mc.risingsun-第39章

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　Pakistani。　Out　of　thirty　students　only　three　were　white。
　〃That's　right；〃　Sanders　said　to　me　later；　as　we　walked　down　the　hallway　toward　his　laboratory。　〃A　class　like　Physics　101　doesn't　attract　Americans。　It's　been　that　way　for　years。　Industry　can't　find　them；　either。　We　would　be　up　shit　creek　if　we　didn't　have　the　Orientals　and　Indians　who　e　here　to　get　doctorates　in　math　and　engineering；　and　then　work　for　American　panies。〃
　We　continued　down　some　stairs；　and　turned　left。　We　were　in　a　basement　passageway。　Sanders　walked　quickly。
　〃But　the　trouble　is；　it's　changing；〃　he　continued。　〃My　Asian　students　are　starting　to　go　home。　Koreans　are　going　back　to　Korea。　Taiwanese　the　same。　Even　Indians　are　returning　home。　The　standard　of　living　is　going　up　in　their　countries；　and　there's　more　opportunity　back　home　now。　Some　of　these　foreign　countries　have　large　numbers　of　well…trained　people。〃　He　led　me　briskly　down　a　flight　of　stairs。　〃Do　you　know　what　city　has　the　highest　number　of　Ph。D。's　per　capita　in　the　world？〃
　〃Boston？〃
　〃Seoul；　Korea。　Think　about　that　as　we　rocket　into　the　twenty…first　century。〃
　Now　we　were　going　down　another　corridor。　Then　briefly　outside；　into　sunlight；　down　a　covered　walkway；　and　back　into　another　building。　Sanders　kept　glancing　back　over　his　shoulder；　as　if　he　was　afraid　of　losing　me。　But　he　never　stopped　talking。
　〃And　with　foreign　students　going　home；　we　don't　have　enough　engineers　to　do　American　research。　To　create　new　American　technology。　It's　a　simple　balance　sheet。　Not　enough　trained　people。　Even　big　panies　like　IBM　are　starting　to　have　trouble。　Trained　people　simply　don't　exist。　Watch　the　door。〃
　The　door　swung　back　toward　me。　I　went　through。　I　said；　〃But　if　there　are　all　these　high…tech　job　opportunities；　won't　they　begin　to　attract　students？〃
　〃Not　like　investment　banking。　Or　law。〃　Sanders　laughed。　〃America　may　lack　engineers　and　scientists；　but　we　lead　the　world　in　the　production　of　lawyers。　America　has　half　the　lawyers　in　the　entire　world。　Think　of　that。〃　He　shook　his　head。
　〃We　have　four　percent　of　the　world　population。　We　have　eighteen　percent　of　the　world　economy。　But　we　have　fifty　percent　of　the　lawyers。　And　thirty…five　thousand　more　every　year；　pouring　out　of　the　schools。　That's　where　our　productivity's　directed。　That's　where　our　national　focus　is。　Half　our　TV　shows　are　about　lawyers。　America　has　bee　Land　of　Lawyers。　Everybody　suing。　Everybody　disputing。　Everybody　in　court。　After　all；　three　quarters　of　a　million　American　lawyers　have　to　do　something。　They　have　to　make　their　three　hundred　thousand　a　year。　Other　countries　think　we're　crazy。〃
　He　unlocked　a　door。　I　saw　a　sign　that　said　ADVANCED　IMAGING　LABORATORY　in　hand…painted　lettering；　and　an　arrow。　Sanders　led　me　down　a　long　basement　hallway。
　〃Even　our　brightest　kids　are　badly　educated。　The　best　American　kids　now　rank　twelfth　in　the　world；　after　the　industrialized　countries　of　Asia　and　Europe。　And　that's　our　top　students。　At　the　bottom；　it's　worse。　One…third　of　high　school　graduates　can't　read　a　bus　schedule。　They're　illiterate。〃
　We　came　to　the　end　of　the　hallway；　and　turned　right。　〃And　the　kids　I　see　are　lazy。　Nobody　wants　to　work。　I　teach　physics。　It　takes　years　to　master。　But　all　the　kids　want　to　dress　like　Charlie　Sheen　and　make　a　million　dollars　before　they're　twenty…eight。　The　only　way　you　can　make　that　kind　of　money　is　in　law；　investment　banking；　Wall　Street。　Places　where　the　game　is　paper　profits；　something　for　nothing。　But　that's　what　the　kids　want　to　do；　these　days。〃
　〃Maybe　at　U。S。C。〃
　〃Trust　me。　Everywhere。　They　all　watch　television。〃
　He　swung　another　door　open。　Still　another　corridor。　This　one　smelled　moldy；　damp。
　〃I　know；　I　know。　I'm　old…fashioned；〃　Sanders　said。　〃I　still　believe　that　every　human　being　stands　for　something。　You　stand　for　something。　I　stand　for　something。　Just　being　on　this　planet；　wearing　the　clothes　we　wear；　doing　the　work　we　do；　we　each　stand　for　something。　And　in　this　little　corner　of　the　world；〃　he　said；　〃we　stand　for　cutting　the　crap。　We　analyze　network　news　and　see　where　they　have　been　fucking　around　with　the　tape。　We　analyze　TV　mercials　and　show　where　the　tricks　are…　〃
　Sanders　suddenly　stopped。
　〃What's　the　matter？〃
　〃Wasn't　there　someone　else？〃　he　said。　〃Didn't　you　e　here　with　someone　else？〃
　〃No。　Just　me。〃
　〃Oh；　good。〃　Sanders　continued　on　at　his　same　breakneck　pace。　〃I　always　worry　about　losing　people　down　here。　Ah；　okay。　Here　we　are。　The　lab。　Good。　This　door　is　just　where　I　left　it。〃
　With　a　flourish；　he　threw　the　door　open。　I　stared　at　the　room；　shocked。
　〃I　know　it　doesn't　look　like　much；〃　Sanders　said。　That；　I　thought；　was　a　serious　understatement。
　I　was　looking　at　a　basement　space　with　rusty　pipes　and　fittings　hanging　down　from　the　ceiling。　The　green　linoleum　on　the　floor　curled　up　in　several　places　to　expose　concrete　beneath。　Arranged　around　the　room　were　battered　wooden　tables；　each　heaped　with　equipment；　and　drooping　wires　down　the　sides。　At　each　table；　a　student　sat　facing　monitors。　In　several　places；　water　plinked　into　buckets　on　the　floor。　Sanders　said；　〃The　only　space　we　could　get　was　here　in　the　basement；　and　we　don't　have　the　money　to　put　in　little　amenities　like　a　ceiling。　Never　mind；　doesn't　matter。　Just　watch　your　head。〃
　He　moved　forward　into　the　room。　I　am　about　a　hundred　and　eighty　centimeters　tall；　not　quite　six　feet；　and　I　had　to　crouch　to　enter　the　room。　From　somewhere　in　the　ceiling　above；　I　heard　a　harsh　rasping　sizzle。
　〃Skaters；〃　Sanders　explained。
　〃Sorry？〃
　〃We're　underneath　the　ice　rink。　You　get　used　to　it。　Actually；　it's　not　bad　now。　When　they　have　hockey　practice　in　the　afternoon；　then　it's　a　bit　noisy。〃
　We　moved　deeper　into　the　room。　I　felt　like　I　was　in　a　submarine。　I　glanced　at　the　students　at　their　workstations。　They　were　all　intent　on　their　work；　nobody　looked　up　as　we　passed。　Sanders　said；　〃What　kind　of　tape　do　you　want　to　duplicate？〃
　〃Eight…millimeter　Japanese。　Security　tape。　It　might　be　difficult。〃
　〃Difficult？　I　doubt　that　very　much；〃　Sanders　said。　〃You　know；　back　in　my　youth；　I　wrote　most　of　the　early　video　image…enhancement　algorithms。　You　know；　despeckling　and　inversion　and　edge　tracing。　That　stuff。　The　Sanders　algorithms　were　the　ones　everybody　used。　I　was　a　graduate　student　at　Cal　Tech　then。　I　worked　at　JPL　in　my　spare　time。　No；　no；　we　can　do　it。〃
　I　handed　him　a　tape。　He　looked　at　it。　〃Cute　little　bugger。〃
　I　said；　〃What　happened？　To　all　your　algorithms？〃
　〃There　was　no　mercial　use　for　them；〃　he　said。　〃Back　in　the　eighties；　American　panies　like　RCA　and　GE　got　out　of　mercial　electronics　entirely。　My　image　enhancement　programs　didn't　have　much　use　in　America。〃　He　shrugged。　〃So　I　tried　to　sell　them　to　Sony；　in　Japan。〃
　〃And？〃
　〃The　Japanese　had　already　patented　the　products。　In　Japan。〃
　〃You　mean　they　already　had　the　algorithms？〃
　〃No。　They　just　had　patents。　In　Japan；　patenting　is　a　form　of　war。　The　Japanese　patent　like　crazy。　And　they　have　a　strange　system。　It　takes　eight　years　to　get　a　patent　in　Japan；　but　your　application　is　made　public　after　eighteen　months；　after　which　royalties　are　moot。　And　of　course　Japan　doesn't　have　reciprocal　licensing　agreements　with　America。　It's　one　of　the　ways　they　keep　their　edge。
　〃Anyway；　when　I　got　to　Japan　I　found　Sony　and　Hitachi　had　some　related　patents　and　they　had　done　what　is　called　'patent　flooding。'　Meaning　they　covered　possible　related　uses。　They　didn't　have　the　rights　to　use　my　algorithms　…　but　I　discovered　I　didn't　have　the　rights；　either。　Because　they　had　already　patented　the　use　of　my　invention。〃　He　shrugged。　〃It's　plicated　to　explain。　Anyway；　that's　ancient　history。　By　now　the　Japanese　have　devised　much　more　plicated　video　software；　far　surpassing　anything　we　have。　They're　years　ahead　of　us　now。　But　we　struggle　along　in　this　lab。　Ah。　Just　the　person　we　need。　Dan。　Are　you　busy？〃
　A　young　woman　looked　up　from　the　puter　console。　Large　eyes；　horn…rim　glasses；　dark　hair。　Her　face　was　partially　blocked　by　the　ceiling　pipes。
　〃You're　not　Dan；〃　Sanders　said；　sounding　surprised。　〃Where's　Dan；　Theresa？〃
　〃Picking　up　a　midterm；〃　Theresa　said。　〃I'm　just　helping　run　the　real…time　progressions。　They're　finishing　now。〃　I　had　the　impressio