“The Matter of Time” is a modern art installation at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Bilbao, Spain. Created by minimalist sculptor, Richard Serra, it is made up of seven different weatherproof steel sculptures, including “The Snake” and “Torqued Spiral”. This work is purposefully arranged so as to move the viewer through the sculptures and their surrounding space. Serra comments on the physicality of space and the nature of sculpture. For a walking tour of this exhibit click here.
claustrophobic refers to the fear of being in closed or narrow spaces. Langdon’s claustrophobia is rooted in a childhood incident: at age seven, he fell into a well and was trapped until he almost died. His claustrophobia is noted in every preceding novel, inconveniently inhibiting him in various instances.
sinuous – having many curves, bends, or turns; winding
undulating – display a smooth rising-and-falling or side-to-side alternation of movement
Michel de Nostredame, Latinized as Nostradamus, was a 16th-century French astrologer and physician. He is known for prophesizing pivotal events in history, from World War Two, Princess Diana’s death, to the attack on the World Trade Center. Winston refers to Kirsch as a “modern-day Nostradamus” for “analyzing the growth of various systems and predicting how they will develop over time.” Langdon refers to Nostradamus as a prognosticator, one who predicts future events from present indications or signs.
synthetic intelligence is a type of artificial intelligence that views technology required to generate intelligent machines as genuine, and not that of artificial imitation. This is the technology that is employed to generate Langdon’s interactive audio tour, narrated by Winston.
pseudonym – a fictitious name used by one to conceal his or her identity. Winston is a pseudonym for the Kirsch’s machine’s real name, Art.
synapse – a brain process in which a neuron passes an electrical or chemical signal to another neuron.
eidetic memory is an ability to precisely recall images from memory after only a brief exposure. Langdon’s eidetic memory allows him to recall the exact date of an event, with which he tests Winston’s accuracy.
The Turing test, developed by code-breaker Alan Turing in 1950, is a test of a machine’s ability to show intelligent behavior equivalent to, or indistinguishable from a human. Kirsch’s Winston technology passes the Turing test, as Langdon fails to realize his audio tour is being narrated by a robot.
chauvinist – a person who believes one gender is superior to the other. Langdon wonders if Winston called him a chauvinist when Winston chooses to speak with a British male accent (rather than a female with a southern drawl), based upon Langdon’s profile as an academic male.
sophomoric hoax – a pretentious/juvenile form of malicious deception
-Ezra Nugiel
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