An oldie but a goodie

Just read an introduction written by Arthur C. Clarke to 2001: A Space Odyssey, and thought I would share this nifty tidbit.

"So in writing our story line, at the early dawn of the space age, Stanley [Kubrik] and I had a credibility problem; we wanted to create something realistic and plausible that would not be made obsolete by the events of the next few years. And although our original working title was 'How the Solar System Was Won', Stanley was aiming at something more than a straightforward tale of exploration. As he was fond of telling me, "What I want is a theme of mythic grandeur."

Well, as the real year 2001 approaches, the movie has become part of popular culture: I doubt if even in his wildest dreams Stanley imagined that one day a hundred million Americans would know exactly who (what?) was speaking when a Super Bowl commercial announced in a silken yet sinister voice "It was a bug, Dave."