1840 Indian Rebirth

Chapter 208 [Weather Forecast]

Registering patents, recruiting troops, and organizing production... The operation of General Dynamics is gradually on the right track.

Various inventions of the horse whistle have also become reality one after another.

The most important inventions, the new sewing machine, the Jane coupler, and the phonograph, aroused great enthusiasm in England as soon as they were introduced.

People are most concerned about the phonograph. Since the technology is not yet mature, this thing has almost no practical value, but the magical properties of sound preservation make everyone full of curiosity about it, making it a representative of "high technology".

Ordinary people will not buy it, but will be attracted by it at various exhibitions and events.

And some local tyrants who are not short of money are willing to buy this kind of expensive but useless phonograph out of the need for collection, gift giving, or pretense, contributing a considerable amount of income to General Dynamics.

So in fact, the phonograph has become a luxury, which seems a bit black humorous for a technology-based GM company.

But making money is not shabby.

Not only that, General Dynamics also pushed the boat along the way, and really launched a batch of limited edition phonographs with luxurious packaging.

For the horse whistle, the greatest value of this thing at present is to please Queen Victoria.

However, no one doubts the practical value of the phonograph in the future, and improving the phonograph is also one of General Dynamics' important plans.

The Jane's coupler had the least buzz, but was the fastest in popularity, and anyone could see what it meant for trains, so the orders kept coming.

The new sewing machine is a typical example of a controversial invention.

From a technical and production point of view, this invention is naturally very valuable, but from a social level, it has caused quite a bit of confusion.

Efficient sewing machines caused many tailors to lose their jobs.

A part of the workers therefore hated it and even tried to destroy it. These workers have a special name: Luddites.

This has led to some troubles for the horse whistle, such as titles such as "harmful inventor".

To some extent, this is a performance of the British government's failure to do its duty.

An excellent government should alleviate the social pain brought about by technological progress, help the eliminated laborers transform, and allow them to rejoin and adapt to new social production.

Of course, these words are easy to say, but they are difficult to do.

In the 21st century, countries such as the United States and China did not alleviate this pain well, let alone the British in the [-]th century.

Today's Britain, a country where the monarch still wields great power, doesn't even have this awareness, whether it is up or down.A person from the 21st century living here can even perceive the ignorance of the will of the country with the naked eye, which hangs over the sky of this huge empire like a cloudy haze.

Horse Whistle has neither the ability nor the will to assist the British Government in fulfilling such a difficult duty.

So of course he chose the law, and sent all these guys who destroyed private property to trial, and compensated those who should be compensated, and punished those who should be punished.

The second industrial revolution has just sprouted, and there will be many such things in the future.

But history has proved countless times that in the face of the torrent of the industrial revolution, anyone's obstruction is ridiculous, no matter whether he is a king, a capitalist, a worker, or a farmer... Every self-righteous head will eventually be ruthlessly driven by the spiraling gears. crushed.

……

University of Cambridge.

The horse whistle was following Prince Albert, the principal of Cambridge University, and the two were walking while talking about something.

"Weather forecast?" Prince Albert looked at the horse whistle in surprise, "You mean, you invented a machine that can predict the weather?"

"No, how is this possible." Ma Shao quickly explained, "I mean, using the telegraph system, people can quickly exchange weather information from various places, so as to make forecasts for upcoming weather changes."

"For example, if a rain cloud appears in Cambridge and moves south, then by telegraph, we can notify the people there before the rain cloud reaches London, so that they can prepare in advance."

This kind of operation actually existed a few years ago, but mainly some businessmen would do it.

For example, grain speculators, they often use the telegraph to convey weather information, so as to seize business opportunities.

Albert listened, tut-tsk praised: "I didn't expect the telegram to have such a use."

Ma Whistle thought for a moment, and then said: "In addition, there are not all prediction machines. In fact, I have conceived a machine that can predict tides, and it is being researched by Babbage."

"Babbage?" Prince Albert smiled, "Then you will have to bear it. But he is indeed a very powerful guy. Cambridge's mathematics development in recent years has to admit that he is a part of the credit. "

Horse whistle: "I will restrain him."

"I believe you." Prince Albert nodded. "Weather forecasting is a good idea. I will introduce General Robert Fitzroy to you. He is a well-informed weather expert. You can cooperate with him. Form a department dedicated to the weather, which may be called the Meteorological Office."

The two talked for a while.

At this time, the horse whistle said: "Dear Prince, I have a request, or this is the original intention of my coming to England... I have selected some young students from Apache, and they have all received a certain degree of mathematics and physics education." , I hope they can study at universities in the UK, and I have found a secondary school for them to study adaptively."

Prince Albert: "Are you not yourself an eminent teacher and a most eminent scientist?"

Ma Shao: "My field of research is too theoretical. For the development of Apache, engineering talents are even more scarce. As the world center of science and technology, I don't think there is any place where we can obtain advanced engineering knowledge."

Prince Albert asked again: "How many students do you have?"

"Currently there are 30 students, and I plan to send some students to the UK every year." Ma Shao said.

Prince Albert thought for a while: "Cambridge University can accept your students, but I also have one condition."

He looked at the horse whistle: "You are going to be a professor at Cambridge University."

Ma Whistle was stunned, and then said: "Of course, I also yearn for an academic hall like Cambridge... But you also know that I live up to the expectations of my clan, and many things in the clan need me to deal with. I'm afraid I don't have time to give lectures in Cambridge." .”

Albert smiled: "I won't let you teach students like a real professor. You just need to come to Cambridge regularly to give academic reports, and give a few lessons to students by the way. Once every three years, Isn't that too much to ask?"

(End of this chapter)