æz ɐ bˈɔɪ, hiː wʌz əbsˈɛst wɪð sˈaɪəns fˈɪkʃən; hiː wʌz pɚtˈɪkjʊlɚli stɹˈʌk baɪ ðɪ aɪdˈiəz ɪn ɹˈɑːbɚt ˈeɪ. hˈaɪnlaɪnz ˈɔːɹfənz ʌvðə skˈaɪ.
As a boy, he was obsessed with science fiction; he was particularly struck by the ideas in Robert A. Heinlein's Orphans of the Sky.