"Vernor Vinge - The Cookie Monster" - читать интересную книгу автора (Vinge Vernor)

"Programmers?" Dixie Mae muttered to Victor.

"Heh. No, these look more like . . . graduate students."

The loud one had red hair snatched back in a pony tail. He gave Dixie Mae a broad grin. "WeтАЩve got
a couple of extra display flats. Grab some seating." He jerked a thumb toward the wall and a stack
of folding chairs. "With you two, we may actually be able to finish today!"

Dixie Mae looked uncertainly at the display and keyboard that he had just lit up. "But whatтАУ"

"Cognitive Science 301. The final exam. A hundred dollars a question, but we have 107 bluebooks to
grade, and Gerry asked mainly essay questions."

Victor laughed. "YouтАЩre getting a hundred dollars for each bluebook?"

"For each question in each bluebook, man. But donтАЩt tell. I think Gerry is funding this out of
money that LotsaTech thinks heтАЩs spending on research." He waved at the nearly empty room, in this
nearly completed building.

Dixie Mae leaned down to look at the display, the white letters on a blue background. It was a
standard bluebook, just like at Valley Community College. Only here the questions were complete
nonsense, such as:

7. Compare and contrast cognitive dissonance in operant conditioning with Minsky-Lo├иve attention
maintenance. Outline an algorithm for constructing the associated isomorphism.

"So," said Dixie Mae, "whatтАЩs cognitive science?"


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The grin disappeared from the otherтАЩs face. "Oh, Christ. YouтАЩre not here to help with the
grading?"

Dixie Mae shook her head. Victor said, "It shouldnтАЩt be too hard. IтАЩve had some grad courses in
psych."

The redhead did not look encouraged. "Does anyone know this guy?"

"I do," said a girl at the far end of all the tables. "ThatтАЩs Victor Smaley. HeтАЩs a journalism
grad, and not very good at that."

Victor looked across the tables. "Hey, Mouse! How ya doing?"

The redhead looked beseechingly at the ceiling. "I do not need these distractions!" His gaze came
down to the visitors. "Will you two just please go away?"