What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 615 An Unexpected Organization (July 2600 Monthly Tickets)

Silicon Valley has called this conference the beginning of the mobile information age.

Tang Wen only glimpsed a corner of the future, yet he showed them the infinite possibilities of the mobile internet ecosystem.

To be honest, the widespread adoption of PCs has not fundamentally changed the lives of ordinary people. Even among Americans, it is considered a symbol of being unproductive. But ultimately, the barrier to entry is too high, and the target audience is too small.

Modern computers are no longer user-friendly. Most users actually use color DOS systems, and if you can't remember the commands, you can't do anything. Computers can only play a significant role after you have received training in a professional field.

MDA has clearly disrupted these trends. Its user base started by directly targeting the lowest levels of society, which means a market with no barriers to entry. Capital naturally saw the potential in this market.

Tech giants within the MDA consortium were impressed by Tang Wen’s exceptional vision and rich imagination, while investors were more concerned with its potential profitability, and federal authorities were also willing to invest in this groundbreaking new form of social interaction.

In the second meeting, in order to verify his conjecture, Tang Wen proposed to formulate basic specifications for MDA, including CPU computing power, architecture, communication protocols, data output interfaces, and so on.

The hardware architecture of this era has not been consolidated to the point where only x86 and ARM remain. Almost every manufacturer has its own architecture, and laptops even have their own complete computer industry chain, from architecture to chips to operating systems.

After repeated trials and consultations, the MDA consortium decided to jointly use the low-power Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) architecture as the hardware foundation, but each manufacturer can make certain adjustments, which is basically in line with the current handheld computer roadmap.

Other aspects, such as memory type, storage method, and bus protocol, also basically follow the current popular configurations, and the minimum number of expansion interfaces is also specified.

Consensus was reached quickly on the hardware aspects, but chaos ensued within the software alliance:
Microsoft directly stated that it would use a dedicated Windows CE universal platform, which immediately met with a lot of opposition. Major companies such as IBM, HP, Dell, and Motorola all have their own independent systems, and even Apple thinks that the WinCE system is too bad.

After three days of negotiations, no consensus was reached on the system side.

With Tang Wen's concerns (and doubts), the conference had no choice but to allow each manufacturer to develop its own system, and naturally, each would have to have its own software.

Tang Wen counted carefully and found that there would be at least 7 to 10 different MDA systems in the future.

This is... amazing.

After four days of intensive meetings, the performance specifications for the first-generation MDA have been finalized:
-
The CPU uses the RISC instruction set and is fully designed for 32-bit development to be future-proof.
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The WIFI baseband used for communication directly supports a download speed of 5Mbps and adopts the 2.4G frequency band;
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It features an electronic gyroscope, which is still under development, for handheld orientation calibration, and a built-in GPS chip;
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A color screen is required;
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A full graphical interface is required for beginners to learn how to use it;
Equipped with non-volatile memory (at this time, most handheld computers did not have permanent memory (i.e., memory that loses data when power is off));
Equipped with a full-letter keyboard or supports handwriting;
-
It needs to be portable enough to easily fit into a pocket;
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Equipped with a camera of 1 pixels or higher, capable of uploading images (not a mandatory standard);
The usage time with the backlight on must be no less than 3 hours (not a mandatory standard).
……

After personally participating in the standard setting, Tang Wen understood that the first-generation MDA was at least 2 to 3 years ahead of its time. Perhaps a dozen or so units could be produced, but mass production was definitely not possible, and there would be many difficulties before the turn of the millennium.

However, this was only the result of his slight restraint; a bunch of tech companies still felt it wasn't enough and wanted to increase their investment!
Tang Wen was forced to create a second-generation MDA standard, and only by randomly copying some parameters from the first-generation feature phones and writing them down could he satisfy everyone.

After finalizing the MDA standard and outlining the next steps, the manufacturers within the alliance quickly focused on developing their devices, all aiming to make a splash and change the times.

However, Tang Wen had no free time and was dragged directly to Peanut Village by Kennard, who said that the president required him to hold another meeting there on WIFI, to standardize the communication base station standards used for the experiment and to determine the pilot area.

……

The MDA Alliance did not keep the meeting content secret; instead, it summarized and publicized it along with the first and second generation MDA standards, and promoted it extensively in the media.

After all, the MDA alliance basically represents the forefront of the entire internet and technology in this era, and it is not afraid of other peers catching up at all.

Indeed, the American public was amazed by the idea of ​​MDA piloting the program in commercial districts, and they came up with all sorts of creative ideas to apply it to communities, factories, sports games, and other scenarios, dreaming about the future together.

Meanwhile, Europe and Japan, which also possess a strong foundation, feel immense pressure:

After the first and second generation MDA standards were released, they immediately began to analyze their performance and found that although they were far inferior to PCs, they could do all the things that PCs could do, such as sending emails and instant messaging, which were sufficient for ordinary people.

If the MDA is indeed born, it will likely directly cover the PC market and realize the virtual economy that Tang Wen mentioned last year, forcibly giving rise to a new information age and a market worth trillions of dollars. The entire United States will rely on its strong infrastructure and highly educated population to complete this revolution.

While Europe, apart from them, is technologically advanced, it lacks a unified market and regulation, making it difficult to foster such a mobile internet system; Japan, due to its closed system, has a slow development speed and has always been firmly restricted by the empire.

The author had been trying to join the MDA alliance, but was rejected each time, making it impossible for him to join this revolution on his own.

As for other parts of the world, they lack technology, infrastructure, and talent, so they can only look on with longing.

Amid Tang Wen's relentless advocacy, an information race centered around MDA silently began.

……

On the seventh day after arriving in the United States, things took an unexpected turn:
After arriving in Peanut Village, he created a beautiful PowerPoint presentation and continued to paint a rosy picture, directly targeting high-ranking federal officials and Wall Street elites to deceive them.

It was impossible for Tang Wen not to be nervous. He never doubted the wisdom of these elites and the president's staff. However, he was confident and not afraid of the consequences of failure.

This confidence translated into sheer self-assurance in his pie-in-the-sky speech, not to mention that Wall Street also believed in the judgment of so many giant companies in the MDA alliance and expressed its support almost unconditionally.

The president then gave another enthusiastic speech on the MDA, announcing that the true information age would be officially established in the year 2000.

Just as Tang Wen felt it was time to leave, Kennard hurriedly brought news:

After experiencing Tang Wen's outstanding thinking, the Grand Commander was overjoyed and demanded that a professional like him be in charge of the implementation and promotion of MDA, and once again emphasized the key time point of the millennium.

Yes, it must succeed during my term!

The Grand Commander was very willing to believe in Tang Wen's abilities. Although the Gaijin Company had some conflicts of interest with the Empire, this could not overshadow Tang Wen's visionary thinking.

The position of MDA alliance leader was not enough; the president decided to give him an official title, preferably affiliated with the FAA.

Unable to invite foreigners, the FCC Communications Commission specially established the MDA Promotion and Consulting Association, with Kennard himself serving as president and directly under the FCC. Tang Wen and the presidents of several major US companies served as vice presidents, and it was emphasized that Tang Wen was in charge of the main affairs. The next level and a half above them was Congress.

Although this is not the same as being officially employed, it is practically the same. With this status and the support of the President, Tang Wen could influence telecommunications service providers throughout the United States and even the world with just a word...

This speech undoubtedly demonstrated to the world once again that the Empire's technology is always at the forefront, and subsequently, various countries responded, hoping to contact and join the MDA program.

Major manufacturers like Ericsson and Nokia have expressed strong interest in participating, while Dai Ying, who is very concerned about his son, has stated directly in the media that Lun Tun should also be among the first batch of pilot cities.

……

Prism Building
The entire empire seemed to have emerged from the shadow of the lost empire and was actively embracing the dawn brought by the MDA—but there were exceptions.

"Chief, we must immediately halt Operation Divine Retribution!"

Jonathan vs. Cedric.

The latter was well prepared for this, after all, the divine retribution plan was truly against nature and the ordinary people would not easily accept its huge impact. And it should be noted that most meteorologists are pacifists and environmentalists.

"It's not a good idea for the Prism Building to put them right in front of the scene," Cedric thought to himself, but feigned confusion aloud.

"Joe, today is the 10th day of the plan. The fire area and trajectory have reached 80% fit with the simulation deviation. This is a remarkable victory. Everything is still under our control."

"Yes, that was the plan, but the circumstances have changed."

Jonathan placed a stack of documents on the table:

“I analyzed satellite remote sensing data and local station records from December to March and found that the rainfall in the Amazon rainforest during this period decreased by 25% to 30% compared to the same period in the past five years, and the number of natural fires in the region increased by nearly three times. Do you know what this means?”

"The cloud cluster failed to form as expected!"

Cedric hurriedly flipped through the documents, his mood growing heavier with each page he read:

Last year, they also predicted reduced rainfall in the Amazon region in 98, but they did not expect the strong El Niño phenomenon to be so intense, far exceeding their expectations!
Moreover, this change happened so quickly that no one expected it.

Moreover, this was the first time the meteorological bureau had made an accurate simulation of a region affecting half a continent. The error was magnified many times over in the face of the El Niño chaotic system, and only now did he realize the seriousness of the problem.

If there is not enough water vapor to form clouds, the massive amount of smoke and dust produced by arson will block out the sun, damage the surrounding ecosystem, cause widespread respiratory diseases in the affected area, and then lead to a sharp drop in rainfall, resulting in a severe drought in Nanmei.

Hans in the rainforest may not die of thirst, but the drought across northern Bassin will lead to significant crop losses, which will severely impact livestock farming and cause economic losses...

As for the massive carbon dioxide emissions exacerbating the greenhouse effect, that's insignificant compared to the current problems.

However, Cedric's biggest concern was reducing the damage to Hans. If it didn't trigger a flood, wouldn't all his efforts have been in vain?

However, at this moment, Jonathan mustered up his courage and spoke up again:
"I have another theory: the significant reduction in rainfall in the southern part of the Andes will disrupt the Pacific Ocean's water circulation, leading to a substantial decrease in moisture in the Andes Mountains, causing drought and high temperatures on the west coast as well." When the topic turned to his own head, Cedric sensed something was wrong and pressed for more information:
"and then?"

Jonathan:
"On the contrary, Atlantic hurricanes will intensify due to changes in heat flow, and storms may form on the east coast, especially in the Caribbean, leading to flooding on the east coast, particularly in the Mississippi River basin..."

"That's just speculation! This process will take at least four to five months!"

Cedric interrupted him, explaining that current supercomputers and empirical formulas can only simulate the general trend of a small area over a month. The computing power required to simulate each additional day increases by an order of magnitude.

Because the simulations continue based on the data from the previous stage, the errors accumulate at a terrifyingly high rate.

This is precisely where the uncertainty of weather systems lies. Computer simulations may have a 90% accuracy rate over 3 days, but this drops to 60% over 7 days, and beyond that, it becomes about the same as the probability of meteorologists guessing based on experience.

What Jonathan said was far too complex, basically deducing the trend of the entire continent over the next six months, which far exceeds the current supercomputing capabilities—moreover, no humankind has such an accurate weather model.

He didn't deny it, but nodded and answered very seriously:
"This is my speculation based on personal experience, and it should be the worst-case scenario... but that's exactly what we need to consider, isn't it?"

"..."

Cedric: "Okay, at least this information about the abnormal rainfall in the Amazon rainforest is true, and we need to call a meeting immediately."

……

While Prism was frantically working on Project Divine Retribution, the fires in the Amazon rainforest had already reached a level that was enough to attract public attention.

Tang Wen and Kennard had just consulted with visitors from Ericsson and Alstom, who were also there for the MDA technology alliance.

Kennard therefore made things extremely difficult for them, while Tang Wen didn't offer much of an opinion, only muttering to himself about the wonders of the world:

Who would have thought that he would one day be working to lay the foundation for the future internet landscape of the United States, and even become an important figure in the FCC?
Moreover, the chain reaction it triggered was a strong response domestically:
Although the conditions in China are poor, Gaijin Network and Giant Electronics are also members of the MDA Alliance. So they came directly to us and brought up the idea of ​​building small-scale pilot projects in big cities like the capital and Shanghai, so that we could not lag too far behind the United States.

This time their attitude was very firm. After all, even Tang Wen had managed to get into a key department of the Empire through MDA and the mobile ecosystem. How could they question the judgment of so many talented people in the US?

When it comes to information technology development, following the US lead is always the right thing to do!

Even Tang Wen had heard that MDA might be added to the 863 Program's catalog, which...

But just as he was lost in thought, Kennard invited him to a charity gala. Tang instinctively wanted to refuse, but then he heard the key words:
"A massive wildfire is raging in the Amazon rainforest, affecting many residents of Bassin. People from all walks of life are calling for action..."

Hearing about the Amazon reminded him of the news he had received before leaving the country: it had been half a month and he was still burning up.

He immediately went to check the information, and what he found shocked him:
The area affected by wildfires in the rainforest has already exceeded 100,000 square kilometers!
According to photos taken in the newspaper, the smoke from the fire could be seen even from dozens of kilometers away, and more than 5 people had been evacuated.

Is the Prism Building really planning to set the mountain on fire?

He quickly dismissed the absurd idea after it flashed through his mind, because he vaguely remembered that the El Niño phenomenon in the late 90s had caused great damage to the rainforest.

Following the information about the wildfires, he also saw that meteorologists had issued warnings about the large-scale El Niño anomaly this year, and mentioned that a new air mass was forming in the western Pacific, which was very likely to form a heavy rainfall belt that would affect Asia.

Tang Wen immediately determined that this was the main factor causing the Yangtze River floods... It was time to issue a warning to the country.

The pilots brought from China were already familiar with operating the Chinook on Boeing, which inadvertently achieved a hidden accomplishment: a complete landing on the Imperial mainland (seriously).

He immediately decided to leave; his trip to the United States had already lasted 15 days, disrupting his previous plans.

As expected, Kennard tried to persuade Tang Wen to stay when he was leaving, and said that if Tang Wen joined the Imperial Citizens, he could be directly promoted to a full FCC commissioner.

While politely declining, Tang Wen praised the American people for their intelligence and wisdom, saying that he had already pointed out the direction and that he could handle the rest of the MDA alliance himself.

Indeed, the MDA technology plan has reached its second generation, and the pilot areas have been determined in four major cities: New York, Washington, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. The next step is for investors to burn money to research base stations and MDA, and then deploy WIFI base stations everywhere for operation... This is a long-term task that will take at least 8 to 12 months.

On March 19, the old friend of the American people, the internet leader trusted by the President, the de facto top-three member of the FCC, and the leader of the MDA alliance left his loyal empire amidst a wave of reluctant farewells.

On the same day, a fast cargo ship carrying 20 CH47D helicopters departed the port and is expected to arrive in Shanghai in 18 days.

……

Bali
With the representatives signing the agreement, the Christmas campaign finally came to an end.

The past three months have been quite eventful regarding the military expenses for the Christmas campaign, involving huge expenditures. Each side's representatives argued over every single percentage point, constantly colluding behind the scenes only to be thwarted by the timely intervention of the British. Hans tried to evade the issue but was forced to be included by all members... The underhanded dealings involved were countless.

Fortunately, a consensus was eventually reached that no one was entirely satisfied with, and the most important points were threefold:
-
The EU acknowledges the proportion of operational costs allocated, but does not account for losses of aircraft, warships, personnel, or facilities. The EU only bears the cost of equipment and weapons deployment, and any equipment losses are the responsibility of the EU.
-
Hans will bear $35 billion, but is allowed to offset it by transferring Tornado fighter jets to Britain, but the offset shall not exceed $15 billion, and the remaining funds will be repaid to various countries in installments;
The first point greatly displeased Dai Ying, as he suffered the greatest and most severe losses, while the second point provoked a strong backlash from Hans.

In reality, participating countries, due to their significant contributions, are generally not required to pay joint military expenses, while other smaller countries bear a small share, making Germany the party that actually suffers the most losses.

The alliance was practically forced upon Hans to sign the agreement, and fearing excessive backlash, it allowed him to use fighter jets as compensation. However, this still caused Kohl's reputation to plummet, and it was foreseeable that a strong reaction would soon occur within Hans.

The chickens, on the other hand, barely made any money and were very dissatisfied with it. In addition, the fishermen, who considered themselves to have contributed the most, and the shrewd ones also had objections... but in the end they accepted this flimsy solution.

Blair was fairly satisfied with this, after all, the British general had actually obtained a batch of Tornado fighter planes from the Hans, which would quickly replenish the Royal Air Force's combat capabilities.

Now the Royal Navy received warships as compensation, and the Air Force received airplanes. Thanks to this favor, Blair's position became even more secure.

However, his gaze has now shifted to the subcontinent:

The battleship HMS Hood was accompanied by one destroyer and one frigate, and it will arrive in India in eight days.

The latter has been under tremendous pressure for the past two weeks and has been desperately trying to find a solution, repeatedly requesting a long-term naval exercise with the HMS Hood in order to get British support.

Blair ignored his brother's pleas and kept a close eye on their progress in growing mushrooms.

"According to intelligence obtained by IM6, the first bomb on the subcontinent has a yield of about 12,000 tons, uses an implosion-type uranium nucleus structure, and is expected to be detonated in mid-to-late April."

Terren's assistant Wilson read out the latest intelligence, and Blair immediately pressed for details:

Will they succeed?

Wilson: "In fact, India's research has been going on for decades, and the structure of the atomic bomb has long been made public. Our nuclear experts believe that there will be no accidents."

"That means there's only one month left..."

Blair quickly came to a conclusion:

“The Prism Building will definitely not take action. They are trying to force us through arms sales, but India will not give up at the last minute... Sanctions will fail, and we can take advantage of the situation by visiting the Hood and regain our interests in the subcontinent.”

First Lord of the Navy, Band, immediately nodded:

"The Hood is in good condition and can stay for two months without any problem, but the Empire also has warships deployed near the subcontinent, and they probably don't want to see this happen."

A few days ago, Johnson even brought up the alliance agreement, demanding that we unite to isolate India, which…

"An alliance? I might have abided by it before, but now the Empire itself has broken the alliance!"

Blair then burst out laughing:

"Selling CH47D was an absolutely foolish move. Not only did it fail to achieve its purpose, it also led the way in violating the technology restriction agreement. Now we can't find fault with our violation!"

At least this time, Prism Building has no choice but to endure it! It's also a good opportunity to teach our friends in the East a lesson, to let them know that Britain still wields global influence!

Dai Ying was quite indifferent to her brother's mushroom cultivation, and even tacitly approved and indulged it.

After all, that's just how geography is. Just like how the Germans dare to sell equipment to the Far East without worrying about backlash, the Indians planting mushrooms won't cause much damage to the British, but it will make others feel disgusted.

(End of this chapter)