The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet Page #5

colleagues at the Smithsonian.

And, everybody is ecstatic that you've

chosen for this award.

You have to give me their names.

I'll thank them in my speech.

On that topic..

I think we can quote

something up for you.

I prefer to write my

own speech. Thank you.

You certainly don't waste

any time about it, do you?

No, this is a purple note book.

If i'll be writing my speech,

it would be in the red one.

Yes, of course. And the

purple one is for...?

"General Considerations. "

Such as?

When did the child become an adult?

And?

When you don't get

excited about Christmas,

When you wear reading glass right a

minute but can't see to find them anywhere

When you pay income tax and

enjoy getting angry discussing,

"What the heck are they going

to do with all your money?"

And when you look down on children

whatever is going on in their little heads.

If 2x goes into 100 and x is

an integer, How many of the

2x + 2 integers will

be divisible by 3n/2

(2x-1)=(3x+1), what is x?

how many possible integers less

than 5000 are even integers...

out of 15 or 21.

I am like a dolphin.

Turning one side of a

brain off and other one on.

So, That's what dolpins do?

Yeah, to sleep.

You're funny.

Why?

You travelled by yourself

half across United States

to end up like a lab rat?

This defies all understanding.

Superior mental activity?

Superior to an average of

an ocean mammal that is.

You could train him like

a highly intelligent seal.

I'm sorry,

but you don't invent the

perpetual movement machine

by balancing a ball on your nose!

Thank you for evaluating

my brain, Jodie.

Will you like some

tuna tartare and grilled

asparagus sprinkled with

balsamic vinegar reduction?

Sir, Why you hiding your

white glove behind your back?

That's just how they told me to stand.

Otherwise, I'll get fired.

Well, I like your white

gloves. Congratulations.

Thanks.

I almost forgot this.

In case someone mistakes you for a

kid whose parents couldn't round up.

A babysitter.

Sorry.

I want to be the first

to congratulate you.

We are so lucky to have a

boy like you!... so lucky!

What was your first invention?

Do you think your parents

will be proud of you?

What is your astrological sign?

So, Any other questions?

Did you ever think that you would

find another suitable candidate?

I remember,

Sitting in my office,

before I called him on the ranch,

and I said to myself,

he is only 10,

but let's do this!

They're eating you up, they'll love you.

In 1862 a Frenchman

named Guillaume Duchenne

discovered the difference

between fake and genuine smiles.

In a fake smile, it's not just

the zygomatic muscles work,

the muscles around the eyes

also contract unconsciously.

Tonight it was entirely

ocular-zygomaticus.

Ladies and gentlemen,

please welcome President

of the Smithsonian,

Dr. Leonard Sullivan.

Thank you very much ladies and gentlemen

and thank you to our guest of honor.

At a time

when science is being

challenged in every turn

when we are witnessing a return

to intellectual obscurity,

I can not resist

the temptation to quote Albert Einstein.

He said...

"Only two things are infinite:"

"the universe and human stupidity... "

and, I'm not sure about the former

But I know a third example:

human genius.

Our guest of honor tonight is

a magnificient example of this.

I invite you to show him

all the respect he deserves,

despite his young years.

Ladies and gentlemen, T.S. Spivet.

Hello everybody.

My name is T.S. Spivet,

I am 10 years old

and I am actually in sixth grade.

Is there anyone in this room,

who doesn't already atleast have a PhD?

Any one?

So, I probably won't be

teaching you much tonight.

But I like to tell you three things.

First,

thank you...

Thank you for not cancelling my award

'cause I was younger than you expected.

Second, the wheel.

As you can see they

are powered by magnets.

Yet as you know,

they demagnetize within

approximately 400 years.

On a human scale, it sounds like a lot.

In geological time, it's not

even a fraction of a second.

So, we're actually far from

having a perpetual motion.

Any Questions?

Yes, what is the third point?

Oh yes, the third...

My brother died this year.

He shot himself in the barn.

No one talks about it.

No one ever said "Layton

shot himself in the barn. "

No one.

Layton and Me we were

always very different.

I have been doing my

scientific experiments,

and, he would be shooting empty bean

cans and coyotes with his Winchester.

So, I came up with this idea to

make sound waves match the gunshots.

That way we could play

something together.

He would shoot, and I gathered data.

And

one of his Winchester has jammed.

I held the bottom of

the rifle to help out.

I didn't even touched the trigger.

There was an explosion.

Layton flew across the room.

Blood...

dripped off the hay.

He was there,

but he wasn't my brother anymore.

I was alone.

I ran to the field to get my father.

His face clenched up when I said

Layton had hurt himself badly.

He ran back, and I stayed there,

not knowing where to go.

Then I ran to the house

and hid in the bathroom.

I could hear my father

whispering on the phone.

And through the window, I saw the

ambulance pull without the flashing lights.

After a while, Gracie showed up.

She was crying.

She sat next to me in the floor

We stayed a long time like that.

Lying on the floor without talking.

I wanted you to know how

proud I am to get this award.

I'll do my best to

fulfill your trust in me,

and to be in the service of science.

That's all I had to say. Thank you.

The amazing thing about water drops,

is that they always take

the path of least resistance.

For humans,

it's exactly the opposite.

When Layton died,

Tapioca started chewing metal

buckets till it's gums bled.

Layton and Tapioca had been inseparable.

And then one day,

Gracie took him for a long

walk through the meadow.

They sat for a while

facing the mountains.

Gracie returned with a new kind

of understanding in their eyes.

Tapioca stopped chewing metal buckets.

He went back to snapping at

fireflies, just like before.

As if he had made peace

with lossing his master.

Maybe someday, I'll go back

snapping at fireflies too.

I swear to you.

They loved... They

loved the kid! I mean,

Granted they are just

a bunch of scientists,

but if their reaction is anything like the

way the general public is gonna respond,

we've got a gold mine on our hands here!

People are so predictable

it's nuts, really.

I should write a handbook

on how to move the masses.

Hang on!

Honey! Smile!

No, I think it would be better if

you're sketching in your notebook.

But, I didn't bring one.

Sally, can we have a

notebook here, Quick.

Hang on a minute, problem with the kid.

There you go.

But, It's not the right colour. I'd

never sketch on a green notebook.

This is just a photograph, nobody cares.

OK, so, where were we? Oh Yeah.

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