that difficult to do. Nearly everyone in the workroom had been eavesdropping, their sensitive hearing picking up every word over the sound of power tools, and it instantly became the subject of intense gossip. When Keith went into the house to use the telephone, they were waiting for him. At the head of a contingent of Conservative elves, Keva marched up to confront Keith, hands firmly clamped to her hips.
“What’s this nonsense you’ve been filling my granddaughter’s ears with?” she shrilled. “All this machinery, this technology—it’s unnecessary!”
“But it’s fun, Keva,” Keith said. “Sure you can live without it, but it’s like anything else: it’s meant to make life easier.”
“I don’t need my life made easier!”
“Well, you know Big Folks,” Keith said, sitting down on the floor so he was at eye-level to her. “We’re lazy. We like labor-saving devices. It all started with carpet-sweepers, you know. They were mechanical, not electronic. And typewriters with moveable type …”
Keva interrupted him with an impatient wave. “This thing you want, this Doris, doesn’t sweep floors. What’s it really for?”
“Well,” Keith said, “it helps organize the little things in your life. If you want to make lists or take notes, you can do that. If you want to take pictures, it takes pictures. It can carry games you can play anywhere. Or video. Or if you have time when you’re traveling it can teach you how to play the piano. The piano emulation software is going to be included as an extra.” As the expressions around him grew more uncomprehending, Keith took off on a full flight of enthusiasm. “This device is capable of full streaming video, audio, interactive gaming, shared gaming through infrared or radio-wave connection, or fully online, either modem or wireless web. It has a huge memory, a fast processor, and shielded interfaces. You can even get an earpiece so you can listen to music or talk on the phone while the unit is open on your lap. Uh …”
He realized he had made a mistake. The more technical his babble became, the more sour the faces of Keva and those other Conservatives in the kitchen grew. In fact, he had made another mistake in sitting down. Now he was crowded by angry Little Folk, all complaining at the top of their voices. He had no room to get up without stepping on someone’s feet.
“Must ye amuse yourself to death?” demanded Curran, white-haired clan chief of Holl’s family, going chin to chin with Keith. “That’s the trouble with ye Big Folk. Ye won’t enjoy real life, when it’s right underneath yer nose.”
“Do ye need so many toys?” Shelogh asked. She was Catra’s and Candlepat’s mother. “A camera, if ye have no talent to draw yourself, a book, and a pad of paper give you all the same pleasure, with no batteries.”
“But everything’s all in the same toy,” Keith pointed out. “With it you don’t need the rest, including pen and paper—even books. It’ll hold several in memory. Saves lots of weight. You’d like that.” He appealed to the Master, who appeared behind the other Folk. “You can go to a lot of sites and download all kinds of books. Lots of them are free.”
“Even so, this device is unlikely to haf afailable books for download ve vould find uf interest.”
“True,” Keith admitted. “So Newton’s memoirs are unlikely to be digitized. For now. But if you had a PDA, your notes would be in one place.”
“Until you ran out of batteries,” Tiron pointed out dryly.
“I’ve got a secret weapon,” Keith said, with a sly tap at the side of his nose. “Enoch taught me how to recharge them. But look, you’re already surrounded by technology. It’s here. You use it every day.”
“Too much surrounded!” exclaimed Aylmer. “Telephones! Automobiles! Helicopters!”
“Central heating,” the Master pointed out in a calm voice. “Vashing machines. Power tools. Vhy should ve not make use of that vhich is
“What’s this nonsense you’ve been filling my granddaughter’s ears with?” she shrilled. “All this machinery, this technology—it’s unnecessary!”
“But it’s fun, Keva,” Keith said. “Sure you can live without it, but it’s like anything else: it’s meant to make life easier.”
“I don’t need my life made easier!”
“Well, you know Big Folks,” Keith said, sitting down on the floor so he was at eye-level to her. “We’re lazy. We like labor-saving devices. It all started with carpet-sweepers, you know. They were mechanical, not electronic. And typewriters with moveable type …”
Keva interrupted him with an impatient wave. “This thing you want, this Doris, doesn’t sweep floors. What’s it really for?”
“Well,” Keith said, “it helps organize the little things in your life. If you want to make lists or take notes, you can do that. If you want to take pictures, it takes pictures. It can carry games you can play anywhere. Or video. Or if you have time when you’re traveling it can teach you how to play the piano. The piano emulation software is going to be included as an extra.” As the expressions around him grew more uncomprehending, Keith took off on a full flight of enthusiasm. “This device is capable of full streaming video, audio, interactive gaming, shared gaming through infrared or radio-wave connection, or fully online, either modem or wireless web. It has a huge memory, a fast processor, and shielded interfaces. You can even get an earpiece so you can listen to music or talk on the phone while the unit is open on your lap. Uh …”
He realized he had made a mistake. The more technical his babble became, the more sour the faces of Keva and those other Conservatives in the kitchen grew. In fact, he had made another mistake in sitting down. Now he was crowded by angry Little Folk, all complaining at the top of their voices. He had no room to get up without stepping on someone’s feet.
“Must ye amuse yourself to death?” demanded Curran, white-haired clan chief of Holl’s family, going chin to chin with Keith. “That’s the trouble with ye Big Folk. Ye won’t enjoy real life, when it’s right underneath yer nose.”
“Do ye need so many toys?” Shelogh asked. She was Catra’s and Candlepat’s mother. “A camera, if ye have no talent to draw yourself, a book, and a pad of paper give you all the same pleasure, with no batteries.”
“But everything’s all in the same toy,” Keith pointed out. “With it you don’t need the rest, including pen and paper—even books. It’ll hold several in memory. Saves lots of weight. You’d like that.” He appealed to the Master, who appeared behind the other Folk. “You can go to a lot of sites and download all kinds of books. Lots of them are free.”
“Even so, this device is unlikely to haf afailable books for download ve vould find uf interest.”
“True,” Keith admitted. “So Newton’s memoirs are unlikely to be digitized. For now. But if you had a PDA, your notes would be in one place.”
“Until you ran out of batteries,” Tiron pointed out dryly.
“I’ve got a secret weapon,” Keith said, with a sly tap at the side of his nose. “Enoch taught me how to recharge them. But look, you’re already surrounded by technology. It’s here. You use it every day.”
“Too much surrounded!” exclaimed Aylmer. “Telephones! Automobiles! Helicopters!”
“Central heating,” the Master pointed out in a calm voice. “Vashing machines. Power tools. Vhy should ve not make use of that vhich is
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