"Rudy Rucker and Bruce Sterling - Junk DNA" - читать интересную книгу автора (Rucker Rudy)

obsession was the junk DNA -- you know this technical phrase?"
"Trust me, Vero, I'm a genomics engineer."
"Wiktor found a way for these junk codons to express themselves. The echo from the cradle of life,
evolution's roadside picnic! To express junk DNA required a new wetware reader. Wiktor called it the
Universal Ribosome." She sighed. "We were so happy until the mafiya wanted the return on their
funding."
"No National Science Foundation for you guys," mused Janna.
"Wiktor was supposed to tweak a cabbage plant to make opium for the criminals -- but we were both
so busy growing our dear Pumpti. Wiktor used my DNA, you see. I was smart and saved the data
before the Uzbeks smashed up our lab. Now I'm over here with you, Janna, and we will start a great
industry of personal pets! Wiktor's hero fate was not in vain. And--"
Janna found Veruschka's grand Russian vision of user-based genomic petware infectious. Despite her
natural skepticism, real hope began to dawn. The old Valley dreams had always been the best ones.
What an old-skool, stylin', totally trippy way for Janna to shed her grind-it-out worklife! She and
Veruschka Zipkinova would create a start-up, launch the IPO and retire by thirty! Then Janna could
escape her life-draining servitude and focus on life's real rewards. Take up oil-painting, go on a safari,
and hook up with some sweet guy who understood her. A guy she could really talk to. Not an engineer,
and especially not a musician.
Veruschka pitchforked a glob of quiche past her pointed teeth. For her pilgrimage to the source of the
world's largest legal creation of wealth in history, the Russian girl hadn't forgotten to pack her appetite.
"Pumpti still needs little bit of, what you say here, tweaking," said Veruschka. The prototype Pumpti
sat shivering on its paper napkin. The thing had gone all goose-bumpy, and the bumps were warty: the
warts had smaller warts upon them, topped by teensy wartlets with fine, waving hairs. Not exactly a
magnet for shoppers.
Stuffed with alfalfa sprouts, Janna put her cutlery aside. Veruschka plucked up Janna's dirty fork, and
enthusiastically sucked it clean. She even scratched inside her cheek with the tines.
Janna watched this dubious stunt and decided to stick to business. "How about patents?"
"No one ever inspects Russian gene labs," said Veruschka with a glittery wink. "We Russians are the
great world innovators in black market wetware. Our fetal stem cell research, especially rich and good.
Plenty of fetus meat in Russia, cheap and easy, all you need! Nothing ever gets patented. To patent is to
teach stupid people to copy!"
"Well, do you have a local lab facility?" pressed Janna.
"I have better," said Veruschka, nuzzling her Pumpti. "I have pumptose. The super enzyme of
exponential autocatalysis!"
"'Pumptose,' huh? And that means?" prompted Janna.
"It means the faster it grows, the faster it grows!"
Janna finally reached out and delicately touched the Pumpti. Its surface wasn't wet after all, just shiny
like super-slick plastic. But -- a pet? It seemed more like something little boys would buy to gross-out
their sisters. "It's not exactly cuddly," said Janna.
"Just wait till you have your own Pumpti," said Veruschka with a knowing smile.
"But where's the soft hair and big eyes? That thing's got all the shelf appeal of a scabby knee!"
"It's nice to nibble a scab," said Veruschka softly. She cradled her Pumpti, leaned in to sniff it, then
showed her strong teeth and nipped off a bit of it.
"God, Veruschka," said Janna, putting down her coffee.
"Your own Pumpti," said Veruschka, smacking, "you are loving him like pretty new shoes. But so
much closer and personal! Because Pumpti is you, and you are Pumpti."
Janna sat in wonderment. Then, deep within her soul, a magic casement opened. "Here's how we'll
work it!" she exclaimed. "We give away Pumpti pets almost free. We'll make our money selling rip-off
Pumpti-care products and accessories!"
Veruschka nodded, eyes shining. "If we're business partners now, can you find me a place to sleep?"