I'm thinking of the incredible breakthrough which has been made possible by developments...

Arthur C. Clarke: I'm thinking of the incredible breakthrough which has been made possible by developments in communications, particularly the transistor and above all, the communications satellite. These things will make possible a world in which we can be in instant contact with each other, wherever we may be. It will be possible in that age, perhaps only 50 years from now, for a man to conduct his business from Tahiti or Bali just as well as he could from London. In fact, if it proves worthwhile, almost any executive skill, any administrative skill, even any physical skill, could be made independent of distance. When that time comes, the whole world will have shrunk to a point. And the traditional role of the city as a meeting place for man would have ceased to make any sense. In fact, men will no longer commute. They will communicate