somerset, England, Clarke had an early interest in scientific matters, but no advanced training in the field. He began writing Science Fiction in the late 1930s. His writing was interrupted by World War II, when he served in the Royal Air Force and actually had the opportunity to apply some of his scientific thinking. He helped develop the first radar-controlled system for landing airplanes in bad weather, and in 1945 published a technical paper describing the use of geo-stationary satellites as relays for terrestrial communication.
After the war Clarke began to publish Science Fiction stories and novels, the most famous being 2001: A Space Odyssey, which later was turned into a movie with Clarke’s collaboration. Another of his novels Childhood’s End is well known and highly regarded among Science Fiction fans.
The Iranian-born architect and humanitarian Nader Khalili died of congestive heart failure March 5th, 2008. Best known as the founder of the California Institute of Earth Art and Architecture (Cal-Earth), he invented a green construction method he called Super Adobe, particularly for use as emergency housing, but also as an alternative construction method for third world communities. He also invented the Geltaftan Earth-and-Fire System known as Ceramic Houses, but energy costs and pollution concerns have made that method less popular than the Super Adobe.
In Super Adobe construction, walls are constructed from bags filled with damp soil, preferably soil with fairly high clay content. This is basically a variant on the tried and true sand-bag used by military and flood control agencies for the past 100 years or so. The difference is the bags are piled high — a feat enabled by strands of barbed-wire between each layer to keep the bags from slipping — then the damp soil is tampered down to form an adobe-like packed earth inside the bag. When covered with a layer of plaster the resulting walls are visually identical to brick structures, but the walls are much thicker, resulting in a high thermal mass that is ideal for sub-tropical and desert environments.
My only complaint with this construction method is the name — I mean if you fill sandbags with dirt instead of sand, don’t you have dirtbags?
The famous guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi died today at his home in the Netherlands. Apparently he was about 91 years of age, though the exact date of his birth has been cited differently by different sources. He just announced his retirement a month ago.
For the past 17 years he resided in Vlodrop Netherlands, but his Transcendental Meditation empire spans the globe. Originally made famous when The Beatles endorsed him in 1968, the movement attracted several Hollywood stars and was a prominent feature of the ‘counter culture’ of the 1970s.
In the U.S. the organization has a university at Fairfield Iowa, and local chapters across the country. Backed by scientific evidence that there can be biological benefits from the practice of meditation, the movement continues to attract followers. Some of the more controversial claims — such as the supposed ability of adepts to ‘hover’ in defiance of gravity — have never been supported by scientific evidence.
The only child of former President Harry S. Truman died today at age 83. Married to journalist Clifton Daniel in 1956, Margaret had an unspectacular career as a singer, was active in radio and did some acting as well, but will probably be best remembered as a mystery writer. Her husband and one of their four sons pre-deceased her.
I hate to start right out with a bummer, but that’s the news. Heath Ledger, Australian actor, was found dead in his New York residence Tuesday (Jan 22). He was only 28 years old. There really isn’t that much detail available yet, there were sleeping pills near the bed, but the autopsy will reveal if those were involved or not. His family is characterizing it as an ‘accident’ which makes it sound like police advised them that an excess of sleeping pills was the likely cause. Otherwise they would just be saying they were bewildered, wouldn’t they?
Of course if it was suicide (and I don’t believe people accidentally overdose on sleeping pills) then it is certainly tragic — he was a talented actor and had great prospects before him. There were no indications he was the troubled sort, he doesn’t seem have been a drinker or drug-user (other than the prescription kind, which can be nearly as dangerous). I wouldn’t be surprised if the coroner found that some drug interaction or unusual allergic reaction were the cause, or maybe one of those undetected genetic disorders. Guess we will have to wait and see about the cause, but certainly this is another of those ‘too young to die’ stories.