Linguistics Lab – Two Years Ago
Hired a few weeks ago by Nyland, Maddie stands in Nyland's office, having received his request to meet.
“We have enough funding for about five years. I bought access to the Linqua One supercomputer in Tel Aviv. The Carina Sky supercomputer at Livermore Laboratories. Also, our computer is under construction downstairs.”
“Doctor Nyland, are we the entire team?”
“You, me, and Hiram.”
“Hiram?”
“Hiram Mankowitz. He will be here tomorrow from Tel Aviv. His doctorate is in interpreting the Akkadian language cuneiforms. He is one of maybe ten people who can read cuneiform tablets natively.”
“What is my role?
“You will be the key to solving the riddle. Apply your doctorate in Applied Artificial Intelligence.”
Confused, Maddie presses for answers.
“What riddle?”
“The riddle of the tablets. We think we can read the cuneiforms. For 150 years, translations have confirmed the writing of the Sumerians, Egyptians, and Akkadians. We know they brewed beer and kept good records. My hypothesis is the goal of the program. Within the triangle-shaped writing resides a hidden code. We will find the code. Your role is to keep one step ahead of Hiram.”
“What?”
“Your thesis, Doctor. Apply the AI model in your thesis, keep tweaking it, and use it to interpret the tablets. Make the interpretive algorithms bullet-proof. Hiram will check your results. You will adjust your AI code to correct anything Hiram finds misaligned.”
Beginning to appreciate there is more to their project than she understood while being recruited, Maddie accepts the premise.
“I get that. Translate the tablets, and interpret the missing sections. How will we find the code in your theory?”
“I have no idea.”
Grimacing, Maddie realizes Nyland has confirmed her fears about her role.
“No idea? How did you get the funding?”
“Never mind the money. There is more from where I secured the endowment. So what are you going to call your new toy?”
Ignoring Nyland’s deflection, Maddie begins to smile.
“Are you referring to the supercomputer they are building downstairs? Mine?”
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“Yes, yours. Does it have a name?”
“Bairn Speki”
Mychal Nyland raises an eyebrow at the words his Nordic heritage should understand.
Maddie gives a gooey sweet education to her boss as she walks out of Nyland’s office.
“It is old Norse for Child of Knowledge, or Child of Wisdom. Close enough.”
Maddie’s Office – Eighteen Months Ago
After making him wait two days, Maddie has agreed to meet with Hiram to discuss his demand for alterations to her AI code. She looks up from her computer when Hiram hovers just outside her comfort zone. Hiram, nervous and fidgety, his mop of curly black hair flops with each head twist. He always stands when not ordered to sit. Maddie has learned to wait for the linguistics professor to summon the courage to speak.
"You need to make the changes to the AI code. What it says is wrong."
Maddie cuts to the heart of Hiram's complaint with a biting tone.
“I don’t care what you think it says. The algorithms are eighty to ninety percent accurate. Your interpretation must be flawed. Test it again.”
“I have checked and re-checked. A century of interpretations will have to be reexamined for your results to be correct. Your results are flawed.”
“They are not my results. They are our results, based on our algorithm, using our input methodology. Because you don’t like the results doesn’t make them faulty. Go back, look again. There must be something in the early translations that led everyone in the wrong direction. I will refine the analysis code. I read an article on how to improve concurrent processing. I’m going to give it a try.”
“Concurrent processing?”
“It is also called parallel processing. It allows the computer to both speed up and to execute multiple decision threads at the same time.”
“How many decision threads?”
“It depends on how many processors we can bring online. Distribution is the key. Using BOINC, theoretically, there is no limit to the number of concurrent processing threads. The distributed processing capacities take advantage of millions of unused computers. The article I read recommended a new connection protocol. I contacted the lead author, and he concurred. A faster connection to link thousands, hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, of computers is possible.”
“Boink?”
“That is how it sounds, but it is an acronym. B-O-I-N-Cee. The Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing. It is an open-source system for volunteer computing and grid computing. They designed and built it to support the SETI project.”
Hiram shakes his head, shifting his weight from foot to foot.
“SETI?”
Maddie rolls her eyes. Spelling everything out for him wasn't on today’s agenda.
“Do you read anything that is not little triangles pressed into clay tablets? SETI, the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence. You know, the people looking for aliens.”
Ignoring the barb, Hiram asks for more.
“BOINC?”
“It is a platform used all over the place. It supports distributed applications. Biology, environmental science, mathematics, medicine, molecular climatology, astrophysics. Of course, linguistics. BOINC uses the processing resources of thousands of personal computers worldwide. Collectively, the potential available for analytic computing becomes exponentially more powerful when correctly linked.”
Maddie waits. Hiram sucks a deep breath and forces himself to stand still and think. He has more complaints.
“If you are right, and the interpretations are incorrect, every translation will be reviewed and processed again. There are at least half a million tablets in collections. Maybe as many as two million clay tablets exist. Somewhere between 30,000 and 100,000 have undergone translation. We can scan and translate one tablet every three to twelve minutes. On the low end, that is about 1,500 hours for 30,000 tablets.”
Hiram hesitates. He knows his premise is valid. A century’s worth of interpreted history will require reevaluation.
“Do we want to tell everyone their understanding is wrong, and, oh yeah, send us your tablets for the correct interpretation?”
Maddie's tone is flat and ends the discussion.
“If that is what it takes.”