Chapter 35

On June 17, 1961, it was the Dragon Boat Festival. However, this festival wasn't popular in the West, although there were some activities in Chinatown, they had little impact.

The TV was broadcasting the developments of the Bay of Pigs Invasion. Anti-Cuban sentiment in the United States had reached a peak, but it hadn't escalated into a confrontation between the US and the Soviet Union. Once Cuba aligned with the Soviet Union, the Cold War would reach its peak.

After returning from the studio, Katherine let out a long sigh.

Lately, she had increasingly found her chest to be a burden, especially when dancing.

Moreover, she now had to wear a bra or a supported practice outfit; otherwise, her chest would move up and down during dance, causing her discomfort and creating an unsightly bulge.

If her chest was too large, she wouldn't be able to dance ballet, would she?

And as she grew older, she no longer wore the open-crotch tights meant for children, but instead switched to professional ballet tights, which she still couldn't get used to.

She... was really growing up.

"There are so many living beings in the world, and we should be grateful to be reborn as humans..."

Katherine indulged in her own version of the "Ah Q spirit."

Putting on her old practice outfit, Katherine realized that the clothes had become much too small.

Upon closer inspection, not only had her chest grown, but her height had also increased by at least 10 centimeters.

She shook her head and then picked up a letter she had just received.

This was the main focus now.

The letter was from Seymour Cray.

Katherine had been in contact with this person for a long time, mainly discussing computer issues, as he was an expert in the field.

In fact, her GameTV was completed with his advice and guidance.

However, Seymour Cray was deep in the forests of Wisconsin, and Katherine had no time to go there to find him.

Seymour Cray, in 1958, completed the world's first transistor-based supercomputer, a significant milestone in the history of computer development. In the future, he would be known as the "Father of Supercomputers."

Katherine took this person very seriously.

Because it was related to her future plans and whether she could see what she considered to be a true computer years or even decades earlier.

Seymour Cray would become very famous in the United States in the future, even having an award named after him. In the biological and medical fields, Cray's computers were used to fight cancer, AIDS, and other life-threatening diseases; almost every new car model from car manufacturers worldwide was designed using Cray's computers; Cray's computers helped meteorologists make accurate weather forecasts, preventing significant losses of life and property during severe weather; NASA estimated that using Cray's computers to simulate space shuttle launches saved $20 million in fuel costs per launch...

By the early 21st century, out of the 400 supercomputers worldwide, 220 were from Cray's company. The US Department of Defense called him the "Wit of the American Nation." As one of the most important figures in the high-performance computing field, he personally designed the hardware and operating system of the Cray supercomputer, which was to be launched in 1975. The operating system was written in machine code by him, and most astonishingly, it had never had any bugs or errors.

Katherine knew about this person because an online friend complained about the errors and vulnerabilities in Windows and mentioned Seymour Cray.

Otherwise, Katherine might not have known about this legendary "Father of Supercomputers."

Seymour Cray was already a well-known figure at the time, known as the "Hermit of the Forest."

IBM was preparing to introduce the supercomputer 360—yes, 360—and to counter IBM's threat, Cray retreated into the forests of Wisconsin, which is where his nickname came from.

Katherine opened the letter and read it, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"C is an impeccable language, but it has some flaws. Compared to machine code or other codes, C is more standardized and convenient to use, but it undoubtedly slows down the system's performance..."

Katherine couldn't help but laugh. In the future, C was known for its speed. Languages like Java couldn't compare to C in terms of speed.

After all, Windows was built on C—although Bill Gates preferred BASIC.

"Moreover, C is dangerous. If programmed improperly, it could damage the hardware... In fact, before writing to you, I tried to write a program in C, but due to an error, I burned out the processor."

Processors in this era had no temperature protection. If they overheated, they could burn out, unlike in the future, where CPUs would automatically shut off at 100 degrees.

"But I must admit that the application of integrated circuits you proposed is excellent. Regarding your decision to establish a semiconductor company, I personally think you should consider Fairchild Semiconductor."

Katherine shrugged. After all, the patent for integrated circuits was hers.

She had applied for it in 1958, as it was the foundation of computers.

Unfortunately, this technology wouldn't bring her significant benefits for at least a decade, but the derivative product, GameTV, might become popular.

"ARK."

Katherine wrote the name of her yet-to-be-established company on the paper.

It was derived from 2012, and in Chinese, it means "Ark."

"Apple, a subsidiary of Ark Group, launched GameTV... Hey, that sounds great."

Indeed, it was a very imaginative idea.

"Maybe it's Microsoft, a subsidiary of Ark Group, that launched the Windows operating system?"

Katherine laughed.

Meanwhile, at school, Lisa was discussing something with her costume design instructor, with Jenny and Ada also present, occasionally offering suggestions.

"Kate has no sense of women's rights. She's like a 19th-century girl with no will of her own... Hmm, we need to change this."

"But, Lisa, why do I feel like you're working in the opposite direction?"

"Uh..."

...

As a pure person, I must say that the plot serves the entire story, and truly depressing elements won't appear.

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