Conversation had run out after that and Seldon watched the structures of the Streeling Sector1 as they passed. Some were quite low, while some seemed to brush the "sky." Wide crosspassages broke the progression and frequent alleys2 could be seen.
At one point, it struck him that though the buildings rose upward they also swept downward and that perhaps they were deeper than they were high. As soon as the thought occurred to him, he was convinced it was true. Occasionally, he saw patches of green in the background, farther back from the Expressway, and even small trees.
He watched for quite a while and then became aware that the light was growing dimmer. He squinted3 about and turned to Hummin, who guessed the question.
"The afternoon is waning," he said, "and night is coming on."
Seldons eyebrows4 raised and the corners of his mouth turned downward. "Thats impressive. I have a picture of the entire planet darkening and then, some hours from now, lighting5 up again."
Hummin smiled his small, careful smile. "Not quite, Seldon. The planet is never turned off altogether--or turned on either. The shadow of twilight6 sweeps across the planet gradually, followed half a day later by the slow brightening of dawn. In fact, the effect follows the actual day and night above the domes7 quite closely, so that in higher altitudes day and night change length with the seasons."
Seldon shook his head, "But why close in the planet and then mimic8 what would be in the open?"
"I presume because people like it better that way. Trantorians like the advantages of being enclosed, but they dont like to be reminded of it unduly9, just the same. You know very little about Trantorian psychology10, Seldon."
Seldon flushed slightly. He was only a Heliconian and he knew very little about the millions of worlds outside Helicon. His ignorance was not confined to Trantor. How, then, could he hope to come up with any practical applications for his theory of psychohistory?
How could any number of people--all together--know enough? It reminded Seldon of a puzzle that had been presented to him when he was young: Can you have a relatively11 small piece of platinum12, with handholds affixed13, that could not be lifted by the bare, unaided strength of any number of people, no matter how many?
The answer was yes. A cubic meter of platinum weighs 22,420 kilograms under standard gravitational pull. If it is assumed that each person could heave 120 kilograms up from the ground, then 188 people would suffice to lift the platinum.--But you could not squeeze 188 people around the cubic meter so that each one could get a grip on it. You could perhaps not squeeze more than 9 people around it. And levers or other such devices were not allowed. It had to be "bare, unaided strength."
In the same way, it could be that there was no way of getting enough people to handle the total amount of knowledge required for psychohistory, even if the facts were stored in computers rather than in individual human brains. Only so many people could gather round the knowledge, so to speak, and communicate it.
Hummin said, "You seem to be in a brown study, Seldon."
"Im considering my own ignorance."
"A useful task. Quadrillions could profitably join you.--But its time to get off."Seldon looked up. "How can you tell?"
"Just as you could tell when you were on the Expressway your first day on Trantor. I go by the signs."
Seldon caught one just as it went by: STREELING UNIVERSITY--3 MINUTES.
"We get off at the next boarding station. Watch your step."
Seldon followed Hummin off the coach, noting that the sky was deep purple now and that the walkways and corridors and buildings were all lighting up, suffused14 with a yellow glow.
It might have been the gathering15 of a Heliconian night. Had he been placed here blindfolded17 and had the blindfold16 been removed, he might have been convinced that he was in some particularly well-built-up inner region of one of Helicons larger cities.
"How long do you suppose I will remain at Streeling University, Hummin?" he asked.
Hummin said in his usual calm fashion, "That would be hard to say, Seldon. Perhaps your whole life."
"What!"
"Perhaps not. But your life stopped being your own once you gave that paper on psychohistory. The Emperor and Demerzel recognized your importance at once. So did I. For all I know, so did many others. You see, that means you dont belong to yourself anymore."
Library
VENABILI, DORS-- ... Historian, born in Cinna ... Her life might well have continued on its uneventful course were it not for the fact that, after she had spent two years on the faculty18 of Streeling University, she became involved with the young Hari Seldon during The Flight ...
ENCYCLOPEDIA GALACTICA
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1 sector | |
n.部门,部分;防御地段,防区;扇形 | |
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2 alleys | |
胡同,小巷( alley的名词复数 ); 小径 | |
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3 squinted | |
斜视( squint的过去式和过去分词 ); 眯着眼睛; 瞟; 从小孔或缝隙里看 | |
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4 eyebrows | |
眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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5 lighting | |
n.照明,光线的明暗,舞台灯光 | |
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6 twilight | |
n.暮光,黄昏;暮年,晚期,衰落时期 | |
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7 domes | |
n.圆屋顶( dome的名词复数 );像圆屋顶一样的东西;圆顶体育场 | |
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8 mimic | |
v.模仿,戏弄;n.模仿他人言行的人 | |
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9 unduly | |
adv.过度地,不适当地 | |
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10 psychology | |
n.心理,心理学,心理状态 | |
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11 relatively | |
adv.比较...地,相对地 | |
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12 platinum | |
n.白金 | |
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13 affixed | |
adj.[医]附着的,附着的v.附加( affix的过去式和过去分词 );粘贴;加以;盖(印章) | |
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14 suffused | |
v.(指颜色、水气等)弥漫于,布满( suffuse的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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15 gathering | |
n.集会,聚会,聚集 | |
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16 blindfold | |
vt.蒙住…的眼睛;adj.盲目的;adv.盲目地;n.蒙眼的绷带[布等]; 障眼物,蒙蔽人的事物 | |
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17 blindfolded | |
v.(尤指用布)挡住(某人)的视线( blindfold的过去式 );蒙住(某人)的眼睛;使不理解;蒙骗 | |
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18 faculty | |
n.才能;学院,系;(学院或系的)全体教学人员 | |
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