michael crichton.congo-第20节

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iquid　nitrogen。　The　superconducting　puter　required　a　radically　new　technology；　and　a　new　range　of　low　temperature　construction　materials。
　Doped　diamonds　would　be　used　extensively　throughout。
　Several　days　later；　the　ERTS　canteen　came　up　with　an　alternative　explanation。　According　to　the　new　theory；　the　1970s　had　been　a　decade　of　unprecedented　growth　in　puters。　Although　the　first　puter　manufacturers　in　the　1940s　had　predicted　that　four　puters　would　do　the　puting　work　of　the　entire　world　for　the　foreseeable　future；　experts　anticipated　that　by　1990　there　would　actually　be　one　billion　puters…most　of　them　linked　by　munications　networks　to　other　puters。　Such　networks　didn't　exist；　and　might　even　be　theoretically　impossible。　（A　1975　study　by　the　Hanover　Institute　concluded　there　was　insufficient　metal　in　the　earth's　crust　to　construct　the　necessary　puter　transmission　lines。）
　According　to　Harvey　Rumbaugh；　the　1980s　would　be　characterized　by　a　critical　shortage　of　puter　data　transmission　systems：　〃Just　as　the　fossil　fuel　shortage　took　the　industrialized　world　by　surprise　in　the　1970s；　so　will　the　data　transmission　shortage　take　the　world　by　surprise　in　the　next　ten　years。　People　were　denied　movement　in　the　1970s；　but　they　will　be　denied　information　in　the　1980s；　and　it　remains　to　be　seen　which　shortage　will　prove　more　frustrating。〃
　Laser　light　represented　the　only　hope　for　handling　these　massive　data　requirements；　since　laser　channels　carried　twenty　thousand　times　the　information　of　an　ordinary　metal　coaxial　trunk　line。　Laser　transmission　demanded　whole　new　technologies…including　thin…spun　fiber　optics；　and　doped　semiconducting　diamonds；　which　Rumbaugh　predicted　would　be　〃more　valuable　than　oil〃　in　the　ing　years。
　Even　further；　Rumbaugh　anticipated　that　within　ten　years　electricity　itself　would　bee　obsolete。　Future　puters　would　utilize　only　light　circuits；　and　interface　with　light　transmission　data　systems。　The　reason　was　speed。　〃Light；〃　Rumbaugh　said；　〃moves　at　the　speed　of　light。　Electricity　doesn't。　We　are　living　in　the　final　years　of　microelectronic　technology。〃
　Certainly　microelectronics　did　not　look　like　a　moribund　technology。　In　1979；　microelectronics　was　a　major　industry　throughout　the　industrialized　world；　accounting　for　eighty　billion　dollars　annually　in　the　United　States　alone；　six　of　the　top　twenty　corporations　in　the　Fortune　500　were　deeply　involved　in　microelectronics。　These　panies　had　a　history　of　extraordinary　petition　and　advance；　over　a　period　of　less　than　thirty　years。
　In　1958；　a　manufacturer　could　fit　10　electronic　ponents　onto　a　single　silicon　chip。　By　1970；　it　was　possible　to　fit　100　units　onto　a　chip　of　the　same　size…a　tenfold　increase　in　slightly　more　than　a　decade。
　But　by　1972；　it　was　possible　to　fit　1；000　units　on　a　chip；　and　by　1974；　10；000　units。　It　was　expected　that　by　1980；　there　would　be　one　million　units　on　a　single　chip　the　size　of　a　thumbnail；　but；　using　electronic　photo　projection；　this　goal　was　actually　realized　in　1978。　By　the　spring　of　1979；　the　new　goal　was　ten　million　units…or；　even　better；　one　billion　units…　on　a　single　silicon　chip　by　1980。　But　nobody　expected　to　wait　past　June　or　July　of　1979　for　this　development。
　Such　advances　within　an　industry　are　unprecedented。　parison　to　older　manufacturing　technologies　makes　this　clear。　Detroit　was　content　to　make　trivial　product　design　changes　at　three…year　intervals；　but　the　electronics　industry　routinely　expected　order　of　magnitude　advances　in　the　same　time。　（To　keep　pace；　Detroit　would　have　had　to　increase　automobile　gas　mileage　from　8　miles　per　gallon　in　1970　to　80；000；000　miles　per　gallon　in　1979。　Instead；　Detroit　went　from　8　to　16　miles　per　gallon　during　that　time；　further　evidence　of　the　ing　demise　of　the　automotive　industry　as　the　center　of　the　American　economy。）
　
　In　such　a　petitive　market；　everyone　worried　about　foreign　powers；　particularly　Japan；　which　since　1973　had　maintained　a　Japanese　Cultural　Exchange　in　San　Jose…which　some　considered　a　cover　organization　for　well…financed　industrial　espionage。
　The　Blue　Contract　could　only　be　understood　in　the　light　of　an　industry　making　major　advances　every　few　months。　Travis　had　said　that　the　Blue　Contract　was　〃the　biggest　thing　we'll　see　in　the　next　ten　years。　Whoever　finds　those　diamonds　has　a　jump　on　the　technology　for　at　least　five　years。　Five　years。　Do　you　know　what　that　means？〃
　Ross　knew　what　it　meant。　In　an　industry　where　petitive　edges　were　measured　in　months；　panies　had　made　fortunes　by　beating　petitors　by　a　matter　of　weeks　with　some　new　techniques　or　device；　Syntel　in　California　had　been　the　first　to　make　a　256K　memory　chip　while　everyone　else　was　still　making　16K　chips　and　dreaming　of　64K　chips。　Syntel　kept　their　advantage　for　only　sixteen　weeks；　but　realized　a　profit　of　more　than　a　hundred　and　thirty　million　dollars。
　〃And　we're　talking　about　five　years；〃　Travis　said。　〃That's　an　advantage　measured　in　billions　of　dollars；　maybe　tens　of　billions　of　dollars。　If　we　can　get　to　those　diamonds。〃
　
　These　were　the　reasons　for　the　extraordinary　pressure　Ross　felt　as　she　continued　to　work　with　the　puter。　At　the　age　of　twenty…four；　she　was　team　leader　in　a　high…technology　race　involving　a　half…dozen　nations　around　the　globe；　all　secretly　pitting　their　business　and　industrial　resources　against　one　another。
　The　stakes　made　any　conventional　race　seem　ludicrous。　Travis　told　her　before　she　left；　〃Don't　be　afraid　when　the　pressure　makes　you　crazy。　You　have　billions　of　dollars　riding　on　your　shoulders。　Just　do　the　best　you　can。〃
　Doing　the　best　she　could；　she　managed　to　reduce　the　expedition　timeline　by　another　three　hours　and　thirty…seven　minutes…but　they　were　still　slightly　behind　the　consortium　projection。　Not　too　far　to　make　up　the　time；　especially　with　Munro's　cold…blooded　shortcuts；　but　nevertheless　behind…　which　could　mean　total　disaster　in　a　winner…take…all　race。
　And　then　she　received　bad　news。
　The　screen　printed　PIGGYBACK　SLURP　/　ALL　BETS　OFF。
　〃Hell；〃　Ross　said。　She　felt　suddenly　tired。　Because　if　there　really　had　been　a　piggyback　slurp；　their　chances　of　winning　the　race　were　vanishing…before　any　of　them　had　even　set　foot　in　the　rain　forests　of　central　Africa。
　
　
　2。Piggyback　Slurp
　
　TRAVIS　FELT　LIKE　A　FOOL。
　He　stared　at　the　hard　copy　from　Goddard　Space　Flight　Center；　Greenbelt；　Maryland。
　
　ERTS　WHY　ARE　YOU　SENDING　US　ALL　THIS　MUKENKO　DATA　WE　DON'T　REALLY　CARE　THANKS　ANYWAY。
　
　That　had　arrived　an　hour　ago　from　GSFC/Maryland；　but　it　was　already　too　late　by　more　than　five　hours。
　〃Damn！〃　Travis　said；　staring　at　the　telex。
　The　first　indication　to　Travis　that　anything　was　wrong　was　when　the　Japanese　and　Germans　broke　off　negotiations　with　Munro　in　Tangier。　One　minute　they　had　been　willing　to　pay　anything；　the　next　minute　they　could　hardly　wait　to　leave。　The　break…off　had　e　abruptly；　discontinuously；　it　implied　the　sudden　introduction　of　new　data　into　the　consortium　puter　files。
　New　data　from　where？
　There　could　be　only　one　explanation…and　now　it　was　confirmed　in　the　GSFC　telex　from　Greenbelt。
　
　ERTS　WHY　ARE　YOU　SENDING　ALL　THIS　MUKENKO　DATA
　
　There　was　a　simple　answer　to　that：　ERTS　wasn't　sending　any　data。　At　least；　not　willingly。　ERTS　and　GSFC　had　an　arrangement　to　exchange　data　updates…Travis　had　made　that　deal　in　1978　to　obtain　cheaper　satellite　imagery　from　orbiting　Landsats。　Satellite　imagery　was　his　pany's　single　greatest　expense。　In　return　for　a　look　at　derived　ERTS　data；　GSFC　agreed　to　supply　satellite　CCTs　at　30　percent　below　gross　rate。
　It　seemed　like　a　good　deal　at　the　time；　and　the　coded　locks　were　specified　in　the　agreement。
　But　now　the　potential　drawbacks　loomed　large　before　Travis；　his　worst　fears　were　confirmed。　Once　you　put　a　line　over　two　thousand　miles　from　Houston　to　Greenbelt；　you　begged　for　a　piggyback　data　slurp。　Somewhere　between　Texas　and　Maryland　someone　had　inserted　a　terminal　linkup…probably　in　the　carrier　telephone　lines…and　had　begun　to　slurp　out　data　on　a　piggyback　terminal。　This　was　the　form　of　industrial　espionage　they　most　feared。
　A　piggyback…slurp　terminal　tapped　in　between　two　legitimate　terminals；　monitoring　the　back　and　forth　transmissions。　After　a　time；　the　piggyback　operator　knew　enough　to　begin　making　transmissions　on　line；　slurping　out　data　from　both　ends；　pretending　to　be　GSFC　to　Houston；　and　Houston　to　GSFC。　The　piggyback　terminal　could　continue　to　function　until　one　or　both　legitimate　terminals　realized　that　they　were　being　slurped。
　Now　the　question　was：　how　much　data　had　been　slurped　out　in　the　last　seventy…two　hours？
　He　had　called　for　twenty…four…hour　scanner　checks；　and　the　readings　were　disheartening。　It　looked　as　though　the　ERTS　puter　had　yielded　up　not　only　original　database　elements；　but　also　data…transformation　histories…the　sequence　of　operations　performed　on　the　data　by　ERTS　over　the　last　four　weeks。
　If　that　was　true；　it　meant　that　the　Euro…Japanese　consortium　piggyback　knew　what　transformations　ERTS　had　carried　out　on　the　Mukenko　data…and　therefore　they　knew　where　the　lost　city　was　located；　with　pinpoint　accuracy。　They　now　knew　the　location　of　the　city　as　precisely　as　Ross　did。
　Timelines　had　to　be　adjusted；　unfavorably　to　the　ERTS　team。　And