I just saw over on Drudge that Ray Bradbury is dead at only 91 years old.
Along with Heinlein and Asimov, Bradbury was one of the most important influences on my misspent youth. I still think his tale of the automated house in "There Will Come Soft Rains" (PDF) is the most powerful contrast between hope and despair in the nuclear age ever written.
Ave Atque Vale.
