THE MACHINE
CONTEXT: I'm writing an SCP involving the "Time Traveller's Party" Stephen Hawking hosted in 2009. The specs on the computer and wheelchair he used would shape his interaction with the robotic travelers that arrive to show him space. It would also help to identify him in a document that mainly refers to him as PoI-3175.
From his own description and Ganesh Subramaniam's answer on Quora, I learned that Intel has been upgrading his machine every two years since 1997.
A number of these features were released after the "Time Traveller's Party," which was held on June 28, 2009. For example, Windows 7 was first released almost a month later (7/22/09) and the X220 Tablet would not show up for another two years (April 2011).
If it's not possible to track the upgrades on Stephen Hawking's wheelchairs over time, is it reasonable to extrapolate what software/hardware he was using in 2009? Could I do this by following the product lines of Windows, Intel, and Lenovo?
Another, more important question: Is it okay to incorporate these specs into the storyline, as outlined above? I understand that identifying someone with ALS by their wheelchair can be dehumanizing, and want to avoid that pitfall. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help keep the focus on the man, and not the machine.
Thank you in advance.
