Solomon's Private File #44
These stories about Stephen and Solomon take place starting in
1950's. Stephen wrote about his life in letters to a penpal, and then
in a secure blog, in case he lost his memory again, in the master
computer in his school for gifted students, which he started attending
in 2016 in a new incarnation, until his death. Now his son Solomon is
attending the same school, and is writing in his own secure blog for
his future incarnations.
All characters are fictitious, even if some of them might have names
that belong to some actual people, or act like people we know.
Solomon is 15 in this story, in the Spring of 2041.
Solomon's Private File #44 "American Art Museum"
START Page
My watch on our FBI offices showed me something unusual was
happening. I started my disguise, and ported into one of the offices.
It was empty, because Aada, our interviewer occupant, was out of that,
and in the door of another office. I went there, too. Seth told us, "He
complained about the questions, and then tried to attack me. Before he
got close enough, he started having this seizure." I examined his
brain. A strong pulsing cascade of signals. I forced a kind of reset,
and he calmed. Seth said to me in awe, "What did you do, er, Jack?" I
said, "Later." When the man was fully awake, I said to him, "Sir,
you've had a seizure. It wasn't your first. When did they start?" He
said, "That's personal!" I said, "Very. You almost died. We would like
to help that not to happen in the future." He said, "Two weeks ago.
After martial arts class." I said, "Were you hit in the head?" He said,
"They said I was. I didn't remember it, and didn't believe them." I
said, "Think you should, now?" He said, "I suppose so." I said,
"Noticed any personality changes?" he said, "Yes. More irritable. My
wife said that." I said, "More than once, I would think." He smiled,
and said, "Yes." I said, placing my finger in front of his face,
"Follow my finger with your eyes." I moved it around. Seth alerted. I
said, "Please stand and hold out your hands. Resist my attempts to move
them." Both tests showed inequality. I said, "How's your memory been?"
He thought a bit, and said, "Lately, off and on. This is serious, isn't
it?"
I said, "Yes, it's very serious. You shouldn't wait for the next
healing broadcast." I said to Aada, "You know the Dalai Lama. Please go
and ask for her help." She left the office. The man said, "Wow! You
people have connections!" I said, "Yes, and we hope to save your life
with them." Kam walked into the office and said, "I can't heal him. Not
that brain injury. I'll have to ask MY connection to help." We all
exchanged some smiles. She started her love broadcast, localized to our
offices. God joined it for healing. The man went unconscious. The
healing and love broadcast stopped. Kam bowed to us, and we returned
it, and she ported away. I said, "Our client is going to wake up soon.
We didn't know what he would remember of this, before the healing. Now
we do. He remembers nothing after the start of his seizure. We should
leave and let Seth continue the interview." And that's what happened.
He didn't know about the seizure, but he apologized for arguing. Seth
said, "We sometimes see that. This is a stressful situation. Are you
ready to continue the interview?" He said, "If you allow, yes, please."
At the end, he was approved, but Seth added a note that if he was
selected for the job, he was to report for another interview before
that was finalized, but that it shouldn't count against his selection.
After he left, I ported back to Seth's office. He knew what I was going
to ask, and said, "I think we should make sure the cure holds." I said,
"Well done!" We grinned at each other, and hugged. I said, "To answer
your question, I used PK to equalize some of the cascading electrical
potentials in his brain. It acted something like a reset button." He
said, "Wow!" I said, "Er, true." More grins.
I was in my office, finishing up with a client, when there was the
sound of a crying baby in the outer office. I gave the applicant her
sealed envelope, and walked out of my office with her. There was a
woman carrying a crying baby, apologizing. I said to her, "Isn't she a
little young to work here?" The woman smiled nervously, and said, "My
sister's. She had an emergency, and I was the only available
said, "Well, it is to her, if crying is any indicator." I held out my
arms. The woman was surprised, but reluctantly gave me the baby. She
was wet. I fixed that. I smiled at her. Then I slowly and gently sang
the Brahms lullaby to her. She gave me a big smile, and drifted off to
sleep. I said to the woman, "Please bring your file with you to my
office." We went. I sat behind my desk, still holding the sleeping
baby, and conducted the interview. Then I stood and walked with the
woman to the front desk. I said to her, "Please take your file, and
sleeping beauty here, and return to Personnel." She acted like in a
daze. The baby woke up in her arms, and made some pleasant sounds, and
smiled. The woman thanked me, and left, shaking her head slowly in
wonder.
The secretary was looking at me in wonder, too. I said, "Pickle?" She
laughed, and so did the others. She said, "We've never heard you
singing here before. Amazing! And you were so good with the baby!" I
said, "Well, you never know what will happen in any office. Be
prepared, isn't just good for bees." They looked at me strangely, with
on and off smiles. I said, "Oh. I did it again, didn't I." They grinned
and nodded. I said, "My twisted humor. I might as well brand myself
with it." Chuckles.
We were at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. We started on the
third floor, with the Art of Video Games. I said all that, and then
said, "Art is everywhere, even in things not made by people. It all
depends on how you look at it, because only intelligence understands
art. I don't mean it's just for extra smart people, because it actually
doesn't require thinking, but it is just for people. Intelligent
beings. Animals can't understand art, even if they make what we view as
beautiful art. The label of art can be applied to practically anything.
It can use anything, too. A few times my father was asked, when he said
he made art from almost anything, if he used some er, very smelly stuff
you usually want to flush." Giggles. I said, "He said he didn't
usually, but that some people who didn't like his work, thought he
had." Chuckles. I said said, "But some people actually have. I don't
really want to say this, but there is a whole classification of art
materials from the body, such as belly button lint. Yes, people have
made art with that. In Victorian times, there were some fantastic
sculptures made of human hair. From er, dead people. Of family members.
So, art in video games shouldn't surprise anybody. VERY good art,
sometimes, in my opinion. Music, too. I say this not just because my
father made a video game." Sharon said, "I didn't know that!"
I said, "Well, it was popular in Buddhist countries, because it
incorporated that in the game. The rest of the world didn't have much
interest in it. Not enough violence. Actually, it had no violence. The
video game industry is very big, and very competitive. Art helps sell
it, especially when it can create a whole different immersive world for
you. In my opinion, some of the best of the art of our time can be
found right here, in these games." Brian said, "Do you play any of
these games?" I said, "I've never played a video or computer game."
They looked at me strangely. Beth said, "Why not?" I said, "My
perceptions and reactions are too fast. They weren't made for people
like me." Brian said, "How fast?" I said, "I already thought that." He
grinned. Sharon almost choked. Don said, "He used that one on our CNN
team in Tibet." I said, "Recycling is good, but not if you have to
pedal uphill again." More strange half grins.
Sharon said, "I wonder, how do you see television?" I said, "You are
the first to see the implications of what I just said about myself.
You're right in your suspicions. I don't see TV like you do, as a
continuous motion. I see the individual frames on regular TVs, which
don't happen fast enough to blur them together for me, like it does for
you. A little annoying, actually. Those with ultra high refresh rates
are a little better. Even then, I don't watch TV directly, except in
unusual situations. I record what I want to watch, and look at the
program as a whole thing in my mind, almost instantly." Some wows. Don
asked, "Are there others of you who do that?" I said, "I don't know. I
never asked. I do it to monitor world activities. Others might not need
to do that." He said, "Do you watch live events on TV?" I said, "I
prefer to do that at the scene of the action, just like you would. I
can see anything in the world I want to, without moving a muscle."
Beth said, "Even in bedrooms?" I said, "Everyplace. Who wants to be
blind, trying to find that missing slipper? But I respect people's
privacy. Well, who goes peeking in windows all the time? It's the same
thing physically, or remotely. I ported you here. I couldn't have done
that if I couldn't see you where you were." She said, "Oh! I didn't
think of that." Brian said, "So you have to see first, before you
port?" I said, "Right. Who doesn't want to see where they're going?" He
said, "What if two people want to port to the exact same spot at the
same time?" I said, "We call what happens then, a 'port bump'. We can
feel the port being blocked when we try it. For a port to work, the two
spaces, where you are, and where you plan to go, have to match in some
way we call a 'lock'. If they don't, you can't port." He said, "Can you
give us another example of that happening?" I said, "Sure. Can't port
to a space ship that's going faster than the speed of light. Depending
on the kind of drive they're using, we might be able to see inside it,
but we couldn't get a lock on the port. I can see the question, Sharon.
Yes, there are relativity issues involved, too, which can get very
complicated. Strange math." Don said, "Is that math published?" I said,
"No. Wouldn't be understood. No, I didn't create it. Dad did."
At a different exhibit, Beth's mother, who was with us, said, "Your
perceptions. Do they effect how you see art?" I grinned at her, and
said, "Want to rephrase that?" She looked embarrassed. Beth said,
"Why?" Her mother said, "We all have different perceptions, even if
only slightly different, which can make us experience the world a
little differently." She said, "Oh!" I said, "That's actually
important, when dealing with other intelligent species. REALLY
different art!" Brian said, "Can you explain more about that?" I said,
"Colors, mostly. We are used to seeing certain wavelengths as certain
colors. So do they, but maybe not the same as we do. And the color of
the light in the room can really change things. What if they have a
green sun?" Sharon said, "And if the painting that looks right under
ghastly!" She said, "Other world museums would have some problems." I
said, "Right. Different rooms and filters, but very difficult to
satisfy multi species visitors. Sculpture works better. Or abstract
paintings. For many of them, even for the actual artist, well, most
people can't make much sense of them, anyway." Beth's mother laughed,
and said, "I knew you were going to say that!" I said, "I knew you knew
I would. Art is very personal. What moves another, can leave another
cold. For instance, Grandma Moses. I like her son's work better. Most
don't, judging by the relative pricing." She grinned and said, "Good
one. Relative! Yes, it's very subjective, and a lot of it isn't even
that, but due to the fame of the artist." I said, "Yes, I've seen that
in psychological testing. Our perceptions are manipulated on an
emotional level very easily."
Brian said, "Can you explain that?" I said, "An example. When a
popular artist has a problem that causes people to dislike him, many of
them stop liking his art. Even his style of art that other people use.
It works in reverse, too. The more popular an artist becomes, some
people who didn't like her art, come to like it." He said, "Strange!" I
said, "Absolutely. The strangest is that people don't want to believe
that, even while it's happening to them." He said, "Pride?" I said,
Very good! Yes. The more people believe they can't be manipulated, the
more they actually are." Beth said, excitedly, "I get it! What you
don't believe can happen, you can't resist, because you can't see it."
I said, "Very good! Absolutely! You've discovered how the political
system here works." They grinned and chuckled. I said, "Don, you were
looking for a certain kind of comment. Did that qualify?" He said, "As
outrageous? Not completely. You snuck it in. But now that I think about
He said, "What I understand of that is the people who are most
susceptible to the deceptions and lies of politicians, are the least
likely to want to believe it's happening to them." I said, "Right. But
why do they have that condition in the first place?" He said, "Oh! I
think I see were this is going. Those people who for some reason have
to believe in contradictory things, without consciously seeing the
contradiction, are the most susceptible to political manipulation,
because it's already been done to them, which they have already denied,
creating an exploitable mental habit." I said, "Well reasoned and very
well expressed. Thank you." I didn't say any more. Brian said, "But you
didn't finish!" I said, "I know. You and Beth can do that for me. What
important beliefs do we have in this modern world that can cause in us
irreconcilable unresolvable contradictions?" He said, "I think the key
word is belief. Strong ones. Religion is one." Beth said, "And science
is the other!" I said, "Right. Different belief systems. People who
believe in the Bible literally, but have to live in the world of
science it denies. That's impossible to reconcile. So, they become used
to being influenced in the name of religion, for things that are
against reason. Not everybody, but enough to really notice it
happening. They can and are easily persuaded to believe and take
positions that any rational person can see is against their best
interests, usually by attaching a complex idea they would have to work
hard to understand, to a simple one that plays on their feelings and
belief systems."
Beth's jaw dropped. She said, "I've actually seen that!" Brian said,
"Yes! It's so obvious now. Why didn't anybody say this before?" I said,
"You didn't ask." Don said, "Wait. That last bit has extra meaning."
Beth's mother said in awe, "I see it. He means people won't accept some
truths that are just told to them. They have to want to know, and then
see for themselves." I nodded, and they were thinking seriously. I
said, "By the way, that tactic works the best on those with the least
education, which teaches critical thinking, and by politicians who try
to demean the value of intelligence and education." Brian said, "We've
all seen that, too." Beth said, "And seen it work. It's really sad."
I said, "Questioning beliefs is part of actual thinking and learning.
Some religions HAVE to discourage that, or lose members when they can
see for themselves the contradictions that are inherent in all
religions. Ask Galileo." Brian said, "Right. They made him take back
what he said." I said, "Even though they knew he was right. It was
tried with Darwin, too. Did you know the person who invented the
science of genetics was a Catholic Monk?" Beth said, "Right. Gregor
Mendel. They hid his books for hundreds of years." I said "There are
two religions that really value education, and almost insist on it, and
love to debate practically anything, including debating." Don said,
"Alright, I'll bite. Which ones are they?" I said, "Judaism, and
Tibetan Buddhism. In Tibet, most Monasteries have different schools,
just so they can do that without traveling." Some smiles.
Beth's mother said to me, as we were walking around, "Your father has
a lot of his work here, of different media, and different styles.
Unusual for an artist of his caliber." I said, "On display in one
museum, possibly. But a REAL artist is far more capable than just in
his most popular style. Picasso was one of the best realistic artists
who ever lived, but very little of that is known to the public." She
said, "I stand corrected. I have to agree. Even those artists who are
known for modern abstract art, most were exceptionally talented and
trained in classical art." I said, "And Michelangelo wasn't known as a
painter until he was commissioned to do the Sistine Chapel. He actually
said that." She said, "Right. You really know your art!" I said, "Er,
thanks. I like to know what I'm doing. One more thing. That all round
talent and training issue also applies to the other arts, such as music
and dance. Many popular artists started in classical training." She
said to me, "You must be right. Tell me. I saw your art in your
father's display. You're very talented. What else have you done?" I
said, "Nothing beyond classes. I see the question. I'm just not
interested. Matter of priorities. That isn't anywhere near the top of
the list." She said, "But the loss to the world!" I said, "Doesn't
concern me. Can't miss what they don't have. My father felt a little
like that, himself. He wouldn't have done as nearly as much as he did
in the arts, if he hadn't used that to further his goal to free Tibet.
Enriching people's cultural lives wasn't as important to him as
teaching, and saving them from really bad things. Same for me." They
stared at me for a few seconds.
Very funny, what you said. What other things?" I said, "I can't tell
you most of them. Their privacy is important. One I can tell you, isn't
something you can know about directly. I saved an inhabited planet from
being destroyed by accident. They were trying to understand a very
dangerous device one of their seriously er, unhinged inventors had
cooked up. They couldn't. But they kept trying. Sooner or later, it
would have ruined their planet. I made it so it stopped working and
couldn't ever be used again. They still don't know that." Brian said,
"They don't know you saved them?" I said, "Yes. Better that way. They
would never have believed me." He said, "Wow!" I said, "Not really.
Want to see what they look like?" They all did, so I projected an image
of one of the octopus people. Sharon said, "I have to say it before you
do. They really won the arms race!" I said, "You should know, I let you
have that." She growled, and we laughed.
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Grant
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