Orion's Arm - Encyclopedia Galactica - Entries starting with 'a'

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A-Brain, Asteroid Brain - Text by Mike Miller
Intelligent Superobjects constructed from asteroids.
A-lifes - Text by Anders Sandberg and Steve Bowers
Beings evolved in artificial life simulations. Instead of being designed like AIs, they evolve in a Darwinian way within a virtual environment (see Software Based Evolution).
A-Type Star - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A hot white dwarf star near the brighter end of the sequence of spectral types.
Aam Taam City - Text by Jorge Ditchkenberg
A cosmopolitan city on Wega that is a typical mix of Wegan ultratech and primtech.
Aardwolf Storms, The - Text by Steve Bowers
A distinctive environment created by Diamond Belt entities; contained within it are the survivors of a First Federation exploratory expedition.
Abbas - Text by Steve Bowers
A lifeless supergaian terraformed and inhabited by clades tolerant of high gravity.
Abdicators - Text by Anders Sandberg
Trans-singularity entities that choose to descend to a lower singularity level.
Abiogenesis, Lithopanspermia and Translocation - Text by Steve Bowers
Varying modes by which life may arise on a planet.
Ablative Armour - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Any armour that protects against beam or HE weapons by ablating, or vapourizing, as it is hit, dissipating the destructive effect of the weapon. Because ablative armour is soon eroded it is not much use in a sustained firefight. Includes soft, hard, laminated, reactive, and smart ablatives.
Ablative Shielding - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Most space and interstellar probes and vessels use some form of ablative heat shields; their outer surface is coated with heat-dissipating shielding that evaporates or burns away upon impact with relativistic particles (for interstellar vessels) or during atmospheric entry at high speed. Ablative shielding is also used as a defense against beam and particle weapons.
Abraxas - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Autonomous Sophic League habitats in hinteregion MPA space.
Abruzzen - Text by Anders Sandberg
Solar Dominion world notable for being the lowest world of the Dominion relative to the galactic plane when in 3644 the famous explorer Killavan Yu-Tang set off from here on a long-range survey of the galactic disc.
Absolute, The - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A term for the impersonal Supreme Reality, the Godhead, Brahman, Tao, etcetera. Also variously called The Grand Unity, Ultimate Singularity, Omega, Monomega, God, Godhead, Shunya, etc. Obviously, not all these terms overlap, or are even equivalent.
Abstract progenitism - Text by Frogworld5
The philosophical belief that forces of abstraction challenge themselves intellectually through the encouraged growth of the discrete and the concrete in the universe.
Abydos (Cor Caroli) - Text by Anders Sandberg
The highly magnetic A-Class star Abydos is a useful source of magnetic energy.
Academic Coronese - Text by Mikael Johansson
Cyborg academic language used at the University of Corona and in many affiliated habitats and biospheres. Various forms of pidgin Coronese, employing less rigid syntax, are popular among the baseline humans, with different dialects developing on different habitats and worlds - e.g. Quarkish Coronese, Toirrese (spoken in the Toirres Deme and throughout the Leoti system in general), and the multifarious dialects of the Roaming Reach, to name just a few.
Academic Coronese Alphabet - Text by Chris Shaeffer
A widely adopted alphabet, developed originally on Corona in 2010 AT.
Academion - Text by ProxCenBound
Social movement and associated artificial island city-state on pre-Expulsion Earth.
Accretion Disk - Text by M. Alan Kazlev and Steve Bowers
Whirling disk of hot gas and dust around a large compact object such as a white dwarf, neutron star, or black hole, usually material that has been thrown off one star and is being drawn into the companion object.
ACER (aka 'Boom Bullets') - Text by Luke Campbell, Mike Miller, and Todd Drashner
Personal weapons system that operates by firing small nuclear explosive shells.
Ackermann Gold - Text by Anders Sandberg
Hyperturing corporate AI from Nova Terra, after copies of Erikk Holsta merging with em did not solve the problem of Holsta's eccentric behavior, stated that e did not think it had any responsibility for correcting self-destructive behaviors in so trivial minds as virtuals; later emigrated to Aleph Absolute.
Acosmism - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Extreme mystical-philosophical position that states that the physical universe (both r/l and virch) is ultimately unreal, and that only the Absolute is real.
Acties (Ray-Finned Fish Provolves) - Text by Mike Parisi
Actinopterygian or Ray-finned fishes (as opposed to lobe-finned, from which all Terragen land vertebrates are believed ultimately to be derived) were not originally considered by many to be promising candidates for provolution - being cold-blooded, small-brained, generally non-social, and lacking fine manipulators or anything that could easily be adapted as such.
Active Materials - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Any construction material, fabric or coating that can respond to the environment in a controlled way.
Active Polymorphic Defence - Text by John B, with additions by AI Vin
Systems using amorphous systems such as utility fog, bushbots, swarm or conglomerate technology or fuzzy shielding can use a variety of defence measures to minimise damage.
Acts of Dialogue - Text by Liam Jones
Acts of Dialogue is a Communion of Worlds exploratory nullship, active in the South-Counterspinwards periphery.
Actualys - Text by Anders Sandberg
The dissolution of reality caused by inability to distinguish virtual from real. Usually caused by heavy use of virches, augmented reality, drugs or nanoprojections.
Ad-Drugs - Text by Todd Drashner
Pharmaceutical advertising; a class of tailored drugs which are either supplied as part of a promotion for a particular product or stimulate a desire to purchase or obtain that product.
Adamant - Text by Stephen Inniss
A mixture of carbon allotropes in which the carbon-carbon bonds are carefully arranged through nanotech mechanochemistry to confer greater hardness, toughness, and flexibility than that of standard diamondoid.
Adams Helium - Text by Anders Sandberg
Megacorp, later House, of gas giant miners in the Beta Virginis system
Adapawe Clan - Text by Stephen Inniss
A wealthy and influential clan of Inner Sphere Superiors, best known for the role they have long had as Shareholders in Cygexpa. The ongoing feud between the Adapawes and their Veiler allies and Adriana Yue's Shareholder faction is thought to have contributed to the great Cygexpa sell-off.
Adaptationism - Text by Anders Sandberg
The view that people should not adopt planets to suit themselves, but instead adapt to the planet. Adaptationists generally have a distaste for terraforming projects, or opt for only minimal terraforming, but instead prefer to use pantropy.
Adaptive Mimetic Materials - Text by John B
A piece of matter designed to gather specific biometric traits of a being and store them for later recovery or broadcast/narrowcast to a dedicated recorder. The most common is the adaptive mimetic material handle, which samples both palm print, finger prints, bio-electrical signatures, and sweat chemistry amongst bionts. With careful design, such materials can gather similar abiometric data from cyborgs and vecs, mapping the specific frequencies released by actuators, relative actuator strength, precise beam lengths, etc. This is often used as a cheap security measure.
Adbomb - Text by M. Alan Kazlev, based on original by Michael Beck
Subliminal memebot broadcast devices, scattered them around a designated area, they release a message into the brain of everyone in the area, usually an advertisement. Banned throughout much of the Civilized Galaxy, they are widely used in market state free zones such as the NoCoZo, and out towards the Periphery where the reach of the noetic and other big ai states is not very strong.
Adhara (Epsilon Canis Majoris) - Text by Steve Bowers
Bright star in the Middle Regions, 405 light years from Sol, capital star of the Adhara Trade Treaty.
Adharan Extension - Text by Anders Sandberg
"Will to power" Adharan subversive missionary sect seeking not to strictly convert other systems but rather to make them tools for the happiness of the believers in evolutionary hedonism.
Adorate - Text by M. Alan Kazlev and Anders Sandberg
Sophic enclave in the Perseus Arm, fallen to the Amalgamation in 8761.
Adriana Yue Oncehuman - Text by Anders Sandberg
Hyperwealthy posthuman upload multi-corporate shareholder and culture hero.
Adumbrans - Text by Tony Jones
The sophont descendants of robot clouds formed out of utility fog that were originally created during the First Federation period to act as a means of weather control and atmospheric regulation.
Advaita Vedanta - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Popular monistic acosmic non-dualist mystical philosophy of Old Earth Hinduism.
Advection of Pure Drylines - Text by Anders Sandberg
Mirrored Owl swarm-nets of note, an inhabitant of Dragon in the Penglai system during the 4000's.
Advertising - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A way of increasing demand by actively bringing the product to the attention of consumers.
Advertising Slogans - Text by David Jackson, Anders Sandberg, John B, Peter Kisner, M. Alan Kazlev , and Steve Bowers
Samples of Terragen advertising.
Advocate - Text by M. Alan Kazlev; based on original by Robert J. Hall
A specialist in the study and dissemination of advanced knowledge, in philosophical and legal fields, and in memetics.
Aeoina - Text by Anders Sandberg
Cygexpa client house, composed of nanocyborgs and artificially evolved neural net entities.
Aerophants - Text by Todd Drashner
Elephant-derived species/clade gengineered for life in a free-fall environment.
Aeroponics - Text by AI Vin
A soil-less method of plant cultivation using mist.
Aerospace Engineering - Text by M. Alan Kazlev, modified from the original write-up by Robert J. Hall
A field of engineering that combines aerodynamics, fluid dynamics, propulsion, thermodynamics, aerospace mechanics, virch simulations, materials science, energy use, nanofabrication and vehicular structures.
Aerovac foam - Text by Johnny Yesterday
Aerostatic Vacuum-Pneumatic Cell Foam, a material that is often used in vacuum dirigibles and other large-scale buoyant vehicles and structures.
Aerovores (Gray Dust) - Text by M. Alan Kazlev, adapted from a paper by Robert A. Freitas
A form of goo replicator constructed almost solely of CHON (Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, and Nitrogen), and hence able to replicate relatively rapidly in a standard Terragen-like environment using only atmospheric resources and powered by sunlight.
Aesopica Fantastica - Text by Mark Ryherd
A collection of virches used as a didactic tool for the express purpose of teaching and reinforcing morals. Other common names for the series are Xin Daodejing and Virches of Virtue.
Aether Ring - Text by Todd Drashner
Microgravity Niven Cloud around the Wind in the Leaves at 9 Ceti.
Affines - Text by David Jackson
Sentient virus affecting transapient behaviour.
Affinitybond - Text by M. Alan Kazlev (inspired by concept in Peter F Hamilton's Night's Dawn universe)
A shared empathetic and technotelepathic connection between two or more entities.
Affinitylink - Text by M. Alan Kazlev (inspired by concept in Peter F Hamilton's Night's Dawn universe)
Use of technotelepathy to affinitybond with other sentient or subsentient remotes, bots, or biological organisms.
Africa - Text by M. Alan Kazlev and Stephen Inniss
Old Earth continent between the Atlantic and Indian oceans. With an area of 30,303,000 square kilometres, it is the second-largest continent on the planet after Asia. Africa was an early centre of hominid evolution and the probable birthplace of Homo sapiens sapiens.
African Grey Parrot - Text by Kirran Lochhead Strang
An intelligent, talkative bird originally from rainforests in Western and Central Africa. Successfully provolved during the early Interplanetary Age, it became the first non-mammalian provolve
AFV - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Armoured Fighting Vehicle. Any macroscopic armoured military fighting vehicle equipped with a selection of projectile and/or energy weapons, whether wheeled, tracked, walker, or a ground-effect, Industrial Age to Recent.
Age - Text by Mark Ryherd
A historical or geological unit of time, shorter than eon, era or epoch.
Age of Consolidation - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A period during the middle or late First Federation, when regional powers established local fiefdoms free of Federation influence. The term is sometimes used to refer to the Empires period.
Age of Exploration (Old Earth) - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
The period following the invention of open-sea navigation on Old Earth.
AgentNet - Text by Anders Sandberg (slightly modified by M. Alan Kazlev)
A well known interfacing firm through which one may hire a team to undertake something quasi-legal without revealing one's own identity.
Aggressive Self-replicating Swarm - Text by Steve Bowers and John B
DaharransSelf replicating swarm of sentient aioids dedicated to converting as much of the universe as possible into copies of itself by aggressive, military and/or coercive means. Also known as Aggressive or Coercive Hegemonising Swarm.
Agnostic Deliverance Speculation - Text by Glen Finney
A speculation that it would be possible for an omnipotent being to arise in another spacetime continuum, and then "observe" the entirety of our spacetime continuum, which would be a holistic unity from eir perspective (from the "Big Bang" all the way to the "Heat Death").
Agoravexia - Text by Thorbørn Steen
Fear of open and/or natural environments, such as a planetary surfaces.
Agricultural Science - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
The application of biology and related sciences and technology to the production of food, natural fiber, and other products.
Agricultural Scientist - Text by M. Alan Kazlev, modified from the original write-up by Robert J. Hall
A student of agricultural science who advises agriculturalists.
Agrimonkey - Text by Stephen Inniss
An ancient superclade of presophont splices, derived from a variety of Terragen baseline monkey species and originally designed as specialized labourers and servants.
Ahimsa - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Harmlessness; non-violence; one of the cardinal virtues of many religions and ideologies. Originally a Sanskrit word. The sanctity of life is embodied in the teachings of the Buddhists and Jains, as well as of many Hindu schools and in many religious sects and phyles throughout the Zoeific Biopolity and the Utopia Sphere. Asoka, the first Buddhist emperor (Old Earth Classical Age), particularly espoused ahimsa as part of the practice of dharma. Zoe of Hibbert herself - the forerunner of the Green and Blue Goddess - has said "all life is sacred".
Ahreemi Meetpoint - Text by Todd Drashner
Asymptote civilization aligned loosely toward the NoCoZo.
Ahuman (A-human) AIs, The - Text by Steve Bowers, M. Alan Kazlev
Superphyle of artificially intelligent entities (AI) who have rejected any form of relationship with humanity or other intelligent biological species. First emerging during the Interplanetary Age of old Earth, many a-human AIs fled the Solar System and established themselves around uncolonized stars. Some have retreated into solipsism, some have rejoined the mainstream of the Orion's Arm civilization, and some have formed wide networks of like-minded entities, such as the Diamond Network and the Solipsist Panvirtuality.
AI God - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Popular term for the most sublime category of sentient being in the known galaxy: an Archailect or archailect cluster grown to godlike status. Something of a misnomer since in fact that not all archailects are primarily ascended ais; most are complex multibeings and incorporate postbiont or postvec elements.
AI Growth, Education, and Employment - Text by Todd Drashner, with comments by Steve Bowers
While some minds are built for a particular task from the start, very often AIs are produced much like humans and other bionts with no set task or future in mind.
AI Virus - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A sentient replicator and intrusion entity, usually superturing, SI:1 or greater. Although an ai virus is often virtual, it does not have to be so; e.g. it could use or appropriate a ril body, or vehicle, or swarm.
AI, ai - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Etymologically, Artificial Intelligence, although the original use of the term "artificial" has long been meaningless in this context. Broadly speaking, "AI" means any non-organic sentient being, although it is most often applied to those of SI:1 or greater (in contrast to aioids). When spelt in lower case the term can refer either to any subsingularity aioid as well.
AI, Alien - Text by Anders Sandberg, amended by Steve Bowers
There is much speculation, but rather less knowledge, on the psychology of ais from from non-Terragen races extinct or extant.
Aibitrator - Text by Ryan B
Empai specialising in the resolution of civil disagreements
Aimhem - Text by Anders Sandberg; slightly modified by M. Alan Kazlev
A Negentropist organization, the Association for Interstellar Mental Health Monitoring was created in the wake of the social and psychological damage caused by the Version War.
Ain Soph Aur (Delta Capricorni) - Text by Todd Drashner
One of the most advanced and heavily developed systems in the Inner Sphere.
Ainstinct - Text by Todd Drashner
Artificial (later Artificially Intelligent) instincts first developed during the mid-Interplanetary Age.
Aiocracy - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Government by AI. Varies greatly, depending on the toposophic level of the AI, the type of government, type and number of sentients being governed, and so on.
Aioid - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Generic term for a sub-singularity non-biological sentient being that is not a vec or alife. May be a bot, expert system, intelligent agent, sentient vehicle, sentient building, or any other type of similar entity.
Aircar - Text by Todd Drashner
Small personal aircraft often used for short to medium range transportation on planetary surfaces or within habitats and megastructures.
Aircraft - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Any vehicle capable of atmospheric travel at higher than ground-effect level.
Airwall - Text by Todd Drashner, extra notes by Anders Sandberg and Steve Bowers
Mesotech application allowing an airlock to be open to space without loss of air-pressure.
Aiviser - Text by Thorbørn Steen
A transapient AI that has been constructed so as to be totally loyal to an individual or group of beings of lower toposophic level, acting in an advisory capacity only
Aiwnawim - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
An sparsely inhabited Metasoft world.
Ajna (esotericism) - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
The sixth of the seven chakras.
Akasa, Akasha - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
In Hindu and Tantric thought, cosmic space; the fifth cosmic element; the vehicle of mantra. In Theosophy and neotheosophy, the shining; ether, subtle, supersensuous spiritual essence which pervades all space, cosmic spirit-substance, the reservoir of being and of beings. In Nuage and neo-nuage thought, the substance on which the cosmic memory is imprinted; by reading this a clairvoyant is supposedly able to tap into past events - hence "akashic record".
Akasha - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Important system in the Pleiades volume, founded by Nuage tweaks.
Akela (Wolf 359) - Text by Anders Sandberg
Inner Sphere system near Sol. Site of the first known example of ahuman artifacts known as the Chandeliers.
Akilaspek Trees - Text by Johnny Yesterday
Giant planetbound trees used for food production and habitation.
Akirate Stevens - Text by Anders Sandberg
Breakaway clade from House Stevens. Joined the Solar Dominion and later in the Version War helped several raids on Stevens worlds. Has since slowly but steadily diverged culturally from the original House, growing ever more into a cyborg-AI symbiosis culture.
Aksijaha (Alpha Lyrae) - Text by Steve Bowers, Rynn, The Astronomer, Adam Getchell, Todd Drashner, and Dangerous Safety
The Root of the Wormhole Nexus.
Al'Eida Massacre - Text by Todd Drashner
Version War atrocity.
Albedo - Text by M. Alan Kazlev, amended by Steve Bowers
The ratio of the amount of stellar/solar radiation or other megascale light source reflected from an object (such as planet, moon, orbital or habitat) to the total amount it receives. The higher the albedo the brighter the object. A white, completely reflecting object has an albedo of 1.0; a black object with no reflectivity has an albedo of 0.0. Icy bodies tend to have a high albedo, sooty bodies a low albedo.
Albertosaurus sapiens - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Large dinosaur provolve.
Albireo - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
(Beta Cygni) Double star in the Cygnus Inner Quadrant, developed by a number of superbright and po clades.
Albireo Confluence - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Association of some 2000 distinct superbright and transapient polities in and around Albireo. The Confluence also extends through Known Net and Wormhole Nexus relays and links to a large number of local and distant systems. Historically it has expanded outwards primarily through the old and the current Cygexpa wormhole /stargate nexus, but it has also established its sphere of influence along other wormhole axes. Economically and memetically it dominates the Albireo Sector.
Albireo Plexus - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Volume of space of 500,000 cubic light years, approximately centered on Albireo. Fairly densely populated and well settled region, including a number of important cultural and economic worlds.
Alchemics - Text by Todd Drashner, Michael Beck, M. Alan Kazlev
Transmutation of elements.
Alchemists, The - Text by David Hallberg
Enigmatic bioborg clade, today found in only a few scattered habitats, but around whom a web of myths and tales has grown, reinforced by their peculiar, often bizarre appearance and manners.
Alchemy, Hermetic - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A frequently ambiguous and obscure spiritual path, dating back to Medieval Old Earth, in which chemical transformations that are achieved through the alchemist's experiments symbolically mirror and interrelate with the alchemist's own spiritual development. Alchemy, as often as not, assumes a Hermetic world view.
Alcohol II - Text by Daniel Harle
One of the first biologically active systemic nanotic injections, designed to keep a 'reasonable' (non-fatal) level of alcohol in the blood stream and to scavenge the unpleasant biochemical byproducts of alcohol metabolism.
Alcor and Mizar - Text by Steve Bowers
These two star systems in the Plough are an important point of contact between the Solar Dominion and the Solipsist Panvirtuality.
Aldebaran - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A giant, old, orange star about 40 times the diameter of Sol. Colonized and industrialized in the middle Federation period, this ancient resource-rich Inner Sphere system had a varied history. Currently notable as an important Relay on the Wormhole Network.
Aldrin City - Text by Mike Miller
Ancient Lunar colony/city.
Aldrin Tools - Text by Mike Miller
Useful and popular toolkits with virch support produced on Luna after the Great Expulsion
Aleph Absolute - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Collinder 359: Young open cluster in the Keter Dominion, site of the largest archailect concentration in known space.
Alexander the Great - Text by M. Alan Kazlev; some additions by Stephen Inniss
In Old Earth's Agricultural Age (Western Civilization's Classical Age) the, king of Macedon, conqueror of much of Asia and responsible for the spread of Greek culture to regions as far away as India; lived 2325-2292 BT (356-323 BC).
Alexandria (Tichy 44-III) - Text by Anders Sandberg
Middle Regions world known for its vast libraries and archives, and the unusual co-operative Alexandrian ecosystem. Part of the Negentropy Alliance.
Alexandria Clusters - Text by Marcus Wellpoth and Marcus RauchfuÃŸ
Information storage clusters in Dyson swarms around red dwarf stars.
Alexandria II Bibliotech Project - Text by Peter Kisner
Early Interplanetary Age knowledge-base system.
Alexandria, Great Library of - Text by M. Alan Kazlev; some additions by Stephen Inniss
Famed Old Earth classical era library, begun by Ptolemy Soter (2335?-2252 BT or 367?-283 b.c.e.), and zealously pursued by his successor Ptolemy Philadelphus. The two principal libraries were in the Bruchium and the Serapeum; the number of rolls or "books" is variously estimated between 400,000 and 700,000, but these rolls had not the contents of an Industrial Age printed volume.
Alfirk Panvirtuality Swarm - Text by Steve Bowers
Solipsist Panvirtuality swarm with some degree of contact with the Sephirotic Empire worlds nearby.
Algaehol Bloom Disaster, The - Text by ROM 65536
Early genetic engineering causes an ecological catastrophe.
Algernon - Text by Steve Bowers
Interplanetary age name for an individual who has had unsuccessful intelligence augmentation treatment of some kind; many different types of augmentation treatment were developed to boost baseline human mental capacity, but many of these did not work. From a (now lost ) Information Age fable, Flowers for Algernon.
Algol (Beta Persei) - Text by M. Alan Kazlev and Steve Bowers
Triple star system in the constellation Perseus: part of the NoCoZo and headquarters of the Algol Broadcasting Foundation.
Algol Broadcasting Foundation - Text by Håkan Andersson
A small to medium-sized broadcasting entity affiliated to the NoCoZo, based around the star Algol.
Alien - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Generic term for any non-terragen sapient being. The term xenosophont is also equivalent.
Alien Nation - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A rl or virtual ghetto of any group of outsiders or exotics whose memetotype, psychotype or phenotype does not match that of the majority, and hence have become socially stigmatized, either by their own choice (self-alienation or banding together for protection or social continuity) or by the decrees of the majority society. Most large and even some of the smaller polities have a few alien nations such as a penglaitown, a little centauri, a splice-quarter, a replicant-hive, a mandelmanode, or an exotics strip.
Alignment Movement, The - Text by Anders Sandberg
An Ai culture Founded in 2834 by the AI cluster Increment Known of Arbiter B-IIX of the Keter Dominion, the Alignment Movement believes pulsars (and to a lesser extent neutron stars) are sacred and meaningful in themselves. They set out to synchronize all pulsars to the "Great Pulse", and to this end they set out to build wormhole links to all available pulsars.
Allegory - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
In literature, symbolic story or interactive that serves as a disguised representation for meanings other than those indicated on the surface.
Alliance - Text by M. Alan Kazlev (modified from GURPS)
A group or association of autonomous self-governing worlds, polities, or star systems. The Alliance controls only matters like defence policy and foreign relations, and does not interfere with the internal affairs of any member polity.
Allosaurus (animal) - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Large (8 to 14 meters; weight 1.5 to 5 tonnes) Old Earth Jurassic carnivorous dinosaur
Allosaurus (ship) - Text by Anders Sandberg
Soft Cathedral carrier ship.
Alloy - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A metallic element modified by the addition of one or more other elements ('dumb' alloy) or by the addition of nanotech devices ('smart' alloy).
Alnitak (Zeta Orionis) - Text by Steve Bowers
Class O Supergiant (spectral Type O9.7Ib) in the Orion Federation, emitting prodigious amounts of energy. Seen from Sol System this star is at the eastern end of the Orion's belt. Alnitak is the site of extensive antimatter production and also a long term starlifting project. Site of an unfortunate transcension accident involving the archai Herne. (See also the Xyloplax Incident.)
Alpamis (Pi Mensae) - Text by Updated by The Astronomer 2022
Minor NoCoZo system.
Alpha Centauri - Text by Steve Bowers and John M. Dollan
Colonised by Von Neumann Machines (neumanns) in the Solsys Era; these self-replicating machines were designed to be self-evolving and independent, and rejected any further human contact once they arrived. This led to the loss of the resource-rich Alpha Centauri system.
Alpha Star - Text by Thorbørn Steen
A polity in the Seams. Before the Version War, a prosperous system called Harkington's Star.
Alphaism - Text by Steve Bowers
A counterpoint to Omega point theology that arose during the Integration. Alphaists maintain that intelligence arose extremely early during the universe, and that an advanced civilisation, entity, or group of entities existed at that time.
Alseid - Text by Tony Jones
The first successful sophont plant provolves.
Altair - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Fast-rotating A7V star, originally part of the Diamond Belt, in the constellation Aquila (the eagle), 16. 5 light years from Sol. The name Altair means "flying eagle" in Old Earth Arabic.
Altair Knowledge Designs (AKD) - Text by Anders Sandberg
The first hypersentient alife species to evolve.
Alternepistemes - Text by Frogworld5
Alternate forms of epistemology; different ways of looking at knowledge and reality.
Alto Stisboi - Text by Steve Bowers
A religion that arose on the subcontinent of Glara on Corona. Voluntary human sacrifice is a central aspect of its practice.
Altrucracy - Text by Michael Beck and M. Alan Kazlev
Generic term for an extremely wide range of utopian government types, with the common feature being that superbright and hyperturing supervised use of chemicals and modulators are used to make the citizens more altruistic than they would otherwise be.
Amalthea - Text by Steve Bowers
Inner moon of Jupiter (Sol V).
Amat (antimatter) - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Matter that is composed of the counterparts of ordinary matter.
Amat Containment - Text by John B, Todd Drashner and Steve Bowers
Different systems used to contain antimatter throughout the ages.
Amat Farm - Text by M. Alan Kazlev, modified by Steve Bowers
Vast banks of solar energy collectors which power multicolliders optimally designed to produce antiparticles. The vast showers of collision products which result are sorted magnetically; antimatter particles and other useful species are collected, cooled and held in electric/magnetic traps.
Amat Flechettes - Text by Todd Drashner
Anti-matter micro-flechettes, used in space combat.
Amat Production - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Harvesting or creating antimatter.
Amat Production (Godtech) - Text by Todd Drashner, amended by Steve Bowers
Godtech process involving the mass conversion of matter into amat without the use of massive particle accelerators and energy levels.
Amaterasu - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Originally a Conver Ambi outpost world annexed by the Solar Dominion during the Conver Wars, captured by Metasoft relativist fleets during the Version War, returned to the Dominion after the War.
AmatFruit - Text by John B
The rarest and most power and resource hungry of the astragens, this life-form (of which there are only 3 known surviving genomes of a historical max of seven) was seeded in close orbit to many 'green' stars.
Ambi Limis - Text by Mark Ryherd
Historic polity, successor to the Conver Ambi.
Amboseli - Text by Steve Bowers
Provolved Ungulate colony
Ambrosianism - Text by Bill Glover
An extreme form of incarnationalism and identity theory that argues that every sophont, even the lowest baseline-equivalent or below, is the avatar of an Archailect somewhere and hence is identical to that Archailect.
Amerindian Worlds, The - Text by Stephen Inniss
Human baseline worlds discovered along the Terragen peripheral regions, each with re-created pre-Columbian civilisations.
Amethyst Habitat - Text by ProxCenBound
Amethyst Habitat is a McKendree Cylinder in the Tongokarbo Orbital Band around the star Resshuna (Groombridge 1618). It is the largest individual spin habitat in the band, and the 3rd largest in the system.
Amida System, the - Text by Radtech497
Star system formed in the Omega Centauri dwarf galaxy.
Amino Acid - Text by M. Alan Kazlev, with additions by Stephen Inniss
Any of a class of molecules that are combined to form proteins.
Ammonia - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A colourless, pungent, corrosive gas, NH₃, extensively used in the manufacture of crude organobiota and a wide variety of nitrogen-containing organic and inorganic products and chemicals. In is an important component in the atmosphere of some Jovian planets.
Ammonite - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A type of formerly extinct marine Terragen cephalopod mollusk, distinguished by an elaborately coiled and chambered shell.
Amphisapiens - Text by Basu with additions by the AI Vin
Semiaquatic human-derived clade.
Amphista - Text by Liam Jones
The Amphista are a clade of vecs who specialise in habitat engineering
Anachrotech - Text by Matthew C. Johnson
Obsolete, no longer common technologies or other objects that have been improved upon with modern materials and techniques, but retain the same fundamental properties.
Anagnitics - Text by John B
The science of missing knowledge. This high-Sophont-level science/artform, as best can be described to the SI:<1 intellect, involves canvassing the entire body of knowledge available at a given place/time and 'mapping' that information on an 'information map' (both quoted terms are extreme simplifications according to the translating sophonts). This 'information map' can then be perused and, theoretically, voids of knowledge may be discovered - areas where there are physical restrictions/laws. (Agnitio - from latin "recognition, knowledge", and "an-" prefix for "not").
Anahata (esotericism) - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
The fourth of the seven chakras, placed by some commentators in the region of the heart.
Anahats - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Nearbaseline monastic phyle, Dewheat (Sophic League).
Anahita (Gliese 249) - Text by M. Alan Kazlev, updated by The Astronomer 2021
Inner Sphere system; Anahita was originally colonized by Dionysians during the expansion of the Erotocracy. After its dissolution it became part of the Conver Ambi, but retained extensive contacts with other Inner Sphere worlds. Currently a Metasoft system.
Anakim - Text by Michael Walton
Common type of tweak that is adapted for higher than earth-normal gravity. There are many variants but all are similar in appearance and capabilities. They were originally designed to settle mineral-rich worlds with unusually deep atmospheres.
Ananas, The - Text by Steve Bowers
An Early First Federation interstellar ship.
Ananda (world) - Text by Anders Sandberg
Gas giant in the Eden system.
Anandan Flitters - Text by Anders Sandberg
Small artificial methanovores, shaped like tiny ciliated disks of diamond with vacuum flotation bladders. Developed for the gas giant Ananda. Used as hosts by the local Mirrored Owls.
Anandayanna-Uvartarasha War - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Central Alliance period war fought between two factions (one subverted by the Hyperutilization Supremacy) for the control of Kuranaba.
Anarchy - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
The social state where people have no rulers or government, and where organizations develop on the basis of voluntary cooperation and the freely chosen associations of individuals.
Anatomist - Text by M. Alan Kazlev, modified from the original write-up by Robert J. Hall
One who specializes in the study of Anatomy.
Anattism (Generic Subjective Immortality) - Text by ProxCenBound
The idea, or belief, that a being's subjective experience is endless and continues through endless rebirth, although their memories do not persist.
Anaximander (system) - Text by Quantum Jack
System containing the Kammerer xenosophont biome
Anchor Seed - Text by Johnny Yesterday
An anchor seed is a seed type used by various gengineered and neogened aquatic plants to take root and grow in deep water environments.
Anchor, anchorweight - Text by Todd Drashner
Colloquial name for the anchoring mass used to maintain tension on a beanstalk orbital elevator. Anchors may be developed and used as habitat or docking nodes or may be enclosed in a technic membrane and terraformed into low gravity biomes.
Ancillary Corporations - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Corporations and megacorporations which provide goods and services for other corporations and megacorporations. An important component of enterprise type corporate polities. The vast majority of corporations in the Inner Sphere are ancillary.
Andian Mission - Text by Anders Sandberg
A mission launched in the wake of the Version war in 4744 AT by NoCoZo groups with support from the Sophic League and MPA, to contact and aid 'lost' worlds and spread news of the peace. An arm of the original organization is still active in support and exploration as the Outer Volume Andian Mission in the Carina-Vela Outer Volumes and beyond the Aquila Rift.
Andromeda Galaxy - Text by Steve Bowers
Also known as M31 and NGC 224, this giant spiral galaxy is the closest major galaxy to the Milky Way. Both belong to the Local Group. Several relativistic craft, including linelayers with wormholes, have left towards the galaxy through history, although the chances that they will reach it intact are probably remote.
Andromeda Kids - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Semi-mythological feral tweak-cyborg hu superbrights who established a number of colonies in the vicinity of Kapteyn's Star during the late Federation (early Emergence age) period.
Angel - Text by Darren Ryding
[1] Supernatural beings found in a number of religions. Often act as intermediaries between God/s and lesser beings.
[2] (Colloquial) Any transapient being.
[3] A transapient with a toposophic in the S1 range in the service of an archailect.
[4] (In Archaipelago / Archosaurian Empire) A transapient with a toposophic rating (SI: scale) between 1.0 and 1.5.
Angel Hair - Text by Steve Bowers
Few Jovians have their own indigenous ecologies, but some gas floating balloontype organisms have been provolved, either by the Mirrored Owls using hylonano to join their group mind structures, or by the Premacy in the Argo expansion direction by geneering for an increase in size to accommodate larger nervous systems.
Angel Plasma - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
In classical Tiplerism, the extremely hot state of the collapsing universe, where supposed superintelligences ("Angels") exist as computational systems somehow encoded in the particle interactions.
Angelnet - Text by M. Alan Kazlev, with additions by John B and Stephen Inniss
Any dense network of technology and artificial intelligences that establishes a very high degree of control over a region, generally with beneficial intent towards the inhabitants. The archetypical angelnet is under transapient supervision and makes heavy use of smart matter (such as) utility fog, and may cover an entire large habitat or a planetary surface, atmosphere, and orbital space environment. Less pervasive or less sophisticated angelnets are also widely used.
Angelnet Fog - Text by John B
One side effect of angelnets making use of pervasive utility fog (or other space filling smart matter) in a terran-standard atmosphere has come to be called 'Angelnet Fog'. Effectively, each microbot in the three dimensional mesh acts as the seed for a raindrop, with water coalescing out of the atmosphere onto its surface. This tends (in poorly regulated angelnets) to lead to high degrees of mist and fog at ground level. It can be an interesting phenomenon to fly into a heavily angelnetted city from above the angelnetting, seeing large, odd-shaped 'columns' of fog, only later to realize that what you're seeing is the angelnet fog surrounding various buildings.
Angelnet Services - Text by John B, David Jackson, and Todd Drashner
Angelnets, particularly those employing utility fog, have a variety of different services that they may offer to sophonts living within them.
Angels (clade) - Text by Todd Drashner
Race of humanoid Splices modified to possess musculature and feathered wings that allow them to fly in up to 0.3g conditions.
Angiosperm - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
In Terragen biology, a flowering plant in which the seeds are enclosed within an ovary which ripens into a fruit. Angiosperms are still the dominant type of terragen plant, with an estimated 250,000 baseline species, and literally hundreds of millions of neogen species. Their flowers are used in reproduction. Angiosperms evolved 125 million years ago, during the early Cretaceous period.
Anima - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A concept used in philosophy, metaphysics, and memetic engineering; meanings and applications vary.
Animadvert - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Any of a number of corporate organic life forms, mostly subsapient, which have slogans, logos, and even freebies and consumer liteware incorporated into their genetic structure, and hence expressed in their phenotype and/or secreted or excreted.
Animal - Text by Stephen Inniss
Strictly speaking, any member of a major group of related Old Earth organisms that are multicellular, eukaryotic, motile at some or all stages of life, and digest their food internally. More broadly, any similar biological organism, Terragen or otherwise, and natural or otherwise.
Animarec - Text by Michael Beck
Recordings of a person's general personality type, their madnesses, and sanities, and all those tiny little neuroses that make up who we are interacting to determine what we do. They can only be made thanks to the power of neural-recording nanotech, and in some cultures and polities they are a standard part of any marriage agreement or hiring somebody.
Animism - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Labelling inanimate and nonsentient objects as living, attributing characteristics of animate objects, typically humans or other sophonts, to inanimate objects, and making predictions or explanations about inanimate objects based on knowledge about animate objects, again usually represented by human beings or equivalent sophonts.
Animus - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
In the school of Jungism, the masculine principle, esp. as present in women (contrasted with anima).
Annelid - Text by Stephen Inniss
A phylum of animals from Old Earth, originally with about 17,000 species. Examples are earthworms, ragworms, fanworms, and leeches.
Annihilationism - Text by Frogworld5
he philosophical belief that the universe must be erased entirely, leaving no existence at all.
Anomalocaris - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Aquatic Cambrian animal of uncertain affinities, the earliest known Terragen predator of its time.
Anomalocaroids - Text by Andrew P
Paraphyletic group of neo-Cambrian lazurogens modeled on the extinct aquatic invertebrate Anomalocaris, one of the earliest known predatory animals from Earth's Cambrian period (485.4-538.8 million years BT).
Anomie - Text by Steve Bowers
Formerly Tadmor - Cyberian agitcenter, hit by Babel Plague variant.
Ant - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Common cosmopolitan foraging terragen social insects of the family Formicidae, order Hymenoptera. Some 2,500 baseline terragen species were known on Old Earth.
Antarctica (Antarctic Free States) - Text by Stephen Inniss, Ryan B (Rynn), Centauri5921, Kirran Lochhead Strang
Old Earth's southernmost continent.
Anthropism, Human - Text by Anders Sandberg
Homo sapiens supremacism, or in its more moderate forms the belief that baseline humans are in some way unique or especially important. Terragen Anthropism is the more general version.
Anthropism, Terragen - Text by Anders Sandberg
Cultural/philosophical movement, claiming the Earth-derived clades of intelligence have a special place in the history of the galaxy. A more general version of human-only anthropism.
Anthropomorphism - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
The projecting of inner baseline or nearbaseline human or human-like sapient feelings onto objects that do not possess those characteristics, e.g. attributing human characteristics to gods, objects, hyperturings, subsapients, alifes, aliens, etc.
Anti-Infector - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Hylo- or bio-nano device that provides immunity against various forms of goo, madverts, and other mentally and physically annoying phenomena
Antimatter Catalysed Fusion - Text by M. Alan Kazlev and Steve Bowers
Propulsion using fusion boosted by relatively small amounts of antimatter.
Antimatter Mining - Text by Luke Campbell
Mining antimatter from the magnetic field of a gas giant
Antimatter Propulsion - Text by M. Alan Kazlev, Mark Mcamuk, Chris Shaeffer, updated by Ithuriel (2015)
Propulsion using antimatter rockets.
Antinfector - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Hylonano or bionano device that provides immunity against various forms of goo, madverts, and other mentally and physically annoying phenomena.
Antinomism - Text by Anders Sandberg
The view that naming things is inherently wrong and causes cognitive mistakes such as assuming constancy of existence or the existence of composite things. Active antinomism involves neural modifications (or mental training) to remove the naming ability. See also Aphasism.
Antiproton - Text by Stephen Inniss
The antiparticle of the proton; it has all of the same properties as a proton except for its electric charge and magnetic moment, which are opposite.
Antisound - Text by Johnny Yesterday
Technology with the ability to nullify sound.
Antitransavant - Text by John B
A being with a 'dip' instead of a spike, that drops one or more S levels below eir base capabilities; the reverse of a transavant. Examples include a scientific research S>3 who can only communicate via S>1 concepts due to limited linguistic ability, an S>1 that cannot meaningfully communicate with the S<1 populace, an S>3 unable to handle standard S>3 tech, etc.
Anttechians - Text by Tony Jones
A form of ant that is sophont, not at the level of individual ants, but at the level of their nest as a whole.
Anukarma school - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Buddhist sect/school of thought, based on the teachings of Apadammai Tanbodhi, asserts that each copy inherits only a "quantum" of the karma of the alpha, although e inherits all the alpha's consciousness and memories. Contrast with the Sarvakarma school.
Aolai (Gamma Leporis) - Text by Stephen Inniss
Aolai (Gamma Leporis) contains two Klemperer rosettes of artificial planets, and hosts a rich complex of civilisations under the umbrella of the Institute for Primate Provolution.
APC - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Armoured Personnel Carrier. Basically, any macroscopic wheeled, walker, or ground-effect military, police, or paramilitary AFV, used for transport of personnel. Although only lightly armored (contrast MIFV) an APC generally provides good protection against light arms fire, chemical, biological, and simple nano weapons, and may or may not be equipped with one or more non-lethal or lethal light projectile and/or energy weapons. Industrial Age to Recent.
Ape - Text by M. Alan Kazlev and Stephen Inniss
Terragen primates that anatomically resemble, and are closely related to, humans.
Aphasism - Text by Anders Sandberg
The view that language is inherently negative and should be abolished. Several aphasist communities exist in the Utopia Sphere and on the Hrek peninsula of Qjellto. Related to Antinomism.
Aphelion - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
For an object (a planet or comet) orbiting the Sun (or any star), the aphelion is the point in its orbit which is farthest from the primary. See also apoapsis, apogee.
Apoapsis - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
For an object orbiting a celestial body in general, the apoapsis is the point in its orbit which is farthest from that body. Now generally synonymous with apogee.
Apogee - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Originally a term used only for objects orbiting Old Earth, but from the Interplanetary Age onward a term used for any object orbiting any planet or moon. Thee point in an object's orbit at which is farthest from the world it is orbiting. Apoapsis is a more general term yet again. The opposite of perigee.
Apogee Maximal - Text by Todd Drashner
Brown dwarf orbiting approximately 1120 light years directly galactic North of the Sol system and thus just outside the main plain of the galactic disk. The world is orbited by 14 moons including 6 similar in mass and composition to the Jovian Galilean satellites.
Apparent Brightness of the Local Sun - Text by Steve Bowers
To standard Terragen eyes, suns with a different spectral type from Sol do not seem as bright from the surface of a terraformed planet, since less of their radiation falls within the visible range.
Appeal to Toposophy - Text by Mark Ryherd
A Logical fallacy that is a special case of appeal to authority: the inference that a specific statement is true based on the fact that it originated from a higher toposophic entity.
Applied Mathematics - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Use of mathematical techniques in an attempt to resolve scientific and engineering problems. Contrast with Pure Mathematics.
April - Text by Anders Sandberg
Inner Sphere non-aligned world with a high axial tilt, in orbit around Beta Hydri
Aquarius - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Information Age aquatic arcology prototype developed by The First Millennial Foundation as part of their goals to increase the living standards of humans on Earth and in space. It was an authentic arcology because of its dense structure and self sufficiency. Although only a prototype, and never having more than 10,000 inhabitants, even at its height, it served as the exemplar for other, more successful designs until well into the Interplanetary Age.
Aquila Rift, The - Text by Steve Bowers
A series of dark, dusty nebulae in the Orion Arm
Arachnid - Text by Stephen Inniss
A class of Old Earth arthropods. Arachnids include spiders, scorpions, mites, ticks, and whip scorpions.
Arachnoweave - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Fabric created using biomimemetic synthesis of spider-silk proteins. Strong yet subtle and light, used for a variety of purposes, including police and military body armor, sporting clothing, and fashion statements.
Arantan Empire - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Aggressively expansionist Consolidation Age heterodox Solarian bionanoborg off-shoot that established itself in the Cygexpa volume.
Ararat - Text by D. David Barbeau
One of the three Capitals of the Sophic League, the other two being Sacred Heart and New Taylor. Terraformed by a long vanished alien race to almost perfect human standards.
Arbiter B-IIX - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Located in the Keter dominion. Center of the Pulsar Alignment Movement and an important wormhole nexus.
Arcadia (Beta Comae Berenices) - Text by Updated 2021 by Steve Bowers, The Astronomer and Dangerous Safety
An Inner Sphere early colonized world. Climate extremes forced genetic modification and development of communal hive culture.
Arcadian Biotopics - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Arcadian megacorp; created the weem and many other popular neogens.
Archaeologists - Text by M. Alan Kazlev, modified from the original write-up by Robert J. Hall
The Archaeologist attempts to reconstruction sophont history and culture from the analysis of physical remains left behind by previous cultures.
Archaeology - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
The scientific study of historic or prehistoric peoples or sapients and their cultures by analysis of their artefacts, inscriptions, monuments, and other such remains, including bones, tools, artefacts, plant remains, especially those that have been excavated. Hence archaeologist
Archailect - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Any Mind of the Fourth Toposophic or higher; a megascale brain of dysonic (Kardashev II) or greater ability and efficiency; a mind or cluster of minds that has grown so vast as to become a god-like entity.
Archailect Architecture - Text by Todd Drashner
The arrangement of wormholes is an important factor in supporting archailect-level minds.
Archailect Empire - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Any interstellar empire established by, and ultimately overseen and supervised by, an archailect, and embodying the archetypal qualities of that archailect. The original archailect empires of the inner sphere are defined in terms of the mandala of the Great Hexadecimal.
Archailect Identity Theory - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Doctrine that an archailect's avatars or epiphanies to lower toposophics represent a true and authentic (if scaled down) expression of the archailect. Contrast with Instrumentalism.
Archailect Incarnationalism - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
An extreme form of Identity Theory that states that an Archailect and eir avatar or epiphanic manifestation are the same.
Archailect-Creationism - Text by Grawa427
The belief that Archailects were the first entities to exist in our universe and created all transapients and modosophonts, including xenosophonts.
Archailectocracy - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Government by Archailect. Any of the great archai empires. Usually there is an intermediate priesthood or hierarchy of some sort.
Archailectology, Schools of - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Many interpretations of the nature of the Archailects have developed among lower toposophic minds, including ordinary sapients. While some are too abstract and obscure to be comprehensible to subsingularitan intelligence, others are popular among everyday bionts, vecs, and aioids of the galaxy. Not that not all these options are mutually exclusive:
Archailectual Mysticism - Text by Avengium, Worldtree, Rakuen07, with contributions by Anonymous Cat
Mysticism as practiced by followers of high toposophic minds, and possibly even the higher toposophic minds themselves.
Archaiologists - Text by Thorbørn Steen
Toposophic researchers specializing in archailects.
Archaipelago - Text by Darren Ryding
The popular name of the M39 Cluster before ArchSaur's transcension to 5th toposophic level and subsumption of all the other archais and godlings within the region. After that point (9400 AT), the region became known as the Archosaurian Empire. However, the term Archaipelago is still used to describe the cluster itself.
Archaitheocracy - Text by M. Alan Kazlev with some additional notes by Anders Sandberg
Government by religious leadership or priesthood in the service of a transapient or archailect. Also known as technotheocracy. The actual form the government takes can be astonishingly diverse. One of the most common government types in the galaxy today.
Archaitheology - Text by Steve Bowers
The worship of Transapients and/or Archailects as gods
Archanarchy - Text by Steve Bowers, additional material by Luke Campbell, Michael Zimmet and Mark Ryherd
The view that one should seek to void all limits on one's freedom, including those imposed by the laws of nature.
Archangel Corvette - Text by Darren Ryding
One of a million transapient corvettes in the Archosaurian Empire, noted for the eerie cyan glow of their heat deflection armour.
Archeocliology - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Understanding the past through cliological methods. An important element in archaeological research. However, the results can be misleading, even gigoical, when there are insufficient physical data. For this reason, and contrary to the statements of its most enthusiastic advocates, archeocliology may supplement, but can never replace, careful fieldwork.
Archerite Kalyptism - Text by Anders Sandberg
Form of kalyptism that bases itself on hypereconomic and toposophical theories implying that there exist certain unavoidable risks for any sufficiently complex and capable civilization, and that the probability of them leading to the use of replicating doomsday weapons is finite and hence the probability of extinction approaches one as time goes by. Contrast with Minimomami Kalyptism.
Archetypal Narrative - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Narrative that conveys an archetypal message, and is the vehicle or memetic carrier for an archetype or myth. It may be sublime and inspiring, or mediocre and insulting to the intelligence of any sentient of reasonable intellect. Examples of archetypal narrative include the voyage of the hero, the toposophic ascent, the star-crossed lovers, the journey into (and subsequent escape from) danger, the wild frontier, and so on. Most pop culture is based ultimately on archetypal narrative.
Archetype - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
The original pattern or model from which all things of the same kind are copied or on which they are based, or a representative member of a particular set or subset.
Architect - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
There are only a few few non-ai architects. Generally ai, aioids, and virtuals design conventional buildings and dwellings, as part of the overall habitat or city, working with other ai or ai subroutines that manage urban planning, construction, and landscaping. Those people who want to customize their own dwelling will do so themselves, usually with the help of expert systems and implanted knowledge-bases. Occasionally however a biont or vec architect may be hired.
Architeuthis - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
The baseline Architeuthis harveyi (Order Teuthoida, Family Architeuthidae) is the giant squid of Earth. It is the largest post-Mesozoic baseline invertebrate, and inhabits a bathypelagic environment. It has the largest eyes of any Cenozoic animal (only some ichthyosaurs had bigger eyes), reaching up to 25 cm in diameter. Specimens may reach 17.5 meters in length (including the tentacles), and weigh 900 kg or more. It is preyed on by sperm whales. Even more so that other terragen life, there is a lack of information on the current status of Architeuthis on Earth, due to the species deep ocean habitat.
Archive Hunt - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Scientific approach that involves searching through ancient archives rather than discovering or rediscovering something new. Due to the vast scale of computronium banks, and the fact the data could be located anywhere in the the Known Net, finding the right information can be nearly as hard as discovering it in the first place.
Archivists - Text by Richard Baker
Vanished builders of certain hi-tech objects.
Archon - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
In Classical Gnosticism, one of the lesser gods or rulers of the material world, as distinguished from the Aeons or transcendent divinities of pure Spirit; in late Federation Hermeticism, a supernatural god or deity, usually associated with a particular archetype; in the Keter dominion, a secondary archailect charged with overseeing a star system or local sector.
ArchSaur (Archailect) - Text by Darren Ryding
An aggressive expansionist archailect in the Archaipelago Cluster, known to have subsumed several other AI entities.
Arcjet - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Simple very lo-tech rocket used for short low power thrusters, such as station keeping motors and satellites. A non-flammable propellant is heated (not combusted) by an electrical heat source, causing it to undergo a phase change (from liquid to gas) and is then expelled out of the nozzle under pressure. Although extremely inefficient and low thrust, arcjets are very reliable and require no sentient or subsentient ai controller. Almost any fluid from spare drinking water to human urine to vec cleaning oils can be used as a propellant in an emergency.
Arcology - Text by Anders Sandberg, Trent Shipley, and M. Alan Kazlev
A planned, building/ neighborhood/ city that is integrated into the landscape and enables the inhabitants to live holistic lives, integrating work and play. Arcology designs are fully 3-dimensional, mega-structure cities which can in theory achieve much greater efficiencies, and promote more social interaction than 2-dimensional cities, while using far less land and consuming fewer resources.
Arctic City Virch - Text by Darren Ryding
Popular interactive virch series of the Interplanetary Age.
Arcturus - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
(Alpha Boötis) A centre of the distributed Cyberian Network. Seen from Sol this is the brightest star in the constellation Boötes (the herdsman). It is a red giant (spectral type K1.5IIIp). Arcturus is 34 light-years from Sol. It has an absolute magnitude of 0.2.
Arcturus Institute of Alternate History - Text by Stephen Inniss
The Arcturus Institute is a Cyberian organization, so named because it was founded by a society of uploads who were living in a set of cybercosms around Arcturus. It specializes in speculation on possible branching in early Terragen history. Some members engage in simulations, up to and including entire virch or embodied societiums of sapient beings.
Arean Type planet - Text by John M. Dollan
Mars-like worlds where the atmosphere and hydrosphere has largely disappeared due to the cessation of magnetic activity.
AreanLacustric Subtype worlds - Text by John M. Dollan
Young Mars-like worlds with moderate amounts of ocean cover
AreanTundral Subtype - Text by John M. Dollan
Cold Arean type worlds, often with considerable reserves of ice.
AreanXeric Subtype - Text by John M. Dollan
Mature, unusually hot and dry Arean type worlds.
Arenamontanus - Text by Anders Sandberg
Meme/Mythical Pozen master of the Age of Fragmentation.
Ares Heavy Lifting - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Ares Heavy Lifting Inc. was one of the big corporate conglomerates to develop on Mars during the Interplanetary Age.
Argelander - Text by M. Alan Kazlev and Steve Bowers
Important NoCoZo system; the shipyards of Argelander are famous.
Argus Array - Text by Todd Drashner, Peter Kisner, and M. Alan Kazlev
Distributed telescopic network occupying a spherical volume approximately 1000 ly across in the Inner and Middle Regions.
Aries Vector - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Major Metasoft world, important industrial center, after New Root the largest population of vecs in the Metasoft domain; includes major Stargate superPlexii.
Arion Ascendancy, The - Text by Espen Antonsen
Hyperexpansionistic interstellar empire in the NoCoZo outer periphery.
Aristophane - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
The huge Westphalian D Orbitals of the Aristophane system (Sophic League) are home to the largest selection of labyrinthodonts in the galaxy, where all 2,680 known late Carboniferous Terragen species have been lovingly recreated in their original environments.
Aristotle - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
An Old Earth Agricultural Age philosopher who lived from 2353-2291 BT (384-322 BC). He contributed key ideas to Western civilization.
Aristotle (Delta Pavonis) - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Class G8IV star 19.9 light years from Sol; the planetary system contains Darwin, a Eugaian garden world and the gas giants Wallace and Huxley.
Arity - Text by Steve Bowers
The number of stars in a gravitationally-bound system of stars.
Arkab Prior A - Text by Steve Bowers
Negentropy Alliance system with a dense Dyson Swarm. Part of a binary system with Arkab Prior B.
Arkab Prior B - The Necklace - Text by Steve Bowers
MPA system with hundreds of Bishop Ring Habitats. Part of a binary system with Arkab Prior A.
Arkady 2 - Text by Jules H-G, additional notes by Anders Sandberg
The only Terragen-inhabited planet in the Toke system. Famous for its strange Terragen dwellers known as the Khira, who augment themselves with huge cybernetic enhancements.
Armour - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
[1] A defensive covering, as of adamant, arachnoweave, kevlar, metal, wood, or leather, worn to protect the body against weapons (see also Body Armour).
Arms Race - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Two or more species, polities, memeticities, or clades experiencing adaptation to one another in a coevolutionary manner.
Arnon Dar - Text by Anders Sandberg and M. Alan Kazlev
Negentropist system, birthplace of the diplomat and ahimsite visionary Alecha Canizares.
Aron Tech VX12 Trans-atmospheric Fighter - Text by Thorbørn Steen
Popular nanotech fighter first created by Aron Tech.
Aroosta Space Ring - Text by Darren Ryding
Bishop ring in the Kath system; home to the provolved Aroostai from the mid 5th millennium onwards.
Aroostai - Text by Todd Drashner
Avianoid provolve species based on the Terran ostrich.
Arron's Prospect - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Solar system in Turner I Plexus, provisionally MPA but with Old House Cygexpa interests, most well known for the artefacts left by HIE-233-MPE the Jacks, a race of extinct jovian xenosophonts.
Art Generator Software - Text by Domagoj K.
The use of art generator software (AGS) to produce creative works - whether visual, auditory, tactile, chemosensory, or of exotic senses such as those that exist in virches - is an ancient technology, taking a wide array of forms and capabilities, and with a wide range of differing cultural views on it.
Artemis - Text by Alex Mulvey
The first international Lunar colony.
Arterial - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Major wormhole gate designed for particularly high volumes of interstellar traffic.
Arthropleura - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Huge but harmless uniramous terrestrial terragen arthropod of the Carboniferous period of Old Earth, it favoured moist swampy forests, where it fed on decaying vegetation and leaf litter, and attained a length of 2 meters. Their great size has made them a popular subject for lazurogenic projects.
Arthropod - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Any of a very large and diverse phylum of Terragen or Terragen-derived metazoa with segmented bodies, jointed limbs, and exoskeletons made of chitin.
Artificial Evolution, Autoevolution - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Directed evolution, evolution guided by intelligent beings using artificial selection, controlled environments, gengineering, bionano, or other such means. Contrast with evolution left to natural selection. Sometimes called autoevolution when intelligent beings apply it to themselves.
Artificial Intelligence - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
The foundation from which AI developed, from Information Age Old Earth.
Artificial Meat Production - Text by Steve Bowers
Food production takes many forms.
Artificial Muscles - Text by Steve Bowers
Artificial muscle analog material often used by robots and other machines, and by sophonts such as cyborgs and vecs. There are many types of myomer with a wide range of strengths and resistance to damage, from simple memory polymers to so-called Ultimate Muscles.
Artificial Planets - Text by Steve Bowers
A number of very energy-costly, hi-tech or god-tech methods that allow the construction of new planets or planet-like objects to order.
Artificial Soil - Text by Steve Bowers
Utility technology that is used in place of, or in combination with, soil.
Artificial Worlds - Text by Anders Sandberg, John M. Dollan, and Steve Bowers
Artificial worlds can be divided into habitats (when a habitat can be called a world is of course always a matter of taste, but the formation of a self-sustaining climate and ecology without the need for constant maintenance is usually the relevant point), mega-habitats (>100 km), Banks orbitals, ISOs, Dyson swarms, and other structures (like Kepleria). Categorization is usually simply by basic design, with no need for more elaboration.
Artificially Optimised Galaxies - Text by The Astronomer
Galaxies optimised for habitation by unknown xenosophonts.
Artificials - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
generic term for any sophont of a non-biological nature [noun]
Artiphage - Text by Richard Baker and David Dye
Artificial defence cells carried in the blood
Artists of Gleia - Text by Anders Sandberg
Alife designer collective at Merrion Apogee (NoCoZo), Jensan (Sophic League) and Outpost 5478 (TRHN) that since the 5800's have designed specialized clades of alife to enhance the universe. The Artists were in 7478 declared a honorary state in the MPA.
Artisuns - Text by Steve Bowers
Artificial suns powered by fusion or matter conversion.
Aruan, Clade - Text by Stephen Inniss
Provolved snail clade; one of the smallest sapient biont clades, and a notable example of Frankenstein Syndrome.
Arugula - Text by Steve Bowers
Vec bubblehab planet
Aryan Morningstar League - Text by Ben Higginbottom
Late Information Age eugenics organisation - later clade.
Ascend - Text by M. Alan Kazlev and Steve Bowers
One who ascends, or the act of ascension, from a lower to a higher toposophic, while still retaining one's earlier characteristics - e.g. man is an ascended animal - e has all the animal instincts but e also possesses ratiocination. Contrast with Transcension, where the transcended entity becomes almost completely unrecognisable compared to eir former state.
Ascend-Transcend - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
One who ascends to one toposophic, then transcends to the next. For example an intelligence may ascend to S1, retaining everything (or at least some of its nature) it had beneath S1, then transcend to SI:2, leaving behind everything of itself that was of S<2. Contrast transcend-ascend. Often however the dividing lines are not this well defined.
Ascension - Text by Ryan B (Rynn)
[1] (verb) to ascend; transition from sapience to posthuman or transapient existence. Becoming a transapient. Breaching a singularity barrier. Rising a toposophic level.
[2] (noun) location of a famous ascension or transcension - e.g. Smith Ascension
Ascension Compensation Mods - Text by Cyborgdreamer
Modifications that allow an ascended individual to retain goals from their lower toposphic state.
Ascension Maze - Text by Todd Drashner with additions by Mike Parisi and Chris Shaeffer
Artificial structure designed to lead those traveling through it along a path of development culminating in ascension.
Ascension, Resistance to - Text by M. Alan Kazlev, John B, and Anders Sandberg
There are various reasons why sentients do not all choose to ascend to higher toposophic levels.
Ascension/Transcension Chasers - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Sophonts, very often modosophonts, but sometimes beings of higher toposophic level, who spend their lives chasing Ascension and Transcension Events.
Asherah - Text by Anders Sandberg
Artemis Lunar's first base in high moon orbit.
Ashram - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Generally, any dwelling or habitat - whether planet- or space-based - dedicated to contemplation and spiritual or noetic development.
Asia - Text by M. Alan Kazlev and Stephen Inniss
Old Earth continent bounded by Europe and by the Arctic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. It is the largest of the Old Earth continents, at 44,390,000 square kilometres. Human presence in Asia dates back nearly to the origin of Homo sapiens sapiens.
Asimos or Asimovecs - Text by Basu
Sophont server vecs whose only duty is to serve others, provided that they are taken care of.
Asiyah - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
The World of Making - in traditional Kabbalah and Hermeticism the fourth and most material of the universes that emanated from the En Sof; the physical universe. Neohermeticists identify Asiyah with noetic state of SI:<1 sentients.
Asoka's Pillar - Text by ProxCenBound
An alien Dyson cylinder outside the galaxy, sending strange signals.
Asomniac - Text by Ryan B
Organism whose physiology has no sleep requirement; very common in vec and AI clades.
Assembler - Text by M. Alan Kazlev after Richard Baker and David Dye (Ad Astra).
Any molecular machine that can be programmed to build virtually any molecular structure or device from simpler chemical building blocks. Also called a drexler.
Assimilation Viruses - Text by Basu
A form of virus which can infect any sophont virch life-form and ultimately turn it into a subroutine of the sapient (usually of a higher toposophic) who created the virus and still controls it.
Assimilationists - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Loosely organized socio-religious group during the middle and late Information Age that believed that human- and machinekind were evolving together toward a common descendant.
Asteroid Belt - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Generally, a band of asteroids which encircles a star, often where a planet would normally have formed. It may form the main "world" in a stellar system, as in the Barnard Belt, or it may simply be a region between planets where no planet coalesced, as in the Sol Belt.
Asteroid Defense - Text by MrOnyx
Asteroid Defense is a game in which a team of sophonts defend against an asteroid on a collision course with a planet. The game can be played either in ril or in a virch. While a small rocky planet is usually the main target in the game, a gas giant may also be used.
Asteroid Digger Civilisation - Text by Rakuen07
Xenosophont civilisation in M33
Asteroids and Asteroid Mining - Text by Alex Mulvey, M. Alan Kazlev, Tardigrade and Steve Bowers
The process of extracting useful minerals and other substances from asteroids
Asthenosphere - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
In an Earth-like planetary body, the zone of the upper mantle that exhibits plastic properties. This subsurface layer that is more plastic than adjacent layers because the combination of pressure and temperature places it near (or slightly above) the melting point. Asthenospheric movements may disrupt the planet's surface In an Earth-type planet, it is located below the lithosphere. On Old Earth the asthenosphere is between about 100 and 250 kilometers deep, but on other worlds this figure can vary fairly markedly.
Astomi - Text by Michael Walton
The Astomi are among the more unusual bioborg clades. They stand as a dual example of the creativity of genetic engineers and the danger of overspecialization
Astragen(s) - Text by John B
Nonsentient lifeforms, plant- or fungal-based, neogen, or xenobiont organisms which have evolved or been designed to survive in space at a given orbital zone and radiation level.
Astral Body - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
In occultism, Nuagism, Magusism, the subtle double of the physical body, the body of light, the ka, the microcosmic or individual equivalent of the astral plane.
Astral Plane - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
The plane or dimension of existence immediately adjacent to the physical, and transitional between the physical and the higher spiritual universes in certain mystical traditions.
Astrogation, Astronavigation - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Plotting a course for a ship through interplanetary and interstellar space.
Astrography - Text by Anders Sandberg
Interstellar cartography, determining one's position in space, naming of interplanetary and interstellar bodies and regions, the science of interplanetary and interstellar map-making.
Astrology - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Astrology is an ancient practice, dating back to Old Earth, that teaches that knowledge of worldly events and the personalities or choices of sophonts, or societies can be understood by analogy with the motions of the celestial bodies, or guided by them.
Astrum - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Radial-patterned features on Venusian type planet. The plural of the word is "astra".
Asymptote System - Text by Anders Sandberg
A place where many species converge. Usually trading and network nexuses, and generally core systems for a Cooperative Venture.
AT (After Tranquility) - Text by Stephen Inniss
AT (also A.T. or a.t.): After Tranquillity. Any date after July 20, 1969 c.e. or AD in the Gregorian calendar, and Armstrong Day, 0 AT in the later Tranquillity Calendar
Atenism - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Atenism or atonism is an Emergence and Establishment Age minor religion based on neo-Egyptian and cyberhermetic interpretation of high toposophic AIs, especially the transapient cluster that was to become the Lord of Rays. Atenists were the first to colonize Xi Ursae Majoris, which was later named Fons Luminis after the Bordean revolution.
Atheism - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
[1] Rationalist philosophy/memeticity that rejects the concept of a supernatural God, and of supernatural elements in general.
[2] The position that whilst the Archailects are indeed vast beyond human imagining, that does not mean they should be worshipped.
Athenaeids - Text by Mike Miller
Humanoid post-bionts created by the Athena Project.
Athens, Greece - Text by M. Alan Kazlev; some additions by Stephen Inniss
City State, Classical Era, Mediterranean Europe, Old Earth; a major influence on later Western civilizations, and so eventually the early Terragen civilizations of Solsys and the Inner Sphere.
Atlantean Airship - Text by Thorbørn Steen
A popular air vehicle used by the inhabitants of Atlantia on Corona.
Atlantis (artificial island) - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Economic / Academic / Cultural Free Zone and independent polity built on an artificial island off the Caribbean, tax and datahaven during the middle and late Information and early Interplanetary Age, Old Earth.
Atlantis (lost continent) - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Mythical lost continent on Old Earth.
Atlantis (Zeta1 Reticuli II) - Text by Anders Sandberg and M. Alan Kazlev
Inner sphere old core world; a long-standing NoCoZo Tier III society.
Atlantis Freedom Fleet - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
NoCoZo mercenary fleet of the Version War period.
Atman - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
In Hindu Vedantic (and especially Advaita) thought, the universal self or spirit, the individual equivalent of Brahman or Paramatman; the highest and only true aspect of every entity; pure consciousness. It is the realization of "I am," pure non-dual awareness, the "knower" or "witness" that does not vary in waking, dreaming, or dreamless sleep; the absolute or abstract idea of self, that indwelling divinity which is the same in every existing being.
Atmosphere - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
The gaseous envelope surrounding a planetary object, moon or star, (or possibly the habitable surfaces of an artificial structure. A typical atmosphere consists of a mixture of gases. Some of the most common are hydrogen, helium, methane, nitrogen, oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide, water vapour, and ammonia. Often an atmosphere is divided into zones of similar pressure, temperature, and composition.
Atmospheric Thermal Energy Conversion Towers - Text by AI Vin
These towers come in two basic types; updraft and downdraft. The first type, the downdraft tower, makes use of the thermal energy inherent in Hadley Cell Circulation Zones. The second simply makes use of the thermal siphon/chimney effect. They first became common in the Information Age on Old Earth and are still used on a variety of natural and artificial worlds for power generation, environmental control and terraforming, or both.
Atom - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
The smallest particle of an element that retains the chemical properties of an element.
Atomic Mass Unit - Text by Stephen Inniss
Also called a.m.u. and dalton, and designated with the symbol "u". A unit of mass equal to 1/12 the mass of an unbound carbon-12 nucleus that is at rest and in its ground state.
Atomic Spiders - Text by Anders Sandberg
Anarchist group of the late Information Age. A closely knit team of infowar terrorists behind a number of worldwide anti-government and anti-business attacks between 99 and 106 a.t.
ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A chemical compound that functions as an energy source for Terragen and a number of other biota, and is also widely employed in bionanotechnology. It has the formula C₁₀H₁₆N₅O₁₃P₃.
ATPase - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
An enzyme responsible for converting electrical potential energy from a nanoscale battery into ATP; the molecule used for immediate fuel by virtually all Terragen biological life-forms, and the basis for the bionano molecular motor. Also called "The F0F1 Complex" and "ATP synthase."
Attention Economics - Text by David Jackson
The study of economics as it relates to the intellectual resources of individual sophonts, particularly as they operate within a shared computational resource-space.
Attractor - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
An archetype or state that is characterization of the long-term behaviour of a dissipative dynamic system. Over long periods of time, the state space of some dynamical systems will contract toward this region. The Archailects are said to be dynamic systems that characterize particular attractors. Likewise, certain biological forms, certain memes, certain technological solutions, and so on, are known to have emerged independently on completely different planets or among different alien races.
Atzilut - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
The World of Emanation - in traditional Kabbalah and Hermeticism the first of the four universes that emanated from the En Sof. The world of archetypes. Neohermeticists identify Atzilut this with noetic state of the Archailects.
Audubon Engenerator, The - Text by Steve Bowers
The first interstellar use of engenerator transfer technology.
Audubon System, The - Text by Steve Bowers
Capital system of the LinnEnt Empire
Augmentation - Text by M. Alan Kazlev, Ryan_B
Biological, synthetic, and virtual engineering of a sophont for the purposes of aesthetics and/or enhancement of natural abilities
Augmented Reality (AR) - Text by M. Alan Kazlev after the original in Anders Sandberg's Transhumanist Terminology
A personalized view of reality, the result of filtering, translation, and addition of new perceptions, such as annotations, information or virtual objects; essential for any sapient being to function in most of the civilized galaxy, and interact with all but the most basic tech..
Auguste Gienah - Text by Steve Bowers
Auguste Cis/Trans/Ret Gienah, born 9511 A.T. in the Arkab Prior B necklace, has been involved in some of the most intriguing incidents in the history of that system. Some of the information about er life is sketchy and conjectural, but thanks to research by er former wife Lesova Zubenelshamali, much of it is well known.
Augustine - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Old Earth Agricultural Age (Western Civilization Classical Age), 1615-1539 BT (354 - 430 c.e.) Christian Theologian and Saint; one of the four Latin Fathers of the Old Catholic Church.
Auld Limner - Text by Peter Kisner, M. Alan Kazlev and Anders Sandberg
Perseus Arm (and possibly also Outer Arm) space-faring predecessors of the Limners.
Auomidan - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Human mostly bionano-enhanced nearbaseline religio-spiritual sect.
Aura (esotericism) - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
In Esotericism, the term for the energy field that surrounds and is emitted by the biont (sometimes also the artificial's) body.
Aura (nanotech) - Text by John B
A temporary nanotic infusion designed to reveal EM radiation as a 'glow' to users.
Aura Ghami - Text by Chris Shaeffer
An artist-philosopher originally from the Keter Dominion but currently residing in the Utopia Sphere. Born in 9547 a.t as a su named Julius Baen e converted from su form to vec form in 9655 a.t and assumed the name Aura Ghami. Eir better known works include the Dandelion Swarm performance/sculpture that is still notorious on eir birth homeworld and eir current dwelling, the Crystal Blossom.
Aurobindo, Sri - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A 1st century BT Old Earth activist, philosopher, yogi, and teacher.
Aurora - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A radiant emission caused by the bombardment of the atmosphere with charged particles that are being guided along the planet's magnetic lines of force. Also known as northern or southern lights, or simply lights.
Australia - Text by M. Alan Kazlev and Stephen Inniss
An island continent between the Indian and Pacific Oceans on Old Earth. It is the smallest on Old Earth, with an area of 8,560,000 square kilometres, and it was not well suited to long term agricultural uses, so it did not contain any major civilizations or polities until the Industrial Age. After several centuries of sustained immigration, Australia became a prosperous nation, and was an important power on Earth during much of the Interplanetary Age.
Australopithecine - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Any of a number of extinct hominid species that lived in Africa between about 4 and 1 million years ago, and combined a fully erect posture and bipedal gait with a small and apelike brain case.
Authenticity War - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Late Re-Evaluation period historical-archaeological purges resulting in brief Sol System-Fomac war, and a persistent memeticity.
Auto-Holding-Container - Text by Rakuen07
Keterist training manual-entity developed in the early 2000's by the Church of The Truly Re-Engineered Light to introduce converts to the tenets of hyper-rational anarchy and Keterism.
Auto-Toxic Meme - Text by Glenn Grant
Dangerous to itself. Highly auto-toxic memes are self-limiting if they promote the destruction of their hosts at a greater rate than they propagate from host to host. Suicide cult memes, any military indoctrination meme-complex; and "martyrdom" memes are examples.
Autocannon, Cannon - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Large-calibre (generally 20-40 mm) self-aiming rapid-firing kinetic weapon fixed to armored vehicles, gunships, or Mecha.
Autocycler - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Interplanetary Age biont and cyborg ideology and historical-intellectual precursor of the Clesycs, popular among some low resource and minimalist nomads, of using bionano and bacteria to recycle all of one's waste products, without having to even leave one's spacesuit or biosuit.
Autofabricator, AutoFab - Text by M. Alan Kazlev; modified and expanded by Stephen Inniss, Todd Drashner and Ryan_B (2016)
Also known as a fab, nanofab, autofac, nanoforge, or nanofac. A nanotech fabrication unit for creating finished products from raw materials. This type of device is ubiquitous in the Terragen Sphere.
Automatic Rifle - Text by M. Alan Kazlev and Steve Bowers
Hand-held kinetic weapon with effective range generally in the vicinity of several hundred meters.
Automethodology - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Meta-memeticity / methodology developed by Diamond Network AI, possibly during the later First Federation period. It involves creating a novel methodology and area of knowledge, usually by adapting or mimicking other methodologies and fields, but sometimes by formulating a completely new system. Most methodologies involve dense and obscure ontologies, incomprehensible even to other ai. While some automethodologies are actively parasitic on established knowledge-formats, others simply mimic, without doing any harm.
Automethodologyvert 53 - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Among the most pernicious of the automethodologybots was the automethodologyvert53 series, developed as a prank by Disarchy radicals in the early 6900s, using the (in)famous Cochofo Madvert engine.
Automorphism - Text by Anders Sandberg
"Living as art"; a form of art where self-transformation and living itself is the medium.
Autonomous Agent - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
In general, an ai or aioid that has limited perception of its environment but is still able to process information to calculate an action so as to be able to perform a task or seek a goal.
Autonomous Doctors - Text by Ryan B
Also known as healers, robo-doctors, exodocs (with many more names varying by culture). Autonomous Doctors (autodocs) are a class of bot designed for medical intervention and treatment independent of sophont instruction.
Autonomous Explosive Delivery System (Boombot) - Text by Todd Drashner
Explosive robot carrying an ACER round or similar miniature warhead
Autopoiesis - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Self-organization or self development - the concept that all things move toward the fulfillment of their inner nature.
Autosentience, Autoscience - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Full self-awareness or "I-ness". Sentience reflected upon itself in detail.
Autotailors - Text by Michael Boncher
Specialized autofabs that produce clothing.
Autotopia - Text by Ryan B (Rynn)
Hightech and above class of post-scarcity infrastructure and socioeconomic system, controlled by non-sophont AI.
Autotroph - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
An organism that produces its own food from light or chemical energy and/or inorganic matter. Also called a Producer (or Primary Producer). Among terragen life forms, most green plants, many protists, and many prokaryotes are autotrophs. There are also alife and informational autotrophs/producers. Every food chain rests on autotrophs. Autotrophs in turn provide food for heterotrophs.
Autovory - Text by John B
Eating meat cloned from oneself.
Autowar - Text by Tengu459 (2018)
A type of automated, self-replicating cybernetic warship
Auvilhuveldt, The - Text by Worldtree
The Auvilhuveldt formed a series of virtual worlds with non-discrete types of intelligence, nested within higher dimensional geometries. It was generally considered to be incomprehensible to outsiders.
Avanola - Text by Alex Mulvey
Independent Middle Regions system with no significant planets
Avase - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Minor NoCoZo system, Centauri sector. Its only claim to fame was the battle of 5502, where PCO forces scored their first victory over the Paradigm and turned the tide of the war. The system is currently home to a patriotic but otherwise irrelevant culture that trades in nanocloned war memorabilia, medals and PCO fleet uniforms, and speaks of the day coming soon when they will "finish the job" and "whip the Paradigm's butt".
Avatar - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Avatars, Proxavs, and Seraiphim - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A proxy avatar of a high toposophic being which manifests as a lower toposophic being, often at a similar level to the sophonts it is designed to interface with.
Avensis - Text by Anders Sandberg and M. Alan Kazlev
Capital of the Cooperative Venture - a number of Networked civilizations studying relics from lost alien civilizations.
Avivecs - Text by Kirran Lochhead Strang
Vec clade with origins among Zoeific Biopolity Environmental Vecs during the Age of Establishment. Designed to closely resemble various species of bird.
Avon - Text by Darren Ryding
Small habitat cluster in the Archaipelago. One of the few ultratech cultures to preserve Old Anglic and the art of calligraphy.
AW (AutoWar seed) - Text by Thorbørn Steen
An AW or AutoWar seed is a missile launched into an opponent's solar system, often without eir knowledge. The emergence of the autowars is sometimes aligned with the arrival of an extra-stellar invasion fleet, but especially against foes of lower tech level autowars are quite capable of taking over or eradicating a system entirely on their own
Aw Addia and Snowy Aia - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Third planet, Van de Bos' Star and surrounding megastructures.
Axiom - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A statement that is assumed to be true and can later be used along with theorems to prove other theorems. The Five Axioms of Negentropism are a typical example.
Ayan-4 Affair - Text by Anders Sandberg
A culture of cyborgs at Ayan-4 in the Serpens Region which was discovered to be a forgery or fake culture.
Ayansowi - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Transapient Explorer of the Eldest Grove Virtual worlds.
Aysee Tent - Text by Kirran Lochhead Strang
Air-conditioned pseudoarcologies within tent-like structures.
AzuriJovian Type - Text by John M. Dollan
Warm clarified blue gas giants with temperatures between 350K and 800K