Chapter 147: Different Camps, Same Goal
West Germany’s St. Paul’s District in Hamburg
Shopkeeper Feng of the Golden Dragon Store had almost forgotten he had another identity.
A melodious female voice came from the Panda brand radio on the counter:
“Yet wakes up, as a bystander~”
This song had become Gu Zhengqiu’s signature piece, and Chinese radio stations played it every few days.
Because it came from one of the most famous Chinese people of this era, Lin Ran, the song gained increasing favor among Chinese people as time passed.
The bystander concept originally fit the current ideas of Chinese people quite well: earn money honestly and live your own life well. Politics is too far away from us.
Shopkeeper Feng listened while thinking about the task he received today.
Just one name, Chu Ze, still a phonetic transliteration, and not even in German.
How was he supposed to know which Chu Ze it was.
Computers and semiconductors, those he did understand.
Recently, reports on the technological singularity were everywhere in the news.
The encrypted message he received translated to just a few words:
Chu Ze computer expert pioneering work poach
Just one name, Chu Ze still in pinyin transliteration, Shopkeeper Feng’s head was about to explode.
But soon Sun Youyu’s arrival and a few words woke him up.
“Old Feng, does Professor Lin’s novel The Truman Show have a copy here? I’m going to sea again in a few days, thinking of buying one to read on the ship,” Sun Youyu said.
Shopkeeper Feng waved his hand: “No, it’s just being released over in New York, where am I supposed to buy it.
Europe’s distributors probably haven’t even finalized deals yet.
When you get off the ship in New York, just find any store and buy a copy.”
The Truman Show was quite famous in the Chinese world.
After all, things happening to Lin Ran might not be reported in English newspapers, but Chinese newspapers would definitely report them.
Like The Truman Show adapted from Lin Ran’s dream, the Overseas Chinese Daily News reported it, and then Chinese newspapers around the world rewrote it into new news articles based on the Overseas Chinese Daily News report.
Sun Youyu leaned against the counter and continued, “Hey, Old Feng, have you heard of a German expert named Chu Ze?
I heard he’s a pioneer in the computer field. With computers being so hot lately, I want to visit him and learn some knowledge; it’s always good to learn more.”
Shopkeeper Feng’s eyes narrowed immediately.
He knew Sun Youyu’s real identity, though it was just a guess without solid proof, but he had it pretty much figured out.
Your identity reveals itself inadvertently in the details.
Although Sun Youyu leaned against his counter looking carefree, his stance wasn’t standard enough, too stiff.
People who stand like that usually have uneven legs to some degree when walking.
First, it’s due to malnutrition; second, non-standard standing or sitting posture naturally leads to uneven legs.
But observing Sun Youyu’s walk carefully, though no traces of military service were visible, he had no uneven legs.
This didn’t match his disguised image.
He wasn’t even a retired military veteran, because if he were a soldier, especially one who retreated from the China battlefield in that era, with long marches, short sprints, and nationwide movements, there would be some unnatural body posture.
But he had none; clearly a rich kid who entered directly, then perhaps experienced family decline and ended up overseas doing this job in Hamburg.
This was Shopkeeper Feng’s guess.
This was just one of the many details he observed.
Including reading books—which sailor thinks about reading books or learning more knowledge.
Chinese sailors, especially those who’ve been seafaring for years, don’t they just smoke, drink, and play cards on the ship.
They wouldn’t read books even when bragging.
All signs pointed to Sun Youyu being abnormal.
This abnormality, in Shopkeeper Feng’s eyes, immediately revealed which side he was on.
After all, I’m on this side, so you’re on that side.
The other party mentioning Chu Ze also put Shopkeeper Feng on high alert.
Since the other side wanted to poach this person too, it meant he was indeed very important.
“I’m just a grocer, how would I know a computer expert? We have nothing to do with each other,” Shopkeeper Feng said with a baffled look. “Did you drink too much yesterday and ask the wrong person today?”
Sun Youyu grinned sheepishly: “No, I just thought Shopkeeper Feng, you’ve seen and known so much, so I came to ask you.
After all, you even sell radios here, and radios are similar to computers, right?”
Shopkeeper Feng followed up casually: “There should be plenty of German computer experts, right? What’s so special about this Chu Ze?”
Sun Youyu waved his hand: “Nothing special, I just saw the name in a newspaper and asked casually.”
Shopkeeper Feng didn’t press on which newspaper it was. “I see.”
Sun Youyu really didn’t know who Shopkeeper Feng worked for.
Because Shopkeeper Feng’s father had opened this Golden Dragon grocery store, and after taking over, Shopkeeper Feng had stayed in Hamburg for over twenty years.
In between, the Nazis came and went, and Shopkeeper Feng was the only Chinese person who stuck it out.
You have to know that around ’45, after China declared war, life for Chinese people in Germany was not easy.
Since he never left Germany, Sun Youyu never imagined Shopkeeper Feng had this identity.
Shopkeeper Feng decided quickly: he needed to act fast.
If Chu Ze was taken away by Sun Youyu, failing the task would be minor; letting the other side take the person would be major.
Fortunately, as a local snake in Hamburg, his connections far surpassed Sun Youyu’s.
He soon got information from a mathematics professor.
“Chu Ze? You mean Konrad Zuse, right.”
Chu Ze and Zuse sound similar, so from then on they used Zuse.
“He did some pioneering work in the computer field.
But what he did wasn’t that great.
He finally completed the Z4 and delivered it to the Zurich Institute of Technology; Zurich had high hopes for him, and he boasted loudly that the Z4 was a computer not inferior to BINAC.
But the Z4 never worked properly; it was just a machine that cannot be used.
Germany has no foundation for computers; only America or the Soviet Union have that technological accumulation.
I don’t know where he is now, but after the Z4 failure, probably no one wants to buy his computers.
If his Z4 worked, we wouldn’t have to buy computers from IBM at such high prices.”
After hearing this, Shopkeeper Feng felt this was probably the person he was looking for, and he continued with a smile: “Professor, aren’t you a mathematics professor? You probably don’t need computers.”
The other sighed: “It’s all because of that American professor. After he proposed a solution to the four color problem last year, all universities with some money wanted to buy a computer to try it.
Hamburg University is no exception; we want to solve the four color problem too.
And IBM, due to supply exceeding demand, raised prices for European orders.
If Zuse could really make computers, we wouldn’t be so passive now.
But Columbia University probably has the fastest progress; it wouldn’t mean much even if we buy one.”
With a specific name, finding the person became much easier.
In just half a month, Shopkeeper Feng found Zuse in Bad Hersfeld, Black Forest State.
“Sir, may I ask who you are?” Zuse had some local fame, having founded a company called Zuse KG.
Zuse KG originally started in another city in Black Forest State and only moved to Bad Hersfeld a few years ago.
“Oh, it’s like this: I’m the CEO of a Hong Kong shipping company. I’ve long heard of your fame and want to invite you to be our company’s chief expert, in charge of researching advanced computer equipment for container management.”
At this moment, Shopkeeper Feng was completely a different person from the Shopkeeper Feng at the Golden Dragon Store.
No one would recognize him as the previous Shopkeeper Feng.
The Chinese long robe was changed to a suit, the merchant hat to a Western round hat, and there were slight changes to his face.
“Hong Kong?”
“Yes, we realize the huge potential of computers and hope to develop a sufficiently powerful one.
We’ve heard of your achievements and believe you’re just a little short on luck to succeed.
Have you ever thought that maybe your lack of commercial success is because you’re in Europe—what we Chinese people call bad feng shui.
Mountains don’t turn, waters do; maybe Asia is your blessed land.”
No choice, he had to say it was Hong Kong.
If he started by saying go to mainland China, and through not entirely aboveboard means.
The other was a German, not of Chinese descent; he’d never go.
“Hong Kong, where is Hong Kong?” As a native Germanic descendant, he knew nothing about Hong Kong.
Fortunately, Shopkeeper Feng was prepared: “Hong Kong is one of Asia’s most famous cities, England’s outpost in Asia.”
Chu Ze politely declined: “Sorry, I’m not prepared to live in an Asian city, and I don’t know much about shipping.”
As a godless Germanic descendant with family, children, and a career in Germany, poaching him to Hong Kong was a bit too difficult.
Shopkeeper Feng said: “Mr. Zuse, your achievements in Germany are not recognized, but in Hong Kong a huge conglomerate will support your computer research.
It can provide all convenient conditions and resource support for your research; we can offer ample R&D funds and laboratory facilities to make things convenient for you.
Please consider it carefully.”
Shopkeeper Feng continued: “Mr. Zuse, have you heard of Randolph Lin?”
How could he not have.
The Berlin Crisis involved him, the Cuban Missile Crisis too; as the Cold War frontline, Germany newspapers still occasionally hype the value of the hotline.
Every year from Nobel Peace Prize nominations to announcement, German newspapers compare candidates’ contributions to Lin Ran’s hotline.
How could a German not know, unless living in the deep mountains ignorant of worldly affairs.
And recently the hottest topics are artificial intelligence and Deep Blue.
Simply put, as the Cold War frontline, all Cold War-related news is the focus of German media reports.
Lin Ran’s concept of the Cold War winning move hit the German media’s G-spot hard.
Everyone was a bit panicked.
Because they originally thought whoever succeeds in manned moon landing first wins, but then you’re told it’s a long run, waiting for that seemingly unattainable technological singularity; for insightful Germanic descendants, it’s a bolt from the blue.
Zuse, as a computer expert, was clearly more interested in Deep Blue and artificial intelligence.
“Of course.” Zuse nodded.
Shopkeeper Feng said: “If you’re willing to come work in Hong Kong, you’ll get the opportunity to work with Professor Lin.”
Zuse’s eyes lit up, but soon he realized it was impossible; Randolph was in America, how could he go to a small place like Hong Kong.
Only a Randolph research expert like Grushkov would notice he once taught in Hong Kong; Zuse didn’t know these things.
“Impossible, Professor Lin works for the White House and NASA.” Zuse was about to stand up and see him out.
This Chinese descendant elite in front of him didn’t seem reliable anymore; he was starting to make up stories.
Shopkeeper Feng hurriedly said: “What I mean is, if you’re willing to come to Hong Kong, you’ll work with a computer master comparable to Randolph Lin.”
Zuse thought left and right but couldn’t think of any computer master in Hong Kong comparable to Randolph.
He at least built the Z series computers; though not widely known, only somewhat famous in Berlin’s small circles, Hong Kong was pure computer desert.
If there really was a master comparable to Randolph, he would have heard something.
He racked his brains but couldn’t think of such a figure in Hong Kong.
“Exactly, Mr. Chu Ze, welcome to come to Hong Kong and experience it personally.
We’ll cover round-trip flight tickets and hotel.”
“Trash, it’s almost ten years since the Georgetown Translator was publicly demonstrated in 1954, and your progress is still this slow.
Ten years ago it was like this, ten years later still the same; anyone else would do no better.
Because you did nothing!” Lin Ran roared, leaving the Georgetown team members red-faced and speechless.
“Low efficiency, wrong direction, completely wasting the resources IBM fought for you!”
Redstone Arsenal had specially cleared a floor for the Georgetown-IBM project team.
After all, Lin Ran’s most important work was still for NASA; the Georgetown Translator was just a side task.
Lin Ran couldn’t come, so you had to come here.
The Georgetown Project was originally sponsored by the Department of Defense; McNamara was Lin Ran’s die-hard supporter, so who would dare disobey an order?
This team was mainly Georgetown University professors, with IBM providing guidance.
IBM’s CEO Watson listened delightedly from the side, wishing he could be the one cursing wildly.
Because he had always known this project had problems.
Precisely, from the first day of demos, Watson knew the demo effect outweighed actual results.
But project head Paul Calvin and Leon Dostert insisted the Georgetown Project had no issues and was following the established plan.
Watson wasn’t an expert to begin with; when you just felt no progress from the effects, they’d say it was still in development, and once successful, there would naturally be a leap in effects.
Leaving Watson unable to say much.
Additionally, IBM employees on the project, Cuthbert Hurd and Peter Sheridan, were colluding with Georgetown University.
Everyone was in cahoots deceiving—well, not deceiving, just fooling.
No progress but claim good progress, no results but claim promising results.
Just to keep IBM and the Department of Defense pouring money into the Georgetown Project.
It wasn’t until 1964 when the Automatic Language Processing Advisory Committee formed and seven experts issued a report exposing the project that the Georgetown machine translation project was finally terminated.
Now with Lin Ran blasting the Georgetown University members, Watson just felt one word: refreshing.
“You’re still using these outdated rules for translation? Natural language isn’t static; how do you handle ambiguity and context? No wonder after ten years it’s still a mess with these junk things.” Lin Ran continued blasting.
Cuthbert Hurd and Peter Sheridan felt they were being cursed too, and finally understood why IBM colleagues, upon hearing Randolph was taking over the Georgetown Project, had Deep Blue team members who worked with Lin Ran tell him to prepare mentally.
The tyrant in the newspapers was no exaggeration; right away he trashed their achievements as worthless.
“Professor, we’ve done our best! The IBM 7090’s performance is much stronger than the 701, and our vocabulary has expanded to thousands of words.” Paul Calvin used the same rhetoric he used to fool Watson and Department of Defense officials to defend himself.
“Trash! I said you’re trash and you don’t believe it.
You dare bring this up—thousands of words? So what? Your system can’t even grasp basic semantics. Hardware upgraded, but brains didn’t keep up. You’re just coping with the government, not even using basic hardware parallelism or statistical methods.
I tell you, language is a game of probability, not dead rules piled up!” Lin Ran continued cursing: “Don’t think you can use the same fooling on Watson to fool me.
Watson doesn’t understand, but I don’t?”
Watson was enjoying it at first, but now felt a bit weird—what do you mean, dragging me into the cursing too?
Considering IBM stock price keeps soaring, my net worth doubled, and the Georgetown Translator project now has the professor personally taking over with a bright future, I won’t hold it against you, Watson thought.
“We don’t have time to…” Peter couldn’t help interjecting.
Before he finished, Lin Ran interrupted: “No time?
Almost ten years, and you dare say no time?
This is you not daring to face your own incompetence; rule translation is rigid, but you don’t want to change methods, just spinning in this rigid method.
Then keep emphasizing to the investor that we have progress.
Actually, you’ve walked into a maze you can never escape!”
Lin Ran continued: “First, throw away that pile of trash rules and introduce statistical methods. The IBM 7090’s memory and speed are enough for small-scale corpus statistics.
Second, use multiple IBM machines in parallel to enhance computing power.
Third, collect bilingual corpus; there are plenty of Russo-English tech texts—stat word pair frequencies, optimize translation choices.
Finally, improve the algorithm; don’t let the machine guess blindly like an idiot!”
