In August of 2006, while in Sri Lanka for ApacheCon, I had the opportunity to visit, briefly, with Sir Arthur C. Clarke in his home. We spoke very briefly, I shook his hand, and we took the above photograph. He was recovering from cataract surgery, so the photo was taken without a flash. Today, he … Continue reading Arthur C Clarke: A legend passes
(Inspired by Ode to the Maker of Odes, and by a brief visit with Sir Arthur C. Clarke, in his home in Colombo.) In Sir Arthur’s Parlor Colombo, Sri Lanka, 2006 June 5, 2008 The hand that grasped the rungs down the gravity well into Rama, held up a bone to tap on a black … Continue reading In Sir Arthur’s Parlor
Ken has posted the photos of us with Arthur C. Clarke.
Yesterday a few of us got the opportunity to go visit Sir Arthur C Clarke at his home in Colombo. He just recently had cataract surgery, and so didn’t want a lot of flash photos taken. Several pictures were taken with Ken’s camera, and hopefully I’ll have them soon. Sir Arthur is still a great … Continue reading Sir Arthur
I’ve been working through a list of SciFi/Fantasy books, which is a merging of three “top 50” lists that I’ve found over the years. I just finished reading Hothouse, by Brian Aldiss. It was … weird, and ok. I guess I can see how some people would enjoy it. It follows the travels of group … Continue reading Hothouse, by Brian Aldiss
ApacheCon EU starts tomorrow, and, for the first time ever, I won’t be there. In fact, today is my very last chance to say this – I’ve been to every (official) ApacheCon. In fact, if you don’t count 1998, I’m the only person who has been to every ApacheCon. In 1998, there was an event … Continue reading ApacheCon EU
I’ve had the rare good fortune to meet many of my favorite authors. Notably, Douglas Adams, Arthur C Clarke, and, a few weeks ago, Terry Brooks. I’ve also met Cory Doctorow, Mo Willems, Will Wheaton, Frank X Walker and a host of other authors, and each time was struck by the humanity of great people. … Continue reading Authors
I do a podcast called Feathercast, about technologies and people within the Apache Software Foundation. I do this for a number of reasons. I love playing with technology, even when I don’t really understand it. Using it is the best way to understand it, and I’ve learned a lot about audio recording in this process, … Continue reading Happy 10th Birthday Apache
viz TINSTAAGFT. 1. Do you remember how you developed a love for reading? I don’t remember not having a love for reading, but I can certainly remember a few things that made it stronger. Almost all of them have to do with people reading to me. I remember sitting in Mr. Bruce’s history (supposedly) class … Continue reading Books books books books
A poet is one who says, beautifully, the things that we all think, mundanely, and are embarrassed to put into words. Ode to the Maker of Odes reminds me of the brief moment I spent visiting with Arthur C. Clarke, and that instant in which we clasped one another’s right hand, and looked in each … Continue reading Ode to the Maker of Odes