Dear Sir Arthur,
I write this on your 93rd birth anniversary. Just over a thousand days have passed since you departed. Like all true rationalists, you didn't believe in an afterlife. So I don't expect you to be somewhere there, 'keeping an eye on us'. Yet, as the first decade of the 21st century draws to a close, I find it helpful to address this to you, and to reflect on some of your timeless ideas.
Three years ago this month, I worked with you in drafting and filming your 90th birthday reflections on YouTube. In just nine minutes, you outlined your vision and aspirations for the key areas that dominated your prolific life: space travel, communication technologies, and writing. We had no idea at the time that you had only 100 days left to live, or that this short video would soon become your public farewell. Those 900 words are well worth another read, and these few are particularly timely: 'Communication technologies are necessary, but not sufficient, for us humans to get along with each other … Technology tools help us to gather and disseminate information, but we also need qualities like tolerance and compassion to achieve greater understanding between peoples and nations.'