June 17, 1961 — the Dragon Boat Festival. However, it wasn't popular in Europe or the United States. Although there were some activities in Chinatown, their impact was minimal.
Television broadcasts were reporting updates on the Bay of Pigs Invasion (the Battle of Girón Beach). The conflict between the United States and Cuba had reached its peak, but it had not yet escalated into a direct confrontation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The Cold War would reach its height once Cuba aligned itself with the Soviet Union.
After returning from the SAB, Catherine let out a long sigh of relief.
Lately, she had been feeling more and more that her breasts were becoming a burden—especially noticeable while dancing.
Now she had to wear leotards with built-in support or a bra; otherwise, her chest would move uncomfortably up and down while she danced, and part of her nipple would show.
If her chest got too large, could she even continue dancing ballet?
And as she grew older, she had stopped wearing children's open-crotch tights and switched to professional ballet tights—though she simply couldn't get used to them.
She… was truly maturing.
"There are so many creatures in the world—we should be grateful to be reborn as humans…"
Catherine indulged in a bit of self-deceptive optimism.
When she put on her old sportswear, she discovered it no longer fit.
Looking more closely, she realized that not only had her chest grown, but she had also grown at least ten centimeters taller.
She shook her head and picked up a letter she had just received.
This was the important part.
The letter was from Seymour Cray.
Catherine had been in contact with him for quite some time, mainly discussing computers. He was an expert in computing.
In fact, GameTV had been completed under his advice and guidance.
However, he lived deep in the forests of Wisconsin, and Catherine hadn't had the chance to travel there to meet him.
Seymour Cray had completed the world's first transistor-based supercomputer in 1958—a major milestone in the history of computing. He would later become known as the "Father of Supercomputers."
Catherine valued him greatly,
because he would influence her future plans and determine whether she could witness what she considered a true computer several years—or even a decade—earlier.
Seymour Cray would become extremely famous in the United States, and there would even be an award named after him. The biological and medical communities use Cray computers to fight cancer, AIDS, and other deadly diseases; nearly every new automobile model released by manufacturers worldwide is designed using Cray computers; Cray systems help meteorologists around the world produce accurate weather forecasts, preventing massive losses of life and property during severe weather. NASA estimated that using Cray computers to simulate space shuttle launches saved $100 million in fuel per launch…
By the early 21st century, two of the more than 400 supercomputers in the world were produced by Cray Corporation. The U.S. Department of Defense called it "the brain of the American nation." As one of the most important figures in high-performance computing, he personally designed all the hardware and the operating system of the Cray supercomputer—released in 1975—including the OS itself, which he wrote entirely in machine code. Most astonishingly, it never had a single bug.
Catherine knew about him because a friend once complained online about Windows bugs and vulnerabilities and casually mentioned Seymour Cray.
Otherwise, she probably would never have known about this legendary father of supercomputing.
At present, Seymour Cray was already a fairly famous figure, known as "the Hermit of the Woods."
IBM was preparing to launch the System/360 supercomputer—yes, the 360—so to counter IBM's threat, Cray retreated into the forests of Wisconsin, which was how he got his nickname.
Catherine opened the letter and felt slightly embarrassed when she read its contents.
"C is an impeccable language, but it does have its flaws. Compared to general machine code or other low-level code, although C is standardized and convenient, it undoubtedly slows down system performance…"
Catherine felt both amused and exasperated. In later generations, C would be famous for its speed; languages like Java couldn't even come close in terms of performance.
After all, Windows was based on C—although Bill Gates preferred BASIC.
"Moreover, C is very dangerous. If written poorly, it can easily burn out hardware… In fact, before writing to you, I tried to write a program in C, but due to an error, it burned out the processor."
Processors at the time had no thermal protection; exceeding temperature limits could easily destroy them—unlike in the future, when CPUs would automatically shut down at around 100 degrees Celsius.
"However, I must admit that your proposal regarding the application of integrated circuits could be quite promising. As for your idea of entering the semiconductor business, I personally think you should take a look at Fairchild Semiconductor."
Catherine shrugged; after all, she held the patent for integrated circuits.
She had applied for it in 1958—it was, after all, the foundation of computers.
Unfortunately, this technology wouldn't bring her much profit for at least another ten years. In contrast, its derivative, GameTV, would likely become popular much sooner.
"Ark."
Catherine also wrote the name of her not-yet-established company on the paper.
Derived from the number twelve, it meant "Ark" in Chinese.
"Apple, a subsidiary of the Ark Group, launches GameTV… Hey, that actually sounds pretty good."
It was, admittedly, very speculative.
"Or maybe Microsoft, another subsidiary of the Ark Group, launches the Windows operating system?"
Catherine laughed.
Meanwhile, at school, Lisa was discussing something with her fashion advisor, while Jenny and Ida stood nearby, occasionally offering their opinions.
"Kate has a very weak sense of feminist awareness; she's like a nineteenth-century girl with no opinions of her own… Hmm, we need to change that."
"But Lisa, why do I feel like you're heading in the exact opposite direction?"
"Uh…"