乔布斯传 第26期:乔布斯和蓝盒子(2)

 　　No one had ever created a digital version of a Blue Box, but Woz was made for the challenge.

　　从未有人做过数字版的蓝盒子，但沃兹生来就是迎接挑战的。

　　Using diodes and transistors¹ from Radio Shack², and with the help of a music student in his dorm who had perfect pitch, he got it built before Thanksgiving.

　　他从电器连锁店Radio Shack买来二极管和晶体管，在同宿舍一个拥有完美音准感的学生的帮助下，在感恩节之前就完成了制作。

　　"I have never designed a circuit I was prouder of," he said. "I still think it was incredible."

　　“这是我设计过的最让我自豪的电路，”他说，“直到今天我仍然觉得难以置信。”

　　One night Wozniak drove down from Berkeley to Jobs's house to try it. They attempted to call Wozniak's uncle in Los Angeles, but they got a wrong number.

　　一天晚上，沃兹尼亚克从伯克利驱车前往乔布斯家中测试蓝盒子。他们想打给沃兹在洛杉矶的叔叔，但是弄错了电话号码。

　　It didn't matter; their device had worked. "Hi! We're calling you for free! We're calling you for free!" Wozniak shouted.

　　不过这无关紧要，因为这套装置终于可以使用了。“嗨！我们正在免费给你打电话!我们正在免费给你打电话！ ”沃兹尼亚克大喊着。

　　The person on the other end was confused and annoyed. Jobs chimed in, "We're calling from California! From California! With a Blue Box."

　　电话那头儿的人有点儿摸不着头脑，也有点儿不耐烦。乔布斯插话了： “我们正在加利福尼亚给你打电话！在加利福尼亚给你打电话！用一只蓝盒子给你打电话！ ”

　　This probably baffled the man even more, since he was also in California. At first the Blue Box was used for fun and pranks³.

　　这番话很可能让对方更加困惑了，因为他也在加利福尼亚。起初蓝盒子只是用来找乐子或者搞恶作剧的。

　　The most daring of these was when they called the Vatican and Wozniak pretended to be Henry Kissinger wanting to speak to the pope.

　　最著名的一次，他们打给梵蒂冈,沃兹尼亚克假装是亨利·基辛格，想要跟教皇通话。

　　"We are at de summit meeting in Moscow, and ve need to talk to de pope," Woz intoned.

　　“我正在莫斯科参加峰会，我需要跟教皇通话。”沃兹回忆当时自己说的话。

　　He was told that it was 5:30 a.m. and the pope was sleeping. When he called back, he got a bishop⁴ who was supposed to serve as the translator.

　　他被告知当地时间是早上五点半，教皇还在睡觉。当他再次打过去的时候，接电话的是一名充当翻译的主教。

　　But they never actually got the pope on the line. "They realized that Woz wasn't Henry Kissinger," Jobs recalled. "We were at a public phone booth."

　　但对方并没有真的让教皇接电话。“他们意识到沃兹是冒牌的，”乔布斯回忆说，“我们当时在一个公用电话亭。”

　　It was then that they reached an important milestone⁵, one that would establish a pattern in their partnerships⁶:

　　也就是那时候，发生了一件具有里程碑意义的事件，也确立了今后他们合作关系的模式：

　　Jobs came up with the idea that the Blue Box could be more than merely a hobby; they could build and sell them.

　　乔布斯认为蓝盒子不该再停留在业余爱好阶段了。他们可以制作然后销售。

　　"I got together the rest of the components⁷, like the casing and power supply and keypads, and figured out how we could price it," Jobs said, foreshadowing roles he would play when they founded Apple.

　　“我把剩下的元件都集中起来，比如说盒子、电源和数字键盘，然后想出了定价方式。”乔布斯说，这也预示了他日后在创立苹果公司过程中将扮演的角色。

　　The finished product was about the size of two decks of playing cards. The parts cost about $40, and Jobs decided⁸ they should sell it for $150.

　　成品的大小差不多有两副扑克牌那 么大， 所有的零部件价值40美元，乔布斯决定以150美元的价格出售。

　　Following the lead of other phone phreaks such as Captain Crunch⁹, they gave themselves handles. Wozniak became "Berkeley Blue," Jobs was "Oaf Tobark."

　　追随着诸如“咔嚓船长”这样的飞客的脚步，两人也给自己起了别名。沃兹尼亚克成了 “伯克利蓝”，乔布斯叫做“奥拉夫·图巴克”（Oaf Tobark)。

　　They took the device to college dorms and gave demonstrations¹⁰ by attaching it to a phone and speaker.

　　他们会敲响各个宿舍的门，寻找感兴趣的人，然后把蓝盒子连上电话和扬声器进行演示。

　　While the potential customers watched, they would call the Ritz in London or a dial-a-joke service in Australia.

　　潜在的买家在一旁看着，他们就会现场演示给诸如伦敦的丽兹酒店这样的地方打电话，或者是拨打澳大利亚的“打电话听笑话”服务电话。

　　"We made a hundred or so Blue Boxes and sold almost all of them," Jobs recalled.

　　“我们做了大概100个蓝盒子，几乎全卖出去了。”乔布斯回忆说。

1 transistors   

晶体管( transistor的名词复数 )； 晶体管收音机，半导体收音机

参考例句：

• In semiconductor receivers transistors take the place of vacuum tubes. 在半导体收音机中晶体管代替了真空管。
• We often turn to this handbook for information on transistors. 我们常从这本手册查阅有关晶体管的资料。

2 shack   

adj.简陋的小屋，窝棚

参考例句：

• He had to sit down five times before he reached his shack.在走到他的茅棚以前，他不得不坐在地上歇了五次。
• The boys made a shack out of the old boards in the backyard.男孩们在后院用旧木板盖起一间小木屋。

3 pranks   

n.玩笑，恶作剧( prank的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Frank's errancy consisted mostly of pranks. 法兰克错在老喜欢恶作剧。 来自辞典例句
• He always leads in pranks and capers. 他老是带头胡闹和开玩笑。 来自辞典例句

4 bishop   

n.主教，（国际象棋）象

参考例句：

• He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
• Two years after his death the bishop was canonised.主教逝世两年后被正式封为圣者。

5 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。

6 partnerships   

n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 )；合伙人身份；合作关系

参考例句：

• Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句

7 components   

（机器、设备等的）构成要素，零件，成分； 成分( component的名词复数 )； [物理化学]组分； [数学]分量； （混合物的）组成部分

参考例句：

• the components of a machine 机器部件
• Our chemistry teacher often reduces a compound to its components in lab. 在实验室中化学老师常把化合物分解为各种成分。

8 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

9 crunch   

n.关键时刻；艰难局面；v.发出碎裂声

参考例句：

• If it comes to the crunch they'll support us.关键时刻他们是会支持我们的。
• People who crunch nuts at the movies can be very annoying.看电影时嘎吱作声地嚼干果的人会使人十分讨厌。

10 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。