[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
She nodded. "I know how the reduced Seldon Equations function. You should be
able to do a mat comparison and find the coefficients you need."
Hari grimaced. "They're not my equations; they come out of a body of research
by many "
"Come come, Academician, everyone knows you wrote down the pro-
cedures, the approach."
Hari groused a little more, because it did irk him, but the Thoranax woman
went on about using the pyramids and Yugo joined in enthusiastically and he
let the point pass. She went off with Yugo
Chan-cellor had a quick, ironic smile and pursed lips, a reserved gaze the
scholars look. "Your . .. dress?"
he asked pointedly.
Hari fumbled in his office closet, fetched forth the balloon-sleeved and
ample-girted robe, and changed in the side room. His secretary handed him his
all-purpose view cube as they quickly left the office. With the Chan-
cellor he crossed the main square, fan Specials in an inconspicuous forma-
tion fore and aft. A crowd of well-dressed men and women trained 3D cam-
Page 26
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
eras at them, one panning up and down to get the full effect of the Streeling
blue-and-yellow swirl-stripes.
"Have you heard from Lamurk?"
"What about the Dahlites?"
"Do you like the new Sector Principal? Does it matter that she's a trisex-
ualist?"
"How about the new health reports? Should the Emperor set exercise
requirements for Tranter?"
"Ignore them," Hari said.
The Chancellor smiled and waved at the cameras. "They're just doing their
job."
"What's this about exercise?" Hari asked.
"A study found that electro-stim while sleeping doesn't develop muscles
A woman rushed forward. "How do you exercise?"
Hari said sardonically, "I exercise restraint," but his point sailed right
past the woman, who looked at him blankly.
As they entered the Great Hall, Hari remembered to fetch forth the view cube
and hand it to the hall-master. A few 3Ds always made a talk pass more easily.
"Big crowd," he noted to the Chancellor as they took their places on the
speech balcony above the bowl of seats.
"Attendance is compulsory. All class members are here." The Chancel-
lor beamed down at the multitude. "I wanted to be sure we looked good to the
reporters outside."
Hari's mouth twisted. "How do they take attendance?"
"Everyone has a keyed seat. Once they sit, they're counted, if their in-
board ID matches the seat index."
"A lot of trouble just to get people to attend."
"They must! It's for their own good. And ours."
"They're adults, or else why let them study advanced subjects? Let them
decide what's good for them."
The Chancellor's lips compressed as he rose to do the introduction.
When Hari got up to talk, he said, "Now that you're officially counted, I
thank you for inviting me, and announce that this is the end of my formal
address."
Empire. but of beautiful, enduring mathematics.
8.
The woman from the Ministry of Interlocking Cultures looked down her nose at
him and said. "Of course, we must have contributions from your group."
Hari shook his head disbelievingly. "A ... senso?~ She adjusted her for-
mal suit by wriggling in hi« office's guest chair. "This is an advanced pro-
gram-All mathists are charged to submit Boon Behests." "We are com-
pletely unqualified to compose ' "I understand your hesitation. Yet we at
the Ministry feel these senso-symphonies will be just die thing needed to
energize a, well, an art form which is showing little prog-
ress."
"I don't get it."
She begrudgingly gave him a completely unconvincing, stilted smile.
"The way we envision this new sort of senso-symphony, the artists the
math-ists, that is will transmogrify basic structures of thought, such as
Euclidean conceptual edifices, or transfinite set theory fabrications. These
will be translated by an art strainer "
"Which is?"
"A computer filter which distributes conceptual patterns into a broad se-
lection of sensory avenues."
Page 27
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]