Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Arthur C. Clarke: A Visionary Legend

I just came across 2 videos featuring one of my personal heroes, the sci-fi author, inventor, & all around genius Arthur C. Clarke.

When I was younger I used to watch his TV shows Arthur C. Clarke's World of Strange Powers & Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious Universe.

His unyielding curiosity & vision have continued to inspire me & countless others, even after his death in 2008.


The Monkey Buddha archives:

 My last post was about the creative & marketing insights of Steve Jobs, which helped to jump-start the era of the personal computer.

In this 1974 video that precludes the creation of Apple Computers by several years, Arthur C. Clarke correctly theorizes about the potential application of computerized devices. At the time, the primitive computers were big enough to fill a small room, but his predictions about compact digital devices that would allow people to instantly communicate throughout the world proved to be accurate.


The next video is an excellent hour-long documentary, hosted by Clarke, about the mathematical construct known as fractals

The Monkey Buddha archives:

These simple, recursive numerical patterns were first converted into their now-familiar complex graphic form by Benoit Mandlebrot.

 How Stuff Works:

The infinite intricacies of Fractals have revolutionized our understanding of the universe & have spawned endless applications, from generative computer art to the internal antennas of cell phones.

I personally believe that fractal properties give valuable insights into many aspects of the world we live in.

One cannot begin to understand the nature of Reality without thoroughly studying & understanding fractal geometry.



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