Chapter XXIV. Meeting with Leonardo da Vinci
By the way, as it has happened several times in America, the Japanese too tried to outbid Lukyan Ivanovich. Company "Fudzitaka" offered a salary much higher than even the sum named by the Americans, and a villa by the sea. It was a record offer for Anatychuk. They even offered to bring 4-5 specialists from Chernivtsi with families to develop the work in Japan.
- The company confirms to this day, - says Lukyan Ivanovich - the proposal is valid until now. Despite the denial, I'm still friends with the president of the company. One day he gave me his car to ride Japan. And then he wanted to present me a car, very expensive at that time. I had to deny: first, there is the right steering wheel, and secondly, we would have to pay a huge fee for import to Ukraine.
Anatychuk continues his story:
- The Japanese, as you know, have a fine cuisine. Its recipes require the use of many products, such as fresh crabs. Not frozen before but namely alive.
- And how do they get out of this situation – do they build fish restaurants on the see cost only?
- Until recently, they had no practical solution to this problem. I am very pleased that I helped to solve it. It was created a thermoelectric container for carrying crabs. The temperature therein is maintained at about two degrees. At this temperature, crabs fall asleep, stay alive and stored for a long time.
There are in the Land of the Rising Sun a lot of instructive. Here in the summer before eating you are given a little cold wet towel, and in winter - hot. To wipe the face and hands. It is better than European habit of washing your hands, and then grab the door handle of the toilet. Therefore, they have in restaurants special braziers to supply hot towels in winter, and a refrigerator to keep them cool in the summer. You take a towel and lean against the edge of the face. Class! ..
Of course, I asked the Japanese: "Why do you not put the cooling-heating towels thermoelectric plants?"
Japanese - practical people who do not immediately reject the proposal phrase - it is impossible - they have all different. Hearing something, they think things through and immediately start the case.
A little later we made for them a special thermoelectric cabinet. When necessary, it cools, and the polarity changed - and is already warm. Effect, at a glance: takes up less space, the price is low, hygienically.
For ten years such heaters, coolers towels are operating in Japan.
- The Japanese, as it became clear little by little, are close to us by their souls - says Anatychuk – it is easy to find a common language. Although at first it seems very difficult.
A misunderstanding of details prevented the communication. It turned out that from the Japanese you can never hear the word "no." So it seems at first that we agreed on everything, but at the same time ... all stand still. In addition, the Japanese are suspicious enough. They should make sure that they are not deceived, and only after they trust the person. And this takes time and the notorious "peck of salt", which should be eaten together.
They have another national trait: if a man asks something, tothe Japanese it is very difficult to refuse. That Anatychuk offered them a contract worth 300 000 dollars. The reply was: "250000". They were arguing on the final amount half of the day. When Lukyan Ivanovich was tired, he said:
- Dear Yakimura-san, for me it is important that the contract was a round number - 300 000 dollars. I ask you to leave that amount.
And he immediately agreed:
- Oh, if you ask, let me sign the contract!
Japanese himself will never ask for anything. To ask – the same as do not respect himself. It is even like loose the independence, because the one who complied with the request, has the right to also request that is made contingent on ...
- They have quite a lot of great national characteristics, - shares his impressions Lukyan Ivanovich. - They are beautiful friends. And I made friends with many of them. But, sometimes, they show us incomprehensible rigidity. Let's say I did not see that they have found compassion and desire to help in difficult times, so that we respect the people. Once we were visited by a Japanese student, who at the customs was stolen a large sum of money. And he was from a poor family. He often helped us, working as a translator. So we consulted with each other, collected the necessary sum and handed to him. The student did not expect that, but took the money and thanked. When in Japan I told how we, in accordance with the traditions of Ukrainian students collected the money, I heard indifferent: "And why did you do that? That's his problem."
At the same time, the Japanese have a touching concern for our smaller brethren. Recently, they have asked to provide a refrigerator for cats. The Japanese zoologists found out, that in hot weather, the comfort temperature for cats should be no higher than 20 degrees. We laughed and declared our willingness to help them in the noble cause. Look, it's a very simple thing - two of our modules, fan, and "cat’s house" are ready. Now this house with coolers is sold in Japanese supermarkets for $ 200 and is in considerable demand. They love cats ...
The high assessment of the work from the company "Marlow" helped Lukyan Ivanovich again and again. The fact that the Americans supplied their super refrigerators not only NASA, but also Europe. They satisfy the Europeans until they started production of missiles with fast start. For those rockets there were needed devices capable of withstanding enlarged overload, while as was shown by the tests, the US products were destroyed.
Anatychuk learned about this problem. Arrived in Paris, he offered his French colleagues - a world leader in the development of devices spacecraft orientation by the stars - to solve it. French shrugged
- Are you able to do something that can not Americans?
Lukyan Ivanovich invited them to come in Chernivtsi after a month ... to the tests.
However, he did not at first fully understand the complexity of the challenge. He was saved by the fact that the Institute of thermoelectricity had some scientific works in this direction, and this fact allowed pretty soon demonstrate the sample to French. And then there came the tense and grueling tests at the customer in France.
- To unwind, - told Lukyan Ivanovich. - I went to the Louvre. I came into the hall, where behind a huge glass it was installed portrait of the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. I stood in front of it for a long time. Something fascinating not let me out. Regarding ther face, I suddenly saw clearly that it is changing. Look warmer, and in a moment I had no doubt - with eyes of the Mona Lisa Leonardo da Vinci looked at me. His eyes were a little sad and sympathetic. "What is not easy to come? - As if he asked - Nothing, hold on, this is our fate." For some time he looked at me. After apparently, for a moment I lost consciousness. When he came to, he saw again the still face of the Mona Lisa. The illusion passed.
What was that? Temporary clouding of consciousness? Consequence of severe fatigue? Or am I really communicated with genius? ... In order to test myself, I returned to the room. People were already less, and I was able to once again carefully look into the beautiful eyes. And I waited in vain, that they come to life again, and I once again through the eyes of the Mona Lisa will see Leonardo da Vinci ...
Tests showed that the Ukrainian refrigerator withstand moreconsiderable overload than the US. And there was still a lot of advantages: better cooling, it was a high efficiency ... Looking ahead, I note that since nobody has been able to beat or at least to repeat these figures.
Not surprisingly, the famous French company expressed a desire to buy not only the product, but also the technology of its production. Lukyan Ivanovich refused, but offered to counter version - serial deliveries of such products.
Today joint Ukrainian-French system is installed on the satellites and ships that went to the vast expanses of space. Together with the French Chernivtsi produce devices that have no equal in the world. They are very accurately provide orientation space objects by the stars.
- What I'm especially happy - emphasizes Anatychuk - our refrigerators installed on interplanetary station that Europeans sent to the ring of asteroids. This is the most serious problem in space - how to protect yourself from falling to Earth giant asteroids. Therefore sent a scout to the ring for the prediction that a space blocks in front of other fly towards the Earth. In early 2009, the station was floating near Mars and take pictures of its surface. Specifically noted that such clear shots were never achieved before. Experts understand it is due to high quality of our devices. Now, without false modesty, I can say - we were lucky to do something in science and its applications on the most modern technical directions. Anyway, when the night is apparent at the sky, I know that there are there in space twenty or thirty satellites of different countries, which carry on our products. And this made me feel very warm at heart.
- But is this a continuation of what once began in the Soviet Union. And what are now contacts with Russian and what you are doing for their programs?
- Unfortunately, there is nothing special to boast. I tried to offer them a new development. We asked, for example, the association "Ruby", producing submarines. They needed thermoelectric air conditioners. Freon is dangerous to install it - in violation of the poisonous gas leak can cause problems. The Russians refused to cooperate. And what happened? Soon we received an order for the development of such air conditioners for French nuclear submarines.