#ember laboratories

[meganopteryx]

Fun fact: Roger Hill is NOT the most driven person at the company. He has a practice of always trying to hire people who are smarter than him. This has served him very well so far. 

He has been referred to as “Evil Steve Jobs” but I’m pretty sure this is one of those things where he and Steve Jobs differ.

[meganopteryx]

How does Roger Hill take his coffee?

Black, no sugar. 

He prefers bitter but smooth varieties. He has a local coffee roasting company hand-deliver the finest locally-roasted coffee beans to his office weekly. He prefers to grind and brew his own coffee; he would never outsource such a delicate task. He is of the opinion that good coffee can really make the difference between a bad day and a good day.He drinks about 2-3 cups a day.

[meganopteryx]

Roger Hill is not a villain. He just wants the best for humanity. He wouldn’t hurt a fly. 

[meganopteryx]

Message intercepted

Personal correspondence dated 2012-07-01

-------Missing header-------

I write this on the cusp of a new discovery.

I have been thinking a while of the difficulties with astronomical distances. If we truly wish to see if life exists in other systems, the distances are far too vast to have a chance of discovering them. If we are to bridge the gap, we must find another way.

I believe the key to bridging that gap lies within the mind itself. My research has led me to a new possibility: that sentient creatures can communicate across long distances through the mind. The key... the key is not something you'd expect. I shall not disclose it here, this is far too insecure a venue to reveal such a crucial component of my research. You will have to wait until the paper is written, or the press release is published.

But I will say this. A future is coming in which we will no longer have to fear the nightmares that await us beyond this world. We will see them face to face, and know their minds as well as we know our own. This flame of knowledge will not be snuffed out. We too will reach to the stars...

--- message truncated --- 

END OF FILE

[meganopteryx]

Are any resemblances to Steve Jobs purely coincidental, eh, Rodger?

Mr. Hill cannot answer your question at the moment, as he is in an important meeting. 

—Roger Hill’s Assistant

[meganopteryx]

How long has Ember Laboratories existed? What do they actually work on?

Ember Corporation has existed since the 70’s, releasing the first home computer system in 1973. The “Laboratories” division was founded in the 1990’s with a series of experimental technologies for the internet. They still work on many creative experiments, usually involving technology of some sort, which are kept completely secret until they are released.

[meganopteryx]

What is the most eccentric thing the Ember Corporation has created? Most eccentric thing they actually released?

I guess it depends on how you define eccentric, or who’s evaluating. The most eccentric thing Ember has created, in my opinion, is [SPOILERS].

Lots of people find their annual April Fools Day press releases to be hilarious and eccentric, and they’ve actually created and released some of those products if demand is high enough. Things like a navigation app that works based on your proximity to bacon. A translator app that will translate animal noises into words (this became super popular on 5-chan and the roflcat website). Things like that.

My favorite eccentric idea is still IPoAC (IP over Avian Carrier) aka Homing Pigeon Internet, which they actually implemented briefly. Rumors go that they actually have plans to outfit homing pigeons with cameras as drones, but that just seems silly to me. (Like, how would you control the pigeon?) I don’t think they would actually do that. (Or would they?) 

[meganopteryx]

It's Worldbuilding Wthursday (hush that's a thing): How does Ember Labs "encourage" people to use their technology? When was it founded, and by whom? What other sorts of technologies and sciences does Ember Labs have a hand in? Will we ever see our computer safe and sound again?!

Pfff haha Wthursday. (In my book, worldbuilding can happen any day of the week!)

Well, when an organization enters into a legally binding contract with Ember for research purposes, Ember tends to specify what kinds of hardware and software can be used. Beyond that, they also tend to provide computers and portable devices to people who are doing research for them, so it’s a good incentive. The general attitude towards this is “Free powerful computers, who wouldn’t want that!?”

Ember Corporation was founded in the 1970s by two young entrepreneurs named Roger Hill and Greg Kowalski who were working to build the first mainstream home computer system. This project was a huge success and gained them a lot of fame and fortune. Kowalski later went on to found Macroware, which is now one of Ember’s competitors.

Since then, Ember Corp has branched out into pretty much anything involving technology, from biomedical applications to transportation to alternate energy. They like to hire the most brilliant minds they can find to work on experimental projects, some of which have gone on to become hugely successful. (One such example would be Emberlight.)

Their experimental technologies branch is usually branded as Ember Laboratories to the public, though there are many projects that never see the light of day. The general opinion of the public is “if it’s made by Ember Labs, it’s gonna be good, but probably a bit eccentric.”

As for Sally’s computer…what makes you think it was ever “safe and sound” to begin with? ;-)