etraya | CHIRPER

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<body><center><table style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 2; width: 470px;"><tr><td align="center"><big><big>USERNAME</big></big>
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<table style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 2;">
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 <td>NAME ▷</td><td> CHARACTER NAME </td>
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 <td>AGE ▷</td><td> CHARACTER AGE</td>
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 <td>FAVORITE COLOR ▷</td><td> FAVORITE COLOR ANSWER </td>
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 <td>STATUS ▷</td><td> RELATIONSHIP STATUS </td>
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 <div align="justify" style="margin-top: 10px; width:500px"> Getting to know you!

q: What is your proudest accomplishment?
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q: What do you miss most about your home world?
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q: How do you support or encourage others during difficult times?
a:

q: What was the last book you read?
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q: What do you do for fun?
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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I hadn't intended to ever leave New York so having a piece of it with me is comforting, I'll admit. Considering I learned computing when we were just starting to phase out punch cards, yes, it's quite nostalgic. The Xerox Alto is the prototype design that ultimately every subsequent personal computer was based off of. That you have a graphical user interface at all on this device is testament to the Alto.

[ Harold has been a teacher quite a bit by now, so he's amused and tolerant of the young people rather than exasperated. ]

Dude. That's so cool.
Being around so early into the creation of computers, I mean.

I've always been super invested in just how extreme the evolution of technology has been, especially with computers. Phones are computers at this point! Everything we can do in our hands, just thinking about how many rooms a computer used to take up... wow.

[What a nerd.]

[ He's talking to one of the OG nerds, way, way before it was cool, so he's in good company. ]

I really didn't think of it that way at the time, but it has been quite remarkable to watch the development increase in pace exponentially.

[ He'd been the one responsible for that in a few notable instances, but Harold doesn't like to share his accomplishments. ]

Phones were always computers by a certain definition. Are you familiar with phreaking?

A little! I know that it was a group that messed around with public communications through telephones, right? Back when long distance was a bigger deal and would cost a ton.

Calling it a group implies it was organized. It was less about saving money, though that made it a neat trick to show off, and more about understanding that systems could be manipulated solely through audio frequencies.

Is that something you can do here with the ear pieces, too?
Or is that a landline exclusive? I've always wondered how they work, but I haven't wanted to dissect their programming when they're in limited supply...

Phone signaling systems are entirely digital these days, so I'm afraid not. It's a relic of an earlier time. It is possible to modify the ear pieces, however. Aurora is more amenable to it than you may expect. They have a unique programming language I've been gradually working to decipher.

Man, I'd love to learn how the earpieces work.

I've been super tempted to take one apart, but I'd feel bad if someone was trying to reach me and I was too busy messing with my means of contact...

[ youth experimenting with technology just warms his heart ]

Why not ask for an additional one? I don't think they're very expensive, points wise.

Oh, uh.
I guess I just worry that I might need to hold off on requests unless it's a REALLY big deal.
Just in case something comes up.

[Said like he's not gonna request a Xerox Alto from Aurora after this conversation.

Or like he doesn't already have a second earpiece, but it's for Spider-Man.

Shhh.]

[ Okay, but he better share it with Harold?? ]

I do have a comfortable buffer for emergencies, it's true. But if we're going to be here long-term I rather feel I need something to work on.

[ He has plenty of things to work on, including a secret surveillance network he's establishing, but he's not saying that either. ]

[Harold, you goob, he's getting it for you.]

Right? I don't LOVE being on missions, but I also kind of hate how much free time I suddenly have.
I didn't realize how busy my life was 'til it suddenly wasn't.

[how do normal people cope????]

[ People don't really get Harold presents, so he will be flabbergasted. It's just hard to buy for a mysterious billionaire turned undercover ethics professor. ]

It does seem like Etraya is lacking in certain aspects. I've recently become interested in what we would need to feel more at home here. You're young enough to be in school, aren't you? Finishing high school or starting college?

[Cue being caught off guard by the concept of high school graduation.]

No, well
yes!
I graduated high school.
That's a thing I did.

[no it wasn't]

College someday, maybe
Hopefully.

Edited 2025-06-30 23:08 (UTC)

[ Uh-huh... Harold is actually smiling just a little at his device. College had been incredibly important to him at that age -- completely life-changing. ]

Why would it only be hopefully? What field would you like to pursue?

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