Free The Whale Song Translation: A Voyage of Discovery To Neptune and Beyond by Howard Steven Pines Page A

converged to the correct version, Dmitri’s amorphous vision was coming into focus. He became aware of a powerful force emanating from the shapes on the screen. On Javier’s final attempt, the monitor erupted with colorful videogame-like special effects. At the same moment the boy cried, “Yeah!” and thrust his arms into the air, the welling realization breached the barriers of Dmitri’s consciousness.
    As the symbols of the boy’s thoughts emerged from the display, Dmitri felt himself directly experience the creative process of the human mind. The medium that conveyed the symbols of language—sight, sound, touch—suddenly seemed immaterial. He felt liberated to perceive the process in its elemental form, freed from its bonds to matter and energy. This, he realized, was a new gateway for connecting with the minds of other sound-based creatures, human or otherwise.
    “Are you still with us?”
    Melanie’s voice roused Dmitri. He blinked three times. “Sorry. I just had a fantastic revelation about the Speakeasy.”
    “Yes, it’s a remarkable breakthrough. It simulates how the auditory region of our brains interprets each word as a unique shape in frequency space, a word gram.”
    “Just like each word in the Chinese language is written as a unique pattern or ideogram on the printed page,” remarked Greg. “And don’t forget, the computer plotting the word grams has to do hundreds and thousands of computations per second to analyze the continuous stream of sound for the correct frequencies.”
    Dmitri smiled at the boy. “Javier’s brain also performs umpteen calculations per second in order to trigger the vocal tract adjustments to hit the phonemic target points in frequency space.”
    Melanie tousled the boy’s hair. “You see, Javier, your brain is more powerful than any computer. Good work.” Her hands spoke the same words. “Go ahead and practice your verbs for a while. I’ll be back to test you in twenty minutes.”
    Dmitri was struck by Melanie’s rapport with her student. She showered him with affection, and the boy’s face was luminescent as he gazed up. She turned back toward Dmitri. “It’s a miracle,” she said. “The Speakeasy’s like a voice-activated videogame. The children can’t wait for their next lesson.”
    “In your own words, Melanie,” said Dmitri, “science and technology help the disadvantaged bridge the worlds of silence and sound.”
    “I think I mentioned some of those things, but it’s nice of you to express them poetically.”
    Dmitri felt a rush and decided to go for broke. “After yesterday’s whale watch, Greg and I met with the Director of PICES. I volunteered to analyze a recording of humpback whale songs. Your fantastic demo with Javier has given me a new inspiration. I’m intrigued by the idea of using Speakeasy to search the songs for phonemic patterns. How about it?”
    Dmitri held his breath. Melanie’s face was inscrutable as she paused for a few seconds. “Tell me more, Dr. Dmitri.”
    “I propose we meet for a drink to discuss the details.”
    She did not hesitate. “It’s a deal. Why not meet me for a late lunch, about an hour from now. I’ll treat both of you at the local bar and grill.” She scribbled on a Post-it and handed it to him. “Here’s the address. Just wait for me at the bar in case I’m running behind.”
    As Javier smiled and Dmitri placed a congratulatory pat on the boy’s shoulder, Greg leveled his friend with an unsettling stare. Thinking about the TV show Whale Wars , Dmitri braced himself for yet another cetacean conversation with his best buddy.

 
    T ABLOID M YSTERY
     
    United States Satellite Imaging Agency, Maryland—early afternoon
     
    It was not unusual for USSIA Mission Specialist Tamara Roberts to be summoned to her supervisor’s office to discuss the status of her latest assignment. What was startling, however, was Lieutenant Nina Davis’s syrupy tone and abrupt exit once Tamara had taken her