"Kim Stanley Robinson - Forty Signs of Rain" - читать интересную книгу автора (Robinson Kim Stanley)

Onto the parklike grounds of Torrey Pines Generique, through the newly beefed-up security gates. The
place was looking empty, he thought as he entered the main building and walked down its halls to
DerekтАЩs office. They had definitely let a lot of people go; several labs he passed stood empty and
unused.

Frank entered the reception room and greeted DerekтАЩs secretary, Susan, who buzzed him in. Derek got
up from his broad desk to shake hands.
тАЬGood to see you again, how are you?тАЭ

тАЬFine, and you?тАЭ

тАЬOh, getting by, getting by.тАЭ

His office looked the same as the last time Frank had visited: window view of the Pacific; framed copy
of DerekтАЩs cover portrait on aU.S. News & World Report; skiing photos.

тАЬSo, whatтАЩs new with the great bureaucrats of science?тАЭ

тАЬThey call themselves technocrats, actually.тАЭ

тАЬOh IтАЩm sure itтАЩs a big difference.тАЭ Derek shook his head. тАЬI never understood why you went out there.
I suppose you made good use of your time.тАЭ

тАЬYes.тАЭ

тАЬAnd now youтАЩre almost back.тАЭ

тАЬYes. IтАЩm almost done.тАЭ Frank paused. тАЬBut look, like I said to you on the phone, I did see something
interesting come in from someone who has worked here.тАЭ

тАЬRight, I looked into it. We could still hire him full-time, IтАЩm pretty sure. HeтАЩs on soft money up at
Caltech.тАЭ

тАЬGood. Because I thought it was a very interesting idea.тАЭ

тАЬSo NSF funded it?тАЭ

тАЬNo, the panel wasnтАЩt as impressed as I was. And they might have been rightтАФit was a bit
undercooked. But the thing is, if it did work, you could test genes by computer simulation, and identify
proteins you wanted, even down to specific ligands, so you could get better attachments to cells in vivo.
It would really speed the process. Sharpen it.тАЭ

Derek regarded him closely. тАЬYou know we donтАЩt really have any funds for new people.тАЭ

тАЬYeah I know. But this guy is a postdoc, right? And a mathematician. He was only asking NSF for some
computer time really. You could hire him full-time for a starter salary, and put him on the case, and it
would hardly cost you a thing. I mean, if you canтАЩt afford thatтАжAnyway, it could be interesting.тАЭ

тАЬWhat do you mean, тАШinterestingтАЩ?тАЭ