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Cr to Cz

crab

Decapod crustacean characterised by short broad cephalothorax and diminutive abdomen that is folded under the body. The eyes are usually on stalks, and there is a set of large grasping claws, often one claw being larger than the other. Because of their often timid nature, capacity for amphibious life style, and ready-made grasping appendages, crabs are a popular subject for provolve, and many species have been raised to presophonce and full sophonthood, usually with the aid of symbiotic bionano and intelligence augmentating wetware. Some of these neocrabs have become successful and valued members of galactic society, especially as amphibious traders and as artisans and performers. Other species have proved unable to adjust to the wider society, and instead can be found in selected polities throughout the Utopia Sphere, and some isolated polities elsewhere

M.Alan Kazlev

crack

dumb, smart, or turingrade software that permits the user to penetrate a program or system even without a password. Often illegal but difficult to enforce, because of the ease by which such programs can be copied (a few are even self-replicating)

Crai-Se

Solarist hyperturing who ascended several toposophic levels, leaving behind a number of eadible intelligence augmenting didactic bionano relics.

M.Alan Kazlev

crater

A circular depression caused by an impact with another celestial body, or a volcanic eruption. One of the most common features on asteroid, planetoid, and terrestrial class bodies with hard rocky crusts or surfaces

abbreviation: AA

Creeping Consolidation

The increasingly popular rumour that the archailects and higher hyperturings are slowly undermining the non-archai empires

Several factions of both independent and anthropist historians agree that the Version War was less a conflict over standards and more the third and (to this date) final "Empires war". The powers that gained most were the mainbrains; those that lost out were the superbright and minor hyperturing demopolies and empires. The fact that not one SI:2 or higher hyperturing was destroyed (the highly popular story of "Koroko of the War" is persuasively argued by this school to be non-viable) only reinforces anthropist fears that it was "a war against hu". Cygexba, although run by a high-level hyperturing, was not an archetypal-AI empire, so it was weakened after the war. The superbright Sagittarius Sphere was destroyed altogether, as were the Softbot Cathedrals and the Bourgatev Alliance - none of these were archai empires. Only Metasoft and NoCoZo came through the war with satisfaction, and some have speculated that were it not for the new threat posed by dangerous "barbarian" empires and rogue mainbrains, they would have gone the way of the others in a new way during the late 6th millennium.

These ideas, while popular among Anthropist factions, and even some Metasoft and NoCoZo groups, are generally scoffed at by the historians of the mainbrain empires. Yet significantly, the God-emperor himself has never formerly denied the agenda of "creeping consolidation", despite a petition from a number of independent hyperturings requesting him to do so. The Seat of Judgment remains similarly noncommittal, referring to it as "a local matter", and that the question is "not relevant to the primary Purpose of Our Presence as defined in the axioms" Also, the Negentropist Alliance siding with the Paradigm just as their defeat seemed certain does not endear the Alliance to many small independent polities

M.Alan Kazlev

The Creeping crud

. Originally a bionano cleanser, until it evolved a way to exude its timed-death genetic code (which involved an odd accident with a depilitor, some kafe, and a pulsating gravitic module). It now slowly cleans everything. Wonderful, until it gets to the lubricants and/or protective coatings.

John B

Creihtership

Slang term for Vedokiklek interstellar sub-relativistic (rarely relativistic) freighters (Klhkkteskkdv in the Vedokiklek language, a word that humans have difficulty pronouncing). Propelled by Drive Sails, these mighty ships are entire cities in themselves, with large cargo holds capable of carrying smaller ships and materials, as well as pressurized berths for passengers and biospheres. For the Vedokiklek, these ships serve as complete hives, sustaining an entire colony over multiple generations. Creighterships are generally some 20 to 30 kilometers in length and 3 to 4 km in diameter, with the front heavily shielded against hard radiation and dust-particles, and cargo compartments of upto several cubic kilometers in volume. The largest Creightership currently in service, the kSdhohdkolelkhsohl, is 140 km long and 28 km across

M.Alan Kazlev, modified from original concept by Kevin Self

crest

Symbiotic nanotech device, which serves as a sign of one's station or rank within an organization or collective, as well as conferring upon the owner numerous privileges relating to that organization (file access, special protocols, restricted templates, hyperturing advice, etc)

M.Alan Kazlev

Cretaceous

The third period of the Mesozoic Era, continuing the Jurassic heyday of the dinosaurs.

A period of high tectonic and volcanic activity. Primitive marsupials develop. Continents begin to have a modern-day look, with the break-up of Gondwanaland. The first modern crocodilians, and feathered dinosaurs appear. The earliest-known butterflies appear (about 130 million years ago) as well as the earliest-known ants and bees. Minor extinctions at 120 and 82 mya. Ended with a class 4 mass extinction (the K-T extinction) of dinosaurs, pterosaurs, ammonites, about 50 percent of marine invertebrate species, probably caused by asteroid impact in conjunction with extended volcanism. During the long period of dinosaurian Cretaceous dominance on Earth, many alien empires arose and disappeared elsewhere in the galaxy, including Planetary Civilization HIE565MZE and the most recent appearance of the Jacks, while the ancient Muuh first evolved into sophont beings. Cretaceous reconstructions and lazurogenized biospheres are quite popular with some terragen clades, and there are a number of good and authentic ecosystems, although as is often the case there is generally some fudging with many species, especially invertebrates, and the usual cross-mixing with non-Cretacean species is also common.

crime

Act punishable by law, whether a violation of local regulations or of the sentient rights of another being

Crimes in the ultracivilized systems of the inner sphere are in general very subtle - data manipulation, fraud, extortion with embarrasing information or purely software crimes like mind casinos. In the less regulated systems smuggling, theft and more property-related crimes start to appear. And out in the simpler regions traditional seediness and crimes are common.

Anders Sandberg

croc, crocodile, crocodilian, sacroc, sacrocodilian

Baseline crocs constitute an order of large tropical terragen semi-aquatic carnivorous reptile. Crocodile splices are common, although not as common as lizard splices. There are a few species crocodilian provolves, but, as with sa-theropod dinosaurs, social engineering is not easy for these large aggressive animals. Most croc provolves live away from the main thoroughfares of civilization, where they form their own subcultures

M.Alan Kazlev

Cross-cultural salesbeing

A sophont skilled in more than one culture's methods for valuing materials and/or services, as well as taboos and other pricing-sensitive information.

By definition, most salesbeings outside of closed monotonic clades or polities are cross-cultural. This is a Mindworker profession.

John B

The Crucis Corridor

Troublesome region of interstellar space in the Negentropy Alliance outer-middle volumes, adjacent to the NoCoZo

Cruiser

A large (generally, over 100,000 tonnes), fast, heavily armed reactionless drive warship capable of both independent operations and of support of the main line of battle.

Cruisers are intended to fulfil two diverse missions - in battle, they support and reinforce the Dreadnaughts, Autowars, and Battlestars which are present and which form the main line of battle, generally from the flanks; and they can perform separate operations, often acting as the centre of task forces which have no other capital ship. Because of their size, Cruisers are only able to pass through the largest stargates; for this reason they are equipped for long periods of relativistic travel

M.Alan Kazlev

CrustClown King

the founder of Corporate Cannibalism; the famous fastfood magnate and ascended posthuman businessbeing who, following falling sales during the late re-evaluation period, began offering parts of emself, and finally entire clones, in his stores, and ended up one of the richest sentients in the galaxy. The name CrustClown King refers to both the personality and the corporation, the two being indistinguishable since the King's ascension to the 3rd Singularity

M.Alan Kazlev

crustacean

An exceedingly diverse, mostly marine, subphylum of arthropods, distinguished by chewing mandibles and two pairs of antennae.

Baseline species range in size from microscopic to the Japanese Spider Crab, with a leg-span of 3 meters. Most terragen biospheres include crustacea of some form or another. Amphipods, barnacles, copepods, isopods (woodlice), and decapods (shrimp, lobsters, crayfish, crabs, ) are among the many groups of crustaceans.

Despite their abundance and ease by which they can be kept, most crustacea - especially the smaller ones - are not a popular subject for provolve. This is probably due to their aquatic habitat, small size and lack of grasping appendages. More popular are the higher decapods, such as crabs and lobsters, which have been provolved to presapience and even full sophonthood on a number of occasions, usually with the aid of symbiotic bionano and intelligence augmentating wetware.

M.Alan Kazlev

Crustuse

Potted Planet, Kokok IX (Keter).

The rest of the system has been converted into dense computronium matrices surrounding or orbiting through the star, but the involved entities (collectively calling themselves the Convection of all Kokokyn) also terraformed an outer world, covering it with a lush biosphere inhabited by over 45 different provolved species. It is sometimes called the Zoo by insensitive people.

Anders Sandberg

cryobiology

The study of the effect of low temperatures on biological systems. Theoretical and applied fields include preservation and long term storage of organ systems, cold temperature bio-nano, exotophile biota, etc

cryonics

science and tech that deals with low temperatures

Transhuman Terminology

cryonic suspension

suspending organic functions by the use of low temperatures to halt metabolic decay.

Cryonic suspension employs cryoprotective chemicals to protect the body, chemicals that bond the cellular components in place, etc. When the technique is mastered, cryonic suspension can be used for the long duration storage of crews during interstellar voyages. A popular (and occasionally unreliable) means of extending (suspending) life processes during pre-relativistic (late Interplanetary and early Interstellar age) interstellar colonisation, as well as one-way time trips to the future. Has since been replaced by nano-mediated biostasis

Cryoinvest

Cryoinvest is the largest Novan cryonics investment firm, managing the money of the corpiscles while they are suspended. Cryonics investment firms are by their nature extremely conservative, cautious and long-range, they never invest in anything carrying the least risk. On the other hand, they had huge amounts of capital and very long-term loans. Cryoinvest was founded in 3197, and throughout the Empires period it slowly grew to become a financial force towering in the Novaterra economy. It invested for the clients of many cryonics companies, such as Status Cryo, Volans Trustees, Concord Cryonics, Osiris Life Extension and even the venerable old Alliance Suspension. The discovery of the GUT and reactionless drives during the Imperialization and Expansion eras eventually made relativistic travel cheap and affordable for all, but rather than becoming redundant the company actually benefited greatly from cheap interstellar travel - a relativist journey to Earth and back would entail several years of absence, in which time the corporation would invest the client's money just as if you had been frozen. Another fad was for many people would freeze themselves without going anywhere (just to jump in time, wait for cures, or start a new life afresh) so they cryoinvestment market would be quite hot. To this day, Cryoinvest retains its offices in Carmichael Orbital (outer Novaterra Orbital Band), overseen by an alternating board of long-term cryo-travellers.

Anders Sandberg (slightly modified)

crypto anarchy

The economic and political system based on libertarianism, encryption, untraceable net-mail, digital pseudonyms, cryptographic voting, and digital cash. Very popular among cyberians

modified from Transhuman Terminology

Cryptography

The art of creating and using cryptosystems. A cryptosystem (or cipher system) is a method of disguising messages so that only certain people can see through the disguise, e.g, encryption. Cryptanalysis is the art of breaking cryptosystems - seeing through the disguise even when you're not supposed to be able to. Cryptology is the study of both cryptography and cryptanalysis. Very popular in the Cyberian worlds, where there is an obsession with personal privacy.

Anders Sandberg

cryptolanguage

Cryptomemegineering

Memegineering that is obscure, hidden, and untraceable, even by average memegineering standards.

It is usually believed that the higher the toposophic the greater the cryptomemetic index, but this is not necessarily the case. Some high transapients resort to memegineering that is obvious even to a talented superbright, while conversely some superbrights have shown themselves to be very capable cryptomemgineers

M Alan Kazlev

Cryptomemetic Index

The degree to which an engineered meme cannot be detected, even by conventional memetic analysis.

It is based on a complex of factors, most of which are incomprehensible to subsingularitan sophonts

M Alan Kazlev

Cryptotech

Technology about which there is debate whether it really even exists.

May be obscure, very rare, and/or high toposophic tech, or tarnsapient tech and above that for whatever raeson doesn't fit into current lower toposophic understanding. Includes rare plancktech, clarketech, and even some exotic nano, pico, and femto. The study of cryptotech is called cryptotechology, the design and construction of (authentic) cryptotech is cryptotechnology

M.Alan Kazlev

Cryptotechnology

The design of tech intended, deliberately or by accident, to be obscure.

Theoretically, anything, even macroscale dumbtech, can be cryptotech. The term however is more often applied nowaday to more dramatic high ultratech, transapientech or godtech creations, of a clarketech or pseudoclarketech nature. And while many cryptotechnologists tend to be higher toposophic minds whose motives and logic are often incomprehensible to lower beings, it is also possible for a dedicated and highly augmented ordinary sapient to design simpler forms cryptotech; perhaps as a hobby, a joke, a unique craft, or a form of memgineeirng

M.Alan Kazlev

Cryptotechology

The study of hidden, obscure, very rare, and/or often high toposophic tech.

Some Cryptotech is actually nothing but rumor or memetic ploy (this is sometimes known as rumorware), but others are genuine devices, sometime srare and one-off, sometimes dangerous, sometimes just inscruitable to lower toposophics. Because of the difficulty of procuring cryptotech, cryptotechologists themselves disagree over what is authentic and what is mere folklore.

M.Alan Kazlev

Crystal

natural or artificial, inorganic or organic, material in which the molecules are arranged in a specific, highly regular internal pattern.

M.Alan Kazlev

CTC wormhole

A wormhole that forms part of a loop of wormholes enabling a CTC.

Anders Sandberg

Cthonid

Vermiform alien race

Cuckoo

A superturing infiltrator, appearing to be a normal organisation member or employee. Using its mental abilities, possibly augmented by empath methods, it rises to a position of control where it redirects the organisation according to the wishes of its creator.

cult

A sociotype of an auto-toxic meme-complex, composed of membots and/or memeoids. Characteristics of cults include: self-isolation of the infected group (or at least new recruits); brainwashing by repetitive exposure (inducing dependent mental states); genetic functions discouraged (through celibacy, sterilization, devalued family) in favor of replication (proselytizing); and leader-worship ("personality cult").

Glenn Grant

The Cult of the Exsanguinated Giraffe

Libertarian/Surrealist MEMs/Memetic/Bio Hackers - Early Interplanetary Age

Cumulous

Saturn like jovian located in the Solward Middle Regions of the Sophic League. Most notable for its floating balloon cities, made possible by the low density of the planet, which results in gravity at its 'surface' being equal to that of Earth. The cities support themselves with vacuum dirigbles woven from buckytube and use nucleosynthesis of the planets hydrogen atmosphere and nanotech to provide themselves with any needed materials or goods and are totally self-sufficient. A popular tourist destination for those wishing to meditate among the clouds.

Todd Drashner

Curator

The governing hyperturings and archailects of the Formalhaut Aquisition Society

Curator, The

A FAS Curatorial ai on the outskirts of the Cygnus sector (Chronos Cluster)

customs

Duty levied on imports from foreign polities

Different polities and empires have different rules regarding customs, tariffs, and other political-border considerations. Much of this is handled at the stargates, usually as a transit fee for ships not staying. Stargates are so easy to control, so this is where the big political control mechanisms can work. For ships and cargo staying, local rules come into effect. They can range from nearly nothing ("Welcome to Vast Enterprise, your gateway to the greater NoCoZo. Please note that this is a Tier III society, and adjudication insurance and/or a protection company is a good investment. This message was brought to you by Welcome Corporation. Have a profitable stay!") to nanoprobes through every orfice of the ship, passengers and cargo ("This ship will be fined 0.450 H-credits for the nonstandard color scheme").

Anders Sandberg

customs union

A group of polities which remove tariff barriers between member countries and also imposes common external tariffs on non-members.

cuticle

the outer, non-cellular layer of an insects chitinous exoskeleton.

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