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Fantasy Fiction Historical Fiction

"Hey, I've these bundle of photos and video cassettes!, Can you fit them in your suitcase? Jack asked his wife Ellie who was already overwhelmed with packing kids and her things.

"I'm already full, Jack! Go ask your boss to get you some extra space to carry stuff" Ellie replied.

She hated his boss for changing the location that they were living in for so long .

"You have a room filled of your uslesess memories and you want to fit that in my suit case ? " She said sarcastically to Jack.

Jack was posted to another country by his boss and given one week to shift along with family .

He had been living here since 20 years and had lots of stuff to carry. He was leaving with a heavy heart.

He worked in a prestigious travel company, had a great technical understanding so was offered a new place to work in.

Jack was an emotional person and had collected loads of pictures and video cassettes of his parents who had passed away few years back.

"I can't leave all this here,but how can I take everything in just 10kg baggage allowance." Jack was talking to himself.

He was a Junior employee and was not given any extra privilege for this flight. Just an economy ticket and the minimum allowance for baggage.

He sat on his old couch thinking about the challenges of life missing his parents, and suddenly looked at the ad in a magazine kept on the table that said, "Minimize your load, live happily" it was an ad of courier company but worked like a magic at this point.

Jack had an idea.

"Minimize, yes !! That's it , I need to minimize ! " He said to himself

He got up immediately and ran towards the door.

"Hey? Where are you going ? I am not going to pack up your stuff! Go and ask your boss to do it." Ellie was seriously annoyed.

He went to the office, and opened the only heavy and large computer present there, computers were not small and compact in those days like now.

He was the technical assistant there and had access to it easily. Computer was a luxury then and not everyone could buy or use it. Only few companies in the country had the privilege to have one.

He was well versed in using it and kept searching about the hard disk options, he opened up the storage section to check the maximum space and put some documents in that and it got filled .

"No more space available " the error said .

Old computers didn't have enough space. Just few bits in a total that could help with the immediate storage and then had to delete stuff.

He decided to make a larger memory in the storage section first.

He worked on a new programming system that could encode more data in less space. It took many trials and failures to reach this milestone. He created programs that didn't work aur collapsed but didn't lose hope.

He collaborated with the best people of the field.

"Are you kidding, what are you up to ?" Most of them told him that he was wasting his time.

But he didn't give up .

It was not about the pictures, it was his passion now. He took it as a challenge to himself.

"If we can save 16 bits , then why not 16 MBs, why not a GB"

He was determined to get his goal.

He connected his Computer to the government's public use Computer that was for informative purposes, combined the both hard disks and started making a hybrid program that could save data.

After 36 hours of continuous struggle and efforts, he broke the barriers and finally achieved what he wanted, a disk that could hold much more data than before "

Not only this , he experimented on detaching it from the computer, keeping it safely and then attaching it again. So the memories can be transferred to different units and places too.

The data was still there and it was safe.

It was the biggest revolution of that year in the field of technology.

That too accidently, without any prior mega plan.

He did it . He couldn't believe what he had achieved...!!!

Jack contacted the international Organization of Computer Technology.

The experts there were amazed to see the efforts of a technical assistant. They could not think of doing it till that day.

Jack was now a recognized professional programmer.

His posting was postponed .

And he worked together with other professionals from the organization to minimize the size of disks. They tried and tested different methods. Zipped files into files. Reduced the virtual volume and did whatever could be done to overcome the obstacle of large space and weight of disks.

Finally, in a month's time , they were able to make a merely 150 gram disk that could hold up to 100 MBs of data .

From 100 kg of heavy computer lifting that had undetachable disk to a small portable data holder, Jack was the hero that day, that month , that year...!!!

He saved all his pictures and videos in the new disk and took it along for a new journey of his life...

But now not as a technical assistant,

but a Certified Professional of International organization of Computer Technology and also his company.

He did it primarily for his parents' memories,

But the world remembers him till now for the brilliant idea he gave and executed.

He was determined to work further in this field, he knew that the disk size and space could be further reduced.

He also planned to make a new company for people with ideas to provide them opportunities like he got.

Jack and Ellie moved to a new place in their own apartment and she was more thankful than ever before.

"You know what ? I'm thinking to make a computer that can fit in smaller place, on a small table even. " Jack said to Ellie.

"Really ? " Ellie laughed out ..

"You want to fit those giant machines on a table ?" She asked.

"I can do it , I will do it , someday !! " Jack was hopeful again !!!

February 23, 2021 20:22

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