Technology invades the modern world

Chapter 213 Ignite the Entire World
Install explosive devices in GPS satellites.

Everyone really couldn't understand the purpose of doing this.

Lin Ran explained, "GPS systems play a significant role in the military."

We need to guard against the Soviet Union capturing our GPS satellites, so we need a sophisticated self-destruct mechanism that can detonate the GPS satellites immediately should a risk of capture arise.

Seeing the thoughtful expressions on the faces of the researchers present, Lin Ran thought to himself that, in the present day, the Soviet Union was indeed a very versatile excuse.

Even at an altitude of 20,000 kilometers, they believed that the Soviets would be so insane as to fly up there and bring the satellite down.

Lin Ran finally understood why the Star Wars program had succeeded. Under these circumstances, everyone was obsessed; it would have been strange if it hadn't succeeded.

In reality, Lin Ran's purpose in installing the detonation device was not to prevent the Soviet Union from capturing the satellite, but to prevent America from capturing the satellite.

Soviet Russia was merely a convenient mask; what Lin Ran was truly worried about was America.

He feared that America would destroy the revolutionary spark he had woven in the stars.

Another researcher asked, "Professor, the signal problem is solved, but what about the clock error? Test data shows that a cesium clock drifts about 1 nanosecond per second on the ground, but it may reach 3 nanoseconds in the radiation environment of space. At the speed of light, 3 nanoseconds is a positioning error of 1 meter."

A 1-meter error is too large for military applications.

Lin Ran said, "There are two options. First, install a temperature-compensated oscillator on the satellite to stabilize the clock in the short term. Second, have the ground station upload calibration data every hour, allowing the receiver to dynamically adjust the clock deviation."

The TCXO increases weight and power consumption, while the ground station relies on a communication link to upload data. If the link is interrupted, the prototype satellite can become self-sufficient by combining both methods.

The TCXO briefly stabilizes the clock, and the receiver uses a Kalman filter to fuse ground correction data and local measurements. Even in the event of a link interruption, the filter can predict short-term drift, keeping the error within 0.5 meters.

Richard Krshoff exclaimed, "Professor, Kalman filtering is a brilliant idea! It can also solve the frequency shift caused by the Doppler effect."

Lin Ran said, "The filter needs to be calculated in real time, and the receiver's processor needs to be upgraded. During the research and development process, you need to communicate fully with the suppliers to ensure that their processors can do this. If they can't, you may have to ask Congress for more funding."

"The military will provide the funding."

Professor, regarding orbit prediction. The prototype satellite has an altitude of 20000 kilometers and a period of 12 hours. How does the ground station ensure orbital accuracy?

"Orbital disturbances mainly come from the inhomogeneity of Earth's gravitational field, such as Earth's oblateness."

I suggest you simplify the gravity model, update the orbital parameters at the ground station every 6 hours, and keep the error within 10 meters.

Come find me if you can't do it.

Lin Ran continued:

"In fact, a 10-meter error still has a significant impact on positioning."

Because your receiver requires four satellites to calculate the position, if the orbital errors accumulate, geometric dilution will amplify the error to 50 meters.

It would be best to improve the track accuracy to 5 meters.

Richard Krshoff asked, "Professor, so what do we need to do?"

“A more precise model is needed for 5 meters, including solar radiation pressure and lunar gravity. Ground stations need to add laser ranging equipment to track the satellite's position in real time,” Lin Ran said.

“Laser ranging? That would require a global network, and the cost would skyrocket. Does a prototype satellite really need to be that complicated?” Richard Kershaugh asked.

Without global ranging, how can we build a global network and increase the number of satellites?

Lin Ran said, "Kershauer, the prototype satellite is a technology verification, and it must achieve an orbital accuracy of 5 meters."

We will first upgrade the laser equipment using Transit's ground stations to verify feasibility before proceeding with global deployment.

By the way, orbital data can also be embedded in the signal! The receiver can directly use the ephemeris broadcast by the satellite, reducing its dependence on ground stations.

The ephemeris requires 32 bits of data and updates once per second, which is sufficient bandwidth. With a dual-frequency design, ionospheric delay can be corrected to the centimeter level.

Richard Krshoff exclaimed, "Great! Dual-frequency plus ephemeris really solves the problem. The technical roadmap for the prototype satellite is clear now."

Absolutely perfect! We modulated the signal with PRN code, stabilized the clock with a TCXO and Kalman filter, and optimized orbit and delay correction with dual-frequency and ephemeris tables. Next goal: to produce a prototype design within 6 months!

"Six months? Three months!" Lin Ran said.

Under Lin Ran's guidance, what was originally just a technical feasibility study has now become a complete solution.

For Lin Ran, his plan was only just beginning.

Lin Ran's plan is a tapestry woven from genius and courage, a convergence of patterns from two eras.

While designing the GPS satellites, he commissioned General Aerospace to build them, but that was just the foundation. Within each satellite, he envisioned a secret module: technology from 2020: the Starlink system.

Therefore, he needs to use the lunar landing technology from 1960 and reusable rockets to obtain raw resources by 2020, and then complete the development of a low-altitude internet similar to Starlink.

Then bring the modules back to the 60s and launch them into low Earth orbit to complete the network.

But satellite networking is just the beginning.

NASA's unmanned lunar lander will penetrate the shadowy back of the moon, leaving a door leading to endless possibilities.

Through it, Lin Ran will transport servers, storage, and power supplies to the far side of the moon.

There, in the desolate crater and in the eternal silence, he will forge the impossible: humanity's first social media platform.

A social media platform where everyone can speak.

It functions similarly to Weibo and Twitter, allowing anyone to browse, post, like, and comment, but it is neither Twitter nor Weibo.

This will be a boundless marketplace, a digital cathedral, where every voice can resound freely, unrestrained and untamed.

A place where no one can remain silent and no one has the power to censor.

In Lin Ran's view, the 1960s and 70s were an era of idealism and a time of great intellectual clashes. In such an era, relying solely on newspapers and television to spread ideas was simply too backward.

In an era lacking entertainment options, social media platforms can ignite ideas like torches in the darkness. People around the world are connecting to this invisible network, where their thoughts collide, inspire, and ultimately burn into an unstoppable force.

Of course, there are countless technical challenges to overcome.

Starlink relies on digital communication protocols, while current communication technologies are mainly based on analog signal processing, which is far less efficient and has a much lower capacity than digital technologies.

And advanced signal processing technology, which enables the efficient transmission of large amounts of data.

Starlink connections require software support and a certain level of computing power, which is far from sufficient for current computer technology to support such a complex system.

However, Lin Ran had calculated that if he didn't need to achieve the data exchange level of Starlink, but only the level of plain text data exchange, supporting only English and Chinese languages, then it meant that data transmission in KB units was achievable.

Adjustments to Starlink's communication protocol, frequency bands, and modulation methods are needed. Communication modules and antennas must be redesigned. Although there are technical challenges to overcome, these are achievable.

Lin Ran hopes to ignite the world through such social media.

By then, he had disappeared without a trace and could contact China at will.

Lin Ran estimated that by that time, China, with its rapidly advancing technology, would be able to manufacture something similar to a handheld computer, with only the most basic functions: connecting to Starlink and browsing and typing on social media.

To fundamentally undermine the Western narrative logic that began in the 70s.

Lin Ran knew very well that once his goal was achieved, the signal transmission alone would not lie; the Americans would definitely know that the signal came from GPS.

This presents a paradox: should we shoot down the GPS?

If you want to, even if you manage to take it down, you won't know how Lin Ran did it.

If they manage to bring him back safely, it will require a completely different technological approach. Even if it were possible, Lin Ran has one last trick up his sleeve: detonating it on Earth.

America will face a dilemma: whether to destroy her own defenses or let public opinion spiral out of control and allow ideological clashes to occur.

The clash of human ideas is one aspect, while technology is another.

In this era, satellite internet replaces fiber optics, directly utilizing high-frequency space-based transmission technology to benefit modern society.

Once the technology matures, we'll install high-performance artificial intelligence on the far side of the moon, creating an omnipotent oracle where you can ask any question you like, from the mundane to the profound.

Lin Ran hadn't expected a technology like GPT to exist, let alone something like Deepseek that could provide soul-searching answers with just a few graphics cards.

However, even Microsoft Xiaoice was similar to the technological singularity of artificial intelligence that Lin Ran predicted for the general public in the 60s.

Lin Ran just didn't expect that in the future, South American revolutionaries would have to ask Teacher D for advice, the Japanese red tide would also have to ask Teacher D for advice, the American protesters would do the same, and even the Chinese would.
Want to find the treasure left behind by the professor? Then come to the far side of the moon! Forget about the Age of Interstellar Exploration.

Even without the Soviet moon landing, the mere discovery of the treasures left behind by the professor would have been enough to drive these countries to invest heavily in space technology.

You should know that Lin Ran was placed on the far side of the moon.

Their mission is to land on the far side of the moon, stay there for an extended period of time to search for survivors, and then return to Earth.

"Searching for the professor's treasure."

Lin Ran wanted to whisper to the world in this way, to lay bait on the edge of the moon.

Once the Soviet Union collapses, it will have no interest in space exploration or venturing beyond Earth, and it will be able to reap the world's profits simply by relying on the dollar's tide. Then I'll give you a reason, a reason that will drive the people of Earth crazy.

Nations will race to invest resources in space, not for war, but for miracles.

As for the idea of ​​moving the technology to Mars after humans have explored the far side of the moon, by then the interstellar age will have begun, and there will be no need for such hype.

From culture to technology, igniting this space and time.

After doing this, the entire world's technological path will be completely steered in a direction that even Lin Ran himself cannot control.

"Randolph, what a terrible year." Professor Horkheimer was getting older, and when Lin Ran visited him before Christmas, he brought his book, "Systemic Racism: A Theory of Oppression."

After taking the book, Professor Horkheimer complained to Lin Ran, "I don't want to see war, but it's unavoidable. Every day when I see news about war, whether it's good or bad, I feel terrible."

After taking the book from Lin Ran, he said, "It's a good name, and it certainly reflects your thoughts."

Lin Ran's upcoming work, "Systemic Racism: A Theory of Oppression," is a culmination of critical race theory. Originally part of the Frankfurt School, it constructs a complete theoretical system based on critical theory.

It is believed that inequality based on various identities, including race, class, gender, nationality, disability, etc., creates oppression through these interconnected combinations.

The original book mainly analyzed the oppression of blacks by whites and rarely focused on other minority groups. Lin Ran added a section on Chinese people and also included some content from Eduardo Galeano's "Open Veins of Latin America".

(The book "The Open Veins of Latin America," originally published in 1971, systematically describes how Latin America has been exploited and hollowed out.)
The richness of the content and the abundance and diversity of information from later generations make this book more substantial and comprehensive, and its arguments are much more solid as a theory.

It's fair to say that with this book in hand, if any Donald Party member wants to promote LGBT rights or racial equality in America in the future, Lin Ran can be considered a theoretical pioneer.

Professor Horkheimer didn't read it; he knew what Lin Ran was going to talk about just by looking at the table of contents, which also matched the tendencies Lin Ran showed in the interview.

He remarked, "Randolph, if this book is even passable, Martin Luther King Jr. will definitely use it as a theoretical weapon."

Lyndon Johnson would also make a big deal out of it, citing it as an outstanding theoretical achievement in the field of civil rights during his term.

Even when the Elephant Party's candidate comes to power, in order to prove that they are not so conservative and also respect civil rights and racial equality, they will have to treat you as an honored guest.

Do you know why? "

Horkheimer was indeed quite emotional, realizing that he had only offered a helping hand because he saw that the young man and the Germans at Nazi didn't get along.

Unexpectedly, the other party achieved such great success in just a few years that even within the Frankfurt School, they were willing to respect him as an opinion leader.

It's important to understand that within a school of thought, the power structure is quite loose. Just because he is the founder doesn't mean he can smoothly hand over power to his students.

But Lin Ranguang was able to gain the recognition of the bigwigs from all sides of the school of thought just by his name, without even needing to meet them.

Similarly, if someone else were to write such a book, they would not only fail to gain fame when it was first written, but they might not even be able to get it published. For example, the early version of "Vasculars" could not be published in many Latin American countries.

"Because I write well?" Lin Ran habitually boasted to himself.

Horkheimer smiled and said, “No, because you wrote it, Randolph. A person’s creation can enhance their reputation, and a person can also enhance the reputation of a theory.”

It is simply because you wrote it that it is naturally regarded as an important achievement in the civil rights movement.

"Just leave it here, I'll fix it for you. Once it's fixed, I'll have fulfilled a wish, and I can finally retire back in Frankfurt."

Lin Ran murmured, "Professor, are you leaving?"

He was suddenly overwhelmed by a huge sense of loss. According to the records, Horkheimer would die in 1973, which meant that he had eight years left before his death.

Lin Ran knew very well that without Horkheimer, his start in the 60s would have been much more difficult.

This is entirely a matter of personal judgment. Lin Ran believes there is no doubt whether the other party played a role, whether it was helping him establish himself in America, helping him build a network of connections with Rockefeller and Morgan, or endorsing him in academia.

If anyone else were to do this, probably no one could do it better than Horkheimer.

Lin Ran felt a pang of sadness; eight years had passed, and they might not even see each other once a year.

I have very little time left to go to Germany in the future.

This is what it truly means to see someone one less time together.

Perhaps this is goodbye forever.

"Yes, Randolph, I'm old. If it weren't for you, I think I would have been going back to Frankfurt around the age of 60."

Chinese people value returning to their roots, while we Germans don't.

But we also have a concept of homeland, a concept of hometown, and I hope that I can spend the last days of my life in Frankfurt.

Randolph, you're still young. You don't know that time passes slowly when you're young, and it passes quickly when you grow up, but it starts to slow down again when you get older.

This sense of time makes people want to return to their hometown in their later years.

Germany also emphasizes its homeland, which is one of the core concepts in German culture. For example, in 2014, Augsburg used the slogan "Homeland? I have never been there!" during a peace celebration.

Lin Ran remained silent after hearing this. He couldn't let the old man stay in New York because of his own sentimentality.

He always felt like an unmelting ice cube in an international cocktail, constantly longing to return to China, even if for a long time he might not be able to go back for various reasons.

If you have this feeling yourself, you're even less able to ask others to have it too.

Lin Ran sighed and said, "Okay, I understand."

Professor, a poet from modern China wrote a poem in varying line lengths called "Farewell." I don't know if I'll be able to personally see you off when you leave New York, but I'll sing this song for you in advance as a way of saying goodbye:
长亭外，古道边，芳草碧连天

The evening breeze caresses the willows, the flute's melody fades, the setting sun shines beyond the mountains.

At the ends of the earth, at the corners of the world, my close friends have mostly scattered.

A ladle of wine exhausts the remaining joy; tonight, parting dreams are cold.

The song was filled with sadness. Lin Ran thought to himself that he had unknowingly been in the 60s for almost six years.

(End of this chapter)