Chapter 114: The Interpretation Of Money
Dean Qian pondered for a moment and then continued:
“Not really.
From a rationality perspective, I lean toward the latter, because if America could replicate 6101, then products based on this technology should have already started appearing in the world.
Our comrades working in Hong Kong, in Europe, in France should be able to come into contact with similar things.
But in the current tech products from the Western world, we can’t see any technical embodiment similar to 6101.
But if it’s the former, if 6101 is an alien artifact, with White Horse’s authority, how could he manage to
Dean Qian hadn’t finished speaking when he suddenly looked enlightened: “I get it!
***, the ‘May First’ he mentioned when meeting you wasn’t something else; it should be a code for a location.
Referring to America’s place for researching alien technology.”
At this time, Area 51 didn’t exist yet, and the outside world didn’t know about this place.
Its code name “Area 51” came from the grid numbering divided by the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) at the nuclear test site; this name was only for internal use, and the public had no way of knowing.
Interestingly, by the 1980s, after some information was successively declassified, America and China compared notes and discovered that the Area 51 everyone was talking about was the same place.
“Continuing with my earlier guess, with White Horse’s authority, it’s very hard to obtain the original alien artifact, let alone transmit it back domestically.
Even with his authority, even if he could obtain the original for research, he couldn’t avoid returning it.
So neither of these is very likely.
But that item 6101 is related to alien technology—this point I believe.
Additionally, it contains specific technical data on the U-2—this point I completely believe too.
If he can obtain alien technology products, then technical data on the U-2 is a piece of cake for him.
However, last time I looked with a magnifying glass, and previously comrades had analyzed it with a microscope, but we couldn’t extract useful information.
Now what we need to think about is, it contains specific technical data on the U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft—such an important thing, how do we extract it.”
Everyone was thinking about Dean Qian’s analysis.
The middle-aged man working at the Academic Committee said: “I think we have to wait for the manuscript.
Didn’t it say there’s also a manuscript?
The more important information is in there.”
However, the real surprise would have to wait until after New Year’s Day, when the thick manuscript that had crossed the ocean arrived in Yanjing.
Although from learning what Lin Ran had transmitted back to only a few days passing before getting the manuscript, Dean Qian felt like a whole century had gone by.
During this time, he couldn’t eat during the day or sleep at night, constantly thinking about Lin Ran’s purpose, what exactly was inside 6101, what the other side wanted to tell them.
Not only him, but all the other comrades who knew about this were the same.
“The Man in the High Castle” Dean Qian received a thick stack of manuscript, not even bound, and looking at the title on it, his heart was full of doubt.
High Castle Strange People is the later published translation result; its English name is The Man in the High Castle, meaning the man in the high castle.
“Dean Qian, *** side instructed you to read it first, and after you’ve read it, you summarize the content for us.
During this time, your other work can stop; this is your most important work.”
Dean Qian nodded and opened the first page in the quiet room:
“A week had passed, and Childan had been anxiously following the mail, but the valuable item sent from the Rocky Mountains country”
Dean Qian first roughly flipped through it, and because it was too thick, he realized he had to read it slowly.
But he soon became immersed in the strange setting described in this book.
The story is set in a fictional post-World War II world, assuming Germany and Japan won the war and divided and ruled America.
“A member of the resistance organization discovers a mysterious device in an abandoned black market warehouse: a Raspberry Pi single-board computer. It comes with a simple manual labeled ‘open-source hardware, supports innovation.’
In the worldview under German and Japanese rule, semiconductor technology is strictly controlled, making the appearance of this small computer exceptionally precious.
The resistance organization’s leader hands the Raspberry Pi to a technology expert, hoping he can unlock its potential.
In their research, this credit card-sized, low-price semiconductor computer called the Raspberry Pi has powerful computing power and can run complex software, including simulation software for fluid mechanics calculations.
The resistance organization uses this technology to design secret weapons against the occupiers.”
When he read this far, Dean Qian realized something was off.
Because a computer that hadn’t been mentioned before suddenly appeared abruptly in the middle of the book.
And the name Raspberry Pi, or the resistance organization developing so-called stealth airplanes, all seemed out of place with the direction of the entire novel.
He flipped a few more pages and finally found an illustration, which depicted exactly the PCB board that Lin Ran had stuffed into the Chinese representative’s Zhongshan suit pocket.
Dean Qian then realized that from here on, this was the content the other side wanted to transmit back.
He also finally understood why the manuscript was so long, because from here to the end, it was almost entirely teaching the resistance organization in the book how to use the Raspberry Pi.
It detailed the composition of the Raspberry Pi, including what the core components like processor, memory, input-output interfaces represented, and how terrifying its computing power was.
“The Raspberry Pi has built-in fluid mechanics calculation software, which can help us perform the fluid mechanics calculations needed for stealth airplanes,” the resistance organization representative in the book said.
Lin Ran only used one classic fluid mechanics problem that Dean Qian could quickly understand at the time, the flow calculation of the Laval nozzle.
And through the characters in the book, he explained:
“Our previously developed IBM 7090 achieves 100,000 floating-point operations per second, while the Raspberry Pi’s floating-point computing power is 4 billion times per second.
Originally, our flow calculation for the Laval nozzle took ten minutes, but now it takes less than one second.”
It must be known that for China at the time, the IBM 7090 was already a divine artifact they didn’t have; what they used now was the Type 107 computer, with its vacuum tube architecture, low clock frequency, and limited instruction set efficiency, with floating-point computing power of less than 10,000 times per second.
Dean Qian’s hands were shaking.
Because with his understanding, it was hard to imagine how powerful 4 billion floating-point operations per second was.
Even though Lin Ran had used the very familiar Laval nozzle flow calculation as a case.
He still couldn’t believe that this card-sized device called the Raspberry Pi had such power.
Capable of 4 billion floating-point operations per second.
He was also very clear what this meant for China: from now into the foreseeable future, whether ballistic trajectory calculations, rocket research and development, various missile research and development, and fluid mechanics-related research and development would all usher in an unprecedented golden era.
The premise being first cracking the Raspberry Pi.
Lin Ran wrote inside that the Raspberry Pi needs 5V DC power.
This was easy for China at the time to achieve with DC power equipment.
Just parallel common batteries to adjust voltage, use a buck circuit to get 5V.
Just the interface called USB needs adaptation.
After powering on, observe if the LED light on the board lights up; light on means power supply success.
The device will auto-start; green activity light flashing means the system is running.
Additionally, a display needs to be made.
Current televisions might not be suitable; teletypewriter is more appropriate.
The Raspberry Pi’s GPIO pins include a serial port, which can interact with external devices via serial communication.
But the problem is that current teletypewriters only support 110 or 300 baud rates.
While the Raspberry Pi’s default serial baud rate is 115200, far exceeding capabilities at the time.
However, Lin Ran had preemptively adjusted the Raspberry Pi baud rate for adaptation.
But if using a teletypewriter, they could only see the command line.
Because of lacking compatible display equipment and interfaces, the Chinese side couldn’t see the graphical operation interface.
Display technology at the time was limited to cathode ray tube oscilloscopes or teletypewriters; the Raspberry Pi’s HDMI or composite video output didn’t match these devices.
Could only output text information via serial port, but unable to present graphical interface.
Even early televisions were based on NTSC or PAL standards, receiving analog broadcast signals, with input limited to antenna RF signals.
Of course, Lin Ran also provided a solution: convert the composite video signal to RF signal via a homemade RF modulator for television reception.
Not difficult to say.
“How do we retrieve the image from the Raspberry Pi?”
“This is simple.
First ensure the system starts.
The Raspberry Pi’s jack outputs composite video. Use wire to connect the 3.5mm jack, separate video signal and ground wire. Make RF modulator.
The RF modulator can modulate the composite video signal onto the RF carrier.
Need an oscillator to generate carrier frequency; 2P2 point-contact transistor will do.
Overlay the composite video signal onto the carrier to generate amplitude modulated signal.
Use an amplifier to boost the signal to match television reception needs.
Finally connect to the television, connect the modulator output to the television antenna input, adjust television channel to the modulator’s set frequency.”
Here, the Raspberry Pi’s default 60Hz refresh rate not matching NTSC’s 30 frames/second refresh rate issue, Lin Ran had already preset a pre-compatible mode.
After Dean Qian finished reading, he was so excited he could hardly contain himself.
Because in his view, Lin Ran had already delivered the meal right to their mouths.
China had television manufacturing capability, electronics industry foundation, and many engineers from various industries who returned from overseas; with this guidance document, it would be strange if they couldn’t figure it out.
Including interspersed usage instructions for simulation software and future predictions about semiconductor technology.
The entire novel was torn apart by Lin Ran’s additions.
You just feel two resistance organization members popping up inexplicably.
Other resistance organization members are thinking about how to resist reality, exploring their inner worlds.
Just these two, like tech nerds, single-mindedly researching the machine they obtained called “Raspberry Pi.”
From beginning to end, it didn’t match the book’s art style.
Not only didn’t match the book’s art style, what Lin Ran wrote was no different from explanatory text.
The characters in the novel live in the novel. Despite philosophical speculation, Juliana, after meeting Abendsen, learns through I Ching divination that the world they are in is not “real” but some fictional or secondary reality, with hints that characters know they live in a novel world.
But the two Lin Ran wrote aren’t living in the novel world; they’re living outside, meticulously teaching anyone who might see this book how to use something called Raspberry Pi.
Although this thing with billions of transistors, to knowledgeable people at the time, whether IBM’s chief engineer or Texas Instruments’ frontline R&D personnel, would think it’s nonsense.
But it just appeared.
Dean Qian even knew he had been in close contact with this thing, only less than one centimeter away.
He finally knew what the black object was: inside were over a hundred million transistors.
Although he didn’t know how this thing achieved such a small size, he believed Lin Ran wouldn’t go to such lengths just for a joke.
Moreover, just the PCB board was already beyond the era.
Dean Qian was surging with emotions for a moment.
The next day, when all informed personnel gathered, he asked: “Should I just get to the key points or?”
“Explain everything in detail, don’t miss any details.”
Dean Qian nodded:
“What White Horse transmitted back is a science fiction novel; this science fiction novel is called The Man in the High Castle.
On the title page, there’s a signature from someone named Philip K. Dick, but it should be co-authored by two people, because the content is disjointed; my guess is one is Philip, the other is White Horse.
The story is set in a fictional world in 1962, where Germany and Japan defeated the Allies in World War II.
America is divided in two: the eastern half controlled by Germany, while the West Coast becomes Japan’s puppet Pacific United States.
The Rocky Mountains region exists as a neutral buffer zone. The Soviet Union no longer exists; Europe and Africa are occupied by Germany; the global landscape is divided between Japan and Germany.
Although the two countries are allies, they are full of suspicion and potential conflict toward each other.”
After finishing the entire background, those present didn’t show much reaction.
He continued:
“There are several characters inside”
“The banned book in the novel, Grasshopper Glitches, is the core clue driving the plot. This book describes a world where the Allies won, but it doesn’t match our reality.”
After Dean Qian finished speaking, he said: “This is the world described by Philip K. Dick; next, I’ll talk about the part depicted by White Horse.”
“White Horse described two members of the resistance organization, namely Yu Dong and Lei Jun; both are Chinese people who fled from China through great hardships to the Rocky Mountains region.
Then in an abandoned Allied warehouse, they found a Raspberry Pi computer from outer space.
That’s right, in the book, the shape and appearance of this Raspberry Pi computer are exactly the same as the Raspberry Pi computer we obtained from White Horse.”
Dean Qian gestured for everyone to look at the pattern photocopied in advance and placed on each person’s table.
Woo woo woo, still three chapters totaling 10,000 words offered; those with monthly tickets, cast for last month
