Technology invades the modern world

Chapter 133 The Double Laureate of Nobel and Fields
"I'm grateful to the conference for giving me this award. To be honest, it's not unexpected; it would have been unexpected if I hadn't received it," Lin Ran said.
A burst of laughter erupted from the audience.

"The beauty of mathematics lies in the unknown and the challenge. When I was in Göttingen, I often thought about what kind of results I could achieve."

When future generations turn the pages of history and see my page, how much beauty of mathematics will they be able to appreciate from me?

At the time, I actually lacked confidence that I could solve these seemingly impossible problems.

Thanks to Professor Siegel's guidance, he told me that only ordinary people truly believe in their own abilities. The more outstanding you are, the higher the standards you set for yourself.

He gave me a very good hint, telling me that the reason I was in trouble was because I set too high a standard for myself, not because of my own problems.

Although at that time I just wanted to publish a doctoral dissertation to get my degree smoothly, Professor Siegel's hints helped me a lot. I started to set my standards really high. I wanted to solve Fermat's Last Theorem, I wanted to shock the mathematical community, and I wanted to become famous all over the world as soon as I came out of retirement.

Ultimately, as you can see, I did achieve that.

Perhaps without Professor Siegel's suggestion, I might just be a mathematics PhD who has published an ordinary paper, shuttling between Berlin and Paris for an associate professorship.

So, everyone, the beauty of mathematics lies in its unknown and its challenges, and so does the beauty of life. I hope this achievement will inspire more mathematicians to explore those seemingly impossible fields.

After Lin Ran finished speaking, he looked around the audience. His speech drew frequent nods from the audience, clearly indicating that the difficulties he mentioned resonated with many mathematicians.

After the acceptance speech, the entire audience erupted in prolonged applause.

Doyle looked completely bewildered: "Professor, how come I didn't know you were like this?"

Siegel retorted, "You've never been my student, how do you know what my style is!"

Doilyn said, "I've heard Moser and Mahler mention it."

Siegel stated matter-of-factly, "A person's style changes when they get old compared to when they were young."

Moser was one of the founders of KAM theory, and Mahler was a famous number theorist; both were students of Siegel.

Siegel had very high expectations for his students and never felt that the standards they set were too high. This is evident in his own doctoral dissertation, "ber einige Anwendungen der Theorie der quadratischen Formen".

After Lin Ran returned to his seat, Jenny whispered in his ear, "Professor, what you said is so true. I must do an exclusive interview with you. I believe everyone in America wants to see this interview."

Lin Ran nodded to the mathematician who turned to applaud and cheer, and said, "No problem."

"Professor, as a double winner of the Nobel Prize and the Fields Medal, what do you think is the secret to your success?"

In the conference room of a high-end hotel in Stockholm, sunlight streamed in through the windows, making the entire room feel exceptionally warm.

At the same time, the sunlight shone on Lin Ran's face, making him glow with golden light, giving people the illusion that he was surrounded by golden light.

In Jenny's eyes, there was only one feeling: So handsome.

Sixty years later, with ample nutrition, the Chinese people are top-notch in both mental and physical health, and Lin Ran's appearance can be described as handsome.

This is also an important reason why Jenny persevered; Lin Ran's personal image is attractive enough.

Lin Ran replied without hesitation, "Like Sir Isaac Newton, it's because I stand on the shoulders of giants."

They've already paved the way for us; all I need to do is some minor work.

Newton stood on the shoulders of giants, and I stand on the shoulders of men. Is there anything strange about that?
"Professor, you have accomplished in just two years what many mathematicians may not be able to do in a lifetime. This makes many young mathematicians feel both inspired and frustrated by your achievements."

Do you have any advice for these young mathematicians?

"My advice is that mathematical research requires an extreme interest in the subject matter so that you can concentrate fully. Without strong intrinsic motivation, it is difficult to succeed."

If you have no interest in what you're doing and rely purely on instinct, it will make things very difficult for you. In the first year or two of entering modern mathematical research, you'll find that there's so much to learn, and you won't even be able to solve some small problems. You'll start to doubt your own abilities.

Without interest as a driving force, it will be difficult to get you through this stage.

Once you get past this stage and achieve some small success, you gain satisfaction from solving difficult problems. This satisfaction motivates you to find new problems or tackle even more challenging ones, leading to even greater satisfaction. This creates a positive cycle that puts you in a good state.

For young mathematicians, only after entering such a favorable state can your mathematical journey be considered to have officially begun.

People who become mathematicians naturally have the ability and interest to work in other industries, and they will face a very difficult choice: whether to become a mathematician or pursue some other career.

Gauss once oscillated between mathematics and linguistics; Pascal abandoned mathematics early on to study theology; Descartes and Leibniz were also renowned philosophers. Some mathematicians later became physicists, while others did the opposite, transitioning from physicists to mathematicians.

Mathematics has never been a closed system. Besides being a mathematician, I am also an outstanding aerospace engineer.

If you feel your mission is mathematics, then I suggest you enter that cycle as soon as possible. Otherwise, you might discover that there are things in the world more interesting than mathematics, and in that case, perhaps our world will have lost a Gauss.

After listening, Jenny clapped and said, "Professor, you are certainly an outstanding aerospace engineer."

When I discussed this topic with my colleagues from European newspapers, they all agreed that NASA's launch would not have gone so smoothly without you.

Including the professor, your academic report at the opening ceremony also focused on the combination of computer science and mathematics.

You once said that mathematicians are like birds and frogs, a view that has been agreed upon by many mathematicians.

"Professor, for a mathematician who spans multiple fields, like yourself who straddles mathematics and aerospace, are comparing them to birds or frogs rather than birds? Do you have any new metaphors in mind?"

Lin Ran thought for a moment, "I think it's still a bird, only a bird that has seen a wider world."

In the past, birds might have only stayed within the realm of mathematics, but birds like me can fly across the boundaries between disciplines and see another continent.

After Lin Ran won the award, the public reaction was lukewarm. It was as if he should have won the award two years ago, but it was delayed until today.

Aside from extensive coverage in Chinese-language newspapers, it at most received a single report in the science section of other newspapers.

The New York Times, because of Jenny's interview, published Lin Ran's feature article and interview in full on the next page.

Because of the existing popularity, the newly built T-apartment in Flushing, specifically targeting the Chinese community, has Lin Ran's headshot printed on the side, with the words "A source of pride for the Chinese community, the choice of Randolph Lin, the latest Fields Medal winner" below.

Employees of Fred Management Company heavily promoted this matter when they were marketing to Chinese people.

"Sir, this is our Randolph Apartments, specially designed for Chinese people. The monthly rent for a single room is only $60, which is $30 cheaper than a single room of the same quality on the market. A two-bedroom apartment is only $100, which is also $40 cheaper than a similar apartment on the market."

More importantly, compared to apartments of similar quality on the market, our apartments are newly built, newly renovated, and newly designed, boasting the highest space utilization rate in Flushing. The staff at Fred Management Company delivered their promotional message with remarkable skill.

However, the question that the Chinese community is more concerned about is: "Does Professor Lin live here?"

"Of course, the reason this apartment building is called the Randolph Building is because Mr. Lin lives here!" the staff member said righteously. "Mr. Lin usually works in Washington, but he will occasionally stay here after returning to New York."

The staff knew that the Chinese people weren't stupid and naturally didn't believe that someone like Randolph would live in a cheap apartment, so they only emphasized that it was occasional, "We have an agreement with Mr. Lin that he comes to stay for a few days every year."

For Chinese people, this place is cheap, it's called the Randolph Building, the location is decent, and there's even a chance to meet Lin Ran – it's practically perfect.

On another note, Fred makes money by renting out fully occupied apartments. Normally, it's considered good if an apartment is 80% vacant. The Randolph Building, thanks to Lin Ran's endorsement, attracts a large number of Chinese residents, and the vacancy rate is no more than 5%.

On the other hand, his apartments were mainly built with loans from the Federal Housing Administration, and since Lin Ran was listed as a project owner, he could obtain better loan terms. These two factors combined meant that he could still make a profit even if the rent was lower.

Lin Ran's prestige and his White House status meant that New York, as the Democratic Party's base, was willing to provide Fred with conveniences simply because of his reputation.

The FHA, or Federal Housing Administration, was established in 1934 as part of Roosevelt's New Deal, with the aim of providing housing opportunities for low- and middle-income families.

The loan interest rate offered by this project is between 4.5% and 5.5%, which is much lower than the 6 to 8% commercial loan rates of the same period. In addition, with Fred's long-term cooperation with FHA officials and the help of Lin Ran, he can get the loan interest rate even lower than 4.5% and a longer repayment period.

For real estate developers, real estate is just a shell; the financial operations beneath that shell are their source of profit. This was true for Xu Pidai sixty years later, and it was also true for Fred sixty years ago.

So don't talk about America not having political and business dealings. America's political and business dealings are all out in the open, and she doesn't care at all about being discovered.

However, although Lin Ran's winning the Fields Medal did not generate much discussion, one event will soon ignite his global fame:
Cuban Crisis.

In October, Lin Ran worked at the Redstone Base as usual, only leaving the base for Washington when there was a specific reason.

However, in the early hours of that day, the phone in his room kept ringing.

"Hello, this is Randolph." Before Lin Ran could finish introducing himself, Lyndon Johnson's voice came from the other end of the phone: "Randolph, right now, a private jet will pick you up and take you to the White House. I'll be waiting for you at the White House."

Lin Ran turned on the light, picked up the Patek Philippe Mathematician Limited Edition from the bedside table, and glanced at the date on it: the 16th.

This Patek Philippe watch was commissioned by Jenny a year in advance to celebrate winning the Fields Medal. It is the only one of its kind in the world. The Calatrava-style round case symbolizes the perfect circle and infinity in mathematics, and the center of the dial is decorated with a spiral pattern with the golden ratio, paying homage to the aesthetic classics in mathematics.

It also includes moon phases and a perpetual calendar.

After all, Patek Philippe's workshop is in Geneva, and compared to Rolex, which basically does not accept customization, and Vacheron Constantin, which at the time could not compare with Patek Philippe in terms of uniqueness and scale, Patek Philippe was definitely the best choice.

However, Lin Ran's attention was not on the watch itself, but on the date. It was a familiar date, which he had only become familiar with after intensively studying after arriving in this time and space. Before, he only knew about the Cuban Missile Crisis, how could he know the whole story, how could he remember the time so clearly?

Just as Lin Ran had guessed, when he entered the Cabinet Office in the West Wing of the White House at 1 p.m., it was packed with White House executives, and a whiteboard was covered with photos.

"Randolph, come, sit down." Kennedy gestured for Lin Ran to sit next to him.

Lin Ran knew that this was the function of the "hotline".

The hotline was a factor, but Lin Ran's own performance was also a factor.

One of the most brilliant minds of our time should naturally participate in discussions on the most challenging issues of our time.

In addition to Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson, those present included National Security Advisor Bundy, Attorney General Robert Kennedy, Secretary of Defense McNamara, Secretary of State Rusk, and Air Force Representative LeMay.

After Lin Ran sat down, the discussion was even interrupted for a while, with Defense Secretary McNamara giving Lin Ran a brief overview of the situation:

"Randoff, the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft spotted a suspected intermediate-range ballistic missile launch site yesterday, October 15, while flying over Cuba. The existence of the launch site and the missile was confirmed yesterday after analysis by the National Photo Translation Center."

The Soviet Union has built a launch site and deployed some medium-range ballistic missiles, which we anticipate could potentially carry nuclear warheads and pose a direct threat to American territory.

Lin Ran sighed and rubbed his forehead after hearing the news: "This is terrible news. We can't accept this!"

In fact, as a Chinese person looking at this issue from a neutral third-party perspective, America was completely responsible for this whole mess.

You yourself first deployed 45 medium-range ballistic missiles in Italy and Turkey, which are only 2000 kilometers away from Moscow in a straight line.

Then came the Bay of Pigs Invasion.

It would have been perfectly normal for the Soviet Union to choose to retaliate in kind in Cuba.

However, his current status meant that he could only righteously declare that the Russians had gone too far and that their actions were utterly rebellious.

To put it bluntly, the Soviet Union was cowardly. If it hadn't been cowardly and had actually established a foothold in Cuba, it might have been able to extend its term for several more years.

What's even more absurd is that Cuba became a socialist country not because of your system, but because of Castro's speech at the UN General Assembly in 61, where he said, "I am, therefore I am."

What's even more absurd is that it's no longer Russian, but it still is.

After hearing Lin Ran's statement, John Kennedy added, "This is truly astonishing."

How dare the Soviet Union deploy nuclear missiles in our backyard? Did they think we would just stand by and do nothing? We must teach them a lesson!

McNamara said, "I suggest we consider a naval blockade of Cuba to prevent more weapons from being smuggled in. This would avoid direct military conflict and leave the Soviet Union with a way out, allowing room for negotiations."

Li Mei shook her head and said, "No, no, no! Blockade is too weak! We must immediately launch an airstrike on Cuba, destroy the missile bases, and teach the Soviet Union a lesson."

Cuba dares to call itself a socialist country, so we dare to teach them a lesson.

Li Mei is indeed Li Mei; her mind is full of missile bombing.

Rusk thought for a moment, then said, "Even if the Soviet Union doesn't react, there's still a great risk in doing this."

This will have some diplomatic consequences, which will lead to strong reactions from our European allies.

I suggested resolving the issue through diplomatic channels, by exerting pressure through the United Nations on the one hand, and negotiating with Soviet Russia on the other.

Robert Kennedy, Kennedy's brother, said, "I agree with Rusk that airstrikes would make us lose moral ground."

"We strongly condemn the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, but we also did similar things. So how are we any different from the Japanese?"

After hearing this, Lin Ran felt that compared to America in later generations, these White House bureaucrats still had some sense of shame.

At least there wasn't too much double standard.

They won't give you any top-tier action sequences like those featuring fists, stars and stripes, or fire.

At least the White House now consists of a group of normal people.

After listening to the opinions of all parties, Lin Ran gained a more intuitive understanding of them.

LeMay's idea was bombing and war, McNamara's suggestion was blockade, a soft confrontation, not as hard as bombing, while Rusk and Robert Kennedy hoped for negotiations, to exert pressure through the international community and then resolve the issue through negotiations.

John F. Kennedy wavered between these opinions, but his bottom line was to resolve the issue and absolutely prevent Cuba from continuing to possess Soviet intermediate-range missiles.

As for Lyndon Johnson, he had no objection and, like Lin Ran, remained silent throughout the entire process.

The discussion went on for a long time without reaching a conclusion.

McNamara interrupted, "Gentlemen, I think we have top-notch mathematicians here, so we should listen to the professor's opinion."

He taught me a great deal about game theory, and I think the professor would have better ideas than we did.

Lin Ran pulled himself away from the Sudoku game on his laptop, looked up at the White House officials who were all turning to look at him, and said, "I'm thinking, why don't we just ask Nikita what he wants?"

(End of this chapter)