Today Arthur C. Clarke passed away: What I always admired about Clarke was that he started life as a fanboy reading science fiction pulp magazines, in fact he got his first few stories published in fanzines between 1937 and 1945 (he didn't turn pro until after WW II at the age of 29). Also for him science fiction wasn't some far off fantasy, but rather a reality waiting to happen — the proof of this was his love of science and astronomy, which gave his fiction a sense of credibility. Here is video of Clarke reflecting on his 90th birthday from last December: