"Nancy Kress - Steamship Soldier on the Information Front" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kress Nancy)

evolved all those techniques by themselves."
Allan watched Hot Bytes Salsa race on its spindly legs to the slit in the wall and shove the
chips through.
"Six minutes, thirty-four seconds," Skaka said. "Allan, I'm sure somebody like you can see
the breakthrough this represents in autonomous computer learning. It makes artificial
intelligence -- with everything that implies in terms of corporate or military systems -- nearly
within our grasp. Now, doesn't that seem a potentially profitable investment for your venture
capital firm?"
Allan watched the plastic chips shower over Skaka's feet. To the victor belong the spoils.
"Yes," he said. "Let's talk."


After that, Figgy Pudding and Morrison Telecommunications were both anticlimactic. Figgy
might be worth a small investment, just to establish a beachhead, but nothing major. Morrison
Telecommunications was stodgy. Not anywhere near the front, not even really in the war
zone. Same old, same old.
Allan flew to D.C. and spent the night at the newly renovated Watergate. Jon had booked
him into two skirmishes tomorrow with labs doing government work, and Patti had added two
briefing sessions with firms already using Haller Ventures money. While he was at dinner, he
studied the info on each that she sent him. By dessert, the figures had changed once and the
meetings for tomorrow changed twice.
Upstairs, Allan felt restless. There was nothing good on TV, not even with 240 channels. He
couldn't seem to concentrate on his favorite Net game, Battle Chess. Every time he moved a
piece, the computer countered him with blinding speed. When he lost his lieutenant to the
computer's tank, which could move any number of squares through all three dimensions, Allan
surrendered. It was a relief when Cathy called.
"Allan? How'd it go today?"
He told her about Novation -- there was nothing he kept from Cathy. She was impressed,
which cheered him a little. But then she said, "Listen, love, I'm going to have to reschedule
our Wednesday rendezvous. I have the chance to go to Hong Kong after all."
"On the Burdette case? Great!" he forced himself to say. Cathy had worked for this for a
long time.
"I'm thrilled, of course. Lane is reworking my schedule. We'll send it as soon as the snafus
are out. Did you call Charlie?"
"Yeah. He's still just sitting a lot. Honey, do you think we should get him, well, help?"
Cathy's voice changed. "You know, I've been thinking that myself. Not that there's
anything really wrong with him, but just as a precaution ... "
"I'll have Jon research psychologists," Charlie said heavily. "Listen, do you think we could
reschedule our rendezvous to -- "
"Oops, gotta go, there's Lane with another update on the Burdette case. God, me and
international policy making! I can hardly believe it. Love you." The Cathy icon vanished.
"Love you, too," Allan said to the blank meshNet.
But there was no reason to wallow in gloom. He would call Suzette; his daughter was
always a delight. Suzette, however, was not taking calls. Neither was Allan's brother in
Florida. His mother, her system informed him, was sailing in the Aegean and would return his
call when she returned, unless it was an emergency. It was not an emergency. The icons on
his PID all vibrated and shimmered, even Charlie's, thank heavens.
Allan went to bed.