Dinosaurs

Dinosaurs

By Walter Jon Williams

President Gram considered this. ”Memories,” she said. “You’ve been using the term, but I’m not sure I understand.“

“Stored information is vast, and even though human bodies are large we cannot always have all the information we need to function efficiently even in our specialized tasks,” Drill said. “Our human brains have been separated as to function. I have a Lowrain, which is on my spinal cord above my pelvis. Lowbrain handles motor control of my lower body, routine monitoring of my body’s condition, eating, excretion, and sex. My perceptual centers, short-term memory, personality, and reasoning functions are handled by the brain in my skull – the classical brain, if you like. Long-term and specialized memory is the function of the large knob you see moving on my head, my Memory. My Memory records all that happens in great detail, and can recapitulate it any point. It has also been supplied with information concerning the human species’ contacts with other non-human groups. It attaches itself easily to my nervous system and draws nourishment from my body. Specific memories can be communicated from one living Memory to another, or if it proves necessary I can simply give my Memory to another human, a complete transfer. I have another Memory aboard that I’m not using at the moment, a pilot Memory that can navigate and handle Ship, and I wore this Memory while in transit. I also have spare memories in case my primary Memories fall ill. So you see, our specialization does not rule out adaptability – and piece of information needed by any of us can easily be transferred, and in far greater detail than by any mechanical medium.”

“So you could return to your base and send out pilot Memories to out planets,” Gram said. « Memories that could halt your terraforming ships. »

« That is correct. »

(The Year`s Best Science Fiction, edited by Gardner Dozois. St. Martins`s Press, New York)

Dinosaur. Photo by Elena