Travelling Salesman Page #6

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It doesn't take forever.

P and np don't matter.

Finding solutions is fast.

Really?

The only thing that powerful

Would, uh, be the sun.

Yeah, but let's keep it

more terrestrial,

Like, uh, Prometheus

or Newton's cradle, okay?

The only solution is that

There can't possibly be

any more solutions.

Like a chain reaction?

Yeah.

I mean...

what would you think?

I don't know.

Thank you.

Ahh.

I, uh, had dinner

a week or so ago

With the president

and the defense secretary.

Naturally, they're very excited

About your work here,

and blah, blah, blah.

Then I was able to slide

something past him.

There's a farmer in

the provence region of France

Who has an extraordinarily

intelligent horse.

He can actually give it

arithmetic problems,

And it will tap out

the answer with its hoof.

So we called in experts

and researchers

To look at the horse,

And they were fascinated

by him.

As they tested him,

they found out

That it could answer algebra,

Euclidian geometry, calculus,

And even group theory.

But when they

put a problem down

That had Cartesian

coordinates in it,

The horse just stood there,

Dumbly, like any other horse.

And I thought,

"that's pretty strange,

Considering how intelligent

the horse is."

So then they called in

one more expert,

Who examined the horse,

and he figured out

What the problem was.

So I turned to the president,

and I said,

"Do you know

what the diagnosis was?"

Sure! It couldn't understand

Cartesian coordinates

Because that'd be putting

"Descartes" before the horse.

Sorry, was that supposed

to be rhetorical?

We're all very impressed.

You know, it's exhausting

Having someone like you

in the room,

Always with an answer.

If anything,

what you said brings to mind

Some issues of morality here,

since the discussion

Has shifted to, I guess,

a more applied arena.

How does what I said

bring you anywhere near there?

- Who cares?

- No, I'm saying this

Is something I don't think

we've discussed.

It doesn't directly deal with

our system's applications

As much as, you know...

playing god?

Well, I mean, come on.

More like sabotage, theft,

Public secrets, espionage.

The question just begs

to be asked:

Just because you can

do something,

Does it mean you should?

Hypothetically, why not?

What's to stop someone?

I don't think anyone's

in the business

Of casually siphoning money

or secrets.

There has to be some motive.

Impetus.

Well, here's an easy one:

National security.

Well, clearly, but if

there's no way to monitor

What you're doing,

are we just supposed to trust

That you won't be...

I-I don't know,

Invading privacy or...

What, in our

infinite spare time?

Well, how about

the patriot act?

Warrantless phone taps?

I mean, come on, this is not

that much of a stretch.

Has anyone in this room

used the system

To do anything untoward?

- Anyone?

- What's your point?

His point is that just

because you can do something,

Does not mean you will.

No, my point is merely

that nobody in this room

Has ever tried

to apply the system.

Congratulations.

The four of you

have enough self-Control

To not push

the big, red button.

The reality is that

just because the government

Is capable of doing something

Does not mean it executes it.

250,000 residents

of two Japanese cities

Might have a different version

of history for you.

Oh, suddenly, the idealist.

You know, it's so hard

to keep up with you.

- I'm not sure whether...

- You know, I'm not sure

What I am,

but I do know that this

Antagonistic attitude,

which I'm sure

Terrifies and oppresses

all your little subordinates

Back at the office,

in this venue,

It's really uninteresting,

okay?

And I'm not sure where

you get the idea

That anyone born after 1950

Is interested in something

that happened 65 years ago,

As if that's still

a relevant topic...

Right, like learning

something from history

- I such a horrible idea?

- And everyone in my world

Is really interested

in taking diplomacy lessons

From a math-Rat.

And no one outside your world

Has anything intelligent to add

To a global policy discussion.

If they're not qualified, no.

It boils down to the fact

That the system's ours now.

We own it...

We own it because

We believe it can protect

our citizens.

We own it because we believe

it can help create

A more cohesive world order,

a more prosperous future

For our children

and our children's children.

Gentlemen, I think we need

to take a step back here...

Whose children are we talking

about, mine or yours?

We own it because

we believe, if needed,

Its application

can help restore peace,

Allocate money,

stop corruption, protect assets,

And ultimately secure

the world's transactions.

You're smirking.

Am I being funny?

Yeah, it's all so funny.

The instantaneous evaporation

of years of promises.

I mean, am I the only one

hearing him?

I put a lifetime's worth

of research into the fact

That this would always live

in my world and not yours.

Well, I am truly sorry

to disappoint you,

But in the four

intervening years

Since this was first discussed

in Chicago,

A few slight changes

have occurred globally:

The unprecedented economic

growth of communist china,

The radically resurgent

Russian interest

In nuclear proliferation,

north Korea,

Constant cyber warfare,

Military assets

being compromised

And American lives being lost

at the whim of a keystroke!

This is not the world

of Eisenhower!

This is not the world

of Machiavelli!

- There really is no point...

- Let them speak.

Hardy believed

that pure mathematics

Were, on the whole, distinctly

more useful than applied.

You see, what's actually useful

for mathematicians,

And by extension, mankind,

Are the foundational proofs

upon which

Complexity theory...

Mathematics... Is based.

This, sir,

I-Is an abomination.

Deceit, corruption.

- And hardy would...

- You are not hardy.

That's right.

He's better.

Oh, no.

No, no, no.

I didn't.

I'm sorry.

No.

No, I-I...

I didn't.

No.

No, no...

No! No! No!

Agh! No!

Have you a sign?

What?

Have you a sign?

Right angles, horizontals,

and perpendiculars!

Illusions.

Binding yourself

under no less penalty than that

Of having your body

severed in twain.

No! No!

It's not an obligation!

Agh!

Your bowels taken thence...

and your brain's bled

of all its knowledge.

No, no, that is not

what I'm saying.

A lot of questions

have been discussed today,

And many of the answers

have simply been inadequate.

Well, I apologize,

but I personally

Came down here

to provide some closure,

And on some level,

I'm feeling attacked.

Right, understood,

but this is really becoming

An issue

of responsibility here.

In other words, if our

nondeterministic processor

Is used unjustifiably,

there will be, in our community,

A substantial record,

or should I say indication,

That any or all of us

were responsible

For whatever mess...

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