Technology invades the modern world

Chapter 126 Even I couldn't stop it if I were in its place (Seeking monthly votes!)

Lin Ran thought to himself, "Philip Dick, you're supposed to be one of my favorite authors, where did your integrity go?"

How could you add a love element to a science fiction novel that explores the preciousness of freedom?

If he himself knew about the agreement Avon Books offered, he would probably say, "It's really good!"

"Professor, what do you think would be a suitable name for true love?" Jenny didn't answer directly, but instead asked in return.

Lin Ran keenly sensed something was wrong and asked, "Jenny, will my name still be listed on this copy of 'The Truman Show'?"

Jenny replied matter-of-factly, “Of course, Professor, the idea is yours. Philip K. Dick just helped you turn it from an idea into a story.”

Professor Lin's first science fiction novel—isn't that a very interesting gimmick?

Given your fame in America and even globally, I believe this story will become a global phenomenon.

"Professor, that's a considerable sum of money."

Lin Ran flatly refused, saying, "I won't sign my name. At most, you can have Philip say in the publicity that the inspiration came from our conversation."

Jenny held up one finger: "A school, Professor. If you agree, the Hearst family will donate a 12-year Chinese school in Flushing, from elementary to high school."

"Is it a charter school or a regular school?" Lin Ran asked.

Jenny nodded and said, "It's a regular school, but it will specifically target Chinese students."

"Don't worry, with Hearst's influence in New York, getting approval from the New York Department of Education won't be difficult at all."

Lin Ran took a deep breath and thought that it was indeed normal for Philip to be unable to resist the temptation. If it were me, I would not be able to resist either. The other party understands too well what you cannot refuse.

After the Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed in 1943, it was not difficult for Chinese people to enroll in schools; the difficulty lay in getting into good schools and maintaining their cultural identity.

Given the intense competition among Chinese people, it would be very easy for them to make a name for themselves in academia if given the right environment.

Compared to California on the West Coast, the level of education among Chinese people in New York is significantly lower.

"I agreed. It's just a matter of signing my name, no problem."

If there are any promotional or marketing needs during the subsequent release process, I agree to cooperate.

If it were just US dollars, Lin Ran would refuse without a second thought, but he really couldn't give up this opportunity to fight for the welfare of Chinese Americans.

For Lin Ran, this is the good thing about working with Jenny.

If he collaborates with others to establish a Chinese school, he will be investigated 100% if he runs away from America in the future.

He could prick Fred without any burden, but he couldn't do that to Jenny.

Jenny's advantage is that, given the other party's background, she will at most be questioned, but she is unlikely to be harassed.

You should know that Patricia Hearst, who was of the same generation as Jenny, was the same Hearst who was arrested for participating in a bank robbery. She was sentenced to 7 years in prison, but was later pardoned by Jimmy Carter and was released after serving less than two years.

Until his retirement in 2001, Bill issued a special pardon, rescinding all charges against Patricia Hearst.

The Hearst family's influence within the Democratic Party is evident; they were able to receive pardons even when Democrats were in the White House.

Jenny extended her hand to Lin Ran, who shook it and said, "It's a pleasure working with you."

After the meal began, Lin Ran said, "Jenny, have you ever thought about a future where there are no more traditional newspapers?"

Jenny pondered: "There are no traditional newspapers?"

What is the medium through which this information is carried?

Lin Ran said, "Computers, computers shrunk to the size of a palm, allow people to send and receive messages on them."

Journalists publish articles using this handheld computer, and readers can receive articles from their favorite journalists anytime and leave comments below.

Jenny then asked, "How did they send the article to their handheld computers?"

Lin Ran said, "The signals are distributed via satellite."

Lin Ran's proposed satellite internet is the prototype of Starlink, while the handheld computer is the simplest version of a handheld computer.

"We are not discussing the technical feasibility, but only the impact of similar devices on the media."

Jenny thought for a moment: "It will be terrifying. America will lose her soft power."

In terms of written propaganda alone, America was inferior to Soviet Russia.

Their writing is very persuasive, and their theories are very insightful.

If such equipment existed, Soviet theoretical masters could have continuously voiced their opinions on America's problems, which, combined with America's own issues, could easily have caused irreversible consequences.

I estimate that if such a thing really existed, it would either be regulated by the White House or wouldn't be allowed to be sold on the market.

Lin Ran asked, "Isn't this a bit too pessimistic?"
"The Soviet Union had its own problems, and America exploited them too, didn't she?"

Jenny shook her head and said, "You haven't been to Soviet Russia. It's freezing cold there."

The only suitable places for them to live are in a very small area.

It is precisely because of their poor living conditions and lack of entertainment options that people need constant exercise to maintain their passion and mobilization capacity.

If they had something like what you're describing, they could make their voices heard, promote their cause, and engage in discussions using just a handheld computer.

For them, this can greatly conserve the resources consumed by exercise.

For America, the conflict between capital and workers will intensify.

This is not a good thing.

Jenny was talking about one possibility, but Lin Ran saw a different understanding in Jenny's words: understanding the Russians' philosophy of survival at the bottom from a geographical perspective, which was quite refreshing to him.

Jenny then joked, "Professor, if you really invent this thing and want to promote it widely in America, you must leave it to the White House, where there is a powerful backer to control speech."

It's the same principle as how every newspaper seems to have freedom, but in reality, it doesn't.

Lin Ran seemed to be deep in thought. Sure enough, the top families knew America's rules of the game as early as sixty years ago.

Why wait until the era of internet information explosion?

After chatting with Jenny, the moment Lin Ran stepped into the restroom, he had a premonition that someone was waiting for him.

However, he didn't see anyone, he only heard voices.

"Aliens or another world?"

"alien"

This was the question that Long Sifan found most difficult to understand.

He was shocked by the tacit understanding that had formed between Hua Guo and Lin Ran, and what information they had exchanged that made Hua Guo ask him such a special question.

This is where the real information lies hidden beneath the surface.

Just a few simple words sparked countless thoughts in Long Sifan's mind.

"Alive or dead?"

"Dead."

"Transistor or vacuum tube?"

Lin Ran heard a third possibility from this English question with two options: or.

"Transistors," Lin Ran said.

"Small size or new materials?"

"small"

Lin Ran knew that this question was asking whether the transistors were miniaturized and placed inside, or whether new materials were used.

"Dalian Port or Guangzhou Port?"

After a moment of silence, Lin Ran said, "Yangcheng Port."

There was no further sound from the restroom.

Lin Ran guessed that the last question wasn't about the port, but rather a metaphor.

"Come here anytime if there's an emergency." He only heard the last sentence after he flushed the toilet and prepared to leave.

Lin Ran watched Jenny enjoying traditional Chinese cuisine at Yulanxuan, feeling helpless about her sensitive identity.

But living in this era, if he doesn't want to do something, he will regret it for the rest of his life.

In Southwest China, after Lin Ran's message reached Dean Qian through various channels, he immediately convened a meeting with the members of Group Two.

In Panzhihua's Area 51—yes, this place is called Area 51 within China.

They assumed that Lin Ran's mention of "51" referred to naming the area Area 51, so that future communications would be conducted using the code name to identify the location. The second group referred to the semiconductor research and development team, while the first group was responsible for missile and rocket development.

"Ladies and gentlemen, according to our latest information, the Raspberry Pi is the result of miniaturized transistors."

After Dean Qian finished speaking, none of the experts present showed much excitement.

Because everyone has been advancing research and development along this technological path.

It simply proves that their theoretical knowledge is solid enough and their predictions are reliable enough.

Scientists reacted in this way: after the decision-makers in Yanjing confirmed that it was aliens, they were more nervous but also slightly relieved.

"It's good news that the aliens are dead, which proves that America at most obtained technology from the aliens' crashed spaceships."

Technology can be caught up with. From the First Industrial Revolution to the Second Industrial Revolution, foreign countries have always been ahead of us.

Even if this alien technology remnant is initiating the Third Industrial Revolution, it's just that the other side started it first.

Moreover, we still have room to catch up; we are not far behind.

Compared to the other side gaining the resources and population of an entire world, this is undoubtedly fantastic news.

However, this does not mean we can relax.

Because of America's knowledge of alien technology, we would still be completely in the dark if White Horse hadn't told us.

I believe the Soviet Union was unaware of America's situation; otherwise, they would have at least given us hints, if not told us.

Now that they're just dead aliens, there's nothing to worry about. We can even defeat living Americans, so why can't we defeat dead aliens?

However, we must accelerate the research and development of both grenades and artillery. Only with grenades can we have any chance of survival.

On March 1, a grand paper ribbon parade was held in New York to celebrate the successful completion of the Friendship 7 manned space mission, hoping to honor the hero through this traditional method.

Thousands of citizens took to the streets and threw colorful confetti at Glenn along Broadway as a sign of respect.

Besides the celebration itself, another very important event on this day was the official establishment of International Shipping Standards Ltd. in New York.

Wall Street is where representatives of capital from all over the Western world gather at 23 Wall Street, also known as the famous Morgan Building.

Although JPMorgan Chase had undergone several mergers and changes by this time, and 23 Wall Street was no longer their main office location, with bullet marks still visible on the exterior walls from the 1920 bombing, it remained JPMorgan's symbolic headquarters at this time.

“Sir, you should be receiving cheers from the crowd on Broadway.” Lloyds Insurance Committee Chairman Miskin and Lin Ran were talking.

The room was filled with middle-aged white men in suits; Lin Ran and Xu Aizhou were the only two Chinese people present.

"I'm more interested in changing the world according to my own will than accepting cheers," Lin Ran said vaguely.

To Miskin, this statement was undoubtedly very pleasing to the ear.

Without that brilliant idea, it would have taken much longer to develop and perfect the entire maritime standard system, which would have cost a fortune.

Compared to Jardine Matheson, which had committed numerous misdeeds, Lloyds was a truly neutral financial institution.

Not only did they never participate in colonial trade, but even their financial business, which they relied on for survival, adhered to neutrality and absolute market-based operations.

Instead of relying on creating trouble to obtain excess profits, like Goldman Sachs later did.

Miskin said, "Sir, your design for shipping container labels and even the entire digital transformation of shipping is perfect."

We took your proposal back and showed it to Lloyd's senior actuaries and syndicate members.

It was presented to us internally as a classic question under the Luding Bell, prompting us to ponder it gradually.

No matter how hard people try, they can't escape the framework you designed.

And within the framework you designed, you can't find a more ingenious solution.

Even without considering redundancy for fault tolerance, it's difficult to approach the efficiency of your designed solution.

Lloyd's history dates back to the 16th century when it originated in a café called Edward Lloyd in the Tower of London.

At that time, coffee shops were gathering places for ship owners, merchants, captains and insurers, where they discussed shipping and insurance-related matters.

Although Edward Lloyd himself was not an insurance professional, his café provided a venue for insurance transactions, gradually evolving into the prototype of the insurance market.

Lloyd's later developed into a global center for shipping insurance.

The contractors, who are the individuals or groups that actually bear the risks, form syndicates. Each syndicate is backed by capital provided by a group of investors.

Clearly, the most important requirement for making money in this market is computing power.

The market itself employs a large group of actuaries to price risk, and syndicates are equally skilled in actuarial science. Everyone needs to find a suitable balance between risk and return.

However, even this group of people who are skilled in calculation and make a living from calculation felt helpless when faced with a container labeling system.

The actuaries at Lloyd's Square either didn't look at Lin Ran's plan and went to think of their own, coming up with a fairly satisfactory container data management solution, only to have it completely outdone by Lin Ran's.

The theoretical efficiency improvement is still far less than the actual effect of Xiangjiang Shipping after it has been in operation.

Either they looked at Lin Ran's plan and then tried to think of something better, but they just couldn't come up with anything better.

Only through comparison can we realize the gap when faced with the same real-world problem.

Lin Ran's existence earned the utmost respect from Lloyd's Syndicate members.

If McNamara is a Shudra, then those in the financial industry actually rely on mathematics for their livelihood, but they don't believe in the caste system.

Even if you're a pure Brahmin, you still need to produce results before we'll recognize you as a Brahmin.

Lin Ran was clearly a Brahmin who could produce something.

"This is because the underlying mathematics is very complex and there are many factors to consider."

"My brain is unique." Lin Ran pointed to his head and said self-deprecatingly.

Miskin said earnestly, "Sir, you are right, you are a treasure of mankind."

So, would you like to design a risk assessment model for the Lloyds insurance market based on historical data and probability?

The price is negotiable.

Lin Ran shook his head and said, "This kind of work is too specific. I'm not interested in finance. The better your brain is, the more you should use it for crucial things."

Money is not important to me at all.

Miskin was unperturbed by the rejection: "Sir, if you are interested, just let me know."

After Miskin left, Xu Aizhou walked up to Lin Ran and said, "Sir, it's been a long time."

"Mr. Xu, I'm relieved to see you in such good spirits," Lin Ran said with a smile.

Xu Aizhou said, "When people encounter happy events, they are in high spirits."

Sir, you didn't see the expressions on the faces of the Jardine Matheson and Swire executives when they found out I was coming to attend the founding ceremony of International Shipping Standards Limited. They were absolutely awful.

Jardine Matheson and Swire have guzzled countless lives in Hong Kong. Not only that, but they have also suppressed Chinese businesses in various ways. The evil deeds they have committed against the Chinese since the last century are too numerous to count!

This was just a minor setback for them, but it's enough to give me another five years to live!

From the early days of Jardine Matheson selling yapians to mainland China and smuggling them to the coastal areas of China using fast sailing ships, to later when Lin Zexu banned opium, Jardine Matheson's magistrate William Jardine personally went to London to lobby Lord Palmerston, the English Foreign Secretary, to go to war with China.

This is history.

Xu Aizhou personally experienced how Jardine Matheson, leveraging its capital advantages with HSBC, squeezed the living space of Chinese merchants in shipping and trade.

In the past, Xu Aizhou relied on French capital, but now he also has American Capital, as well as Barclays Bank from England and other capital that is at odds with HSBC.

A cold glint seemed to flash in Lin Ran's eyes: "Mr. Xu, living a few more years might allow you to see something even happier."

The ceremony officially began at 11 a.m.

A master of ceremonies rang a copper bell on the table, its clear sound echoing throughout the hall.

Francis Morgan stepped onto the makeshift stage and announced in a deep, powerful voice: "Today, we witness the birth of International Shipping Standards Ltd. This is a combination of capital and wisdom, and the starting point of a new era in global trade."

For Morgan, this is an opportunity to reshape the discourse.

For Rockefeller, who were once dominant players in the oil and energy sector, their deep involvement in the development of shipping standards is intended to deeply integrate energy transportation with a standardized system.

They not only want funding, but also further control over the global trade chain.

What Lin Ran needs is to fully revitalize Hong Kong's industrial potential, preparing for Hong Kong to become the fuse that ignites the entire Chinese mainland.

“Sir, I fully respect your opinion. Do you know how much Mitsui and Sumitomo want a piece of the pie in International Shipping Standards Limited?” John Morgan’s voice rang in Lin Ran’s ears.

Lin Ran knew without even thinking that if he didn't register the patent for the honeycomb deck system, the Japanese would.

　Waaaaah, please give Crow some monthly votes at the beginning of the month!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)