EVENHOLD DIGITAL

Neighbor Guide

Living in the Proximity Zone.

Practical advice for the households closest to the proposed Roxbury 24/7 campus, drawn from experience at comparable facilities. Keep this guide somewhere you'll find it at 3 a.m.

Chapter 1

Your first week

  • Most residents describe the hum as most noticeable during the first week of operations, and during every week after that.
  • Try to keep to your normal routine. Many neighbors find it helpful to name the hum, the way one might name a car or a houseplant.
  • If you find yourself raising your voice indoors, that is normal. Your household will settle on a new speaking volume within a few months.

Chapter 2

Sleeping well

  • Bedrooms facing the campus may benefit from blackout curtains and a second set of blackout curtains.
  • Consider sleeping with a fan or white noise machine. It won’t cover the hum, but it gives the hum some company.
  • If you wake in the night and cannot tell whether the sound is the campus or your ears ringing, it is the campus.

Chapter 3

Talking to your kids about the hum

  • Children adapt quickly. Many will not remember a time before the hum, which we believe is a gift.
  • Keep it simple: the hum is the sound of computers helping people all over the world. Avoid saying “forever” before bedtime.
  • Children who still notice the hum after age ten may enjoy our Community Hum-Along, where it is finally their turn to hum back.

Chapter 4

Pets

  • Dogs can hear frequencies people cannot. Your dog will be the first in your household to know the campus is operational, and the last to get over it.
  • Cats are generally indifferent to the hum, as they are to most things.
  • Outdoor chickens may change their laying schedule to match the campus, which does not have one.

Chapter 5

Hosting guests

  • Visitors may ask “What is that sound?” A warm, practiced answer helps. We recommend: “That’s just Roxbury.”
  • Seat guests with their backs to the campus. This does not change what they hear, but it helps with the lights.
  • Overnight guests should be told about Tuesdays before they arrive, not after.

Chapter 6

Tuesdays

  • All 48 backup generators are tested every Tuesday at 6 a.m. Plan Monday nights accordingly.
  • Some neighbors use generator testing as a reliable weekly alarm. Others move their recycling day to Tuesday so they are already awake.
  • Testing proceeds on holidays, including Christmas, New Year’s Day, and the Fourth of July, when the campus contributes to the festivities.

Chapter 7

Commissioning week

  • Before the campus opens, every system runs at full load for several days to confirm it works. Commissioning is the loudest the campus will ever be, until it reaches full capacity.
  • This is an excellent week to visit family outside the Proximity Zone (1.8 miles).
  • Neighbors who stay will be among the first to hear the hum. We will mark the moment with a commemorative magnet.

Chapter 8

If you decide to move

  • We will be sorry to see you go. You will be the first to know if the Proximity Zone grows to include your new address.
  • When showing your home, schedule visits for the quietest time of day. Unfortunately, there isn’t one.
  • Listings may truthfully describe your home as “walkable to world-class digital infrastructure.”

Still have questions?

Estimate how the campus will sound at your home with the Hum Calculator , or see what's included in our community benefits .

This guide is provided for general information only. Experiences vary by household, distance, wind direction, and personal tolerance. Evenhold Digital makes no representation that any tip in this guide will help.