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thylacine
stupidity tax.
“Indeed,” said Lowbeer. “The use of explosives is unusual, and we prefer to keep it so. Too much like asymmetric warfare.” “Terrorism,” said the rental. “We prefer not to use that term,” said Lowbeer, studying her candle flame with something that looked to Netherton to be regret, “if only because terror should remain the sole prerogative of the state.”
“You might as well be convinced you’re invisible when you close your eyes,”
there’s two different anomalous proliferations of subsecond extreme events in the market, right now. Us and them. You understand subsecond financial shit?”
“Markets are full of predatory trading algorithms. They’ve evolved to hunt in packs.
chicken nubbins,
“It is,” said Lowbeer, “as people used to say, to my unending annoyance, what it is.
“Enough to buy out all the chili dogs from
“No sense in that.” “Conspiracy theory’s got to be simple. Sense doesn’t come into it. People are more scared of how complicated shit actually is than they ever are about whatever’s supposed to be behind the conspiracy.”
“They think Homes was building drugs?” “How else do you finance the United Nations taking over?” “There’s hardly any UN left, Janice. Rotary or Kiwanis would be more like it.” “UN’s got deep roots in the demonology.”
And the devil, taking him up into a high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.’”
“True that you’ve got your own whole other body, up there?” “More or less. Somebody built it, but you couldn’t tell.” “Look like you?” “No,” Flynne said, “prettier and tittier.”
“Why would you do this? Without her, you’ll be in a desperate position. So might we, for that matter. And you’re doing it for the sake of . . . assholes?” “They’re assholes. We’re not. But we’re only not assholes if we won’t do shit like that. You calling her?” “Yes. But I don’t know why.” “Because you’re not an asshole.” “I wish I believed that.” “Everybody’s got one. And an opinion to go with it, my mother says. It’s how you behave makes the difference. Now
“Do you,” Netherton asked, “know literally everything, about everyone?” “I most certainly don’t. I feel hindered by a surfeit of information, oceanic to the point of meaninglessness. The shortcomings of the system are best understood as the result of taking this ocean of data, and the decision points produced by our algorithms, as a near enough substitute for perfect certainty. My own best results are often due to pretending I know relatively little, and acting accordingly, though it’s easier said than done. Far easier.”
“I’m grilling sandwiches,” Lev said. “Sardines on Italian bread, pickled jalapeño. Looking tasty.”
“You did very well, Mr. Netherton,” she said. “I scarcely did anything.” “Opportunities to do very badly were manifold. You avoided them. The major part in any success.”
Because people who couldn’t imagine themselves capable of evil were at a major disadvantage in dealing with people who didn’t need to imagine, because they already were.
