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"We follow the scientists around and look over their shoulders. They're watching their feet: provable mistakes are bad for them. We're looking as far ahead as we can, and we don't get penalized for mistakes."
- Larry Niven
 |
| Index Rating | ||
| Understanding what you should do (or not do) is part of the test. |
Gemini Cavendish found himself at the Arnold Reestablishment Workshop, in an empty room with a neon sign that said "Home".
| "...I am required by regulation to inform you of certain facts. The Arnold Reestablishment Workshop was designed and constructed with a single purpose in mind: To take boys and girls of low birth and through revolutionary teaching techniques, reestablish them within the format of Arnold's Vast Scheme. Here at the Arnold Reestablishment Workshop, your single most important product is your Index Rating. Watch it, conserve it, and with all due effort, raise it. If at any time your Rating indicates a lack of reestablishment on your part, you will be classified as waste and disposed of in the proper fashion. This is not a common occurrence. In fact, among children of relatively high birth, such as yourself, it is a very rare one indeed. The more likely event is your graduation from the Workshop at the age of eighteen, your Index Rating flying haughtily in the breeze, an important cogship awaiting you within the Scheme...”
“It’s sort of like a school then, ” said Gemini. “No,” said the spirit. “It is not like a school.’ It is not at all ‘like a school.’ “But you said something about — ” “That will be enough,” said the spirit. ”It is my duty to inform you that your Index Rating has just declined to a personal low of 4.77. I would suggest personal contemplation of these events, and total utilization of any insights for future guidance.” “These are your permanent quarters,” said one of the attaches. “Your bed’s the fifth one down, on the left. You’ll see your nameplate. When the bell rings, you jump. Got it?” Gemini nodded, and the attaches left. He walked down the narrow center aisle and counted bunks. When he reached the fifth bed on the left, he stopped. His name jumped out at him in dazzling red letters. Below the name, in flashing orange neon, was a number — 4.77. Gemini sat down on the bunk and folded his hands in his lap. |
| Technovelgy from Gemini Cavendish,
by Gordon Eklund. Published by Amazing Stories in 1971 Additional resources -
|
Compare this to the sentenced man from Robot Justice (1959) by Harry Harrison, Jack Vance's social credit system, called strakh from The Moon Moth (1976) and whuffie from Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, by Cory Doctorow, published by Tor in 2003.
Thanks to SFFAudio for pointing out this story; don't miss his site full of podcasts and public domain works.
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