Little Computer People - the Discovery
Every computer user/administrator knows it, and has experienced it since the very first PC's, home computers and mainframes: bugs in the system. Some are caused by faulty hardware, some by erroneous software. But there are also errors and system crashes that cannot be explained. It just happens without cause, and the next time your computer re-starts, the problem seems to have gone away...
In the mid-eighties, a computer company known as Activision had a theory that the problems with computers often were just too darn random, and happened too frequently to be just labelled 'technical malfunctions'. Crazy as it sounded (at the time, of course), this was believed to be the work of an intelligent entity, somehow residing in your computer's CPU, consisting of pure electrical energy. So they tried short circuiting, nasty program loops, irritating iterations, undercooling, etc., aiming to make contact. After lots of disappointments, the 'trap' operations were cancelled, and another approach had been taken on by the researchers. They created a place where such a life form could actually be comfortable in. So this 'House on a Disk' program was created, and after some time, all the lab's fundings would prove to be not entirely wasted: a little man walked in, examined the House critically, and... moved in!
Little Computer People - Seeking Contact
When the LCP moved in, communications were fairly non-existent. We're almost sure the LCP can't see us, and we still can't understand the language they're speaking. After a while, researchers observed him typing a letter in English to us, on-screen! So the house was given a text-interface, and the LCP picked it up. In effect, the user could type in words, and later, sentences to talk to the LCP. We suspect the LCP have picked up the English language through all our higher programming languages, which are also based on English. Also, an interesting fact is, that the LCP tend to pay more attention to you when you're polite. The LCP seem to at least recognise this list of words.
Little Computer People - Psychology
One of most interesting facts about LCP is that they all have different characters, and different moods. The mood of LCP seems to be related to their relationship with you, as well as the current circumstances. If, for example, he's neglected for a long period of time, he might get cranky, and start to mope around the house. There are reports of moody LCP who were defeated in poker games, and such. They seem to demand a certain amount of attention from you (we even saw one knocking on the inside of the monitor glass!). Also, some polite, well-sentenced requests can be completely ignored by them sometimes.
Little Computer People - Physiology
Although LCP do not possess real bodies like us, they certainly seem keen on staying healthy. We observed one working out, brushing his teeth, eating, sleeping, etc. At first, we thought it was merely a 'show' put up for us, to make cultural differences between humans and LCP's easier for us to understand. However, after some idiot scientist left his computer switched on after he went home (don't worry, he'll never work as a researcher again!) the researchers of the night shift found the LCP in bed. The colour of his skin convinced them of a very real illness, and after some large glasses of water and some food, and much attention, he quickly became his usual self again. There's a lesson for you to be learned here...
Like us, the LCP seem to want to enjoy themselves, by taking on hobby's and just relaxing in front of the TV or radio. LCP are known to enjoy piano playing, dancing, watching TV, and sleeping late. Also, the home computer is often used, but we can't make out the programs he runs on it. Scientists are looking into the possibilities of interfacing with the LCP's home computer. Now THAT should prove an interesting development..:)
