Chapter 3 third chapter

Sheffield Jackman Space Log, Day 130. Long time no contact, is it?Sorry, I'm such a lazy writer.Halfway through a 13-piece chess series with Eve Basto.She was playing police fisherman and I was playing Rashevski.Something Eve said reminded me of old Neffy, so, naturally, I was reminded that I still owe you a report, and here it is. In self-defense, apart from the fact that we are busy with chores, it is indeed a waste of electricity to send these rambling texts.A few of our dear friends wondered if it was worth it.The farther we travel, the more telegrams to send a report accumulate.Well, it's not so bad now, but, well, let's confess the truth to you, eh?Naphie made us promise, he said, always tell the truth, because you're part of the experiment, and we need to know what you're doing, everything.Well, the truth here is this.We were short of disposable power supplies at one time, because Jim Basto used a lot for his research.You may have to guess, what exactly is he researching?But we have a rule here, that is, we don't criticize or even discuss what others are doing until he thinks he's done.He hasn't made it yet.I am responsible for the overall situation, not only to manage the power supply, but also the safety of the spacecraft.I told him to just do his thing.The current sailing speed is very fast. To the naked eye, the stars in front and behind have been blue-shifted or red-shifted, and they are almost invisible.It's funny, we have not been able to observe α-Alienus so far, and using a floppy disk to cover the star has also failed.Now, the blue shift is more serious, we may not see it, unless slowed down.The sun can still be seen, but I guess what we see is the ultraviolet rays in our home.Of course, the relative frequency phase shift means that we need more compensating power when we talk.That's another reason I don't want to write home every Sunday between breakfast and baseball time, even though I should!

Sailing was smooth. "Interpersonal Relationships" also holds up pretty well.In this regard, we have also conducted some experimental research.This project was not in the plan, but it went well, no problems, and the results are very gratifying.I think maybe some details should be left out, but we have found some wonderful ways to do things.Forget it, here's a hint for you: Dot Lecki said I should have told you to have the boy at the space base break up two striped pills and a "blue ghost" with a 1/4 tsp of black pepper powder and 2 cc of liquid recirculation system, swallowed with orange milk jelly.Whoops man, after we first took this formula, Flo called it "reproductive water", I thought it was a joke, but everyone laughed, Dot worked out it a week ago This hall of fame.We have always wondered how she could read so quickly and deeply, and one day she finally revealed the secret.We later found out that it can do something for you, both emotionally and intellectually.People say that creativity gets the upper hand over passion.

Ann and Jerry Jetsky had long since exhausted their entertainment programs which were intended to last them a whole voyage!They exchanged microfilms, under the pretext that each was interested in some aspect of causality and wanted to see what the other had to offer.Now Ann was enamored with the likes of Kant and Carnap, while Ski was mortified that yarrow was not to be found in the hydroponic garden.He said his research needed such branches.He had to toss his rubles to make up his mind.In fact, we always borrow this coin from him, but this method is always wrong.Space base, frankly, he was right.In addition to sex and number theory, there are other requirements that should be considered.We can't even find broken bones in the kitchen waste, because there is no such thing as kitchen waste.I know you can't imagine all this - but anyway, we try to adapt as much as we can, and most of them work.let me think, what else?Have I sent you Jim Barstow's proof of Goldbach's conjecture?Since he invented multiple parity analysis, everything is very simple.But we've basically stopped doing that stuff.With the funniest part out of the way, we get bored of number theory.If there is one thing that attracts all of us to study together - apart from our individual interests - it is probably the calculus of arguments.Everyone did not conduct systematic research, and only pondered over other activities and when time allowed.But we are all convinced that a Universal Grammar is perfectly feasible, and its future can be easily foreseen.

Fro does more than most of us.She asked me to cut in and say Bull and Wayne and all the old-timers were on the wrong track.She thinks Leibniz's idea of ​​a "calculus reasoner" is not unreasonable.She wanted to use J.W. Swanson's suggestion to compound language. (Jim was inspired to devise his singular analysis method).The idea is, to create a bilingual language.A set of meanings is conveyed through the phonemes, that is, through the word forms themselves.Another set uses pitch, like singing a message, half the meaning is conveyed by the words, and the other half is expressed by the tone - like rock music.You get these two sets of meanings in the third, fourth, and nth dimensions, so that multiple meanings can be expressed at the same time.Not much has been done right now - the use of sex as a medium of communication is an exception.Existing perceptions are mostly limited, and it is impossible to express many meanings.

By the way, we have tested all existing "artificial languages" as thoroughly as possible.For example, putting Will Becklund under the degenerative effects of hypnotics allowed him to regain the Esperanto he had learned since childhood.But these are dead ends, less expressive than standard English or French. Below is the medical report.We are all healthy.Eve Basto made a special inspection for everyone just to be sure.Anheski had some small holes in his molars, and Eve filled them in.It's not so much that they need it as that she wants to practice practice.I don't mean practicing fillings; she's trying acupuncture instead of rucaine, and it's not bad.

We all have this feeling of writing to mom and dad from camp in the weedy woods and trying to send you some samples of our homemade crafts, but the headache is that there's so much stuff out there.Everyone has a favorite or two, like Basto's proofs of most classic math problems, and my multimedia adaptation of the famous painting "On the Pont de Avignon".It is really difficult to decide what to convey to you with the limited power available.We don't want to pass some rubbish to waste electricity.So we made a vote, and the poetic retelling of An Dui was recommended as the most valuable.It's quite long, I hope the battery is enough, anyway, I will try to send you some...

Spring is in full swing in Washington, with cherry blossoms blooming along the Potomac River and Stony Brook Park soaking up the greenery of new leaves.Through the roar of the helicopter, Neffhausen could also hear sporadic musket fire from around Georgetown.Molotov cocktails and tear gas bombs thrown from the Dashuimen apartment complex filled the river bank with smoke and made the sky dark.They'll never stop, Neffhausen thought furiously. What's the point of saving someone like that? What a distraction.He found himself divided between three areas—the devastated but greening wind below, the escort firefighters circling his helicopter, and the papers on his lap.All of this upset him.He could not fix his attention on any of them, and the least favorable was the report from the USS Constitution.He had to call in experts to help translate the content, and he didn't like the need, much less the result.What went wrong?They were all his hand-picked children.For example, there's no sign of any hippie vibes in them, none of them are 20 yet, only Ann Becklund and Florence Jackman are just 20 these days.How did they get into this ridiculous behavior?And this kind of stupidity-what is "Yarrow Millennium" and it's just ordinary Yarrow!What "experiment"?Who started this nasty, anti-science acupuncture thing?How dare they disregard the power supply design budget for some "research purpose"!What is the purpose?What's more, what is the "safety of the spaceship"?

He scribbled a few lines on the legal pad: Stop messing around now. I get the impression you're all acting like irresponsible kids.You have failed the ideals of our program. Neffhausen After a short sprint from the helicopter pedal to the guarded White House foyer, he handed the note to a footman from the information center, requesting that it be immediately translated into code and sent to "Constitution No."He reassured himself that all they needed was a reminder and they would be back on track.But he glanced at the mirror, and he still looked worried; so he smoothed his bristling hair, smoothed his beard with his fingertips, and went to see the Secretary-General of the President.

This time instead of going upstairs, they went down.The subterranean sanctuary where Kneifhausen will go was once Franklin D. Roosevelt's swimming pool, the White House press briefing room, and the television studio.The happy two-person close-ups of the president and the Senate and House of Representatives were specially recorded there for relatives and friends in the president's hometown to watch, and now it has become a thickly armored bunker.If someone was attacked in the city and couldn't get out of the White House, he could hold out for a few weeks inside. During this time, the 4th Armored Division could start from the base in Maryland and take the position back. The room is not comfortable. Safety is guaranteed.Aside from its armored defenses, it is as completely soundproof, sniff-proof, and leak-proof as any other chamber in the world, like those in the Kremlin basement and the NOROM base in Colorado.

Neffhausen was shown indoors and seated.The president was talking quietly with a group across the room; dozens more stared at Neffhausen with craning necks. After a while, the president looked up and said, "Okay".He drank from the crystal wine glass, looking haggard and tired.His childhood dream has now failed him: the presidency is not what he imagined it to be in Muncie, Indiana. "We all know the purpose of coming here. The government of the United States of America released untrue news, and it was well-informed and deliberate at the time, so that it was taken into account. Now we would like to ask you to understand its background, So, Dr. Neffhausen will explain to you what the Altair project is all about. Please, Neffhausen."

Kneifhausen stood up and walked unhurriedly to the small podium set up for him, right next to the president.Flipping over his draft paper on the podium, he pouted and studied it thoughtfully for a while, then said, "As the President said, the a-Alien project is a sham. Some of you were on the fence a few months ago. Already know the situation, you used some other words like "scam", "fake", etc. But I want to describe it in archaic terms. This is not the case at all. This is a legal and legitimate "strategy action. "Not a "war" against our political enemies, or against those molotov cocktails and brick-throwing goofy boys in the street. I don't mean that kind of war, I mean a war against ignorance. You know, for science and progress, We have to understand certain symbols - certain things. α-Aliens is designed to help us find these answers. "I'm also going to tell you the worst of them first," he said. "First, the planet called Alpha-Alienus doesn't exist, and the Russians are right. Second, we've always known about it, even the pictures are fake. And one day, the whole world will find out about the secret." , and know about our 'strategic moves'. I just hope they don't find out too early, because if we are lucky enough to keep the secret for a while, then I hope good results can be produced to justify our actions. Third , when the Constitution reaches Alpha Centauri, there will be no ground for them to land on, they will not be able to leave the ship, and they will not be able to find the raw materials to make the fuel for their return journey—nothing but the stars and space. This situation There will be certain consequences. The hydrogen fuel on the "Constitution" is only enough for a one-way voyage, and there are some mobile reserves, but it is not enough for the return voyage, and the location of the resources they hope to develop and utilize, the so-called "Alien Star" It doesn't exist, so they can't come back, which means they will die there. Those are the bad aspects that I have to admit." There was a murmur of sighs from the audience.The president frowned. After patiently waiting for the pill to be swallowed, Neffhausen continued: "So you ask, why did we do this? Put eight young men to death? The answer is simple: knowledge. In other words, we Basic scientific knowledge must be acquired to protect the free world. I... I think you are all familiar with the known fact that basic scientific progress has been minimal over the past decade. Although research and development, technology and applications have Quite a lot, but fundamental science hasn't progressed in all these years since Einstein, or better yet, Wetzsee. "However, without new basic knowledge, new technology will soon stop developing. Look, it will lose momentum. "Now I'm going to tell you a story, a true science story, not a joke. I know people don't want to hear my jokes right now. There was a Maltese named de Bono who wanted to study the process of creative thinking. Not much is known about the process, but he had an ingenious idea of ​​how to make a discovery. So he prepared a room for the experiment, with no furniture at all, just two doors, one facing the other. ...you go in one, go through the room, and come out the other door. He puts some material on the door of the door that will be the entrance—two boards, some rope. Then he calls some kids He said to the children: 'We're going to play a game. You have to go through this room and out the other door, that's all. If you succeed, you win. But there is a rule, you Your feet, or your knees, or any part of your body, not even your clothes, are allowed to touch the floor. There was a boy who, he said, was as strong as an athlete, walked across the room on his hands, but he was disqualified You can't do this without the qualifications. Now, go ahead, whoever comes out first can get a few chocolates'. "So he took them all, except the first one, and tried them all one by one. There were 10 or 15 kids, and they all did the same thing. It took time to figure out what to do, and some knew what to do right away. In any case, the method was always the same. They sat on the floor, tied a board to each foot, and walked across the room like skis. Immediately figured out This method, and the child who walked out of the room the fastest took a few seconds. The slowest took a few minutes, but all of them used the same method. This is only the first part of the experiment. "Then, this Maltese Bono, did the second part of the experiment, which was almost exactly the same as the first experiment, except for one thing. Instead of giving them two boards, he gave them only one. "In the second part of the experiment, each child came up with the same method, of course it was different from the first time. They tied the rope to one end of the veneer, then stood on the board, jumped up, and used the rope Pulling the plank forward, jumping and pulling, moving a short distance at a time, everyone succeeded. It took an average of about 45 seconds to move across the room in the first experiment, and about 20 seconds in the second, using a board to complete the task earlier than two boards. "Now some of you may have seen the problem. Why didn't any of the kids in the first group think of this quick way to get across the room? It's very simple. They adapt to their circumstances, as do all of us. To make the best use of everything. In fact, they don’t need to use everything, they can use different methods and less materials to achieve better results.” Neffhausen paused, looked around the room, savoring the moment.Knowing that I've convinced them the same way I convinced the President three years ago.They began to realize that everything they did was necessary, and the pale, upturned faces were no longer hostile, but only confused and slightly fearful. He continued: "Gentlemen and ladies, that's what the a-Alien project is about. We picked eight of the brightest minds we could find, healthy, young, adventurous, innovative. Of course, we A dirty trick was played on them. But we gave them a chance that none of them ever had - a chance to think, to think for a decade, to think about the basics. There was no additional board in space to distract them When they want to know something, they can't go to the library to look it up, and they won't find that someone once told them that their idea will not succeed, and they have to think everything on their own. "So, in order to make this possible, we concealed the truth from them, and the price of the deception was their lives. Well, yes, it is a tragedy. But if we take their lives, then we take immortality exchanged. "How did we do it? Another trick, ladies and gentlemen. I don't say to them, 'Come on, you've got to find a new fundamental approach to science and tell us', I gloss over the purpose so they Even this distraction is gone. We tell them it's entertainment, it's to help them pass the time, it's called 'soldier'. The 'entertainment' is not really for them to pass the time, it's the whole purpose of the voyage . "So we start training them with the basic tools of science, like number: which is quantity and measure, and the whole thing about scientific observation, and grammar, not the kind of grammar you learned when you were 13 years old, which is a term that refers to an argument The basic rules of integration and communication - so that they can learn to think clearly and without ambiguity through sufficient communication. We give them nothing else but to mix these two basic content to produce new forms opportunity for knowledge. "What effect would these things have? That's a legitimate question. Unfortunately, there's no answer -- not yet. If we knew the answer in advance, there would be no point in experimenting. So. We don't know what the experiment is going to do. The end result, but they've done quite a bit. They've solved the perennial problem that has baffled the brightest scientists for centuries. I'll give an example. You'll say, yes, But what's the point of that? I'll answer, I don't know, I just know it's a hard problem that no one has ever solved. This is the proof of the so-called Goldbach's conjecture. It's just a conjecture, you Call it a conjecture, a conjecture made many years ago by a brilliant mathematician, that every even number can be written as the sum of two prime numbers. This is a simple mathematical problem, but no one has been able to solve it. You can say : 'Of course, 16 is the sum of the two prime numbers 11 and 5, and 30 is the sum of the two prime numbers 23 and 7; and I can match any even number you wish with two prime numbers'. Look, you can It's done, but can you prove that any even number is possible? No, you can't prove it, and no one has proved it yet. However, our friends on the "Constitution" have already done it. This is still" The USS Constitution's first few weeks in the sky. They still have nearly 10 years to go. I can't predict how they will progress by then, but it is always foolish to doubt its untested potential. The new theory of relativity , a new gravitational force—I don’t know, I’m only scratching the surface, but there’s bound to be a lot to discover.” He paused again.There was no sound below.Even the president stopped staring straight ahead, expressionless, and looked at Neffhausen. "It's not too late to sabotage this experiment, so we'll have to keep it a secret for a while longer. But ladies and gentlemen, you already know the truth, the truth about Alpha Altius." He spoke of what would happen next. He was a little scared about the matter, so he used the manuscript paper to delay the time for a few seconds, then shrugged and faced his audience and said, "Now, what's the problem?" Yes, there are problems. "Mr. Mass" froze for a moment, and it took a few minutes to wake up from the magic of the simple and beautiful truth he heard, but someone had already asked a sharp question first.Then another one.Then two or three voices shouted simultaneously.There are problems, of course there are.The unanswerable question, the one too late to hear, the next one, the one he didn't know the answer to, and the worst question was like a hot pepper rubbed in the eye, irritating and blinding.But he had to face these questions and try to answer them at the same time.Even though these people were so rowdy that the Marine guards two doors down the heavy door looked at each other uncomfortably, wondering what was causing the muffled noise to penetrate the very reliable soundproofing of the room. "I want to know, who instigated you to do this?" "No one, Mr. President. I have stated." "Come on, Neffhausen, do you want to tell us that for some Goldbach theory you're going to murder these good people?" "No, Mr. Senator, not for the Goldbach Conjecture, but for a great scientific advance with profound implications for the struggle for the free world." "Are you admitting that you have dragged America into a blatant deception?" "This is a legitimate 'strategic move', Mr Minister, because there is no other way." "Where's the picture? Neffhausen." "Fake, General, I told you I'm fully responsible." Endless. The words "murder," "deception," and even "treason" were used with increasing frequency. Finally, the president stood up and raised his hand.It was a long time before order was restored and they finally calmed down. "Whether you like it or not, we are already in it." He said succinctly. "There's nothing else to say. Most of you came to me with rumors. You wanted the truth, and now you have it. But it's top secret. You know what that means. I just want to add: I Propose personally that any leak of secrets will be investigated with all the powers of the government and punished with severe penalties. I declare this a national emergency and remind you that in due course the penalties will include the death penalty. I mean, in The death penalty is appropriate in this case." He looked much older than his age, moving his lips as if he had something bitter in his mouth.He allowed no further discussion and declared the meeting adjourned. Half an hour later, in the president's private office, only Neffhausen and the president were left. "Well," said the President, "it's all here. The next step is that the whole world will know about it. I can delay it for weeks, maybe months, but it's impossible to stop it." "I can't thank you enough, President. Because—" "Shut up, Neffhausen. I don't want to hear any speeches. I want to ask you for one thing, which is an explanation: "What the hell is going on mixing narcotics with free love or something?" " "Oh," Neffhausen interjected, "you mean the latest news from the USS Constitution. Yes, Mr. President, I have issued a strongly worded order. Because of the interim correspondence, It will be months before they receive it. But I assure you, this situation will be rectified." The president replied coldly: "I don't want any guarantees either. Do you watch TV? It's not 'I love Lucy' or a ball game, I mean news. Do you know what this country is doing now? Bad image? Bonus parade in 1932, race riots in 1967 - they were nothing. Back then, we could have called in the National Guard to quell the unrest. Last week, I had to call in the military to deal with three companies of guards. One scandal and we're done, Neffhausen, and this one is big enough." "The purpose is naturally beyond reproach—" "That may be your purpose, and mine may be. Or, I try to tell myself, I'm doing it for the benefit of science, not for the sake of immortality, so that future generations will read in the history books that I made a breakthrough President. But what are your friends on the USS Constitution up to? I'm in favor of 8 people dying for science, Neffhausen, and I'm not in favor of giving you $40 billion out of the pocket of the country 8 kids engaged in promiscuity and drugs for 10 years." "Mr. President, I assure you that this stage is only temporary and I have instructed them to correct it." "If they don't fix it, what are you going to do with them?" The never-smoker now strips out a cigar, bites off the end, and lights it.He said: "I shouldn't have asked you to convince me to adopt this project. It's too late to say. So all I can say is, you have to get the results of this scam before the lid blows off, or I will never be president again." and I doubt whether you can save your life."