clifford_a-_pickover_surfing_through_hyperspacebookfi-org

degrees of freedom
FBI Headquarters, Washington, D.C., 10:00 A.M.
You have returned from Cherbourg and are relaxing in your office at the
Washington Metropolitan Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
located on 1900 Half Street, Washington, D.C. Very few people
know your office exists because its door is cleverly disguised as an elevator
bearing a perpetual "out-of-order" sign.
Inside, on the back of your door, is the colorful FBI seal and motto
"Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity." The peaked beveled edge circumscribing the
seal symbolizes the severe challenges confronting the FBI and the ruggedness
of the organization.
Below the motto is a handmade sign that reads
I BELIEVE THE FOURTH DIMENSION IS REAL.
Sally follows you into your high-ceilinged office crammed with books
and electrical equipment. Lying scattered between the sofa and chairs are
three oscilloscopes, a tall Indian rubber plant, and a Rubik's cube. A
small blackboard hangs on the wall. The bulletproof, floor-to-ceiling
windows give the appearance of a room more spacious than it really is.
Sally eyes the electrical hardware. "What's all this?"
She nearly knocks an antique decanter from a table onto your favorite
gold jacquard smoking jacket slung comfortably over a leather chair.
You don't answer her immediately but instead slip a CD into a player.
Out pours Duke Ellington's "Satin Doll."
Sally snaps her fingers to get your attention.
You turn to her. "About France—"
ii\r i»
Yes?
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