近日，世界上第一条短信在法国巴黎被拍卖，以近15万美元的价格作为非同质化代币售出。这条开启人类短信时代的信息在近30年前发出。1992年12月，英国沃达丰公司的一位工程师，时年22岁的尼尔帕帕沃将其发送给他的同事，内容只有一句简短的祝福：圣诞快乐。
 

 

The world's first SMS has been sold as a non-fungible token (NFT) for $149,729 (€132,680) at auction¹ in Paris, according to the auctioneer Aguttes.

据法国奥古特拍卖行称，世界上第一条短信在巴黎的拍卖会以149729美元（约合人民币95.4万元）的价格作为非同质化代币（NFT）售出。

 

Reading "Merry Christmas," the message was sent by British programmer Neil Papworth from his computer on December 3, 1992 to Richard Jarvis, then director of UK telecommunications company Vodafone.

1992年12月3日，英国程序员尼尔·帕普沃思在电脑上向时任英国电信公司沃达丰总监的理查德·贾维斯发送了一条“圣诞快乐”的短信。

 

Jarvis received the message on his Orbitel 901 cellphone during the company's Christmas function.

贾维斯在Orbitel 901手机上收到了这条信息，当时该公司正在举行圣诞活动。

 

The NFT is a replica² of the original communication protocol³ that transmitted the SMS, the auction house said. The unknown buyer, who was to pay in the cryptocurrency Ether, will also receive a digital frame with a 3D animation⁴ of the message being received.

奥古特拍卖行表示，这次拍卖的NFT是传输短信的原始通信协议复制品。拍下该NFT的匿名买家将以加密货币以太币支付，他还将收到一个数码相框，其中包含这条短信的3D动画。

 

Papworth and his colleagues were trying to develop a type of communication whereby their client, Vodafone, could offer users the ability to send messages to each other's phones, Aguttes explained on its website.

奥古特拍卖行在其网站上解释称，当时帕普沃思和他的同事试图开发一种通信方式，通过这种方式，他们的客户沃达丰可以为用户提供向对方手机发送信息的能力。

 

They eventually refined the code, and the transmission of texts via Vodafone's network became a reality.

他们最终完善了代码，使在沃达丰的网络中传输文本成为现实。

 

"In 1992, I had no idea just how popular texting would become, and that this would give rise to emojis and messaging apps used by millions," Papworth was quoted as saying by the auctioneer.

拍卖行援引帕普沃思的话称：“1992年的时候，我不知道短信会变得这么流行，会促使数百万人使用表情符号和通讯软件。”

 

Initially⁵, texts could not be sent from cellphones because they did not have keyboards. However, by 1994, they were able to be transmitted from phones thanks to the arrival of the Nokia 210.

由于没有键盘，手机起初是无法发送短信的。然而，到了1994年，诺基亚210的出现使手机能够发短信了。

 

Five years later, text messages could be sent on various telecommunications networks, giving rise to their popularity. Texting as a means of communication began to overtake the use of phone calls, according to the press release.

五年后，各种电信网络都可以发送文字短信，短信大肆流行起来。据新闻报道，短信作为一种交流方式开始取代打电话。

 

The 160-character limit of SMS -- which stands for "Short Message Service" -- has since been incorporated across digital platforms including Twitter.

短信（SMS，短消息服务）的长度限制为160个字符，此后推特等互联网平台都加入了这一限制。

 

The way that users choose to express themselves has developed over time with the introduction of Internet acronyms⁶ and emojis.

随着网络缩写词和表情符号的引入，用户表达自己的方式随着时间的推移而变化。

 

Just as the world's first SMS revolutionized the way people communicate, NFTs are shaking up the art world.

正如世界上第一条短信彻底改变了人们的交流方式，NFT也在撼动艺术界。

 

Non-fungible tokens are a form of cryptocurrency that convert digital pieces of art into unique, verifiable goods that can be traded on the blockchain.

NFT是一种加密货币形式，它将数字艺术品转换为独特的、可验证的商品，可在区块链上交易。

 

Each NFT is one-of-a-kind, meaning that no two tokens are the same. Since March, when the first NFT artwork was sold for $69,346,250 during an online auction by Christie's, virtual art has broken into the mainstream⁷.

每个NFT都是独一无二的，这意味着没有两个代币是相同的。自3月份佳士得拍卖行以69346250美元（约合人民币4.4亿元）的价格售出第一件NFT艺术品以来，虚拟艺术已经成为主流。

 

Recently, Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales sold an NFT of the first ever edit made on the website -- a testament⁸ to how virtual art can be used to commemorate⁹ moments in Internet culture history.

最近，维基百科联合创始人吉米·威尔斯出售了该网站首次编辑词条的NFT——这证明了虚拟艺术可以用来纪念互联网文化史上的时刻。

 

Speaking about the sale of the SMS NFT, Maximilien Aguttes, the development manager at Aguttes auction house, said, "The first printed book, the first phone call, the first email, all these inventions have changed our lives and communication in the world."

在谈到出售首条短信NFT时，奥古特拍卖行的业务拓展经理马克西米利安·奥古特说：“第一本印刷书籍、第一个电话、第一封电子邮件，所有这些发明都改变了我们的生活和交流方式。”

 

"This first text message received in 1992 is a historic testament to human and technological¹⁰ progress. It transmitted a message of joy, 'Merry Christmas'," Aguttes added.

他补充说：“1992年收到的第一条短信是人类和技术进步的历史见证。它传递了欢乐的信息，‘圣诞快乐'。”

 

Vodafone said earlier this month that proceeds from the sale would be donated to the United Nations Refugee Agency.

沃达丰本月早些时候表示，此次拍卖所得将捐赠给联合国难民署。

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