"Ken, please, don't make a fuss. I know I hate it when people just drop by." She glanced back at the locked door, wondering. "Tell me if this is not a good time for you."
"Tam, for you any time is a good time." He buzzed again— there had been no response—then shrugged. "I guess things are getting hectic out front just now." He laughed resignedly, then turned to her. "By the way, I saw your new book. Fine piece of work. I do hope somebody over there reads it. Are you still running your Center at NYU?"
"So far." She decided to spare him the details.
"Well, it's a good school. Getting better all the time. You've got some first-rate supercomputer work at the Courant Institute, particularly with your IBM connection, but you should keep an eye on Columbia. Now that AT&T has joined with them to go after some of the Pentagon's AI contracts, they may finally start putting together a major computer science department up there too. In a few years Stanford and Carnegie-Mellon will have to step lively to stay out front."
Hello, she thought. How come Ken suddenly knows so much scuttlebutt about U.S. computer research? Nobody at home knows the first thing about what's going on in Japan.
"I was surprised to hear about this new appointment, Ken." She settled back on the couch. "I was guessing you had the inside track for MITI vice minister in a few years."
"Ah, well, for now my work is here." He gestured uncomfortably about the room. "Let me try once more for that tea."
She realized he'd slipped deftly around her quick probe
concerning MITI's new role in the lab. He knew how to be a team player, she thought. Very Japanese.
This time he raised a response. A female voice dripping with long-vowel honorifics announced his tea would be delivered immediately.