The Authorized Ender Companion (64 page)

You would cause its “state” (the condition of the information—the energy—about that photon) to collapse from a
probabilistic
condition to a
measured
condition. This is also called the “waveform collapse” of the photon.

By measuring the object, you affect the object. But, more importantly, since the two photons we are discussing are “entangled” based on how they were created, when you cause the collapse of the information state of the first photon, you also cause a collapse in the information state of the second photon. This mutual collapse occurs simultaneously, regardless of the distance between the photons.

The creators of the ansible were able to develop a method of measuring the states of photons in two entangled streams. By measuring the state of photons in the first stream, they caused a collapse in the informational state of those photons. By indirectly measuring the states of the second photon stream (by measuring its effect on another nonlinear crystal), they were able to determine the pattern of waveform collapse of the first stream. By modulating the measure ments performed on the first stream in a controlled pattern (think of Morse code as a simple form of information modulation), they were able to send information from one entangled stream to the other. Because of the nature of entanglement, the transfer of information is immediate, regardless of the distance between the streams.

The earliest ansibles were limited in the amount of information they could transmit. The two entangled photon streams were of a limited length (duration), and once the end of such an entangled stream was reached, transmissions ceased. Further development efforts led to the creation of a method for creating entangled streams of high-frequency photons in entirely independent transceivers, on demand. Once that milestone was reached, the era of truly instantaneous high-bandwidth communication had begun.

DESKS

The term “Desk” refers to the personal, rugged, wireless, solid-state tablet-style computers used in classrooms, both on Earth and on the Battle School.

These computers are equipped with ultra-wide-angle auto-stereoscopic displays (three-dimensional images capable of being viewed without the use of special glasses from up to a 60-degree off-angle from the face of the screen), solid-state terabyte flash-drive memories (encompassing both RAM and storage), advanced wireless connectivity, an instant-on operating system, and touch screens with pen and finger interfaces. The Desks are ruggedized against dropping, water, scratching, etc. The units are smooth on all sides, with no openings. They are recharged through the use of noncontact induction technology, and audio is made available either through focused planar speakers behind the screen, or wireless earbuds. Data is transferred through the wireless connection to wireless memory keys, thereby doing away with the need to physically insert a memory key into the unit. The omnidirectional antennas for the Desks are embedded within the body of the computer.

Applications are specific to the operating environment. New applications are loaded wirelessly to the Desks.

It was the first time I had stayed up all night with a book. The red numbers of the clock passed 4:00
A.M
., then 5:00
A.M
., and then my mother was coming down to find me eating breakfast at the table, still fondling the pages of the book I found in her closet. I couldn’t stop reading, because every word screamed to a young, twelve-year-old girl who didn’t care about fashion, boys, MTV, and who did too well in math:
There are more of you. There is a place where you can be loved and respected
. Which is ironic, of course, since love wasn’t something Ender ever felt accustomed to.

And the next time a bully gripped me to throw me onto the sidewalk, I grabbed his hands and pulled him down too. As he lost his balance, I kicked him hard in the groin and pushed him over my head. When he was on the ground with a girl standing over him with fire in her eyes, he crawled away from me on all fours and he never lived it down. They didn’t pick on me physically after that. Ender taught me that sometimes, even if you don’t want to, you have to fight. You fight dirty and you win.

As the years pass, I read the book over and over again. Every time, I see myself as a new character. It was Valentine who inspired me to become a journalist, because there is so much power for good in words. Not the talking heads like you see on TV who blather on about nothing. I sit down and speak with alcoholics and mothers of murder victims and try to actually find the truth rather than impose it. I pull out Peter for the meetings with the money-crazed executives, smoothly cynical and unemotional. I network. I schmooze. I wrap myself in a core of arrogance so strong no one could ever accuse me of being vulnerable. Peter’s strength protected me after I was raped, because even with all his dark impulses, he was never ashamed of what he did, or what happened to him. He only tried to learn, control, move forward. Everything was calculated, and when you’re rebuilding who you are, a little calculation doesn’t hurt.

Now I am Ender again. The games that once mattered to me so much now seem unimportant compared with the friends I love. I am redeemed by my ability to stare truth in the face and speak it, if I can. There is a certain power
in being willing to look at both the good and the bad side of yourself with objectivity and honesty, and not hiding either.

If Ender could be whole, so could I. And I wove myself back together with pieces of him.

Jennifer McBride, journalist
Polson, Montana

There are three books that I can’t remember not having read:
The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia
, and
Ender’s Game
. I therefore don’t have a story about the first time I read
Ender’s Game
, because I simply don’t recall a time when Ender (like Frodo and Lucy) wasn’t a part of my life. These are also the three books I’ve read to pieces; I surrendered my original copy of
Ender’s Game
to the trashcan only when a couple of the pages, having separated themselves from the three chunks the book fell into, went missing entirely. Of course, it didn’t really matter at that point as I could probably have recited them from memory—but that didn’t stop me from pestering my mother to take me to the bookstore immediately to buy another copy. There are some books one simply must own.

Jessica Sheffield, graduate student
State College, Pennsylvania

In my first year of teaching, I taught basic Senior English. After muddling through
Pride and Prejudice
with my predominately male classes (what was I thinking?!), I decided to have them read
Ender’s Game
the following quarter. My classes were completely different than they had been just a few weeks before. Kids who had never finished a book in their lives suddenly came to class with intelligent questions and comments. Discussions were amazing, and both boys and girls really got into the book. One student in particular made a total change in his attitude in class and, consequently, in his grade. By the end of the book, students wanted to know what happens next to Ender and Valentine and what happened on Earth. I told them about later books in the series and other books they might also be interested in.

I had always hoped that I could recommend some of my favorite books to kids, but had never really had the chance yet. I also had students choose their own final projects to create to show me they understood the book, and I had
some fantastic book covers, sound tracks, displays, and presentations. And because more of them actually read the book, they did better, on average, on the test than they had with previous books. More than anything else,
Ender’s Game
got students genuinely excited about reading. Many who had never willingly picked up a book in their lives now realize that there are books out there that they can not only learn something from, but also truly enjoy.

Ashley R. Miller, high school English teacher
Midvale, Utah

I was an aimless, wandering eighteen-year-old, freshly booted from the military (medical discharge USN—bad cartilage in left knee), living with an oppressive stepdad and in need of
something
when my big brother Mike invited me to stay with him in Brooklyn for a few weeks.

Mike, sensing my ennui, told me to read three books:
The Princess Bride
by William Goldman,
A Prayer for Owen Meany
by John Irving, and
Ender’s Game
by some cat named Orson Scott Card. The first two I’d at least heard of, the last one just sounded, well, weird. But, trusting my brother, I pored through them.

Today, at thirty-seven (almost thirty-eight), there are three books I read once a year then pass along to any of my friends and family who haven’t yet had the pleasure:
Princess Bride, Owen Meany
, and
Ender’s Game
. And while I adore the first two and recommend them to everybody, it is
Ender’s Game
that to this day still resonates with me.

Ender showed me something I dearly needed to see: Don’t trust the grown-ups. He taught me something I dearly needed to learn: Look out for yourself because no one else will. And, most important, he gave me the road map I needed to deal with a crippling childhood loss, that of my father.

I have tried (and just as often failed) to be like Ender in real life, or at least as much as you can if you don’t live on an orbiting military space station. I’ve tried to be as much Speaker as Xenocide, tried my best to love even those I wanted to introduce to Dr. Device.

And I have missed Ender dearly in my adult life. If you’re ever in a rest room in South Jersey and see scrawled next to all the “For a good time call” messages a little, scrawled “Ender Lives!” you know who to blame.

Terry O’Brien, entertainer/columnist
Cape May, New Jersey

I have known how to read since the age of two and this talent never was a popular trait among my peers. While reading has been a life passion, it’s never been something that I could share with others.

I hated that. Even when I was among readers, few were convinced that I had good books to recommend; they were always the ones doing the recommending. And while I’d take their advice (and enjoyed a great variety of tales), they were far less inclined to take mine, or if they did, less likely to be as impressed with the stories as I had been.

After the birth of Harry Potter, a greater number of kids my age began to see the joys of books. I decided not to let this opportunity go to waste and found books to share after they put down their wizard school fantasies. They told me about T. A. Barron’s Merlin series.

I wished for a genie who could grant me wishes. One of my first would be that folks would take me seriously when I told them what works of entertainment would be worth their time. No such luck.

In eighth grade, my best friend recommended a novel about a boy in an outer-space military school. I liked sci-fi and this premise appealed to me. Despite the fact that he told me the ending (like he did with
The Sixth Sense
—jerk), a year later, I read
Ender’s Game
. It didn’t matter that he told me the ending because the story itself was great. I finished it in two days; a rare occasion even for a speed reader like me.

Best of all, I didn’t need that stupid genie. I had what I needed: a chance to prove to people that I have Good Taste. A month later, I got my next-door neighbor a copy to read, and to my credit, I didn’t blab the ending. My neighbor loved it. He told others about it. I told more.

To this day,
Ender’s Game
is my most loaned-out novel in my sizable library. I’ve shared it with the majority of my family members (it took three years, but I did it), friends from school, friends from church, and folks who would never open a book in their lives before then. Reviews have been favorable.

I’ve forgiven my friend for telling me the ending; he’s now married, serving in the U.S. Army, and still an active reader. I’m grateful that he shared a story that I can pass along to others, and in that spirit, I have one thing left to say:

Ender’s Game
is worth your time. Read it.

Raymond L. Gifford, Jr., fast-food cook
Anderson, CA

Some people enjoy a nice time in a pool, or maybe a kickin’ party. For myself, I love reading and writing. I try to write at least every other night, and I read every night. Books aren’t just stories or novels, they are life-changing tools.

Well, my father has read almost the entire Ender series, and he was the one who first introduced me to the book. I wasn’t expecting much, just a good book that I could read for reading points. To my surprise, it completely changed my life.

Ender is my all-time favorite character in the world. I can never get enough of him. He made me want to succeed at everything I did. So I started really stepping up in my schoolwork, slowly becoming a perfectionist. As odd as it is to look to a fictional character for a life model, I would try to make my actions as if it would be what he would do. I am now an A+ student, a cheerleader captain, and a great volleyball player. As crazy as it is, this phenomenal book is the reason this all happened to me.

Ender is such a great role model for any person. He is strong, brilliant, and amazing. I wished over and over that he was real, and not fictional. He is perfection in my eyes, and I oddly began to idolize every little thing about him. I just can’t get enough of him. I am thirteen and I honestly don’t know that much, but I do understand and know for a fact that the book
Ender’s Game
is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I have told almost everyone I know about it and have offered it to them. I have gotten six people to read it, and not one of them did anything less than love it. I probably sound like just another obsessive fan, and maybe I am, but at least I got the joy of finding such a breathtaking book.

I can’t say in words how much I love the book
Ender’s Game
or all the ways it changed my life. I am just thirteen in eighth grade, I don’t know much at all, but I do know that the book is a masterpiece.