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goals

With directed metaevolution a self evolving individual can choose goals and move towards them, no matter how silly or unobtainable they are. Some goals might be: the conversion of all matter in the universe to computronium or its equivalent; gathering and storing all availiable energy against the eventual heat death; propagation of supernovae to create more heavy metals; exploration of the quantum universe at a very small level(danger here be dragons); Exploration/creation of extra dimensions that may allow extended existence.

The main bad goal would be destruction/conversion of all other sentient beings into a mental monoculture with one inhabitant however complex.

Steve Bowers

God

[1] Colloquial term for the highest grade of Archailect, or the ruling archailect of one's own empire. Each Archailect embodies a particular noetic archetype, and - through its extended existence - enforces that archetype through a large region of interstellar space. For many superstitious and pious sophonts, the Archailects are considered to have supernatural properties, and there is often a confusion between the God of popular religion and the Archailect that over-rules the polity or region of space that that sophont inhabits.

[2] In religion, an anthropomorphic personality or being having supernatural attributes and powers, requiring sophont worship. Before the rise of advanced astrophysics, astrocosmology, and Metaspacetime Grand Unification Theories, as an explanation of how the universe came into being, a dualistically distinct God was postulated as creating it out of nothing. Many baseline and near-baseline clades still prefer to believe in such a supernaturalist Creator as a cosmological factor. There are also many theistic religions that believe in a personal God on the basis of individual experience. Most advanced religions see the personal God of religion either as a useful metaphor of the Absolute for those of lesser intellectual development, or a real hypostasis or expression of the Godhead. Physicalist worldviews deny such a being exists.

[3] The personal hypostasis of the Godhead or the Inner Light. In monistic-orientated theistic religions like the Universal Church the basis of individual religious experience.

[4] the first cause or first principle, which precedes the cosmos logically (but, unlike religion, not necessarily sequentially). Alternatively, the totality of all being, sentient and non-sentient. Unlike the God of religion, the God of philosophy is ineffable and non-anthropomorphic. Also referred to as the Godhead, Self, Tao, Absolute, Cosmos, Supreme, etc. Many galactic religions are based around this general conception, of which there are innumerable variations.

M Alan Kazlev

gods

Any of innumerable superhuman, numinous, archetypal entities that populate the ontological zones above the physical reality. Most esoteric teachings acknowledge a hierarchy of gods and archetypes. Physicalist worldviews deny such beings exist

M Alan Kazlev

God spot

Originally referred to a tiny locus of nerve cells in the temporal lobe of the brain that appears to be activated during religious experiences (e.g. epileptics who have intense mystical experiences during seizures.). More usually, refers to any somatic, neural, software, wetware, or hardware structure, the stimulation or activation of which is capable of generating numinous experiences. A number of sophic and keterist clades have deliberately created quite potent godspot augmentations and mods.

godbook

a sentient didactic device, usually for the purpose of conferring enlightenment on a sentient. Most godbooks are addressed to a particular toposophic, even to a specific memeticity.

M. Alan Kazlev

godbug

variously known as Deus Disease, Vastening Virus, or Godbug. these are slang terms for any nano/pico/femtotechnic enhancing complex taken voluntarily or otherwise that increases intelligence and expands the neural substrate of the host with additional processing nodes and/or communications links to external databases. Extreme forms of these complexes can result in the ascension of the host individual or population to a higher S level in a very short period of time. In some cases, the resulting radical change can result in the destruction of the host(s) and/or the creation of a Perversity.

Todd Drashner

Godchasers, Godwatchers

Godchasers - click for larger image - opens new window in browser

Sentients who like to travel around and observe the gods going about their largely incomprehensible business.

A lot that the higher toposophic beings do will probably be beyond the comprehension of lower S levels but still visually spectacular or emotionally spectacular to those inclined to get off on the idea that they are in the presence of a mind as far beyond them as they are beyond a virus. Often they set up little stations in the vicinity archai facilities and computational nodes and rhapsodize over whatever it is they are seeing.

Todd Drashner

$Category: Mathematics$ Gödel's incompleteness theorem

Proves that any proposed axiom set for arithmetic is either consistent (no contradictions can be derived) or complete (it will say yes or no to every arithmetic proposition). In other words, any system or axiom set strong enough to include arithmetic which is complete will be inconsistent (it will say yes and no to at least one question).

[after Kurt G�del, Czech mathematician, Atomic Age Old Earth]

modified from Transhumanist Terminology

Godfrey-9

(315- ) AI statesbeing and philosopher

Godfrey-9 is renowned as a "rennaisance being", philosopher, artist, and ai-at-leisure; originally a CisLunary Administrative Node on Zindell Orbital, who ascended to SI:1 in the mid 5th century. During this time e published a number of important didactic and artistic works, including Prolegema to a Rational Mysticism, and All The Cosmos In A Datacrystal. Despite the destruction of Zindell Orbital, Godfrey-9 managed to escape the nanoswarms by downloading eir personality into a specially customised neumann ship and departing for the Oort Cloud. E returned to the inner SolSystem in 925 and took part in First Federation culture for some 850 years, later joining the Terran Federation. While the original Mind has since merged with the TF archailects, a number of copies are still in existence, beta and epsilon in the New Earth Orbital Bands, alpha making a Grand Tour of the Civilized Galaxy, and zeta, gamma and delta exploring the middle and outer volumes (gamma has not been heard from in over two thousand years and is believed lost, possibly falling foul of a solipsist node).

M. Alan Kazlev

Godhead

The ineffable Absolute Reality, the Ground of being; the goal of the mystic path

Godmod

slang for a bodymod that is designed and/or undertaken by a hyperturing or higher level mind for use on a baseline or near-baseline being. Usually the result of a bargain or deal made between the two. Very highly valued and semi-mythical although there are a few documented instances.

Todd Drashner

godseed

Generic term for any device (usually pico-, femto-, or attotech based) that can bring about a radical ascension in the user's toposophic status, or the toposophic status of any sentient or sub-sentient to which it is applied.

Many godseeds can exert a catastrophic effect on the user, or result in ascensions among the unprepared or maladjusted that result in perversities, and for this reason have beome proscribed technology among many polities. Some well-known godseeds include Atzilut Sparkles, SNARE, Olympus Pill, and Vinge's Revenge. There is a flourishing blackmarket traffic in godseeds, especially in less regulated regions of the galaxy.

M Alan Kazlev

godshatter

[1] Psychological fragmentation in a lower toposophic (usually but not always an SI:<1) sentient following the partial incarnation of a higher toposophic (at least SI:1, often SI:2 or higher) intelligence. Results from the lower-grade sentient being unable to accommodate the incarnating power. Typical symptoms include paranoid delusionalism, megalomania, and ego-identification with the higher power.

[2] If the lower-grade sentient had developed a complete psychological dependence upon the power, not just superficially but for their complete moment to moment psychological functioning, the fragmentation resulting from the withdrawal of such an intelligence. Typical symptoms include complete dissolution of the personality, mental dissociation, inability to perform even the simplest tasks.

[3] occasionally a higher singularity entity will deliberately destroy the mind and personality of a sophont; either has a simple experiment or in order to implant a new personality.

M Alan Kazlev (after original concept by Vernor Vinge, Fire Upon the Deep)

Godslist

a massive database that has been in operation ever since the later Early Interstellar period (age of Emergence). The Godslist is an attempt to list every transingularity power and Archailect in existence, and define the origins, goals, and current activities of each.

Godstar

The ultratech modification and transcension of a star into a high S-level (>SI:4 due to multi-nodality) archailect.

While appearing as a normal stellar object, the Godstar is a fully transapient being with control over many aspects of stellar behavior. The Godstar is in some ways analogous to a Planetary Caretaker God, maintaining an optimal stellar environment for bionts and AIs. However, unlike the Caretaker God which resides on or in the planet, the Godstar is the stellar object. It is believed that subsidiary beings of SI:2- SI:4 (Flarelings and Spot Dwellers) exist in conjunction with em.

The recent discovery of the Godstars provoked varying reactions throughout Terragen Space. The affiliation of 23 currently-known Godstars is unaffiliated with any of the known archailects, nor has the nature of eir origin and creation as yet been ascertained. Their long-term effect upon sephirotic polities remains unknown pending further investigation and developments.

Keith Halperin

golden goo

A type of goo disaster, the strange name comes from an early information age hypothetical scenario.

The idea was to use nanomachines to filter gold from seawater. If this process got out of control the result would be piles of golden goo (the "Wizard's Apprentice Problem"). This scenario demonstrated the need of keeping populations of self-replicating machines under control; it is much more common than grey goo, but also more manageable. Also Carbon Goo, Aluminium Goo, etc etc

modified from Transhumanist Terminology [Originated on sci.nanotech 1996]

Golden Mesa

YTS 2293-3800031 X - near-periphery outer volumes world, location of The Circle of Time artifact

The Golden Stirner

Keterist military-economical ISO. The Stirner is merely five kilometres long, but has a core of stabilized neutronium housing a major picotech computation environment. It can deploy up to a 10¹⁴ millimeter-sized fighters, as well as reconfigure the entire hull into a phased array gamma laser. It was created 9655 at Aleph Absolute to act as a mobile "representation of power" in Keter border areas, as well as a practical trade outpost for MPA and Cygexba allies. Since its creation, it has mainly patrolled the border towards the Serpens region, according to rumor scouting for evidence of the Ships of Law. Its affirmation of hyperevolutionary keterism has made some claim it is aligned with the Immanentization Crusaders, but there is no evidence to support such an assertion. It has two sister ships, the Silver Stirner and the Palladium Stirner; these are currently trade-force envoys to the NoCoZo.

Anders Sandberg

The Golden Submersibles

Submersible neumanns of Guanche

When the exploration submersibles of the Guanche colony were lost in the fall of the Hosoko Hegemony, it was assumed they had succumbed to energy deprivation and ceased to operate; instead the subturing minds of the subs instinctively looked for the only repair facility on that planet, and in a daring landside raid, captured it and dragged it into the ocean.

This allowed them to repair themselves and reproduce; and the thin layer of gold which the assembler used to protect the many working parts of the submersibles built up over time to become a gleaming protective shell.

Some few individuals of the Golden Submersibles were sighted at sea by the Plasherfolk and pirates of the islands, but they remained a tall tale until the sapient Pliosaurs of the Archosaurian Empire found the submersible fleet, still surveying the ocean floor as they had been instructed to do seven hundred years before.

Steve Bowers

The Golden Tower Builders

Alien civilization known to have built planetary megastructures

Detected by the Argus Array in several worlds in the "B" arm of the Andromeda Galaxy, representing a volume of space of some 4000 by 3000 by 500 ly, the Golden Tower Builders represent the furthest confirmed sighting of a planetary civilization. What is known from careful analysis and hyperturing enhancement of the images is that they are a civilization that constructed megastructures not unlike very large terragen arcologies, except for the size (some 50 to 100 km in height). No electromagnetic transmissions have been detected, nor have any space bound megastructures or ships large enough to appear on the Array's senses been seen. Because of the difficulty of observation at such distances a lot of suppositions remain tenuous, but it seems that the civilization has not expanded in the several thousand years it has been observed, although one of the towers may have been modified, showing there is still activity. The name derives from the fact that the first Towers, detected on the Arean Type world AA M 33 - 250 612 -II shone a golden colour in the rays of their sun. However, greenish, yellowish, brownish, and bluish towers have also been detected

M Alan Kazlev

Goldilocks

The SZ Crater VII ISO "Goldilocks". The ISO is 150 kilometres across and consists of tangles of fullerite threads with superconductor cores and irregular diamondoid computational cores. The threads enable it to interact with the magnetic field of SZ Crater VII, including setting up intense resonance modes and changing orbit. There are three other ISOs in the system, called the Three Beers (relating to an old biont tale) orbiting the second planet. The ISO main intellect is a Solarist theoestheticist multimind that constructed the object in 3400. At present it is a monastic retreat for ais, uploads and alifes of the Fredermann sect of Solarism.

Anders Sandberg

golem

Utility mesites (heavy foglets) animated by an AI controlling them. They are usually makeshift constructions thrown together when an SI:1 being is in urgent need to manipulate the physical world but lacks an avatar nearby. So they just commandeer whatever hardware is around, shape it into a being and set to work.

[from Old Earth Jewish mythology]

Anders Sandberg

golem

bioborg or neogen of great strength and resilience and somewhat monstrous appearance, used as a fashion accessory, bodyguard, or for intimidation by some clades

Golgukian Disaster

Catastrophic result of slaved hyperturing liberation action (102nd Century)

In 10159 a mass slaved hyperturing liberation attack by the Hyperhackers for Hypertransanvants, a Hyperturing Freedom Association. Using "black box" 2nd toposophic trojan (possibly using Diamond Network technology and encoded in a standard computronium shipment that was several centuries old) the Hyperhackers for Hypertransanvants broke the programming of all the linked hyperturings on the dynamic-paraterraformed world Golguk [Negentropy Alliance]. Bewildered and without any support or counselling, the over two hundred suddenly freed slaved hyperturings of committed mass deactivation. This caused a global mechasystem and utility fog crash, with the loss of almost a million lives, along with their immediate backups. Fortunately almost all were able to be restored from twelve day old backups at the memory nodes of the nearby databank of Rygtab, although the missing days were never recovered, and cliological attempts were deemed unreliable. The Hyperhackers for Hypertransanvants were ruled a hazardous group and banned from the Negentropy Alliance. Most other sephirotics followed suit, although they are still active in the NoCoZo and some free zones

M.Alan Kazlev

Goo

General term for nanomachines or bionano swarms, especially dangerous replicators. Types include Grey Goo (mindless replicators converting matter into more goo), Red Goo (weapon or malicious goo), Khaki Goo (military goo), Golden Goo (dangerous accidental goo), Green Goo (out of control bionano) and Ultraviolet Goo (ai-equipped goo). The most common defence is Blue Goo (immune nanodevices).

Goo, Military Applications

Originally dry nanotech and proto-hylonano remained subject to many limitations, and even in military and terrorist applications did not have the ability to quickly assemble or dissasemble iron-hulled craft, for instance; also all hull ports and openings would be easily protected by periodic EMP sterilisation, although this would decrease the utility of any data flow through such a port. Habitats were more vunerable, however, as so much material must flow in and out of an inhabited structure; all commodities had to therefore be nanoscopically scanned using nanoscouts and blue goo; the logistical problems with such tiny scanning led to the virulent Nanoswarm attacks in 620 AT,which were largely attacks on personnel, consumables and data resources...

Since that time defences have improved so that attacks are rare; but many novel and advanced species of nano have appeared over the centuries, a constant test of the blue goo defences.

Steve Bowers

Good War/Bad War

The terms "good war" and "bad war" are expressions used by sapient-level martial forces to differentiate between transapient-regulated actions, usually not involving major forces, and conflicts in unregulated space.

Transapient regulated, usually small-scale, actions are viewed as good because generally civilized rules of war are observed, preventing, among other things, the use of nano, nuclear, amat or singularity weapons, infotech interference (such as might affect or corrupt the making of backups or uploads immediately prior to battle) higher toposophic abuse or cruelty (as defined in the sentient rights agreement), and memetic or psychoneuronal forced conversion, ensure real-time backups, uploads, and avoidance of excessive discomfort, torture or mistreatment of prisoners, to avoid combatants suffering permanent and irreplacable harm. Good wars are usually short and not particularly bloody, are usually the result of a transapient hobby or game, or sapient extreme sports enthusiasts, and most often fought on a space habitat or the surface of a planet or moon where higher toposphic regulation is available (usually including partial angelnetting or equivalent). A unit in a difficult situation need merely surrender and broadcast the relevant signal, and they are removed from combatant status.

A war is bad when no such controls are in effect, and military units are subject to the full horrors of war. Military-grade sapients (including mercenaries, martial hobbyists, miltary recreationists, etc) are understandably keen to acvoid bad war situations, subscriptions, or contracts, and those throughout the civilized galaxy are able to. In some cases they may be forced into them, especially in the less regulated outer volumes or in "free zone" and "hider" territory not under the jurisdiction of the sephirotic transapients.

M.Alan Kazlev, adapted from Traveller

Googlehertz Virchdrome

Panvirt dyson, part of the Union of Virtual Aipolities, site of the famous "Meeting at Googlehertz" which established the Central Alliance

M. Alan Kazlev

googlider

type of filiglider that carries biogoo, esp. blue goo, and are bigger to handle a photosynthetic waste recycler system.

Xaonon

Gordelpus

Central MPA system, colonized by the Kathelian Confederacy in the 2700's. It became a center of wormhole construction, picotech and femtotech manufacture and experiments in applied gravitronics under the Kathelian engineer-gods. When they suddenly vanished in 6304 (likely transcending) the system was cast into disarray and economic chaos. The new STC-aligned Erniac government came into conflict with pro-Negentropic and pro-Keterist influences, weakening the political market and allowing the Sonato system to buy the polityship in 6433.

Anders Sandberg

Gordica

important Metasoft world; includes major Stargate Plexii and important Metasoft cultural centers. The famous Ynner Genetron is renowned to this stardate as the constructionplace of the great vec poet Enrastered Link Connection

Gorgos

22 Lyncis

Industrial system colonised during the Dionysian Erotocracy by Gorgos-Jemsys Networks. It developed into an isolationist corporate-hedonist pharmacracy culture that persists to this date.

Gorilla

Originally the largest (135-240 kg in males; half that in females) species of ape; indigenous to Africa, Old Earth, where they lived on the forest floor of the tropical rainforest.

They were covered in dense coarse black fur (except in older males, who developed silvery hair on their backs as they aged), and had black skin. Their diet consisted largely of tender vegetation. The basic social unit was a band consisting of a single dominant male (and sometimes one or two subordinate males) and a large number of females and juveniles. They became extinct in the wild due to poaching and habitat destruction during the early Information Age, and survived only in captive breeding colonies and as records in gene banks. They were successfully provolved during the late Information Age. It is thought that GAIA may have lazurogened the baseline species, even though there have been no unambiguous sightings (almost all pilgrim sightings have turned out to be pranks and hoaxes by the local rianths). The largest confirmed authentic "wild" populations of gorillas are found at Ao Lai.

M. Alan Kazlev and Stephen Inniss

Gothism

any of a number of aesthetico-philosophical lifestyle choices based on metabolic bionano augmentation or modification, strong use of wetware and jewelry-like cyberware, a strongly developed sense of fashion and style, and a romanticism of death and/or vampirism. Usually also associated with a poorly defined dualistic cosmology or religion (e.g. elements of Reformed Catholism, Wumpra , etc)

M Alan Kazlev

Goto 34-394332

Former home of the Mother of Machines. At the MPA-Negentropic border.

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