ACM LAUNCHES
ENHANCED DIGITAL LIBRARY

The new DL simplifies usability, extends
connections, and expands content with:
• Broadened citation pages with tabs
for metadata and links to expand
exploration and discovery
• Redesigned binders to create
personal, annotatable reading lists for
sharing and exporting
• Enhanced interactivity tools to retrieve
data, promote user engagement, and
introduce user-contributed content
• Expanded table-of-contents service
for all publications in the DL

Visit the ACM Digital Library at:

dl.acm.org

one of these
slime-mold cells. They like reverse Pol-
ish. I’m overwriting their junk DNA.”
“We prefer to speak of sequences
that code for obsolete or unactivated
functional activity,” said Velma, mak-
ing a playful professor face.

“Like Harry’s sense of empathy?” I suggested.

Velma laughed. “I’m waiting for him
to code me into the slime mold with
him.”
A week later, Harry was having con-
versations out loud with the mold cul-
ture on his desk. Intrigued by the ac-
tivity, one of our techs had interfaced
a sound card to Harry’s culture, still in
its Petri dish. When Harry was talking
to it, I couldn’t readily tell which of the
voices was the real him.

The week after that, I noticed the slime mold colonies had formed themselves into a pattern of nested scrolls, with fruiting bodies atop some of the ridges. Velma was in the office a lot, excitedly discussing a joint paper she was writing with Harry.

“Not exactly a wedding,” I joked.
“But still.”
When Velma left, Harry gave me a
frown. “You don’t ever plan to get on
my wavelength, do you, Fletch? You’ll
always be picking at me.”
“So? Not everyone has to be the
same.”
“By now I would have thought you’d
want to join me. You’re the younger
man. I need for you to extend my re-
search.” He was leaning over his desk,
lifting up the bell jar to fiddle with his
culture.

“I’ve got my own career,” I said,
shaking my head. “But, of course, I ad-
mit there’s genius in your work.”
“Your work now,” said Harry.
“Yours.” He darted forward and blew
a puff of spores into my face. In mo-
ments the mold had reprogrammed my
wetware. I became a full-on emulation
of Harry.

And—I swear—Velma will soon be mine.

[COntinueD FrOm p. 120]

Rudy Rucker ( [e-mail]) is a professor emeritus in the cs Department at san Jose state university, san Jose, ca, and author of pop math and cs books, including The Lifebox, the Seashell and the Soul. he is also a science fiction writer known for his recent Postsingular and cyberpunk Ware Tetralogy, which won two Philip k. Dick awards. his autobiography Nested Scrolls will appear in late 2011.

© 2011 acM 0001-0782/11/07 $10.00