"Edward M. Lerner - Presence of Mind" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lerner Edward M)

real divots: Maintenance would just love that.
Sighing, he reached for the Velcro buckle of his game goggles-and missed. Look, Ma, no hand. He
was more successful with his left arm. The colored regions floating about the room, the glowing
scoreboard, the lines on the floor-all of the ephemera-disappeared. Stark white walls now surrounded
him, interrupted only by glass-covered, inset mini-cam ports and the thin outline of a tightly fitting door.
Doug laid down his computer-controlled goggles carefully, although its LCD eyepieces and stereo
speakers weren't all that fragile, then wrestled himself back into the prosthetic forearm. Hopefully, the
impact of racquet on wall hadn't injured the limb. He'd find out soon enough.
Doug glanced at his wristwatch, and it was as late as he'd feared. The more conventional part of
work called.
***
Doug strode from the virtual-reality lab to his office, whose laser-carved wooden nameplate
announced him to be Manager, Neural Interfaces Department. He paused beside his secretary's desk to
check out his tie. He'd have been amazed if it hadn't needed straightening. No surprises today.
The reflection in the sidelight to his office door revealed someone tall and well built, if not as thin as
he'd like. Still, 185 pounds at six-foot two was respectable. Thick and unruly hair, all black but for a hint
of gray at the temples, remained damp from his post-game shower. His most prominent feature was a
nose too large for his taste. Aquiline, Doug reminded himself, aquiline. Like an eagle. The hint of a
mischievous smile flashed and was gone. What eagle had a bump like this on its beak? His hood
ornament had come courtesy of a long-ago pick-up football game gone a little too enthusiastic. He
tugged the knot into something more closely resembling its intended configuration, then entered his office.
A visitor stood waiting inside his office, scanning titles on his bookshelf. She turned to face him. It
was Cheryl Stern's first job interview at BioSciCorp, and Doug found himself taken aback. Cascades of
wavy brown hair framed a face graced by wide-set hazel eyes, an upturned nose, and a sensual mouth.
Her brief smile seemed forced and out of practice. She was slender and, he guesstimated, about five-foot
four. All in all, very attractive. He was instantly shamed by a memory of Holly.
Doug hastened to offer her a guest chair, shut the door, then hid behind his desk. Her application sat
in a manila folder in front of him. He got his mind back on the interview and the resume. The resume, he
reminded himself severely, that had earned her the invitation to this meeting.
тАЬThanks for coming in, Cheryl. I hope you didn't have any trouble finding us.тАЭ
тАЬYour secretary's directions were great. I gather she gets to give them out a lot.тАЭ
The implied question was: how many people am I competing against? He also couldn't help noticing
that she sat perched just a little too far forward in her seat. He tried for a friendly grin. тАЬThere's no
opening per se. I'm sure you know how few people there are in the neural-interfacing field. When a
resume as good as yours crosses my desk, I make a point of talking to its owner. If you're as talented as
this suggests, I'll make a spot.тАЭ
She relaxed a bit at his answer, but said nothing.
тАЬLet's start with one of those open-ended questions interviewees hate-I try to get those out of the
way before taking candidates to lunch. That way, you'll actually get to eat. Why don't you tell me a little
about yourself?тАЭ
It was quickly clear that she wasn't going to volunteer anything not already on her resume. тАЬExcuse
me, please, Cheryl. What I'd like to hear is more along the lines of what you're looking for in a job. For
instance, why did you contact BioSciCorp?тАЭ
It took a few tries, but he eventually got her to open up. тАЬ...And neural interfacing fascinates me. Still,
when I consider the potential of linking the human brain directly with a computer, my imagination can't
quite handle it. Sure, I know all of the standard predictions: speed-of-thought control of complex
machinery, immediate access to entire libraries, mind-to-mind communications between people using the
computer as an intermediary. What I don't believe is that any of us truly understands what these
capabilities would really mean. If we pull it off, neural interfacing could have as big an impact on
civilization as the industrial revolution.тАЭ