Mystery author Robert B. Parker has died.

Yog-Sothoth.com has the sad news and video of recent chats with the author of several game supplements for the Call of Cthulhu RPG.

Majel Barrett-Roddenberry has boldly gone on.

Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, the wife of “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry, has passed away, Access Hollywood has learned. She was 76.

The actress died of leukemia at 12:27 AM on Thursday with her son, Rod, by her side. She was diagnosed with the disease six months ago.

Majel, whose acting credits included “Bonanza” and “Leave It To Beaver,” had been a part of “Star Trek” in all of its forms since it first premiered on September 8, 1966.

As the sound of the Enterprise’s computer in its many variations, her voice has been a part of my life for longer than I care to remember.

From The Washington Post:

George Carlin, 71, the much-honored American stand-up comedian whose long career was distinguished by pointed social commentary that placed him on the cultural cutting edge, died last night in Santa Monica, Calif.

His death was reported by the Reuters news agency and on the Los Angeles Times Web site. He had long struggled with health problems and a heart condition dating to the 1970s.

Carlin was selected last week by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to receive this year’s Mark Twain Prize, a lifetime achievement award presented to an outstanding comedian.

Army Sgt. Gene Arden Vance Jr., 38, of Morgantown.
May 19, 2002. Afghanistan.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Anissa A. Shero, 31, of Grafton.
June 12, 2002. Afghanistan.

Army Pfc. Richard W. Hafer, 21, of Nitro.
Nov. 15, 2003. Iraq.

Army Staff Sgt. Roger C. Turner Jr., 37, of Parkersburg.
Feb. 1, 2004. Iraq.

Army Pfc. Ernest Harold Sutphin, 21, of Parkersburg.
March 18, 2004. Iraq.

Marine Cpl. Joshua S. Wilfong, 22, of Walker.
April 30, 2004. Iraq.

Marine Lance Cpl. Juston T. Thacker, 21, of Bluefield.
June 24, 2004. Afghanistan.

Army Spec. Danny B. Daniels II, 23, of Varney.
July 20, 2004. Iraq.

Army Sgt. DeForest L. Talbert, 24, of Charleston.
July 27, 2004. Iraq.

Army Sgt. Bobby E. Beasley, 36, of Inwood.
Aug. 7, 2004. Afghanistan.

Marine Lance Cpl. John T. Byrd II, 23, of Fairview.
Oct. 30, 2004. Iraq.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Otie J. McVey, 53, of Oak Hill.
Evacuated from Iraq Sept. 23, 2004, for a non-combat related illness and died in Beaver, W.Va. Nov. 7, 2004.

Marine Cpl. Romulo J. Jimenez II, 21, of Bellington.
Nov. 10, 2004. Iraq. (I could not find a photo of him, but there’s a story here.)

Marine Lance Cpl. Bradley L. Parker, 19, of Rachel.
Nov. 15, 2004. Iraq.

Army Staff Sgt. Darren D. VanKomen, 33, of Bluefield.
Dec. 21, 2004. Iraq.

Marine Cpl. Bryan J. Richardson, 23, of Summersville.
March 25, 2005. Iraq.

Army Pfc. Brian S. Ulbrich, 23, of Chapmanville.
June 5, 2005. Iraq.

Marine Lance Cpl. Adam J. Crumpler, 19, of Campbells Creek.
June 18, 2005. Iraq.

Navy Petty Officer Jeffrey S. Taylor, 30, of Midway.
June 28, 2005. Afghanistan.

Army Staff Sgt. Jeremy A. Brown, 26, of Mabscott.
July 3, 2005. Iraq.

Army Staff Sgt. Robert F. White, 34, of Cross Lanes.
Sept. 26, 2005. Afghanistan.

Army Sgt. Brian C. Karim, 22, of Talcott.
Dec. 13, 2005. Iraq.

Army Sgt. Matthew D. Hunter, 31, of Valley Grove.
Jan. 23, 2006. Iraq.

Marine Cpl. William B. Fulks, 23, of Culloden.
May 18, 2006. Iraq.

Army Staff Sgt. Stephen A. Seale, 25, of Grafton.
Aug. 6, 2006. Iraq.

Sgt. Charles J. McClain, 26, of Follansbee.
Oct. 31, 2006. Afghanistan.

Army Pvt. Michael J. Slater, 19, of Scott Depot.
April 21, 2007. Iraq.

Army Spec. Daniel F. Mehringer, 20, of Morgantown.
April 27, 2007. Afghanistan.

Army Staff Sgt. Stanley B. Reynolds, 37, of Rock.
Aug. 14, 2007. Iraq.

Army Pfc. Thomas Randolph Wilson, 21, of Morgantown.
Aug. 27, 2007. Afghanistan.

Army Cpl. Jason N. Marchand, 26, of Greenwood.
Oct. 5, 2007. Iraq.

Army Capt. Benjamin D. Tiffner, 31, of Pigeon.
Nov. 7, 2007. Iraq.

From The New York Times:

Arthur C. Clarke, a writer whose seamless blend of scientific expertise and poetic imagination helped usher in the space age, died early Wednesday in Colombo, Sri Lanka, where he had lived since 1956. He was 90.

Rohan de Silva, an aide to Mr. Clarke, said the author died after experiencing breathing problems, The Associated Press reported. Mr. Clarke had post-polio syndrome for the last two decades and used a wheelchair.

From his detailed forecast of telecommunications satellites in 1945, more than a decade before the first orbital rocket flight, to his co-creation, with the director Stanley Kubrick, of the classic science fiction film “2001: A Space Odyssey,” Mr. Clarke was both prophet and promoter of the idea that humanity’s destiny lay beyond the confines of Earth.

Other early advocates of a space program argued that it would pay for itself by jump-starting new technology. Mr. Clarke set his sights higher. Paraphrasing William James, he suggested that exploring the solar system could serve as the “moral equivalent” of war, giving an outlet to energies that might otherwise lead to nuclear holocaust.

Mr. Clarke’s influence on public attitudes toward space was acknowledged by American astronauts and Russian cosmonauts, by scientists like the astronomer Carl Sagan and by movie and television producers. Gene Roddenberry credited Mr. Clarke’s writings with giving him courage to pursue his “Star Trek” project in the face of indifference, even ridicule, from television executives.

snip

Mr. Clarke was well aware of the importance of his role as science spokesman to the general population: “Most technological achievements were preceded by people writing and imagining them,” he noted. “I’m sure we would not have had men on the Moon,” he added, if it had not been for H.G. Wells and Jules Verne. “I’m rather proud of the fact that I know several astronauts who became astronauts through reading my books.”

Unfortunately the cleric won’t be able to resurrect.
From Wired:

Gygax designed the original D&D game with Dave Arneson in 1974, and went on to create the Dangerous Journeys and Lejendary Adventure RPGs, as well as a number of board games. He also wrote several fantasy novels.
“I don’t think I’ve really grokked it yet,” said Mike Mearls, the lead developer of the upcoming 4th edition of Dungeons and Dragons. “He was like the cool uncle that every gamer had. He shaped an entire generation of gamers.”

It’s been decades (!) since I gathered with friends around a table to play D&D. Now a cultural icon of my youth has passed.

The life of a denizen of the deep that thousands encountered and were astonished by has sadly ended.

One of the most recognizable creatures at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, a sunfish that weighed more than a half-ton, was euthanized Thursday after a week of failing health.

… The sunfish, known by its scientific name Mola mola, or “millstone” in Latin, was a visitor favorite because of its massive size and unusual presence.

…Mola mola was just 22 inches long and weighed less than 20 pounds when aquarium staff collected it in September 2005 in Monterey Bay. On exhibit, it grew to 6 feet, 7 inches and 1,247 pounds.

“It’s like something starting out the size of a rowboat and growing to the size of a cruise ship,” Peterson said. “They’re astonishing.”

A necropsy determined the Mola mola was a male. Its brain would have fit in a teaspoon. – The Salinas Californian

The largest attraction in the exhibit, the peculiar creature — it looked like an especially homely face with fins — often mesmerized visitors as it glided slowly through the water.

“The size when it would come by the window was such an attention grabber,” Peterson said. – The Montery Herald

I always liked him.

The New York Times has a good story on his life and unfortunate death.