"James P. Hogan - Realtime Interrupt" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hogan James P)

computers. Perhaps he should have married an Irish wife.
Sure enough:
тАЬIf you ask meтАФтАЭ
тАЬI didnтАЩt.тАЭ
тАЬWell, I did make it a conditional.тАЭ If Horace had feet, it would have stamped one. After years, it still couldnтАЩt
understand when Corrigan was having funтАФor why. Corrigan grinned at himself in the mirror. Intelligent machines
would finally have arrivedтАФalmostтАФwhen their adaptive neural nets could handle things like this, he decided.
Horace went on: тАЬI donтАЩt think that those comments are appropriate, Joe. You seem to be forgetting that youтАЩre the
one with residual psychiatric readjustment problems.тАЭ (And demonstrate a dash more of the human art called тАЬtactтАЭ
while they were at it, Corrigan thought.) тАЬBut youтАЩre suggesting that the rest of the world ought to change to conform
to your perceptions. Hardly a rational position to adopt, I would have thought.тАЭ The machine stressed the implied
conditional, giving a wonderful emulation of sarcasm. Corrigan was impressed.
тАЬI can only go by the way things seem to me, Horace,тАЭ he said. тАЬIf you canтАЩt call a pig a pig when you see one,
what hope is there?тАЭ
тАЬPlease explain the connection with pigs.тАЭ
Corrigan sighed. (And better comprehension of metaphor, along with tact and humor.) тАЬSome other time. What I
meant was, thereтАЩs no point in pretending that something looks other than the way it does. IтАЩm told that my powers of
projective immersion are impaired. And maybe they are. But it doesnтАЩt seem to have occurred to anybody that I
might actually be happy with things being this way.тАЭ
Corrigan finished drying his face and went back into the bedroom to select some clothes for the day. HoraceтАЩs
voice pursued him relentlessly like an anxious butler.
тАЬAre you really the one to be the judge of that, Joe?тАЭ
тАЬThe judge of what 1 like? Sure. Who better did you have in mind?тАЭ Maybe a regular, button-up, navy shirt and
plain, old-fashioned, gray slacks, he thoughtтАФnon-projectively, non-immersingly expressing what he thought of
bright purple jumpsuits and plastic imitation combat garb.
тАЬI meant, of whether itтАЩs healthy to feel happy about it,тАЭ Horace said. тАЬAccording to the testimony of Doctor
Newcomb, who as you may recall was the expert witness called in the trial of Jenny Drew in theтАФтАЭ
тАЬHorace,тАЭ Corrigan interrupted. тАЬI thought you were talking about reality. Those are fictional characters in con-
trived situations. Get it? They donтАЩt really exist.тАЭ
тАЬNot as such, possibly,тАЭ Horace admitted stiffly. тАЬNevertheless, they are based on carefully researched studies,
and may therefore be taken as realistic depictions of composite actuality.тАЭ
тАЬIn that case, reality has got problems,тАЭ Corrigan said.
тАЬNot you, by any chance?тАЭ
тАЬIf I have, I can live with them. So whereтАЩs the problem?тАЭ
тАЬYouтАЩre happy to be out on your own like that, to be different?тАЭ As if it werenтАЩt already obvious. An ability to ac-
cept the fact had evidently not connected in HoraceтАЩs associative net.
тАЬWhatтАЩs more important, would you say?тАЭ Corrigan replied. тАЬConformity or contentment?тАЭ
тАЬInvalid comparison,тАЭ Horace pronounced. тАЬYour contentment is something that only you know about. What you
do is different. ItтАЩs external. It affects other people, and hence what they do.тАЭ There was a short delay, giving an
effective impression of Horace weighing its words. тАЬTherefore, the answer to which is more important depends on
how seriously you take the consequences.тАЭ
Corrigan caught the pause and stopped halfway through buttoning his shirt. тАЬHorace,тАЭ he said, looking away from
the mirror. тАЬSomethingтАЩs happened. What is it?тАЭ
HoraceтАЩs voice became formal, sounding like a lawyer serving notice of a suit. тАЬI have to inform you that Mrs.
Corrigan is not staying with her sister in Philadelphia for the weekend, as you were informed. She will not be
returning, and has instructed that her whereabouts not be revealed. It is her intention to initiate proceedings, and you
will be hearing from her attorney in due course.тАЭ There was a pause, Corrigan saying nothing while he knotted his tie
and digested what he had heard. Then, reverting to its normal self, Horace added, тАЬShe left this message.тАЭ
Corrigan slowly finished buttoning his shirt cuffs as MurielтАЩs twangy Tennessee voice filled the room. тАЬWell, I
guess by now you know the situationтАФnot that I can see you taking it as any big deal. But then I donтАЩt think we ever