i'm here with peter valerian, recently named david drumlin's replacement as science advisor to the president. doctor, there were loud complaints from the international community last week when it was announced that three of the ten candidates -- were to be americans. how do you defend that decision?
you've addressed the political side of the coin but what about the larger issues? on what basis do you choose a human being to represent humanity?
and if the event turns out to be chess?
say it again? what did you tell your daddy?
 with the machine nearing completion and final testing beginning next week, tomorrow's round of closed-door i.s.c. candidate interviews would bring to a close this long chapter of the machine drama.
 it would be fair to say an upbeat atmosphere prevails here; the japanese playing their role of host impeccably.
and there is reason for optimism: the way the machine consortium has bounced back in these last few months is nothing short of miraculous, and that restored sense of hope and purpose is clearly in evidence here today.
but look beneath the surface and you can clearly sense a darker mood here -- an undercurrent of apprehension and fear as tomorrow approaches. and questions: what awaits the world at the end of the long road to hokkaido? what will happen when the machine is finally activated? and what must eleanor arroway be feeling on this, what may well be her last night on planet earth?
reverend joss, do you think the failure of the machine is god's rebuke to science?