| Schenck's other Analog story would provide a geometric means of analyzing this one, but that is not why it is listed here. The story is about a computer that can write fiction about a computer that can write fiction about.... One of the characters is a female math professor and chief of the Faculty Union and when she enters there is some witty repartee regarding whether faculty in the math department are likely to win awards, whether they speak English, and whether mathematicians working on cryptography are ethical. This exchange is the only direct mathematical content in this science fiction story which presents a very dark view of academia.
Appeared in Analog magazine, September 1984. | Contributed by
Ryan Brown
A fantastic short story. Seemingly very boring at first, the story takes a turn (or several turns) for the best, reworking the first boring part into something amazing. Very reminiscent of Jorge Luis Borges, but with a technological aspect. Not too much actual math going on, but you could definitely call it one of the main themes in the story.
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