NSDiary

From Arthur C Clarke* ‘s 3001 The Final Odyssey

Poole had been surprised - and a little shocked - to discover that the crew’s knowledge of Goliath’s systems was very superficial. Often he had asked questions which should have been easily answered, only to be referred to the ship’s own memory banks. After a while, however, he realised that the sort of in-depth training he had received in his days was no longer possible: far too many complex systems were involved for any man or woman’s mind to master. The various specialists merely had to know what their equipment did, not how.

Exactly.

Now I’m not saying it is the perfect computer, far from it, but is the beginning of something new. I’ll buy one if only to make stuff for it.

• If you’re the slightest interested in carefully researched science fiction. Read his stuff.