What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 614 Digging a Hole for Himself (July 2400 Monthly Tickets)

The fire information didn't attract much attention; after all, forest fires were nothing new, and even if the Empire sabotaged things, it wouldn't have much of an impact.

The advantage of choosing the Amazon rainforest is that all the tactics the Empire has used have been demonstrated in Annam, allowing for a calm and proactive approach to devising countermeasures.

However, this reminded him to pay attention to the domestic weather conditions and he found that news reports indicated that the snowfall on the plateau this year was less than usual.

The reason why environmental protection became popular worldwide for a long time after the millennium was due to the occurrence of several strong El Niño events in the 90s, which were also related to the 98 floods.

Abnormal snowfall on the plateau is one such manifestation; the major floods in May may have revealed some anomalies by the end of March.

Tang Wen thought of the 20 Chinooks; he feared that these planes would play an extremely important role as soon as they were sent back to China.

With this in mind, he asked Boeing to send a group of pilots to the United States for a month of emergency training, and he would pay them an additional fee for it.

The Empire didn't hold this back and readily allowed it. Although the army didn't quite understand, it still actively selected a group of top pilots to go and familiarize themselves with the Chinook helicopter as employees of Gekin Company.

On March 3, Tang Wen boarded a plane.

On the same day, the battleship HMS Hood set sail, officially heading to the subcontinent.

……

In southern Appalama, a KC-135 descends to a lower altitude, allowing meteorologists inside the cabin a clear view of the hellish landscape below.
The once lush rainforest was split in two by a bright line of fire, leaving only shocking scorched earth in its wake.

Thick smoke billowed, obscuring the sky and darkening the entire heavens.

A C-17 transport plane flew diagonally over the forest below, but instead of fire-fighting foam, it dropped incendiary bombs that had been stored for decades. Within minutes of landing in the forest, they created a brand new fire line.

"Oh, God!"

Jonathan turned his back to the porthole, unwilling to see this scene any longer, and covered his face, bursting into tears.

This was the first time the Weather Operations Department had ever conducted such an operation, but for all the scholars inside, it was nothing short of torture.

March in the Amazon rainforest is not a wet winter. Due to this year being a strong El Niño year, the temperature here is currently as high as 27 to 39 degrees Celsius, and the temperature in the canopy layer is even higher than 40 degrees Celsius. In addition, the rainfall has been reduced by 30% to 40%, which already poses an extremely high risk of natural fires.

Over the past few months, as research into the "divine retribution" project has deepened, meteorologists have been alarmed to discover that the difficulty of the project lies not in how to generate fires large enough to alter the macro-weather, but in how to control the scale of the fires.

According to Prism Building's original plan, it was to continuously drop more than 1.2 tons of incendiary bombs and accelerants within a month, and because of the guidance of professionals to disperse the drops, the destructive power could be increased by at least 3 times.

The original plan was based on an analysis of last year's rainfall, and the final estimated fire area was around 5 square kilometers. It was predicted that the fire would be deliberately guided to disappear on the 40th day and cause a major flood.

However, according to the latest revised parameters, the area burned is expected to reach 8000 square kilometers on the 7th day, 4 square kilometers on the 14th day, and affect a total area of ​​20 square kilometers on the 30th day, directly changing the entire rainforest and even severely impacting the climate of the entire South Pacific.

Most importantly, the major floods may disappear and be replaced by a major drought.

Jonathan took this opportunity to reduce the bomb load from 1.2 tons to 5000 tons and drastically shrink the operational area.

Prism Building questioned this, but meteorologists unanimously said there was no problem and had to drop the matter.

Even so, when they saw the real scene after the plan began, they were all shocked and felt guilty for committing a terrible crime.

Oppenheimer claimed he had become a destroyer, but even including indirect effects, he only killed a few hundred thousand people.

What they are doing now may kill at most a few thousand people, but how serious will the long-term irreversible effects be? Probably far exceeding the power of two mushroom eggs, right?
……

Compared to his previous two trips, Tang Wen's arrival at Boeing's headquarters this time was relatively low-key.

Boeing went to great lengths to bring him over, not just to showcase how amazing the CH-47D was, but to continue promoting its passenger aircraft.

Like warships, the aircraft manufacturing industry is one of the few industries that can only grow by relying on civilian production to support military production, and civilian standards are even higher than military standards.

Because the production of warships and military aircraft is far less than that of civilian products, no manufacturer can survive and advance new technology research and development solely on military orders. They are all trying to find ways to transfer to the civilian sector to make money and then use it to support the military sector.

Profits are naturally another matter. Can the after-sales profits of dozens of CH47Ds compare to those of dozens of Boeing 737s?
Don't be fooled by the fact that McDonnell Douglas seems to have lost out by buying 100 MD-11s for over 3 billion US dollars. According to industry standards, if a passenger plane is in service for 10 years, the cost collected by the manufacturer through after-sales service and spare parts during that period is equivalent to 70% of the purchase price.

If it exceeds 10 years, maintenance will be more frequent due to the aging of the machine, and the price will only be higher.

Even if China can manufacture the MD.11 domestically, it will take at least 5 to 10 years to gradually replace it with a domestic supply chain. In other words, McDonnell Douglas has directly secured its livelihood for the next ten years!
The relatively low purchase price of the MD11 does not necessarily mean low maintenance costs; the price will increase further when exported to Tokyo University.

After the successful maiden flight of the domestically assembled MD.11G and the test flight of the GZ20, Boeing inquired everywhere and finally learned that Schumpeter was trying to develop a new regional jet, and McDonnell Douglas was also trying to join in.

Boeing seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and vigorously promoted its latest 737N model to Tang Wen.

The latter readily accepted the decision and would seriously consider it. After all, the 737 code at that time was indeed written by genuine elite American engineers, and the workshop technicians wouldn't be rivet-making while in a state of euphoria, so the quality was still guaranteed.

The future success of the 737 series proves that its design is quite excellent, and given the choice, he would certainly prefer Boeing.

Of course, this shouldn't be shown during negotiations; the one complaining is the one who's actually buying.

While at Boeing, Tang Wen frequently expressed his deep friendship with McDonnell Douglas and his close relationship with President Robert. His main tactic was to sigh and deflect responsibility to whet Boeing's appetite. When Boeing was disappointed, he would start praising the 737, repeatedly pulling Boeing along and almost making them give up.

In the end, in order to retain this major customer, Boeing invited Changbuz to the Seattle factory for in-depth discussions, which finally made Tang Wen leave satisfied.

The latter flew to Los Angeles overnight and immediately became a media darling.

"Chan Natang, did you come to the United States this time to buy fighter jets? How much are you planning to spend?"

"Haha, my goal this time is to get the federal government to spend money, but in the end it will make our lives better. My Silicon Valley counterparts are the fastest-reacting and most technologically advanced companies I've ever seen, and this year citizens will be using the first-generation MDA."

"Boeing says you plagiarized Chinook. What's your opinion?"

"Good design is always intuitive."

"Twitter has surpassed US Online in user numbers to become the largest instant messaging website. What are your thoughts on this?"

"Hey, you reminded me. We need to think of a way to celebrate... I'll have someone make a link later. Within three days, new users who register by forwarding the link can redeem a free bottle of Pepsi at a nearby store using a redemption code... Is the president of Pepsi listening? It has to be canned."

The reporters and onlookers immediately started to jeer. Less than three minutes later, Mayor Los Angeles handed the phone to Tang Wen, who immediately announced that the event rules and prize redemption verification page would be finalized by tomorrow, and Pepsi had also notified the distributors to cooperate.

Amidst the deafening cheers from those around him and in front of countless television sets, Tang Wen felt a sense of pride:

People are too naive these days. A can of Coke retails for only $0.3 to $0.5, and the wholesale price is even less than $0.1. When converted into cash, it's pitifully small and not very attractive.

The fact that you can get a can of Coke by simply filling in some information creates an exaggerated advertising effect and leaves a deeper impression.

In fact, the president of Pepsi didn't want any money at all; he treated it as a win-win promotion.

The Los Angeles authorities who came to pick them up were astonished. They never expected that Tang Wen's single sentence would bring Gekkin Company to the top of the US trending list again. They were full of admiration.

Although netizens don't understand internet celebrities yet, that doesn't stop him from becoming one first and making a lot of money.

However, seeing such a warm response, Tang Wen felt it wasn't enough and increased the stakes again:
“Twitter/天天聊天室为此次的活动再设一个全球性奖励……头等奖品是一架A4E战斗机，另外还有4架F4F战斗机作为二等奖、20辆汉马S9豪华轿车作为三等奖！
Anyone who is invited or invited can sign up and has a chance to win a real fighter jet!

……

"He's a monster!"

This is the assessment of Tang Wen's arbitrary award-setting by news media and peers across the United States.

Twitter was only a part of his business, not his main business. In addition, the study of a large number of cases from later generations allowed Tang Wen to grasp the rhythm at any time with very little cost.

With this lottery, he effortlessly dominated the front pages of major newspapers, while his competitors' webpage popularity plummeted.

While his peers in Silicon Valley were lamenting, the American public treated Tang Wen like family, tearfully expressing that Tang always provided benefits during his visits, which was far better than the unscrupulous local companies.

However, those in the know understand that there are plenty of gold-plated A4E and F4F models available. How much could the Hanma S9, which they produce themselves, be worth? This is simply another classic teaching case in marketing history!
The business world is busy learning from advanced experiences, while netizens around the world are in an uproar and rush to register, after all, even if the jackpot is cashed out, it is still a huge sum of money!
American netizens were the most active, after all, they had the largest number of users, while Chinese netizens were recruiting people everywhere to register at internet cafes, and the number of registrations for chat rooms/Twitter skyrocketed in a short period of time.

……

"Isn't this lottery too hasty? What if someone cheats?"

In response to Shi Juzhu's concerns, Tang Wen asked in return:

"So what's your solution?" "I think we can just randomly select a winner and then check the results. If we find any signs of cheating, we can replace them."

"There's no need for all that trouble. Just increase the prize pool. I have plenty of planes. Many of them are used so frequently that I'm too lazy to repair them. I'll just send them out and replace them with new ones."

Shi Juzhu: “…”

Fine.

Their casual conversation didn't last long, as the most important meeting of the MDA Alliance was about to begin.

Everyone who entered cast a look of admiration at Tang Wen, though many were also filled with envy.
Twitter's move is something only those with deep pockets can afford. Many startups, even if they have money, wouldn't allow their shareholders to waste it like that. They can only be envious and jealous!

With these sentiments in mind, key organizations such as the MDA Alliance, the Federal Communications Commission, and IEEE convened a core meeting:
Preparing to launch MDA pilot areas!

Shi Juzhu first presented the plan that the alliance had previously formulated, which involved conducting pilot construction in several communities and core business areas in New York and Peanut Village. The plan was... neither good nor bad. Tang Wen glanced at it a few times and then lost interest, throwing it aside.

His actions immediately attracted everyone's attention. In fact, the MDA alliance had been secretly trying to regain control of the project, since Tang Wen was always an "outsider".

But before anyone could find fault, Tang Wen spoke first:
"The plan is good, I mean it's good for traditional thinking, but we represent a new era. This plan is just to distribute the products and then set up some rewards for using them... Forgive my bluntness, but it's not fundamentally different from giving shopping vouchers for trying out a vacuum cleaner a hundred years ago."

Some wanted to object, after all, the plan contained quite a few fancy tricks, but upon closer inspection... they were indeed all old methods, just with more modern gifts. However, he still retorted, unconvinced:
"But what brilliant idea do you have? Are you suggesting we continue sending fighter jets to users?!"

This remark immediately drew laughter, though it was unclear how much of it was sarcastic.

However, Tang Wen did not refute this, but instead looked at the Australian engineer from the 802.11 team:

"Hey, I think we can use a wireless base station to locate the MDA device, right?"

The other person clearly hadn't expected to be called on, but still answered:
"Yes, but the positioning accuracy is very poor, with an error of at least 10 meters, which is far inferior to GPS."

"What about floor positioning? It's used to distinguish heights."

"Hmm...maybe it's possible. First, pre-set the height data of the WIFI base stations on different floors, and then use MDA to compare the signal strength of nearby stations to make a judgment."

I think the accuracy rate is probably around 40%. Going any further would likely require calibration and adjustments, which would be quite troublesome.

"That's enough... Could someone please print out a tourist map of New York's business district, the most detailed one possible?"

Soon a huge commercial tourism map was delivered, which Tang Wen projected onto the screen:

"The characteristic of MDA is not that its technology is so advanced, nor do users appreciate how exquisite the chips inside are. The biggest feature of mobile internet is that it gives more users more opportunities to create content, which relies on the huge and rich data of mobile internet!"

We provide users who try out MDA with a platform that I call an electronic travel map:

Use MDA to check in at different shops and attractions, and upload your experience and any bad experiences. It could be the best pastry at a bakery, a product review at a clothing store, or even tell you where there are the most homeless people and where to avoid them, or which location has a convenient path, etc.

In addition, we will produce another batch of MDAs specifically for tourists. They can try them out for free in commercial areas and view these reviews. The electronic map will automatically switch to the general area based on the base station switching without the need for a special search. If tourists think the reviews are valid and true, they can give them a thumbs up. The content with the most thumbs up will be displayed first.

I call these information collectors "experts". Experts will earn points for uploading comments and receiving likes. These points can be used to redeem prizes and commemorative badges that we have set up!
Merchants on electronic maps can also pay to improve their recommendation priority in order to increase their business. We can also create a category ranking, with the highest priority ranked first, and the ranking can be increased by bidding...

As Tang Wen continued his eloquent narration, all the attendees unconsciously focused their attention, afraid of missing a single word.

Those industry leaders who represent the forefront of Silicon Valley were like primary school students visiting a science museum for the first time, while the investors and securities firms present were in tears.

Who could understand the significance of this scene better than them!
The MDA Alliance's previous plan was basically no different from giving away eggs, but Tang Wen first set up a software platform for MDA, and then cleverly applied it to real-world needs to create a user base. He actively encouraged a large number of people to create information and share it with countless potential users, and finally even managed to collect funds and make a profit!
Good heavens, these days internet investment really is all about a dream. 99% of internet companies are not profitable, and most of them have never thought about (or can't think of) how to make a profit. They just live purely by raising funds.

Tang Wen's electronic map plan sounds incredibly comprehensive, taking all aspects into account and being many versions ahead of its time!

This approach immediately integrates the new product into users' lives, and it has a very wide audience.

Most importantly, with a clear channel for generating profits, the valuation during financing will increase significantly!
Only then did the investment gurus realize the true meaning of "the monk from outside can chant the sutra better," and that Silicon Valley, the birthplace of the Internet, did not have a single talent who could rival Tang Wen!

"...Well, that's all I can think of for now. You guys are still far from perfect. Go and sort out the technical issues first, and we'll add more and improve later."

Tang Wen had been talking non-stop for a while and was incredibly thirsty. He turned around to get some water, only to find everyone staring at him like puppets. His heart skipped a beat.
Damn it, could it be that what I'm saying is too advanced for these bumpkins to understand?
However, just as he was wondering if he had messed up, a tidal wave of applause resounded throughout the venue. Numerous bigwigs offered all sorts of praise without any regard for their image, wishing they could use every word of praise they had ever uttered.

Compared to the previous proposal, every word Tang Wen said was worth a fortune; every casual remark he made was a completely new model that no one could have come up with even if they racked their brains!
Shi Juzhu, standing to the side, was completely dumbfounded. He had originally planned to gradually take control of Company X, but now he realized what it meant to be a formidable young talent.

At this moment, all the attendees wished they could worship Tang Wen, and the tune of loyalty seemed to faintly echo in their ears.

The person who had just questioned Tang Wen was so moved that he almost cried and apologized to him. He then tore up the previous plan and threw it into the trash can.

Communications Commission Director Kennard immediately embraced Tang Wen, holding his hand tightly.
"Tang, you must stay in Silicon Valley. Your 40 minutes here are worth three months of deep thought from the MDA consortium. The empire needs you, the internet needs you, and the times need you!"

Mayor Los Angeles, who was also present, grabbed him:

"We fully support the MDA, and we urge you to establish a pilot program in Los Angeles. The authorities can cover most of the costs!"

Tang Wen; "..."

Would you call this a reborn American internet godfather?

"Tang, why not include GPS!"

"It's Steve Jobs!" he exclaimed excitedly.
"Adding a GPS chip would make the system even better and improve its accuracy."

"Then the cost will become unacceptable."

Tang Wen shrugged. GPS was incredibly expensive back then. Even the Hanma S9 required a huge extra expense as an optional extra. It wasn't as common as it is today.

However, he underestimated Old Mi at this time.

"Anyway, we haven't started large-scale promotion yet, have we? At most, it's only a few thousand or tens of thousands of sets. The MDA Alliance can afford this amount of money, and we can negotiate the price."

These words immediately garnered widespread approval, even Kennard nodded in agreement:
"The Communications Commission will help you secure the support of Prism Building. The United States wants to provide the world with the best products."

I was awestruck by the wealth of the old Americans. (JPG)
But that wasn't enough, and someone else offered a suggestion:
"Can we integrate a camera into the MDA? It would be great if we could upload photos."

"Of course not!"

Tang Wen quickly rejected it:

"Can you put a 1-pixel camera on an MDA now? Even if you could, it would be blurry, and PDA storage space is quite precious, so you can't store many photos."

However, Dell's representatives countered this time:
"Dongzhi has a miniature mechanical hard drive that is only one inch in size but can store more than 80MB of data. However, the camera is a bit troublesome, which will pose a challenge to the performance and structure of the entire system."

"Perhaps we can help."

Tang Wen looked over upon hearing the sound... What were the people from Raytheon Company doing here? They had seen them at the arms sales conference in Beijing!

The latter greeted him warmly before saying:
"I can reveal that the IAA uses very tiny pinhole digital cameras, and it might be possible to request the technology to be deployed through federal coordination."

As the group talked amongst themselves, the technologies they thought were impossible to achieve at present gradually began to take shape.

I hope these guys won't cause any trouble.

But he quickly dismissed the idea:
This isn't because the empire is technologically advanced, but because its old problems are getting annoying.

Why did the Russian missiles shine so brightly and become classic models in the 50s, while the American missiles were surprisingly bad?

Old Mi has a bad habit of pursuing comprehensiveness; he wants everything and everything.

Missiles must be able to cover the entire airspace at high, medium and low altitudes, and even anti-aircraft missiles are required to have the ability to kill warships; armored vehicles are considered to have insufficient firepower, but after adding defense, their mobility is deemed insufficient; after upgrading the engine, they become too heavy and have to reduce defense... Many of the US's equipment is like adding water to flour, or adding flour to water, and finally it is indefinitely delayed. Not only has it spent a lot of money, but it has also resulted in a hodgepodge with no cost-effectiveness or advantage.

The MDA project is clearly an example of this. When Tang Wen was making promises, he actually took the current technological level seriously. However, many technology companies were attracted by the wonderful prospects and continued to build on them, eventually creating a bottomless pit project that could not be achieved.

Good heavens, before he could even plant the mines, these guys had already dug their own pits and even had to thank him for leading the way!

Tang Wen looked at the ecstatic crowd and silently recited in his heart:

"Go ahead and do it, the more advanced the better. If someone stops halfway, I'll have to find a way to stop them."

(End of this chapter)