ou,SoftwareMan,becausewewanttobeuoodandlovedbythegreatlaypublidhaveourmarvelsappre?ciatedbythatpublic,forwhichwedailyunsungprodusofnewmarvelseachmorelife-en?hangtha.Askusanything.Doyouwanttoknowaboutevaporatedthin-filmmetal?lurgy?Monolithidhybridied-circuitprocesses?Thealgebraofinequalities?Optimiza?tiontheory?plexhigh-speedmiiniatureclosedandopenloopsystems?Fixedvariablemathematicalcostsearches?Epitaxialdepositionofsemi-duaterials?Grossinterfacedspacegropes?Wealsohavespecialistsinthecuckoo?flower,thedoctorfish,andthedumdumbulletastheserelatetoaspectsoftodaysexpandingteology,andtheydointhedamways."

    Ispoketohimthenaboutthewar.Isaidthesamethingspeoplealwayssaywhentheyspeakagainstthewar.Isaidthattherong.Isaidthatlargetriesshouldnotburndownsmalltries.Isaidthatthegoverhadmadeaseriesoferrors.Isaidthattheseerrorsoncesmallandfivablewerenowimmenseandunfivable.Isaidthatthegoverwasat?temptingtocealitsinalerrorsunderlayersofnewerrors.Isaidthatthegoverwassickwitherriddywithit.Isaidthattenthousandofoursoldiershadalreadybeenkilledinpursuitofthegoverserrors.Isaidthattensofthou?sandsoftheenemyssoldiersandcivilianshadbeenkilledbecauseofvariouserrors,oursandtheirs.Isaidthatweareresponsibleforerrorsmadeinourname.Isaidthatthegovershouldnotbeallowedtomakeadditionalerrors.

    "Yes,yes,"thechiefengineersaid,"thereisdoubtlessmuchtruthinwhatyousay,butossiblylosethewar,we?Andstoppingislos?ing,isntit?Thewarregardedasaprocess,stop?pingregardedasanabort?Wedontknowhowtoloseaw