Chapter 27

Monday

I was up to almost three in the morning with the engineers. The atmosphere at 'Fish 'n' Chips Works' was contagious, to say the least. I had clean clothes and got up after a few hours' sleep and went to grade nine classes once more.

There was one more chuckle before I got to court. We had a surprise electronics quiz that dealt with current through a series of resistors.

Before the court started Derrick said, "Look at the faces of the lawyers."

"They don't look so sure of themselves today."

"Well, I made a few phone calls to your friends and they made a few more. I am afraid our opponents either had a sleepless night, or they took their phones off the hook."

"I guess that could do it."

"Oh, there is more. The lawyers do mostly what they are told, so the calls went to the city councillors and the school board."

The courtroom started to fill up much more than the few that occasionally came to see the case. Soon there was only standing room in the back. I went up to the people whom I knew or didn't know and thanked them for coming to see some justice done. Before the magistrate came out I warned them, "The wheels of justice were not very fast."

The magistrate had to settle the courtroom a few times when it looked like the board lawyers were being unfair to me or my cause. The last time it was loud enough that they were warned of expulsion. Mr Caversham, I saw, was very busy writing down what he saw and heard. He even gave me a big smile to show his support.

I guess for spite, I had to stay the entire day through all the things lawyers do to spend enough time to milk their clients for the most money. I went back to school a bit exhausted and stopped in on my girls. Natalie said, "You have to go to see Mr Ross. He has a test for you to do."

There were people around, so I just squeezed her hand and said, "Thanks."

Mr Ross did have a test and it took me only a few minutes to complete it. When I handed it in he looked at his watch, took a breath and said, "Thanks, Alex. If all my students were this smart I would be out of a job."

"Not at all. There are still lots to learn. I have not seen any data yet, so what I am going to say cannot be proven."

"Go ahead."

"If we made a graph of what was discovered each year since records started, I believe you would see a logarithmic progression. Recently, you might find out that it takes five short years to double all of man's previous knowledge. This is not going to stop. In a few years, man's knowledge will double in just a few months. This is where a teacher that is on top of current knowledge can really make a difference. This happens mostly in colleges and universities but there are many benefits to even a high school."

"Math doesn't change much, Alex."

"You are right about the subject but not necessarily in how it is taught. Anything new found in math is too difficult for high school students to understand. Every facet of the school and education will change and not just Science and Electronics. They can be improved with recent developments."

"What is new now?"

"A new transistor was made today that far supercedes any attempt by any lab before. It will change everybody's lives and the only way to deal with this juggernaut is to ride the crest of the wave it will produce."

"I haven't heard anything about this. Tell me more."

"It happened this morning, around one thirty I think."

Mr Ross thought for a second and smiled, "Another of your inventions?"

"Of course. It will affect your job, though. This is the first step in making a computer that others have started. Mine, however, won't need a roomful of expensive equipment and a horrendous amount of electricity. Mine could be powered by the sun and be many times more powerful. And what's more, it can be held in the palm of your hand."

"That is simply too amazing to really comprehend. Your imagination has a way of coming true. You wouldn't be talking to me if you didn't have some plan. What is it?"

"The transistors will be put together to form logic circuits. At first, they will be mounted on small phenol boards. I have some engineers but I want a representative from education to help when it comes online."

"Online?"

"A term for being powered up and then presented to the public. I want our school board to be in the forefront of technological change. To do this I need personnel that will not only embrace the change but help to get it firmly started. You will go into the history books, Mr Ross, if you are that person."

"It looks like you already found your place in the books."

"Hardly. That was only a footnote at best. If I hurry I can be the first person into space, then the first to set foot on the moon."

Helen came with me to Fish 'n' Chips and I showed her the transistors. To her they were black globs of epoxy with some small wires. We were both hustled off to another table where I looked through a microscope. I traced out the circuit and said, "Good work; I was hoping you guys would carry on. Who made this one?"

A tall thin electrical engineer behind the man I was speaking to was pulled forward. "I did, sir," he stammered.

His name was Josh Appleton, so I said, "The circuit has never been named, yet, so I think it should be called the Appleton Pair. More of these can be cascaded and it may be we can get everyone's name here on the circuits." I got a few smiles and even some nods of agreement.

We rode our bikes toward home and we found Aron waiting for us. He just smiled and pulled in behind us. When we got home I had to have a shower and when I came down a snack was waiting to tide me over till supper.

I chatted with Helen and Aron about their school. They were quiet about mine because I had simply spent too many hours away from school to pass. This didn't stop me asking Aron questions in general and ones I thought he would get on the tests and ones that he had not got right before.

Helen answered her questions while stirring some soup. She asked me in turn, about the party at the end of school.

"I have all the permits. The food is catered. Mario is going to set up a portable pizzeria with Izzy. Rita has some posters printed to notify everybody. Derrick has made up some bursary forms and I have to just get the cash or checks to pay the school and students. The other students have been paid on a weekly basis. Did I forget anything?"

"You should have one of those kitchen units on display for those who have not seen them. I heard you called them the kitchen of the future."

"We need one more thing for the kitchen of the future."

"What is that?"

"There is a microwave oven out now that is very expensive. It is six feet tall, needs a water supply to cool the tube and uses a fantastic amount of power."

"Are you going to make a better one?"

"Sure but there is basically only the tube to change and two simple parts to make."

That night I drew up the plans for the metal-jacketed tube. I could still use cutting edge technology of 2004 because of the satellites I put up. There was a bit of a problem getting them tuned to the right wavelength and keeping them there in temperatures close to absolute zero. This tube would actually be very simple and not cost the taxpayers of any country a penny.

Tuesday

It was raining when we went to school the next day and it well suited my mood. Aron went his way with a parting wave and Helen pedalled fast and through the puddles to the Fish 'n' Chips. The engineers were at work and I found out that they never quit. Some would go off to sleep for a while and then get up wondering what they had missed. There was something wrong with these people but I couldn't fault them because I was an engineer, too.

When we pulled in, the work stopped and most came close to see what I was going to say. In a moment the sleeping ones got up too rubbing their eyes.

"Good morning gentlemen. Since it appears that you don't want to go to your rooms, may I suggest that you phone Mario's or the hotel and get them to deliver breakfast on a regular basis. Go buy a large refrigerator and a hot plate, then go to a restaurant supply and buy a coffee urn. Send the bills to Helen MacNeil.

"Now, for why I came here." I brought out a sheaf of papers and had to push through the group to get to a table to display them. "This is the circuit for a much smaller, cheaper and more efficient microwave oven. The basic circuit is simple but we are going to develop two devices for it to function. First we need a very heavy high voltage diode that is capable of voltage doubling with a capacitor to get 5000 volts. The notes say how to make this. The second device is going to give you troubles but it is basically a transistor that will act as a switch. This switch will continue to conduct even when the polarity changes. I was going to call it a triac for its three parts. You can decide among yourselves who will get the final name."

"The Klystron is now used but I want a Magnetron system for microwave production. It is very different and here are its properties. See if you can make one for me. We only have 25-cycle power here, so buy a portable generator that will give 60. They are rare, so you might have to look far and wide and end up buying one from the United States. Don't even look in New York State, because they are running 25 cycles like us.

"Now, the tube has a lot of minor changes and it is not patented yet. Keep this a secret like the rest. Now for the dangers. Microwaves are non-ionizing energy but they will still cook you. If any of you play the fool, I will fire your ass out the door no matter how good you are. You heard me talk about safety and I am not kidding. The voltage is high enough to kill, too.

"Now to another heating source. Ontario Hydro is converting almost everything to sixty hertz. Find a few small commercial radio transmitters that we can still use with twenty five hertz. We will not be converting this part of the province for a few years yet. Ten kilowatts should be enough. I am going to use it to melt the silicon billets that we are making. This should remove almost all the minor impurities.

They had stopped asking how I knew things and it seemed that they accepted me as someone like their professor. This was reinforced when I had to teach them new equations the day before to mathematically explain what was just happening now.

They didn't read the text but pointed out some enlarged drawings and I had to explain what I wanted.

Helen called me and I saw that she was excluded from the group. These were engineers and some even needed to be told when to bathe. It was getting late and I closed the raincoat and we pedalled off to school.

There was no time to go around and say good morning and I went right to class. Today was special, for the finals were upon us. It looked like the teachers and possibly Mr Corfu, were helping, for I could finish my History test and I had time to do the Geography and English comp, all before I had to go to court.

During lunch Mr Corfu sat in the mostly dry park with Derrick and me while watching me complete Electricity, English Lit, Draughting, Science and Machine Shop while eating. French and Math would be waiting for me when the court was let out. This was very quick and I was glad in a way that it happened this way. Perhaps next year I could do it the same way and save me a lot of time.

Mr Macmillian seemed to have a gloat at what he had done but in truth now there was nothing further he could do.

Bookmark October 30, 2005

Derrick drove me to school and I thanked him for all his help. One part was finished in my life and even if I had to repeat it, this year was almost over.

Math and French didn't take long, even if there were a few essay questions about how a certain process worked. I thanked Mr Corfu for his help and he said, "You are very welcome Alex. The board may give me some words but they can't stop me from giving you the tests." I felt really close to the man and since he was close I hugged him. He had shown a lot of compassion and at some risk to his job.

School was officially over for me. The rest of the week was devoted to tests. It felt good that nobody even asked me to keep the tests secret to make the exams fair. For good or bad, it felt good to get away from school.

On impulse I went to see the motor home. It was now open and smelled of glue. The paneling was all in and done very well. Cabinets had been installed and all had a special catch to keep them closed when the home was moving along the road. The engine and air conditioner were in place but there was no furniture, not even the driver's chair.

The vehicle seemed to be alive in some fashion and this made me happy. With a wave I left the men to their jobs and went home.

On the way I thought again of what was ahead of me. Oil was going to make me fabulously rich. Games would make millions but that was only pocket change. Medicine would make billions but electronics would make me many more billions. Electronics led to weapons systems that could make me a goodly amount of change. Retailing would only give me ten to fifteen billion a year in the old inflated money. Most of the other businesses would be run at a very low margin so that they could simply be afforded by most of humanity.

I stayed home just long enough to eat, shower and dress. With thirteen men working hard, it was imperative that I work with them. Some of the reason was to bond with a research team that would have to carry on when I was working elsewhere. Part of this, I had to admit, was working with a group of inquisitive and young minds even if they appeared older than me.

I could now work full time or until I had to work on another project. Things did look better.

Wednesday Thursday and Friday

Heavy-duty diodes were our goal and by Wednesday we had made some success but the units kept burning out under a fraction of the voltage and current I wanted to subject them to. I found some paper used for a tablecloth and wrote with a black marker. This was good in a way because I had a written record of what I had said. It could be unrolled later and checked. This reminded me of scrolls used by Greeks and Romans but we used ours sideways, usually.

Food was shipped in and the group changed a bit from time to time. I had a few hours' sleep and was awoken. Our diode now worked, or at least it did for over a minute. There was a metal heat sink that had to be enlarged because the purity of materials was still poor. This in turn made for more resistance and thus more of a voltage drop. Some had shorted out and some had even burst into flame. The heat in many cases had cracked the underlying material.

The men all congratulated each other and since it was four in the morning I told them all to get some sleep. The project looked interesting, too but luckily common sense prevailed and I went to sleep too.

Friday, around eight PM, Laura and Natalie came in to check on me. Natalie was blunt and said, "You guys stink. What have you been doing?"

I looked up at the beautiful ladies and didn't know just what to say. We had worked till we had to sleep and then got up after getting the minimum necessary. I looked around and saw food in various stages of decomposition on the workbenches and the men looked like shit. They all needed a shave and I felt my own chin self-consciously.

Natalie was tapping her foot on the cement floor and then had to move it, for there was some food under her shoe. "You guys are all pigs." She looked at Laura and said, "Call Mike Stoner and see if he will drive these... boys to their hotel to get cleaned. We may have to burn their clothes."

The men left to use the single washroom to clean up and I didn't even try to get close to give the girls a hug or a kiss. "We did get some interesting things done," I said. "The boys and I were working hard to make your life easy."

"Not if women have to clean up after you. Speaking of cleaning up: is there a fire hose around here?"

I ignored her comment and picked up a cardboard box and started throwing old food into it. We probably would have died if there had not been a refrigerator delivered as a result from a single phone call. I found a broom and started to clean up the things on the floor. There were a lot of fried diodes and transistors. The triacs were an elusive quality. The boys were amazed when one finally worked but it soon burnt out. This wouldn't happen in a good lab because they would try to discover as much information as they could before it finally gave up its existence. I knew they would work hard to make these poor specimens function to the best they could.

We worked right up till Mike honked his horn outside. We grew a few more crystals and turned off the heat to the machines and let them cool for the first time in days.

I locked up the place and Natalie would not allow me into her car so I had to ride with the rest of the cattle in the back of the open stake truck. It looked like a bunch of farm labourers coming back from picking fruit. I used an empty room at the hotel. It was not as nice as the Clarkson but that was to be understood. The water was hot, though and the towels clean. This was enough for now.

Natalie herded me into her car and the three of us went to her apartment. Helen and the rest were there and turned up their noses at my condition. The 'Works' was hot and the clothes must stink from my sweat. I had to take another bath with Linda, which I accepted with as much decorum as I could portray. When I got out, the girls were all naked and the bed was turned down.

Laura said, "You have duties. You wanted me for your wife and we have had to do without for too long."

I took a still-damp Linda to bed first, because she had just worked hard to get me clean and hard. At eleven I had a short rest, then, with a bit of food and drink, I did it all again.

Saturday

I woke up alone Saturday and looked at the clock. I was surprised because it was ten thirty and the party would be starting soon. I had a bad headache and stumbled to the bathroom. On the way I found my good clothes on a chair. The drying process had just begun when I heard the door open and a lot of female voices speaking from the other room.

The girls saw me and unceremoniously started to dress me as if I was a child. I was a little upset at this but let the girls have their fun. This changed when certain parts of my anatomy were kissed just before my pants were pulled up.

My hair was combed and they even put some Brylcreem in it, because they thought it looked good that way. I had to look in the mirror and would live with the results even if it wasn't me. Even Elvis had his hair done similar, I thought as I went out onto the street with the girls.

We went in two cars to the park and I found it packed. I think the entire city was there for this event. People whom I'd never seen before shook my hand. Mothers introduced me to their daughters and old men supporting themselves on canes patted me on the back.

We circulated like a pack till we picked up Rita and her girls; then we circulated even more. I felt like a head of state with his bodyguards hovering around to make sure I remained safe. That reminded me that Kevlar had not been invented yet and I smiled at the prospects even though I knew next to nothing about this.

Rita dragged the group over to a large temporary structure. The wind was just right now and I could smell the hot, fresh pizza and I was instantly hungry. Rita shamelessly pushed her way through the throng and into the large area with the staff. Not all the girls could fit.

Rita said, "Look at what daddy and Izzy did. Isn't it great?"

The shelter must have been sixty feet square and had four large ovens. Large wood tables had all the fixings and there was even two large power mixers making new dough. There must have been twenty people working there and they did nothing but cut pizza up and serve it on a paper plate with a paper napkin.

I could hear the children being told to put the plate in the garbage after. More comments were made for more slices but the rule seemed to be one piece per customer, at least till they came back again.

"The operation looks very professional," I told Rita. "Did you have a hand in the planning of this?" Her eyes sparkled so I knew I had said the right thing. I was given a piece of pizza and it was stolen after only one bite. This was ok, because it was stolen from Helen after one bite, too.

I complimented Mario and he hugged his daughter and he said how it was all her doing. Rita was glowing like one of the overheated parts we had been working on. He intercepted a tray of pizza. Soon all my girls had their own piece and I had the chance to eat one myself.

Josh Appleton was at the head of one line and from the sauce on his chin I saw that he had been here before. Behind and beside him were the rest of the engineers. When he saw us he waved but the noise was a bit too loud to hear adequately.

Laura whispered, "I invited them. You kept them caged all that time."

I whispered back, "You did very well Mrs Kramer." Laura just melted against my side and I held her hand and steadied her body.

Derrick found me a half-hour later and said loudly, "They are ready for you to do the presentations."

I just nodded and followed him to a makeshift platform. When I climbed up the steps some girls from my school clapped their hands and called, "Alex."

The microphone was now live and I started to talk but just inanities so that people would have a chance to stop and listen if they wanted to. Traffic around Mario's did not lessen but I did start into the reason for this party.

From memory I called teachers and students to come forward. The stage was small so they had to come up in turn so I could thank each for what they had done. It was an odd feeling to give some papers to a teacher or even Mr Corfu when in grade thirteen they would be doing the reverse to me.