乔布斯传 第100期:划时代的Mac(2)

 Throughout 1979 and early 1980 the Macintosh project led a tenuous¹ existence.

从1979年到1980年初，麦金塔项目一直处于奄奄一息的状态。

Every few months it would almost get killed off, but each time Raskin managed to cajole Markkula into granting clemency².

每隔几个月，它就会面临被解散的命运，但每一次拉斯金都能让马库拉善心大发，项目便能得以延续。

It had a research team of only four engineers located in the original Apple office space next to the Good Earth restaurant, a few blocks from the company's new main building.

它的研究团队只有4名工程师，办公地点在苹果公司以前的办公楼，紧邻美好地球餐厅，跟公司新建的主楼隔了几个街区。

The work space was filled with enough toys and radio-controlled model airplanes(Raskin's passion) to make it look like a day care center for geeks.

办公室里堆满了玩具和无线电遥控的飞机模型（拉斯金的最爱），看上去就像个为极客们服务的日托中心。

Every now and then work would cease for a loosely organized game of Nerf ball tag.

大家会时不时地停下手中的工作，玩一场组织松散的Nerf球游戏。

Andy Hertzfeld recalled, "This inspired everyone to surround their work area with barricades³ made out of cardboard,

正如安迪·赫茨菲尔德回忆的：“这让大家都在自己的办公区域四周围上了纸板做成的挡板，

to provide cover during the game, making part of the office look like a cardboard maze⁴."

以便在游戏的时候提供遮挡，这么一来，办公室看上去就像个用纸板围成的迷宫。”

The star of the team was a blond, cherubic, and psychologically intense self-taught young engineer named Burrell Smith,

团队中的明星是一个叫伯勒尔·史密斯的无师自通的年轻工程师。他有一头金发，长着一张娃娃脸，内心却极其严肃认真，

who worshipped the code work of Wozniak and tried to pull off similar dazzling feats⁵.

他十分崇拜沃兹尼亚克编写的代码，自己也想做出一些耀眼的成就。

Atkinson discovered Smith working in Apple' s service department and, amazed at his ability to improvise⁶ fixes, recommended him to Raskin.

阿特金森在苹果的服务部门发现了在那里工作的史密斯，惊叹于他随时想出补救方法的能力，于是将他推荐给了拉斯金。

Smith would later succumb⁷ to schizophrenia, but in the early 1980s he was able to channel his manic intensity⁸ into weeklong binges of engineering brilliance⁹.

史密斯后来饱受精神分裂症的折磨，但在20世纪80年代初期，他还是将自己疯狂的热情投入到不分节假日的工作中，并展现了完美的工程天赋。

Jobs was enthralled¹⁰ by Raskin's vision, but not by his willingness to make compromises to keep down the cost.

乔布斯十分赞赏拉斯金的想象力，但并不同意他为了降低成本而牺牲产品性能。

At one point in the fall of 1979 Jobs told him instead to focus on building what he repeatedly called an "insanely great" product.

1979年秋的一天，乔布斯告诉拉斯金，集中精力把他反复念叨的“终极完美”的产品做好就行。

"Don't worry about price, just specify¹¹ the computer's abilities," Jobs told him.

“你不用担心价格，把电脑的性能列出来。”乔布斯吿诉他。

Raskin responded with a sarcastic¹² memo¹³.

作为回应，拉斯金送上了一份充满讽刺的备忘录。

It spelled out everything you would want in the proposed computer:

其中列出了当时所有人梦寐以求的功能：

a high-resolution color display, a printer that worked without a ribbon and could produce graphics¹⁴ in color at a page per second,

每行可显示96个字符的高分辨率彩色屏幕，无需使用色带、能以每秒1页的速度打印所有彩色图像的打印机，

unlimited¹⁵ access to the ARPA net, and the capability¹⁶ to recognize speech and synthesize music,

可以不受限地访问ARPA(美国国防部髙级研究计划署）网络，还能够识别语音和合成音乐，

"even simulate Caruso singing with the Mormon tabernacle choir¹⁷, with variable reverberation¹⁸."

“甚至可以模拟卡鲁索与摩门大教堂合唱团共同演唱并伴有各种混音效果的场景”。

The memo concluded, "Starting with the abilities desired is nonsense.

备忘录最后总结道：“一切只从性能出发是毫无意义的。

We must start both with a price goal, and a set of abilities, and keep an eye on today's and the immediate¹⁹ future's technology."

我们必须设定一个价格目标和相应的一系列性能，同时还必须关注当下以及不远的未来的科技。"

In other words, Raskin had little patience for Jobs's belief that you could distort reality if you had enough passion for your product.

换句话说，乔布斯认为只要对产品有足够的热情就可以扭曲现实，但拉斯金对此并不认同。

1 tenuous   

adj.细薄的，稀薄的，空洞的

参考例句：

• He has a rather tenuous grasp of reality.他对现实认识很肤浅。
• The air ten miles above the earth is very tenuous.距离地面十公里的空气十分稀薄。

2 clemency   

n.温和，仁慈，宽厚

参考例句：

• The question of clemency would rest with the King.宽大处理问题，将由国王决定。
• They addressed to the governor a plea for clemency.他们向州长提交了宽刑的申辨书。

3 barricades   

路障，障碍物( barricade的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The police stormed the barricades the demonstrators had put up. 警察冲破了示威者筑起的街垒。
• Others died young, in prison or on the barricades. 另一些人年轻时就死在监牢里或街垒旁。

4 maze   

n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑

参考例句：

• He found his way through the complex maze of corridors.他穿过了迷宮一样的走廊。
• She was lost in the maze for several hours.一连几小时，她的头脑处于一片糊涂状态。

5 feats   

功绩，伟业，技艺( feat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He used to astound his friends with feats of physical endurance. 过去，他表现出来的惊人耐力常让朋友们大吃一惊。
• His heroic feats made him a legend in his own time. 他的英雄业绩使他成了他那个时代的传奇人物。

6 improvise   

v.即兴创作；临时准备，临时凑成

参考例句：

• If an actor forgets his words，he has to improvise.演员要是忘记台词，那就只好即兴现编。
• As we've not got the proper materials,we'll just have to improvise.我们没有弄到合适的材料，只好临时凑合了。

7 succumb   

v.屈服，屈从；死

参考例句：

• They will never succumb to the enemies.他们决不向敌人屈服。
• Will business leaders succumb to these ideas?商业领袖们会被这些观点折服吗？

8 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。

9 brilliance   

n.光辉，辉煌，壮丽，（卓越的）才华，才智

参考例句：

• I was totally amazed by the brilliance of her paintings.她的绘画才能令我惊歎不已。
• The gorgeous costume added to the brilliance of the dance.华丽的服装使舞蹈更加光彩夺目。

10 enthralled   

迷住，吸引住( enthrall的过去式和过去分词 )； 使感到非常愉快

参考例句：

• The child watched, enthralled by the bright moving images. 这孩子看着那明亮的移动的影像，被迷住了。
• The children listened enthralled as the storyteller unfolded her tale. 讲故事的人一步步展开故事情节，孩子们都听得入迷了。

11 specify   

vt.指定，详细说明

参考例句：

• We should specify a time and a place for the meeting.我们应指定会议的时间和地点。
• Please specify what you will do.请你详述一下你将做什么。

12 sarcastic   

adj.讥讽的，讽刺的，嘲弄的

参考例句：

• I squashed him with a sarcastic remark.我说了一句讽刺的话把他给镇住了。
• She poked fun at people's shortcomings with sarcastic remarks.她冷嘲热讽地拿别人的缺点开玩笑。

13 memo   

n.照会，备忘录；便笺；通知书；规章

参考例句：

• Do you want me to send the memo out?您要我把这份备忘录分发出去吗？
• Can you type a memo for me?您能帮我打一份备忘录吗？

14 graphics   

n.制图法，制图学；图形显示

参考例句：

• You've leveraged your graphics experience into the video area.你们把图形设计业务的经验运用到录像业务中去。
• Improved graphics took computer games into a new era.经改进的制图技术将电脑游戏带进了一个新时代。

15 unlimited   

adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的

参考例句：

• They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
• There is no safety in unlimited technological hubris.在技术方面自以为是会很危险。

16 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

17 choir   

n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱

参考例句：

• The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。
• The church choir is singing tonight.今晚教堂歌唱队要唱诗。

18 reverberation   

反响； 回响； 反射； 反射物

参考例句：

• It was green as an emerald, and the reverberation was stunning. 它就象翠玉一样碧绿，回响震耳欲聋。
• Just before dawn he was assisted in waking by the abnormal reverberation of familiar music. 在天将破晓的时候，他被一阵熟悉的，然而却又是反常的回声惊醒了。

19 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。