Chapter 123 It’s him, it’s him, it’s him again!
“Professor Zhang Wei, majoring in Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, I just called and asked, it’s not him.”
“Professor Zhang Wei, majoring in Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, suffered from lumbar disc herniation some time ago. He had an operation and took sick leave to rest at home after the last semester. It must not be him.”
“Zhang Wei, majoring in journalism, liberal arts, and not very knowledgeable in computers, must not be him!” br>
"Zhang Wei, clinical medicine, shouldn't it have anything to do with computers, right? It's not him either."
"Director, should we investigate the graduate students in each department? Maybe this paper was written by a graduate student?"
"Graduate students may not be able to write a paper of this level!"
< br>The department head frowned, and while he was thinking, the phone suddenly rang.
"Director, Professor Zhang Wei has been found!"
"Found? How did he find it?" the department head asked immediately.
"We didn't find it, he came to the door on his own initiative. He is an old professor, and he is in the reception room of our department now!"
"Okay, I'll be there right away!" The head of the department hung up. Call and go to the reception room immediately.
In the reception room, there is an energetic old man sitting. The old man looks to be in his seventies, but the years have not erased his scholarly demeanor.
Although his face was covered with wrinkles, his eyes were still bright. The gray hair is a little sparse, but it has an air of vicissitudes of life.
“Are you Professor Zhang Wei?” the department chair said, looking the old man up and down
"Yes, I am Zhang Wei." The old man nodded confidently.
"I am Du Zhiqiang, the head of the Department of Computer Science." While the head of the department introduced himself, there was a trace of doubt in his eyes.
Nothing else, just because the old man is too old. Most people of this age can't even use computers, let alone write papers on computers.
"Professor Zhang, may I ask how long you will live?" the head of the department asked.
"I am seventy-eight this year!" the old man said.
Upon hearing this age, the department head frowned. He is seventy-eight years old and has been retired for eighteen years. In this way, when this old professor retired, it was only in 1986.
China’s research on computers has always lagged behind. Before the 1980s, many schools were still studying radio and there were no computer-related courses at all.
Even the basic computer theory teaching and research group of Tsinghua University was only established in 1986.
In other words, when Tsinghua University began to study the basics of computer theory, Professor Zhang Wei just retired. Calculating this, the old professor has never been exposed to computer theory research at all.
In the past twenty years, the computer field has been developing rapidly. New theories will be proposed every three to five years, and there will be new developments every year. Especially in the era of the Internet bubble a few years ago, emerging things in the computer field have become more and more popular. It’s overwhelming.
Du Zhiqiang, the director of the Department of Computer Science at Tsinghua University, would be a little out of step with the times if he did not pay attention to the latest developments in the computer field for ten and a half days, let alone a seventy-eight-year-old retired professor.
So Du Zhiqiang instinctively felt that it was impossible for a person of this age to write such a top-notch paper as "Zero Knowledge Concise Non-Interactive Knowledge Argument".
Du Zhiqiang looked at Professor Zhang questioningly, and the old professor took out a cloth bag from the bag. Judging from the shape, the bag should contain a book.
“This is what you are looking for!” Professor Zhang patted the book.
“Look at the size, is this cloth bag the latest issue of “ACM Computing Survey”? Is that zero-knowledge proof paper really written by Professor Zhang?”
The confusion on Du Zhiqiang's face instantly turned into surprise. A retired professor in his seventies could actually write a paper on the cutting-edge field of computer science. This was beyond Du Zhiqiang's expectation.
“Live until you are old and learn until you are old. This sentence is really true! This Professor Zhang is seventy-eight years old and is still learning the most advanced computer concepts! He is truly the best among our generation. Model!”
Du Zhiqiang was in awe.
The next second, Professor Zhang slowly opened the cloth bag, and the true appearance of the books wrapped inside was revealed.
This is not the latest issue of ACM Computing Surveys.
Taking a closer look, there are several large characters written on the cover: "Appreciation of Landscape Paintings of the Ming Dynasty".
“What is this!” Du Zhiqiang was startled.
Professor Zhang calmly opened one of the pages, pointed to a painting inside, and said, "This is what you are looking for! Wen Zhengming's Bamboo, Stone and Ganoderma lucidum paintings!"
"What? What picture?" Du Zhiqiang was stunned on the spot.
“The Bamboo, Stone and Ganoderma lucidum painting is by Wen Zhengming! This painting is currently stored in the National Palace Museum in Taiwan Province. We can’t see the original in mainland China! Thanks to this book published in 1992 Only by reading "Appreciation of Landscape Paintings of the Ming Dynasty" can we see the true appearance of this painting
Speaking of which, this book "Appreciation of Landscape Paintings of the Ming Dynasty" is also out of print and cannot be found on the market. That is, I still have a copy. How did you know that I have this book "Appreciation of Landscape Paintings of the Ming Dynasty" in my hand? , can you see the bamboo, stone and Ganoderma lucidum pictures? "
" Mr. Zhang, is there any misunderstanding in this? We are not looking for "Appreciation of Landscape Paintings of the Ming Dynasty", nor are we looking for any pictures of Ganoderma lucidum, we are looking for Professor Zhang Wei! "
"Yes, I am Zhang Wei, I used to be a professor at Tsinghua Academy of Fine Arts! "
"What we are looking for is Professor Zhang Wei of zero-knowledge proof! "Isn't this Ganoderma lucidum?" Mr. Zhang pointed to the "Picture of Bamboo and Stone Ganoderma lucidum" and continued: "Look at this Ganoderma lucidum, the exquisiteness of the painting is breathtaking!" Every tiny branch is lifelike, especially the canopy of Ganoderma lucidum, which has layers of lines and is simply a work of uncanny craftsmanship.
And the color is elegant, fresh, and otherworldly. Look at the use of light ink and light color, which expresses the color of Ganoderma lucidum just right. In the color rendering, it also pays great attention to the sense of layering and excessive effects. And there are bamboo and bluestone at the back. When the three are combined, does it create a peaceful and peaceful atmosphere? ”
Seeing that Professor Zhang started to introduce the Ganoderma lucidum in the painting, Du Zhiqiang was speechless.
Seeing that Professor Zhang was about to teach Du Zhiqiang how to draw Ganoderma lucidum, Du Zhiqiang quickly interrupted. told him: “It’s not Ganoderma, it’s Zero Knowledge! Zero-knowledge proof, not only Ganoderma lucidum, but also proof! "
"Xiao Du, your ears are not very good! Didn't I say that this picture of bamboo, stone and Ganoderma lucidum was painted by Wen Zhengming! Wen Zhengming, a famous painter in the Ming Dynasty, was one of the four great talents in Jiangnan. "Old Professor Zhang said with a reproachful look.
"You still have the nerve to say that my ears don't work! "Du Zhiqiang wanted to curse.
I'm talking about zero-knowledge proofs, and you're telling me about Ganoderma lucidum and Wen Zhengming!
I also used this book to appreciate Chinese paintings and came to teach me how to draw Ganoderma lucidum! Where is this going?
Du Zhiqiang looked at the warm-hearted old man Zhang with a speechless expression: "If you are seventy or eighty, you will not scold him. This old man is already seventy-eight. If he really goes to the ground, I can't afford it!"
...
The Department of Computer Science searched around, but could not find Professor Zhang Wei who wrote "Concise Non-Interactive Knowledge Argument of Zero Knowledge".
The matter eventually reached Principal Gu's ears.
Principal Gu did not study computers. After Du Zhiqiang’s introduction, he realized that this paper has revolutionary significance for cryptography.
"In other words, someone published a top-notch paper in the name of Tsinghua University, but we can't find the author of the paper now?"
Principal Gu looked at the author The name suddenly felt familiar.
“Why is it called Zhang Wei again!”
Fortunately, the content of the paper was different, otherwise Principal Gu would have thought that he had traveled through time.
“Principal, I have checked all the professors named Zhang Wei in our school, even a 78-year-old retired professor from Tsinghua Academy of Fine Arts, but I can’t find the person who wrote the paper. "Du Zhiqiang said.
“Have you also found out about the 78-year-old retired professor of Tsinghua Academy of Fine Arts?”
Principal Gu thought to himself, this retired professor is still a conspicuous person, you can find him every time .
Looking at the signatures again, Principal Gu frowned. Those signed by two schools are usually joint research projects between the two schools.
But Tsinghua University and the University of California, Berkeley, don’t seem to have any cooperative projects!
The scientific research level of the two universities is not at the same level. Tsinghua University has nothing to offer. Cooperating with Berkeley is like a high school student and an elementary school student. What can they cooperate with?
"Our Computer Science Department has probably never cooperated with the University of California, Berkeley, right?" Principal Gu confirmed again.
“We really want to cooperate with them, they are too lazy to talk to us!” Du Zhiqiang is very self-aware.
“This is strange. Why are the signatures of this paper going to be Tsinghua University and Berkeley, and we are still ahead?” Principal Gu was also puzzled.
At this moment, the secretary reminded in a low voice: "Principal, is this Zhang Wei you are talking about, could it be that Zhang Wei?"
Principal Gu knew who the secretary was talking about, and he immediately shook his head : "Impossible! Zhang Wei studies graphene. If it is a material science paper or a physics paper, it is possible that he published it, but this is a computer science paper, and it has nothing to do with graphene. Every other line is like Geshan, how could it be him!"
"But Zhang Wei is at the University of California, Berkeley now!" the secretary said.
"Zhang Wei is in Berkeley, when did he go?"
"You are very busy. Among the exchange students we sent to the United States this year is Zhang Wei. I remember he was with Ye Haotian , I went to the University of California, Berkeley. If anyone from our school is named Zhang Wei, he is the only one who can be related to Berkeley!" the secretary continued.
Principal Gu had a surprised expression on his face. He still couldn't believe that this paper was published by Zhang Wei.
But as the saying goes, if you eliminate some impossibilities, then the remaining one is the truth even if it is impossible!
“Call Zhang Wei immediately and ask if he wrote this paper.” Principal Gu immediately ordered.
"Principal, it's almost three o'clock here, and it should be three o'clock in the morning in the United States. How about I call again in a few hours?" the secretary asked tentatively.
Principal Gu ordered: "Zhang Wei is in San Francisco, which corresponds to the Western United States time, which is sixteen hours different from us. It is not yet eleven o'clock in the evening, and the young people should not be asleep yet. Call now, it’s not too late!”
...
After a while, the secretary trotted back to Principal Gu's office.
Principal Gu took a look and noticed the shocked expression on the secretary's face, and already guessed the result.
"Principal, it's him, it's really him! This paper was really published by Zhang Wei!"
The second chapter has been delivered, thank you for your subscription, today two The chapter is 7,000 words long. It seems that for the sake of the warm-hearted old professor of Tsinghua Academy of Fine Arts, would you like to support Zhang with a monthly ticket?
(End of this chapter)