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Re:Arthur C. Clarke has died at the age of 90 by parker on Tuesday March 18, 2008 @06:18PM (#140279)
Can't help but thing of this song:

"Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer true; I'm half crazy over the love of you; It won't be a stylish marriage; I can't afford a carriage; But you look sweet, upon the seat; Of a bicycle built for two"

Trivia sidenote -- he called the supercomputer in 2001 HAL because he thought the company IBM would become increasingly dominant in a technical world. HAL's letters each are one below IBM's.

Re:Arthur C. Clarke has died at the age of 90 by Elfan on Tuesday March 18, 2008 @08:23PM (#140371)

    "Is it true, Dr. Chandra, that you chose the name HAL to be one step ahead of IBM?"

    "Utter nonsense! Half of us come from IBM and we've been trying to stamp out that story for years. I thought that by now every intelligent person knew that H-A-L is derived from Heuristic ALgorithmic." 
http://www.visual-memory.co.uk/faq/index.html#slot7
Re:Arthur C. Clarke has died at the age of 90 by maxwell on Tuesday March 18, 2008 @07:02PM (#140311)
Though Clarke denied that, asserting it simply stood for "Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer" and was just a coincidence. Obviously, the odds are against him...
Re:Arthur C. Clarke has died at the age of 90 by parker on Tuesday March 18, 2008 @07:10PM (#140315)
Another one of his mysteries I suppose... but I DID learn that while watching a TBS 2001/2010 marathon in like 1996. Ted Turner has never steered me wrong before.