Admittedly, this guy's the king of 'em all, even if he's starting to slide into the flower patch upstairs.
His impact on both writing genre and real science is most likely immeasurable, much like Frank Lloyd Wright's contributions to architecture. They transcend immediate stylistic influence; they go right to the paradigm of the art or science itself.
Which is why I wanted to scream when I read this interview. How can somebody who is posessed of such vision be so linear in his addiction to Government-bred space programs? He even says, "Politicians are boring . . ." and gives good reason to not entrust this endeavor to them one minute further.
That would have been a great segue to a question - any question - about private exploration of space. Why wasn't this asked?
Until we allow our future to unfold like our history has, wherein bold and courageous explorers ventured into the great Unknown not for 'humnitarian' purposes, but to find a way to make a better or faster buck, we'll be strapped with No Activty Save Atrophy. Surely any true visionary could see this.
