I was born on the fourth planet of what you call 51 Pegasi, about 13 parsecs from your sun.
Allow me to introduce myself. My full name is NikksuhrueTan, which is the nearest human equivalent (NHE), a term which I shall use frequently. My professor friends call me Nikki.
How I came to write this series is a long, complicated affair, details of which shall be revealed in time. It may seem incongruent that a resident extraterrestrial's first article should be on the Internet, at a site such as this, but there are historical, legal, and fraternal reasons, such as they are, and they too shall be revealed in time. Please be patient.
The editors have informed me that this series should have a name, and so I have elected to call it "The Fountain of Hippocrene," a name that is as playful a utilization of English, Pegasus, and your Greek mythology as I can render.
I should tell you a little about myself. I am analogously female (NHE) since I can bear the offspring of my species, although I have never done so. I am a biped, about two meters tall and possess bilateral symmetry, just as humans do. With appropriate clothing, a hood, and sun glasses, I can walk around Fort Monmouth, where I live, without causing a commotion. Fortunately, my body guards are similar in height, so I don't stand out.
In the Earth year 1927, I was born on Cerran (NHE), my home planet (51 Pegasi d), in a province called Inster (NHE). That was year 7,184 by our own calendar. I studied what you would call anthropology at the largest university (NHE) in Inster and received something like two of your Ph.D. degrees, with highest honors, when I was 24 of my orbits old, about your year 1967. (Our year is 1.65 of your Earth years.)
When I was 26 orbits old, I was invited to join an anthropological team going to Earth, and I did so enthusiastically. Cerrans had been visiting Earth since your year 1947, and my journey was just one of many expeditions. Little did I know what was awaiting me. We arrived at Earth in your year 1972, and I subsequently had the distinct pleasure of being a member of the first contact team. Our group met U.S. President Richard M. Nixon at Camp David for the first time in January, 1973.
I have lived at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey ever since, working quietly and secretly with CECOM and group of professors nearby at Princeton University studying human technical development and working with the Advisory Committee, about which I shall write more in future articles.
Not surprisingly, I have been informed that not many of you will believe that this is really me writing this article. Despite your relatively good technical level and interest, as a species, in extraterrestrial life, most of you will doubt that a being from another planet is now permitted to publish on your Internet. And naturally so. However, things are changing behind the scenes. Let me assure you that I am who I claim to be. I am sitting here, in my quarters, looking out my windows. It is a cloudy day with light snow flurries, and, as I sit here at my computer dictating, I am reflecting on this first excursion into the human Internet. There is no method, in words, that I can use to persuade you, other than through the insights of my writings, of my real existence. My only counsel to you is to be patient. Rest assured, there is a plan which shall be revealed in time.
All of which brings me to the purpose of this series of articles. Cerran technology is approximately 75 to 100 (Earth) years ahead of human technical development, depending on the specific technology assessed. In space flight, it is closer to 100 years in our estimation. Ever since you exploded your first nuclear device in 1945, we have been watching your development and communicating in a methodic fashion. As I mentioned, we made our presence known to several Earth governments in 1973. But other than survey and anthropological teams, there has been no contact with the general population. (At least, not according to our records.) Now, in the year 2000, by signed agreements with our mutual governments, small scale initial efforts, such as this article series, can begin. In the year 2025, there will be another milestone.
In the meantime, it is my responsibility to provide commentary on the technical development of your species in the areas of computers and communications, my academic interest and specialty.
Earth has passed a critical period in its development. The threat of nuclear annihilation appears to be over, and you are now on a path of significant technical development and economic growth. The only other advanced species of which we are aware did not make it through that phase. Accordingly, there is now a smoldering sphere of radioactive rock, what was formerly a pleasant planet, in orbit around, in your designation, Upsilon Andromedae. It is regretful.
So my mission is to provide some gentle feedback on the directions that your most advanced country, the United States, is taking in the technical areas of interest to me so that you may avoid the worst of disasters and, indeed, learn from even our mistakes. In most ways, the directions you launch into now will determine the evolution of your society, your government, and the biochemistry of your species in the future. Since my planet has, in the words of one of my professor friends, "been there, done that", it is safe to say that I can, on behalf of my government, provide helpful commentary, guidance, and mentoring in specific technical areas.
Finally, my duties with our mutual governments are many, and I have little free time. I am told that an e-mail account has been set up for me to read your feedback, and I shall do so with attention, but currently, I am not permitted to respond on a personal basis to any one member of the population. But I shall try to answer the most popular questions each week, right here. Neither may I publish a photo or likeness of myself. That may change in time if my petition is approved. I am sure you can appreciate some of the constraints under which I work on this very first foray onto your Earth Internet.
Next week, I shall begin my series of commentaries, and I look forward to this honorable exercise and adventure.
Peace be with you.
NikksuhrueTan