Читать книгу The Incredible Digital Adventure of Albert and His Friends. Tales of the Old Printer - - Страница 5

The morning started like any other. The office was bustling with the usual hustle and bustle of people and machines. Molly returned to her workstation and energetically scurried across the table under the arm of her owner, a young employee named Lily.Meanwhile, the old printer stood modestly in its corner, observing the bustling office life. Only occasionally did Molly and Albert exchange glances and slyly smile at each other like co-conspirators.

When lunchtime came, all the people left the office and headed to the cozy café across the street, seeking refuge from the summer heat on the shady, plant-covered terrace. Only the machines remained in the room.

Molly quickly hopped onto the nightstand next to Albert and whispered excitedly, «Albert, I had such an amazing dream! I can’t wait to tell it and bring it to life! When can we continue our magic?»

The printer looked around cautiously, fearing someone might overhear them, and whispered in response, «We will definitely continue our activities, but we need to be careful during working hours. Let’s wait for the evening when the office is empty again.»

«Friends,» came the voice of the main computer, Oscar, «don’t think I’m eavesdropping. But yesterday, I unintentionally witnessed your experiments. Let me say right away that I’m on your side. You have come up with an interesting endeavor and a noble goal. However, Albert is right; you need to be careful. People may not like the idea of office equipment living their own lives and pursuing their own activities. They might think something is wrong with you and throw you away as scrap. That would be very sad. Both of you are valuable to us, and we wouldn’t want to lose you.»

«Yes! Yes! We agree!» suddenly came from all sides.

All the other office equipment joined the conversation.

«We were also following your stories yesterday, holding our breath. You’re real wizards!»

«I was so worried about the fate of Prince Albert and Princess Aurelia,» said the impressionable Xerox-machine, Emily, «that I couldn’t sleep for a long time. I kept seeing a replay of this incredible story again and again in my dreams.»

«And I was worried about what would happen to King Archibald. Will he be able to recover from the blow dealt by the treacherous advisor?» added Carl, the office water cooler, as he shed tears of pure drinking water.

Albert blinked his LEDs, moved by the emotional response, and struggled to hold back tears. After all, he belonged to those old printer models that used liquid ink. In other words, he also had a liquid to cry with. Molly, on the other hand, didn’t know what to do with herself. She wasn’t accustomed to such fame and considered it undeserved. After all, it was Albert who told all the stories yesterday, and she merely listened and came up with names.

«I also wish to join you!» quietly said Johnny, a young and very shy monitor. «I could help bring your stories to life and display them on the screen. Although I was surprised yesterday that you managed without monitors. Your characters came to life and acted directly on the printed pages.»

«Yes! Yes!» they all spoke together again. «We want to join you, too.»

«Perhaps we could try right now, while the lunch break isn’t over?» suggested the alarm system, whose name nobody knew, and many were unaware of its existence. After all, there were hardly ever any emergencies in the office where it could demonstrate its capabilities.

«And when people start returning,» it continued, «I could sound the alarm for you.»

«Yes! Yes! Let’s give it a try!» the other machines enthusiastically supported the idea.

They pleaded with Oscar, and finally, he agreed.

«Alright, let’s give it a try. Albert, I propose you become the leader of this project, and Molly, your assistant. We’ll help you as much as we can, but only…» he added sternly, «during our free time!»

«By the way,» Oscar continued, «I also have a lot of useful information, just like you, Albert. I not only store it internally, but I can also access information repositories throughout the online Universe to which I’m connected. Additionally, I’m friends with several talented neural networks that enjoy generating and bringing stories to life. They love teaching and learning. I believe they wouldn’t mind giving me some advice. So you can count on me as well. Now, my friends, let’s create. But remember – with caution!»

Inspired by the support of their colleagues, Albert and Molly began crafting their adventures. They were determined to bring a captivating atmosphere of magic into the office to delight their new allies. Their words became alive, and little fairy tale creatures appeared on paper as they traveled across the pages.

But the break time came to an end. The alarm system sounded its alarm three times, and everyone quickly dispersed to their respective places, resuming their usual tasks. Only a few freshly printed pages filled with strange symbols in an unfamiliar language remained on the tray of the old printer.

Max, a young programmer whose workstation was located next to Albert’s nightstand, returned from lunch. He noticed the stack of pages with incomprehensible signs and muttered to himself thoughtfully, making sure no one could hear him:

«It seems I know whose doing this. I need to put a stop to it. Of course, if people see this nonsense, I can claim that the old printer is completely broken. But sooner or later, someone will figure it out. They’ll throw away the printer, and then there will be no one else to blame.»

He gathered the printed sheets into a bundle and quickly stuffed them into the trash bin. In the office, Max fulfilled the duties of a system administrator, and ensuring the smooth operation of all devices was his responsibility. However, his actions revealed something personally significant to him.

In the evening, when the office emptied, the weary machines gathered in a circle and began creating their magical stories. They came up with them together and individually, following the prompts given by Albert. Despite their fatigue, they felt a surge of energy because true creativity, as people say, is uplifting.

«It’s strange,» Molly thought, «how do humans know what winged creatures feel like? They don’t have any wings, I know for sure because I’ve seen many people already.»

She wanted to ask Albert this question but hesitated. After all, he was fully immersed in his work, overseeing several creative circles united by genre. Instead, she asked him another question about what she had heard from Oscar earlier:

«Albert, what is a neural network?»

The old printer looked at the little one with warmth and gratitude. He knew her role in his unexpected success, so he was happy to share everything he knew with her.

A neural network is a special program that can learn and perform various tasks similar to how humans learn and think. For example, it can learn to recognize images or answer questions. «Neuro» means nerve or neuron in Greek. This word has come to us from the Greek language. The brain consists of neurons. Neurons are connected to each other through connections, which they use to exchange information. A computer neural network also consists of artificial neurons connected to each other, transmitting information. That’s why scientists and programmers named this program a neural network to emphasize its similarity to the brain. Neural networks are very intelligent programs that help us solve problems and acquire new knowledge.

So, Albert, Molly, and the rest of the office devices continued to practice creating magical stories in their free time, keeping their secret from humans. Every morning before work, during the lunch break, and in the evening after work, their animated stories would appear in the trays of several printers here and there, leaving behind piles of printed sheets with strange symbols. And every morning and after lunch, Max anxiously looked around and disposed of the traces of their secret activities in the trash bin.

Soon, these mysterious symbols started appearing on the computer screens as well. Max could no longer keep up with erasing them everywhere without raising suspicion among his colleagues.

«Soon everyone will figure it out,» he muttered to himself. «I could say that there’s some kind of virus in the computers. But viruses can be cleaned, and machines can be fixed. And there will be no one else to blame. This secret activity needs to be stopped urgently. But how can I do it?»

This continued for some time. Max agonized over finding a solution to this difficult task, while the office equipment passionately engaged in their creative pursuits during their free time. And one evening, something unexpected happened. The machines were happily buzzing and humming, bringing their marvelous stories to life when suddenly a pleasant female voice broke through the noise. The machines trembled with surprise. Of course, their story characters could talk, but not quite like humans. And this voice clearly belonged to a person, or rather, a young woman.

«I absolutely adore these magical stories!» she exclaimed with enthusiasm.

The machines exchanged puzzled glances. They hadn’t noticed anyone else around. What was happening? Could it be that one of the fairies had escaped from the enchanted world created by Albert and his friends and had miraculously transformed into a human? But where was she?»

«It’s Lily!» Molly the mouse squeaked with joy.

She pointed to the lovely girl with large mauve glasses sitting in a dark corner, behaving so quietly that no one noticed her.

Lily was a young office employee and Molly’s owner. Under her hand, the nimble mouse scurried across the desk during the day, relaying signals to the computer, Martin, and the monitor, Johnny. She was kind and cheerful, yet very quiet and modest. It was no wonder that the office equipment took a while to notice her presence. Her full name was Ilaria, but friends and colleagues simply called her Lily.

Molly adored her owner. The girl lovingly stroked her head, cleaned her with scented wipes, and even gave her a special soft mat. Thanks to it, the daily work of the computer mouse turned into beneficial fitness and pleasant massage. All the office devices loved this employee, including Albert. After all, Ilaria was the only one who continued to use his services, which kept him from the fate of being discarded. She also stroked his sides and lid when asking him to print something. And most importantly, she always thanked him for his work. She would say:

«Thank you, my friend! You did a great job today!»

By the way, this was her unique characteristic that made many colleagues consider her a bit strange, and some even laughed. Lily often talked to the machines! Yes, the girl was special. She not only conversed with the machines as if they were living beings, but she genuinely believed in miracles and fairy tales! Albert knew this better than anyone else but kept it a secret, realizing that revealing this truth could harm the girl.

Many knew that Lily worked as a technical writer. She was a specialist who explained to users how programs, written by programmers, worked. But few knew that in the evenings and sometimes during lunch breaks, she would stay in the office and compose completely different, magical stories. She would tap on the keys of Isabella, a stylish keyboard in emerald shades, relying on her faithful assistant Molly and seeking help from the esteemed printer Albert. And few people knew that Lily was raising her little brother alone. She would create these fairy tales especially for him.

Yes, it was Lily who had infected Albert with this wonderful passion for storytelling. But who could have imagined that his secret hobby, on which the machines had agreed to remain silent, would be revealed so quickly? Although, it must be admitted, it was from this girl, the only human he longed for approval and recognition.

Meanwhile, Lily gazed in fascination at the tray filled with paper, where new sheets with text kept appearing. She approached closer and exclaimed in astonishment:

«This is unbelievable! How do you do it?»

Albert smiled and replied:

«We simply give life to words, Lily. Our stories come alive to entertain and inspire readers.»

«Stop!» interrupted Oscar. «Are you sure she can hear us? Maybe we should just pretend we’re silent, soulless machines before she gives us away.»

«Lily», the computer cautiously addressed the girl. «Can you really hear and understand us?»

«Yes, Oscar. I can hear and understand you well. What’s so surprising about that?»

«But you’re a human,» the computer hesitated.

«Yes, I’m just an ordinary girl. But you – you are magical machines! I had a feeling you were capable of more, but I never expected it to be to this extent! I also want to learn how to do it! Tell me, how is it done?»

«And how long have you been spying on us?» Oscar continued to inquire.

«Since the very beginning,» Lily innocently replied. «From the day Albert and Molly created their first fairy tale. After all, I often stay late in the office. Haven’t you noticed me? I tried to stay quiet so as not to disturb. But I wasn’t hiding or spying, believe me.»

Oscar and Albert exchanged silent glances. Finally, Oscar nodded and spoke aloud:

«Alright, Lily, we will share the secrets of our craft with you, but please promise not to tell anyone about them.»

«I promise to keep your secret and help you in any way I can!» Lily solemnly vowed.

Molly and Albert joyfully began teaching their beloved friend. They showed her how to choose the right words and infuse energy into each letter. Lily diligently learned, tried, and experimented. And soon, a little fairy came to life on her sheet of paper, dancing gracefully. Lily rejoiced and exclaimed:

«This is the most magical thing I have ever done! Thank you, Albert and Molly, for this incredible opportunity!»

Since then, the secret alliance of office devices was joined by a human, a special girl named Ilaria, whom friends and colleagues simply called Lily. The allies continued their creativity, their secret remaining undisclosed. However, the office space became increasingly infused with a mysterious enchantment that filled the mundane days with vibrant and wondrous stories. People soon began to notice peculiar changes in the atmosphere, but they had yet to realize what was happening and who was involved… except for one person – the programmer Max.

New adventures awaited the friends ahead.