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Letter from Professor Albrecht Aigen, written from The Mathematical
Institute at Bozen, to Dr. Karl Thurn, University of Laibach.
My dear Karl:
This is in haste. There is much agitation among the computer staff at
the Institute. An assistant technician has been discovered to be able to
predict the answer the computer will give to problems set up at random.
He is one Hans Schweeringen and it is unbelievable.
Various numerals are impressed on the feed-in tape of the computer.
Sections of the tape are chosen at random by someone who is blindfolded.
They are fed unread into the computer, together with instructions to
multiply, subtract, extract roots, et cetera, which are similarly chosen
at random and not known to anyone. Once in twenty times or so,
Schweeringen predicts the result of this meaningless computation before
the computer has made it. This is incredible! The odds are trillions to
one against it! Since nobody knows the sums or instructions given to the
computer, it cannot be mind-reading in any form. It must be pure
precognition. Do you wish to talk to him?
He is uneasy at the attention he attracts, perhaps because his father
was one of The Leader's secretaries and was executed, it is presumed,
for knowing too much. Telegraph me if you wish me to try to bring him to
you.