,transcrib]'s ,note3 ,?is e-text 0      
produc$ f ,a/\nd+ ,sci5ce ,fiction1     
,june1 #aiee4 ,ext5sive rese>* did n    
uncov] any evid5ce t ! ,u4,s4 copyright 
on ?is publication 0 r5ew$4    ,,z      
,,long ,,z ,,y ,,wi%  ,if1 someh[1 y get
 trapp$ 9 a circul> "t sy/em 444 h[ long
 is ! circumf]5ce ( an inf9itely retrac$
 circle8   ,by ,,john ,o',,keefe        
,illu/rat$ by van ,dong5   ,! pati5t sat
 /iffly 9 ! lea!r *air on ! o!r side ( !
 desk4 ,n]v\sly he press$ a co9 into !  
palm ( "o h&4  ,j />t any:]e1 ,i said1 &
 tell me all ab\t x4  ,z be=e8 ,)\t     
wait+ = an answ]1 he cont9u$1 ! co9     
clut*$ tightly 9 "o h&4 ,i'm ,*>les ,j4 
,fi%]1 pr(essor ( ,philosophy at ,reis] 
,college4  ,he look$ at me quickly4 ,or 
at lea/ ,i 0 until rec5tly4 ,= a second 
8 face 0 boyi%4 ,pr(essor ( ,philosophy1
 t is4  ,i smil$ & f\nd t ,i 0 />+ at ! 
co9 9 8 h&4 ,he gave x to me4 ,on "o    
side ,i read ! words3 ,,! ,,/atem5t ,,on
 ,,! ,,o!r ,,side ,,( ,,?is ,,co9 ,,is  
,,false4 ,! pati5t wat*$ me ) an        

expressionless face2 ,i turn$ ov] ! co94
 ,x 0 engrav$ ) ! words3 ,,! ,,/atem5t  
,,on ,,! ,,o!r ,,side ,,( ,,?is ,,co9   
,,is ,,false4  ,t's n ! problem1 he     
said1 n my problem4 ,i _h ! co9 made :5 
,i 0 an und]graduate4 ,i enjoy$ read+ "o
 side1 turn+ x ov]1 read+ ! o!r side1 & 
s on4 ,a fi5di% enjoym5t l boys plann+  
:]e to put ! tipp$-ov] ou?\se4  ,i look$
 at ! pati5t4 ,he 0 ?irty-eight1 s+le1  
m$ium build1 _h an ,m4,a4 & ,ph4,d4 f an
 ea/]n univ]sity4 ,i knew ?is & m f !   
fold] on my desk4  ,eight mon?s ago1 he 
cont9u$1 ,i read ab\t ! sph]e f\nd on   
,paney ,isl&4 ,he /opp$1 look+ at me    
que/ion+ly4  ,yes1 ,i "k1 ,i said4 ,i   
op5$ my desk draw]1 took out a clipp+ f 
! newspap]1 & h&$ x to him4  ,t's x4  ,i
 read ! clipp+ be=e putt+ x back 9 !    
draw]4      ,manila1 ,sept4 #bd 7,,ins7 
,ar*eologi/s f ,univ]sity ( ,cali=nia   
h discov]$ 9 e>? fault ( rec5t quake a  
sph]e two feet 9     diamet] ( an       
unid5tifiable mat]ial4      ,dr4 ,k>l   
,s*w>tz1 head ( ! gr\p1 said ! sph]e 0  

return$     to ! ,univ]sity = /udy4 ,he 
decl9$ to answ] que/ions on !           
cultural orig9 ( ! sph]e4  ,!re wasn't  
any m 9 ! newspap]s ab\t x1 he said4 ,i 
h a fri5d 9 ,cali=nia :o got me !       
photographs4  ,he look$ at me int5tly4  
,y won't believe any ( ?is4 ,he press$ !
 co9 into ! palm ( 8 h&4 ,y won't be    
able to4  ,! photographs1 he cont9u$1 z 
if lectur+1 7 ( *>act]s project$ by !   
sph]e :5 plac$ be=e a focus$ light4 ,!  
sph]e 0 transp>5t1 y see1 imb$d$ ) d>k  
microscopic specks4 ,by mov+ ! sph]e a  
c]ta9 di/ance ea* "t1 !re 0 a total     
projection ( ?ree hundr$ & sixty diff]5t
 *>act]s 9 eighte5 diff]5t ord]+s4 ,or  
n9ete5 diff]5t ord]+s if y c\nt "o :i* 0
 a li/ ( all ! *>act]s4  ,i made a m5tal
 note ( ! numb]s4 ,i felt !y 7          
significant4  ,z ,i said1 he cont9u$1 ,i
 obta9$ ! photographs ( ! *>act]s4 ,v   
/range %apes1 totally unlike ! *>act]s (
 ,ori5tal languages1 b yet t is ! close/
 way to describe !m4 ,he j]k$ =w>d 9 8  
*air1 ,except1 ( c\rse1 o/5sively4      

,lat]1 ,i said4 ,i want$ to get ?r\gh ! 
prelim9>ies fir/4 ,!re w\ld be "t lat]  
to see ! photographs4                   
99      99      99      99      99  ,!  
*>act]s project$ by ! sph]e1 he said1   
w]5't l ! *>act]s ( any kn[n language4  
,he paus$ dramatically4 ,!re 0 reason to
 believe !y _h orig9 9 an unkn[n        
culture4 ,a culture m sci5tifically     
advanc$ ?an our own4  ,& ! reasons = ?is
 supposition8 ,i ask$4  ,! mat]ial 444 !
 mat]ial ( ! sph]e4 ,x c\ld only be     
r\ghly classifi$ z f]ro-pla/ic4 ,totally
 unkn[n1 amaz+ imp]vi\sness4 ,a syn!tic 
mat]ial1 h>dly ! product ( a =m]        
culture4  ,f ,m>s8 ,i said1 smil+4  ,!re
 7 all k9ds ( conjectures1 b1 ( c\rse1 !
 important ?+ 0 to see if ! projection (
 *>act]s 0 a message4 ,! message1 if    
any1 w\ld mean m ?an any conjecture4  ,y
 translat$ x8  ,he poli%$ ! co9 on 8    
jacket4 ,y won't d>e believe x1 he said 
%>ply4  ,he cle>$ 8 ?roat & /iff5$ into 
a m rigid po/ure4 ,x wasn't exactly     
translation4 ,y see1 to u none ( !      

*>act]s _h designation4 ,!y 7 j *>act]s4
  ,s x 0 a problem ( decod+8 ,i ask$4   
,z x turn$ out1 no4 ,decod+ is dep5d5t  
on k ( language *>act]i/ics--*>act]i/ics
 ( kn[n languages4 ,decod+ 0 tri$1 b )\t
 success4 ,no1 :at we _h to f9d 0 a key 
to ! language4  ,y mean l ! ,rune ,/one8
  ,m or less4 ,9 pr9ciple1 we ne$$ a    
picture ( a c[1 & a sign ( mean+        
indicat+ "o ( ! *>act]s4  ,= me1 !re 0  
no possibility ( f9d+ simil>ities betwe5
 ! *>act]s & *>act]s ( o!r languages--t 
w\ld require trem5d\s l+ui/ic k & libr>y
 facilities4 ,nor c\ld ,i use a decod+  
approa*--t w\ld require special k (     
te*niques & access to electronic        
comput]s & o!r me*anical aids4 ,no1 ,i  
_h to "w on ! assumption t ! key to !   
sph]e 0 implicit 9 ! sph]e4  ,y hop$ to 
f9d ! key to ! language 9 ! language    
itself8  ,exactly4 ,y "k1 ( c\rse1 "s   
languages d h an implicit key8 ,=       
example hi]oglyphics or picture         
language4 ,! ^w = c[ is a picture ( a   
c[4  ,he look$ at ! toes ( 8 %oes4 ,y   

won't be able to believe x4 ,x's        
impossible to believe4 ,i use ! ^w      
impossible 9 its logical s5se4  ,9 mo/  
languages1 he cont9u$1 look+ up f 8     
%oes1 ! s\nd ( "s words !mselves        
indicates ! mean+ ( ! ^w4 ,onomatopoetic
 words l b[w[1 buzz4  ,& ! key to !     
unkn[n language8 ,i ask$4 ,h[ did y f9d 
x8                       99      99     
99      99      99  ,i wat*$ him pu% !  
co9 aga9/ ! back ( 8 arm1 !n lift x to  
read ! backw>d lett]s press$ into 8 sk94
 ,he look$ up at me & smil$4  ,i built  
models ( ! *>act]s4 ,big mat]ial ones1  
exactly proportionate to ! ones         
project$4 ,!n--q by accid5t--,i view$ "o
 ( !m ?r\gh a glass globe ! size ( !    
orig9al sph]e4 ,:at d y ?9k ,i saw8     
,:at8 ,i notic$ he _h ! boyi% look aga94
  ,a di/ortion ( ! model4 ,b t's n :at's
 important4 ,! di/ortions1 on /udy1 gave
 specific visual entities4 ,l :5 look+  
at "o ( ^? trick pictures & sudd5ly see+
 ! lion 9 ! grass4 ,! l9es outl9+ ! lion
 are !re all ! "t1 only ! obs]v] has to 

view !m z ! outl9e ( a lion4 ,x 0 ! same
 ) ! models ( ! *>act]s1 except ! %apes 
t appe>$ 7 n ( lions or o!r recognizable
 ?+s4 ,b !y did sugge/4  ,he press$ !   
co9 aga9/ 8 =ehead1 clos$ 8 eyes &      
appe>$ to be ?9k+ deeply4 ,yes1         
impossible to believe4 ,no "o c believe 
x4  ,9 addition to ! visual response1 ! 
di/ortions gave me def9ite feel+s4 ,n   
mixtures ( feel+s1 b "o def9ite         
emotional exp]i5ce4  ,h[ d y mean8  ,"o 
"* :5 view$ ?r\gh ! globe gave me a     
visual image &1 at ! same "t1 a /rong   
feel+ ( light hil>ity4  ,i take x !n t  
^! di/ortions seem$ to connote mean+s1 r
 ?an d5ote !m4 ,y might say t _! mean+ 0
 convey$ ?r\gh a ,ge/alt exp]i5ce on !  
"p ( ! obs]v]4  ,yes1 ea* "* gave a     
def9ite ,ge/alt4 ,b1 ! ,ge/alt 0 ! same 
= ea* obs]v]4 ,or at lea/ = ?irty-five  
obs]v]s !re 0 an eighty p] c5t          
correlation4  ,i :i/l$ s(tly4 ,& !      
translation8  ,doctor1 :at w\ld y say if
 ,i told y ! translation 0 unbelievable2
 t x c\ldn't be s]i\sly ent]ta9$ by any 

man8 ,:at if ,i said t x w\ld take !    
sanity ( any man :o believ$ x8  ,i w\ld 
say t x might well be incorrect4  ,he   
took "s pap]s f 8 pocket & laugh$       
excit$ly1 slump+ d[n 9 ! *air4 ,?is is !
 complete translation 9 idiomatic       
,engli%4 ,i'm go+ to let y read x1 b    
fir/ ,i want y to consid] a few ?+s4    
,he hid ! pap]s beh9d ! back ( 8 *air2 8
 face became ev5 m boyi%1 almo/ z if he 
7 decid+ on :]e to put ! tipp$ ov]      
ou?\se4  ,consid] fir/1 doctor1 t !re 0 
a total projection ( ?ree hundr$ & sixty
 diff]5t *>act]s4 ,! same numb] z !     
numb] ( degrees 9 a circle4 ,consid]    
also t !re 7 eighte5 diff]5t ord]+s ( ! 
*>act]s1 or n9ete5 c\nt+ ! alphabetical 
li/4 ,! squ>e root ( ?ree hundr$ & sixty
 w\ld lie betwe5 eighte5 & n9ete54      
,yes1 ,i said4 ,i rememb]$ !re 0 some?+ 
significant ab\t ! numb]s1 b ,i wasn't  
at all sure t x 0 ?is4  ,consid] also1  
he cont9u$1 t ! communication 0 ?r\gh ! 
m$ium ( a sph]e4 ,moreov]1 keep 9 m9d t 
physics accepts ! pa? ( a beam ( light z

 its def9ition ( a /raight l9e4 ,yet1 ! 
pa? is a curve2 if ext5d$ suffici5tly x 
w\ld be a circle1 ! section ( a sph]e4  
,all "r1 ,i said4 ,by n[ ! pati5t 0     
p\nd+ ! co9 aga9/ ! sole ( "o %oe4  ,&1 
he said1 keep 9 m9d t 9 "s s5se "t c be 
?\ght ( z ano!r dim5sion4 ,he sudd5ly   
?ru/ ! pap]s at me & sat back 9 ! *air4 
,i pick$ up ! translation & began read+4
 ,! pati5t sat /iffly 9 ! lea!r *air on 
! o!r side ( ! desk4 ,n]v\sly he press$ 
a co9 into ! palm ( "o h&4  ,j />t      
any:]e1 ,i said1 & tell me all ab\t x4  
,z be=e8 ,)\t wait+ = an answ]1 he      
cont9u$1 ! co9 clut*$ tightly 9 "o h&4  
,i'm ,*>les ,j4 ,fi%]1 pr(essor (       
philosophy at ,reis] ,college4  ,he     
look$ at me quickly4 ,or at lea/ ,i 0   
until rec5tly4 ,= a second 8 face 0     
boyi%4 ,pr(essor ( philosophy1 t is4  ,i
 smil$ & f\nd t ,i 0 />+ at ! co9 9 8   
h&4 ,he gave x to me4 ,on "o side ,i    
read ! words3 ,,! ,,/atem5t ,,on ,,!    
,,o!r ,,side ,,( ,,?is ,,co9 ,,is       
,,false4 ,! pati5t wat*$4444   ,,! ,,end