I was sad to hear today about the passing of Arthur C. Clarke, an author and inventor best known for his novel 2001 Space Odyssey.

I met Mr. Clarke when I was 8 years old while I was in Sri Lanka with my parents. We were lucky enough to enjoy dinner with him one evening– my dad even got to visit his home. All I knew about him then was that he was an author that my father loved. My dad even got him to autograph one of his books. Even though I was 8, I still remember meeting him and that trip. Traveling around the world leaves quite an impression, even on a young child.

I’ve since become a big fan of his novels myself, with the Rama series probably being my favourite. He’s one of the greatest science fiction writers ever and I’m surprised how few people know who he is when I talk about his books. He wasn’t just a novelist though, he was a futurist who is credited with envisioning usage of the geostationary orbit for global communications.

I encourage anyone to pick up one of his books… they’ll educate & entertain.