Sir Arthur Clarke - The Futurologist

Being a futurologist is like ropewalking.
It's highly likely that people mistake you for astrologer or a supernatural power holder with an adept skill for predicting.
Yet, futurology is based on Science and facts, and the extraordinary power of extrapolation.

Excerpts from Raymond Whitaker's article in The Independent, Sunday, 23 March 2008

See what Sir Arthur Clarke had predicted. These five things have become taken-for-granted facts today:

1. Geo-Synchronous satellites - The ones that always seems over our heads like the sword of Damascus!
Clarke was the first to suggest that satellites which remain at a fixed point relative to Earth could be used for worldwide communications. The geostationary orbit is now known as the "Clarke orbit".

2. The Internet - Wherever you go, you follow the network!
The father of the internet, Sir Tim Berners-Lee credits Clarke's short story, Dial F for Frankenstein, as an inspiration.

3. Spaceguard - The Asteroid Tracking System
In his novel Rendezvous With Rama, Clarke created "Project Spaceguard", a system to track asteroids that might collide with Earth. When such a system was set up in 1996, it was called "Spaceguard", in homage.

4. The Space Station - 'I told you so....'
The space station, now under construction, was put on screen in 1968 by Clarke and Stanley Kubrick in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

5. N-Powered Spacecrafts - Reactors on board
In 1951 Clarke envisaged nuclear-powered spacecraft, a prediction that came true with several satellites, launched by the Soviet Union, which had small reactors on board.

Cool! What's coming next?
Well... Here's the list:

1. Space Ladder
In his 1979 novel, In The Fountains of Paradise Sir Arthur Clark suggested a "space lift", a geostationary satellite tethered to the Earth's surface, that allows men and materials to travel up and down without having to blast into orbit. Advancements in Carbon nanotube technology may make the 22,000-mile-long tether feasible.

2. Prince Harry will be going into Space in 2013. That's more than possible.

3. Virtual Reality will be more real. By 2025 the brain's functions will be fully mapped, allowing us to experience full sensory immersion.

4. There will be two intelligent species on Earth - one biological, and the other non-biological. The so-called artificial intelligence will at least catch up with the natural intelligence.

5. The Universal Replicator. By 2040, a "universal replicator" will be made and it will be capable of cloning anything from caviar to diamonds.

A Tribute to Sri Arthur C Clarke

'Sri' in the title is not a typo, but has some relevance here:

1. He was living in Sri Lanka since 1956.
2. 'Sri' is roughly equivalent to 'Sir', because it denotes respect and reverence.

What do Jules Verne and Sir Arthur Clarke have in common?
Well.. it may be their profound interest and knowledge in the field they were writing.
In his own words: "To me, science and science fiction writing are two sides of the same coin. Science fiction writing can only be valuable to us if it is written by someone who has some knowledge of science."

Maybe there has to be a thin line between good Science Fiction and Fantasy.
Alas! We're often unable to distinguish, thanks to the generations that spoiled the genre.

Writing was just one of the passions of Sri Arthur Clarke. He is regarded the Father of Satellite Communication. He has contributed to the development of RADAR technology. And he was of the stern belief that one day we'll be intelligent enough to communicate with Aliens.

And Sir Arthur Clarke didn't believe in the supernatural or the paranormal.
But that's only an option. Does it matter?

Ten Toughest Jobs To Do in Chennai

You may be doing the toughest job in the world - sorting your e-mails, keeping track of facebook posts, and wondering whether you'll get the ticket for Jodha Akbar tonight. Never mind. Here are what I think the ten most toughest jobs to do in Chennai.

1. Scavenger
I've seen these men dip into the manhole in which we fall only in accidents, scoop all the litter in the underworld, dump them in a tray, continuing this process again and again, until the maistry is convinced. They do this wearing only the underwear. And they still manage to smile when they come out, cutting a sorry figure. These men are extremely healthy - for their immune system is boosted. And the last time a crow shitted on my favorite shirt, I was cursing all the crows under the sun. What about these people?

2. Garbage collectors
These people too are a strange species. They either work for the municipal corporation, or they are self-employed(!) garbage gatherers. The municipal workers can be seen merrily sitting on heaps of garbage they filled the truck with. Nowadays there's even a small spot on each side at the rear of the garbage truck. Long live the municipality. The ragpickers have a sharp tool to pick reusable plastic materials. Hope most of them realize the rags-to-riches dream.

3. Construction Worker
Day and night, rainy or sunny, flashing brightness or intimidating darkness, the work must go on. Yes, with the real estate industry on an unprecedented high that preceds an inevitable low, these people are always on call. Demolish old ones, build new ones. Build, build, build. I wonder what must be in the mind of a worker on a thirteenth floor construction spot, trusting only the makeshift scaffold. And if you're a woman, and your tasks involve carrying bricks and cement to places, wear your saree tight and right. It's such a safe world.

4. Traffic Controller
Why are these people in THIS list? Because they suffer a lot. Forget their salary. Forget their designation. They breathe the black city air; they tolerate the honkers' brays; and they have the risk of being run over by a speeding vehicle at any time. As we know, they have their heart in mouth when a VVIP passes by.

5. Bus Driver
Two wheelers overtake you on both sides. Mindless passengers get in and get out in signals and where there are no bus stops. It's a bumper to bumper traffic almost all the time. And yes, this is the life of a bus driver. And they have the repution of being rude. Some maybe right. And some wrong.

6. Cook in a local restaurant
You don't know today's temperature. But you know how hot it is. And there is no proper smoke exit. Perhaps you use the same cloth - to shift hot utensils, to wipe spilled curry, and to wipe your nose in case you have cold. Who cares? Welcome to the world of a cook in a local restaurant. I thought of giving the 6th spot to film operators in theaters, but let's be serious.

7. Ambulance Driver
I've seen an ambulance stuck up in a traffic jam for more than 10 minutes. And nobody gave way - nobody could. As if everyone is about to die soon. Think of the ambulance driver's pulse. Does he feel guilty of no mistake of his?

8. Courier Boy
You're not Jim Courier. They always suspect you. People always blame you for unclear address. You stroll around each nook and corner of the city - to find a worthless guy receiving worthless letter. Anyway, you have a job at hand. Keep it up!

9. Attender
This includes Office Attenders, and attenders of all sorts - for attenders nowadays have attenders too. You do all tasks not of yours. You pay someone else's electricity bills (of course they give you the money), you get lunch for some couch potato pretending to work with minimized Facebook window, you are the subject of rotten old jokes they manage to make. And yet you attend to everything.

10. Vegetable Vendor
I might sound a bit communist, or socialist. But with retail market invaded by giant chains, the vegetable vendor is left to the mercy of the lower middle class.
You have to pedal or push your vegetable 'store', park it so that you don't interrupt traffic, and sometimes need to talk business with Number 4 in this list, or some other man who is said to be running the law and order of the city.


I think this list is not to change for quite some time. Designations may vary, but not the problems. Are you one among the ten? If not, stop worrying. Mind your business.