Orion's Arm - Encyclopedia Galactica

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Modosophonts

The Average Citizen of the Sephirotic Empires; not necessarily human, but roughly equivalent in capability.

Typically the most common form of sophont in the Civilised Galaxy, a modosophont can be a baseline or near-baseline human, or a member of a human derived species, or a provolve, a vec, an alife or any of the hybrid phyles such as cyborgs.

From Mode (in statistics, the value that has the largest number of observations) and Sophont (a self aware,"wise" being).

Definitions
n.
1. Sapient being of less than transapient level. SI:>1 on the Berram7 Singularity Scale (namely sapient, turinggrade to superturing and any self-aware being under first singularity)

adj.
1. Possessing a level of sapience less than transapient but greater than an non-sapient animal. A typical sophont.
2. Of, relating to, or characteristic of, a modosophont.

Modosophont Technology

Before the First Singularity, Human baselines and other modosophonts developed basic artificially intelligent entities, basic human augmentics, basic nanotechnology, biotechnology, synsects, and 'Stage 1' programmable matter.

Core technologies developed before the First Singularity

• Forge-based nanotech.
• Some limited nanoswarm (goo) tech, but control and stability issues limited the application of swarm technology.
• Synsect swarms were developed, but with a restrictive upper limit to effective coordination/control. Above several million units, control issues became overwhelming for either synsect or nanoswarms operating in a natural environment and performing complex or varying tasks without external control signals.
• Utility Fog and smart, programmable matter developed.
• Antimatter weapons such as Boom Bullets; but antimatter remains expensive.
• 'Plasma conduit' electrical transmission technology, allowing high energy currents to be transferred using controlled beams of plasma.
• Advanced lasers for energy transmission, in-flight particle defence lasers for spacecraft, weapons, igniting/maintain reactions in fusion/conversion reactors.
• Propulsion Technology:
Chemical Rockets, Fission, Fusion, Beamed Propulsion, Antimatter-catalysed and basic Antimatter propulsion.
• Basic mass-stream technology such as the Lofstrom Loop.
• Destructive and Gradual Uploading technology

By studying technology developed by S:1 transapients, modosophonts have been able to 'reverse engineer' some of the simplest processes, thereby greatly improving their own nanotech, propulsion and neurotechnology.
Some technologies were developed by transapients who then either gave them directly to modosophonts as gift technologies, or gave them pointers, guidance or simply vague hints which allowed the modos to invent the technology in question independently.

Other technologies were invented by transaps but were never given to modos, who nevertheless developed them independently them later, sometimes by reverse engineering, sometimes with little or nothing to go on but a few vague rumours.

A few technologies were developed by modos on their own in their own time, and apparently never developed by transapients or never explicitly revealed to modos.

On the other hand many highly advanced technologies were developed by transaps and have remained beyond modosophont understanding and seem likely to remain so.

See also Modosophont level Hi-tech

Sub-Topics

Articles

Clade (sophontology) - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A common evolutionary branch of mindkind, defined by having a single common ancestor or common template (or both) which serves as the distinguishing characteristics for all members of that clade.
Cladistics - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
The science of creating evolutionary trees of ancestry and descent; classifying organisms based on common ancestry and the branching of the evolutionary family tree. Organisms or entities that share common ancestors (and therefore have similar features) are grouped into taxonomic groups called clades. Cladistics can also be used to predict properties of yet-to-be discovered organisms. May refer to a biological phylogeny or a House or clan history.
Class (sophontology) - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A major category of sapient beings, as defined by one or a few basic but distinctive and generic qualities, not necessarily connected by ancestry (i.e. biont, ai, vec, bioborg).
Flatland, Flatlander - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Flatland: the state of existence beneath the first singularity.
Flatlander: a sentient of SI:<1 toposophic.
These terms are derived from Old Earth Atomic Age hu Edwin A. Abbot's mathematical fantasy Flatland: a Romance of Many Dimensions which describes two-dimensional creatures unaware of the third dimension of space.
Fragmentation - Text by You can call me Al for now
A form of temporary abdication, sometimes done voluntary but usually a form of punishment that higher transapients inflict on lower transapients for overstepping their bounds in dealing with nearbaselines or equivalent sapients.
Inhabitants of the Sephirotic Empires - Text by M. Alan Kazlev, amended by Steve Bowers
The major classes of thinking being which inhabit the typical Sephirotic Empire.
Leftbehind - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Sometimes when a sophont ascends to a new toposophic level, it leaves behind or constructs or copies one or more representatives of its pre-ascended state. These leftbehinds may maintain a close connection with their Greater Self, serving as fully free proxavs. Or they may be released or encouraged to explore alternative (non-ascended) destinies. Sometimes Leftbehinds themselves eventually ascend, and in some these cases in turn leave their own leftbehinds.
Morphotype - Text by Stephen Inniss
In biology, or in the study of clades, a shared shape and general appearance, regardless of origin or relationship. The result of convergent evolution in natural beings, or of common design solutions or purposeful imitation in artificial beings.
Musical Eugenic - Text by Jay Dugger and John B
Any individual or clade geneered for musical talent or traits.
Neb - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Colloquial term for a human nearbaseline.
Optimals - Text by Tony Jones
Any of a wide variety of bionts who have been re-engineered not for superior mental or physical skills, but simply to make their functioning as streamlined and biologically efficient as possible.
Pronouns, Anglish - Text by M. Alan Kazlev, Daniel Eliot Boese, Mark Ryherd, Stephen Inniss and Steve Bowers
A number of new pronouns became current in Early and Middle Anglic and descended languages as new kinds of sentient being became common.
Retro Abo - Text by Stephen Inniss
A population or individual that is the result of an attempt to reproduce the morphotype or even the culture and behaviour of some past clade, race, or local population. The term most often refers to individuals or groups who resemble past human baseline or nearbaseline groups.
Sentients Overview - Text by M. Alan Kazlev, some additional notes by John B
A list of life-forms across Known Space.
Slearners - Text by Tony Jones
Modification - later clade - similar to Slinguists, but augmented in all the learning abilities of the sophont, allowing the acquisition of all kinds of skill, major and minor, physical and mental, with the same ease as a very young child.
Slinguists - Text by Tony Jones
Modification - later clade - more advanced than Ireaders, having not just an instinctive childhood ability to learn written communications, but made that highly efficient childhood learning process a permanent second 'layer' of ability when learning to communicate.
Toposophic Level and Brain Size - Text by Todd Drashner
Processing Substrate Parameters, from Modosophont level to the Third Singularity.
Twin Clades - Text by Matthew C. Johnson
Clades which have been gengineered to consistently produce twin pregnancies