"He's the guy who made the parts for your differential machine?" The horse whistle asked.

Babbage nodded: "That's right. You know the difference machine costs a lot of money, but I don't know how much is being fed up by this guy. He also tried to hide machines and drawings, and was bent on taking possession of some equipment...... If you let such someone do the work for you, then you just wait to be fooled! ”

Ma Whistle was silent for a moment: "Then who do you think I should find?" ”

Babbage coughed twice: "What do you think of me?" ”

Ma Whistle was stunned: "You? ”

Babbage then added: "I'm also good at mechanics, and I can do without a salary. ”

“…… So what do you want? "Ma Whistle can probably guess it.

Sure enough, Babbage said, "As long as you're willing to help me build a computing machine." ”

Ma Whistle sighed: "With all due respect, Mr. Babbage, I'm not very optimistic about mechanical computers, and I don't think your design is very pragmatic - although it is indeed wonderful, it is difficult to achieve the desired effect." ”

Babbage argued: "What you said may be a disadvantage of the Difference Machine, but my new design has been greatly improved. ”

Whistle: "Have you spoken to Boole?" ”

"Not yet, but I've read some of his articles."

Ma Whistle: "This is my serious suggestion, Boole's mathematical research is very important for computing machines, and if you really want to achieve your dreams, it is best to talk to Boole. ”

Babbage pondered for a moment.

Ma Shen hesitated for a moment, and then said: "Actually, I am very optimistic about the computing machine, which seems to me to be even more promising than the telegraph, but it is also more distant than the telegraph, and it is difficult to make great progress in fifty years." Therefore, what we really need to do is to do mathematical research like Boolean and Ida, rather than racking our brains to pile up gears...... To put it mildly, Mr. Babbage, I think your work is a bit like that of the mathematicians who worked pi before Newton, and of course great, but ......"

He didn't go on.

Babbage was a brilliant mathematician and could certainly understand what he was trying to say.

Ancient mathematicians relied on methods such as circumcision to calculate pi, which was very difficult. Rudolph was the first to be poor, and he spent his whole life on it, but he only counted 35.

And in Newton's time, with more profound mathematical methods, it only took a few days to easily surpass Rudolph's results.

The mechanical computer that Babbage wanted to build weighed tons and piled up thousands of mechanical parts was not very usable.

In Ma Whistle's opinion, this is like the pi of Rudolph's liver explosion back then.

When Babbage heard this, his face suddenly felt a little unnatural.

In fact, after many setbacks, he was certainly not completely unaware of what Ma Whistle said.

But the mechanical computer has become an obsession in his heart, and if he doesn't build it, it is really unwilling.

After the failure of the Difference Machine, everyone in the whole country was laughing at him, and now he just wants to prove himself!

The air was quiet for a while.

Babbage seemed to calm down for a moment, and then added, "Maybe you're right, but I still warn you that Clement is not trustworthy. ”

Ma Whistle touched his chin and pondered for a long time.

He must admit that Babbage, though widely criticized for his temper, had never heard of any notoriety on matters of principle.

If Clement was a despicable fellow, as Babbage suggests, he wouldn't have hired him.

Compared to treachery, temper tantrums are not a big deal.

And personality issues aside, Babbage is actually not bad, has outstanding abilities, and seems to be ......

It is possible to prostitute for nothing.

"You just said you can do without a salary, right?" The horse whistle asked.

"Of course, I don't need a salary, or even anything, as long as I can build a machine." Babbage's eyes lit up.

He is a rich second generation, although his father's 100,000 pound inheritance has been lost a lot by him, but he can still live the prosperous life that ordinary people dream of, and the salary is really not that important.

Ma Whistle pondered: "In this way, I can let you study computer machines in my company, and provide you with financial, theoretical, technical and other support, but there are a few conditions." ”

"First, you can get the credit you deserve, such as naming the machine you developed 'Babbage One' or whatever you like, so that people will always remember your contributions, but any machine designed and produced is entirely the property of the company."

"Second, you must obey the company's arrangement and complete the task I gave you before you can study the computer machine, and the research must be carried out according to the plan. And you can't be as headstrong as before, and you have to listen to your colleagues with an open mind during the R&D process, instead of arguing with people every day. ”

"Thirdly, you said it yourself, you don't want a salary."

"Mr. Babbage, if you agree to these conditions, then you will be the CTO of General Dynamics, and I won't have to hire Clement." The horse whistle looked at Babbage.

Babbage asked, "What's your plan?" ”

Ma Whistle: "To put it simply, GM's mechanical computer will serve theoretical research and practical application. ”

"For example?"

"Like Boolean and Aida research, like predicting the tides." Ma Whistle said.

Although the future of mechanical computers is bleak, it cannot be said that they are useless, in addition to the academic significance, there are also successful cases at the practical level.

The tidal machine is one of the more successful ones, and its inventor is none other than Ma Whistle's old friend, Kelvin.

Compared with the differential machine, the analysis machine, etc., the Kelvin scheme is undoubtedly worth promoting.

Of course, Kelvin designed the first mechanical computer capable of predicting tides more than twenty years later, and it is still unseen.

Before you know it, you're going to plagiarize Kelvin again.

Thinking of this, Ma Whistle couldn't help but feel a little guilty about Kelvin......

Babbage struggled for a long time.

He doesn't care about wages and the like, and he doesn't mind spending time on other tasks, but the problem is that the computer he wants to develop isn't exactly what he wants.

But if he doesn't, where will he go to find a strong supporter like Ma Whistle?

No one is willing to support him anymore except Ida, and Aida only provides him with some mathematical support.

It is foreseeable that under such circumstances, he will probably have no hope of building an ideal mechanical computer in his life.

In contrast, Ma Whistle can provide him with all the support, abundant funds, sound theory, advanced technology......

Based on this, he was almost certain that the tidal machine was not a pipe dream, but a reality that was close at hand and could not be built in a long time.

But this is a deviation from his dream.

One is an impossible dream, and the other is an achievable but deviated dream, how to choose?

After a battle of ideas, Babbage made his choice: "I promise you. ”

Ma Whistle smiled: "Welcome to General Dynamics, Mr. Babbage, Chief Technology Officer." ”