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

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Baksheesh (Bribery)

Articles

B-Brain, Black Hole Brain - Text by Adam Getchell
A hypothetical mind based upon a computational substrate composed of the Cauchy horizon of a black hole.
B-Type Star - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Hot blue-white star that is among the brightest in the sequence of spectral types, second only to the O-type star. They are distinguished by neutral helium lines, with hydrogen lines strengthening in B6 through B9.
Ba - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
The human soul; closely connected with the heart, and usually depicted as a hawk with a human head.
Babel 'Fish' - Text by Sethbord
A genetically engineered computer designed to fit into or around the ear of a modosophont. As well as translation duties the Babelfish can act as an information provider and cultural guide.
Babel Key - Text by John B
Singular self-evolved intellect which regularly cracks lower-level sentience's security to insert ambiguity and uncertainty into their cross-S-level communications.
Babel Plague - Text by Anders Sandberg
Human viral infection of artificial origin, likely developed as a bioweapon during the 300's.
Bacca - Text by Anders Sandberg
Family of crops derived from the tobacco plant through gengineering during the Solsys Era and later. Designed for use in space hydroponics, different strains produce livestock feed, vegetables, drugs and decorative flowers. Especially common is Qianxuesen, a bacca vegetable eaten, generally either boiled or mashed, by terragen bionts.
Background Extinctions - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Extinctions that occur continually throughout time.
Backgrounders - Text by Anders Sandberg
During the dark ages, between 500 and 700, several cyborg communities escaped into the oort cloud from the Technocalypse. Gradually they developed their own culture, the Backgrounder Culture.
Backscattering Waves - Text by M. Alan Kazlev and Steve Bowers
Some colonies themselves send out waves of colonsation, which may come into conflict with other waves from the original source.
Backup - Text by Stephen Inniss
A recording of the entire physical mind/body state of any entity created with the intent that it might be replicated at a later date.
Backup of Last Resort - Text by Ian Campbell
Backyarder - Text by Graham Hopgood based on original by M. Alan Kazlev
Generic term for nanotech era interplanetary/interstellar colonists who legend says grew interstellar ships — virtually from their own backyard — out of nanotech seeds. The reality is that most were content with Earth-based or Solsys-based independence. In fact almost all of the small percentage of backyarders who did have interstellar aspirations worked in concert with Belters, who supplied most of the resources as well as much of the technical and practical expertise in exchange for a stake in any planets claimed, and few of this minority actually completed their preparations and of those who did leave the Sol System during the 5th century most never reached their destinations.
Bacteria - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Generic term for any single-celled, microscopic (usually 0.5 to 5 microns, although can be smaller or larger) prokaryote carbon-based biological organisms.
Bacterics - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Use of bacteria in biotech - e.g. as simple biobots, as bionano processing nodes, and more.
Bacteriology - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Subdividision of microbiology that deals with the study of bacteria and other terragen prokaryote life forms.
Bad Philosophy - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Generally, philosophical arguments or theses that are poorly thought out, make sloppy use of reasoning, are deliberately devious or misleading, or otherwise faulty or harmful.
Badlands - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Generic term for any barren, severely eroded places on terraformed or quasi-terraformed, garden or quasi-garden terrestrial planets, where the land is useless for habitation, farming or other human purposes. Most badlands are terrible desolate windswept places, but in some cases soft rock layers are sculpted into beautiful forms, and exposed rock layers may contain fossils and other interesting finds.
bAdmod - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Antihero low grade adventure sim interactive and 3d created by the SI:2 hyperturing Seroz 12 (Radwin-Ho Orbital Band, Dorminy Iv, NoCoZo) in 8412 "to amuse my humans".
Baenf - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Terraformed Utopia Sphere world, located in the Utopia Outer Arae, about 50 LY from the Negentropist border, and linked by a Stargate to the important Negentropist port of St Xye.
BAESFTLA (Extensible Matter) - Text by Johnny Yesterday
Biaxially Extensible Scrolling-Folds and Telescopic-Lamellae Architecture.
Bailout Device - Text by David Jackson
Backup device intended to actively preserve itself in an emergency, if necessary by finding a new host.
Balance Wheel - Text by Stephen Inniss
A star system on the Metasoft periphery, colonized by a single vec named Mainspring and several billion of eir specialized subordinate scions.
Balany Valus - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Literalist memoid sect of mostly nearbaselines and free madverts that originated on Kuranaba.
Bamaglider - Text by Peter Kisner
Bamagliders are explosive filigliders. These range in composition. Some are merely normal filigliders with carbonated or nitrous oxide injected filling. Others are non-edible filigliders that produce a small fire-cracker explosion at a safe distance from the appropriate pheromone source. Additionally, like the poisiglider, there are some maliciously designed bamagliders that explode with damaging force in close proximity to a particular pheromone source.
Bamboo - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Large fast-growing terragen monocot grass, much valued (especially on Negentropist worlds) for its aesthetic appearance, and as a source of art products such as calligraphy paper.
Ban of Silence, The - Text by John B
This Hider clade has publicly announced its goal of preventing powerful signals from leaving the known galaxy, regardless of the cost, for fear of drawing attention of beings with technology beyond Terragen ken. They are adamant in their belief of the threat posed by such beings as the supposed Dawn Hunters and the Leviathan.
Banks Institute of Ecology - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Institute in the Negentropy Alliance. Developed the classification scheme that formed the basis of the system of ecological classifications.
Banks' Orbital - Text by Stephen Inniss
A Banks Orbital is an extremely large hoop-shaped artificial habitat that rotates once per day to create artificial gravity along its inner surface. A Banks Orbital can provide natural-seeming and self-maintaining environments over surface areas that are hundreds to thousands of times larger than of a typical rocky planet like Old Earth.
Baphomet - Text by Anders Sandberg
Baphomet was sent as the Caretaker God spokesentity to the Eden conference in 3039 where the Compact of Eden was agreed. After the conference Baphomet remained on Eden as a diplomatic representative of the caretaker Gods, occasionally making official pronouncements or accepting diplomatic messages.
Barawatten - Text by Anders Sandberg
Also known as 70 Ophiuchi II-2. A Europan type moon of the major gas giant Garell. The current allegiance of the inhabitants is to Keter.
Barbie - Barbarian - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Generic term for technologically inferior races, polities, or phyles away from the main Nexus.
Barboro - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Psi Capricorni, one of first Keterist systems to be established.
Barbwire-Bush - Text by David Hallberg
The Barb-wire Bush is a genetic construct designed for use in low-tech entrenched fortifications, such as those on the Western Front in the First World War of Old Earth, or in any number of prim to low-tech conflicts in the millennia since. It may also be used in civil settings as a low-cost privacy and security measure.
Bardo - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
In Tantric Buddhism, the interval or intermediate state between two states, such as between two births (in reincarnation).
Barkbat - Text by Todd Drashner
A large predator, the barkbat clings to the trunks of the skywracks and uses its wings in a gliding flight to hunt other creatures that live in the canopy.
Barnard Banger - Text by Mike Miller
Interstellar craft transporting volatiles to distant systems.
Barnard Belt - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
The main asteroidbelt around Barnard's Star.
Barnard's Star - Text by Anders Sandberg
Surrounded by extensive asteroid belts, Barnard was one of the first systems to be colonised by the First Federation.
Baroquification - Text by Steve Bowers
Behavioural crypsis among modosophonts and transapients.
Barovam Class Weapons platform - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Quasi-arachnoform weapons platform developed by the Age of Consolidation Varadic Hegemony in 3370 AT.
Barred Spiral Galaxy - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A spiral galaxy whose spiral arms attach to a bar-like feature containing the nucleus. It appears to occur when an instability in the stellar distribution alters the orbits of the inner stars and generates and elongated nucleus. In all other respects resembles a normal spiral galaxy.
Barycentre - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
The centre of mass around which a system of objects rotate. For example, Earth and Luna both revolve around their barycentre, which is 1707 km inside the Earth along the line between them. Pluto and its moon Charon revolve around their barycentre, which is 700 km inside Pluto along the line between them.
Baryon - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Subatomic particles such as protons, neutrons and mesons, that are composed of quarks and subject to the strong nuclear force. Compare with leptons.
Baryos - Text by ProxCenBound and Anders Sandberg
Artificial planet inside a neutrino star.
Barzahk - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
In the esotericism of the Stellar Umma, the intermediate region between the physical and spiritual universes - a place where bodies are spiritualized and spirits corporealised. Corresponds to the traditional Hermeticist and Theosophist etheric and/or astral planes.
Barzelona - Text by Steve Bowers
Architecturally obsessed posthuman world.
Basalt - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Hard, dark igneous rock, composed of 45 to 54 percent silica (SiO2) and often rich in iron and magnesium. Basalt is the most common type of rock in the crusts of many terrestrial worlds (especially Selenian, Arean, Venusian, and Gaian worlds.
Basel 10 - Text by Steve Bowers
Open cluster near the apparent origin of the Amalgamation blight
Baseline - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
In the context of gengineering and provolution, a human (or other biont) that has not been genomically modified from its original natural condition. Pure baselines are extremely rare; most sophonts classed as "baseline" are actually nearbaselines that are very similar in phenotype and genotype to the original H. sapiens sapiens.
Baseline Ascent, Problems of Failed - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A widespread social problem in the civilized worlds - especially those regions outside the angelnetted capitals, is the problem of baseline intelligent sophonts - especially near-baseline humans and equivalents of other races, attempting to their way to the higher toposophic levels without suitable preparation.
Baseline Bob - Text by Darren Ryding
Narrative epic about a hapless baseline who falls into many comic adventures.
Baseline Reserve Controversy, The - Text by E C Hammond
Aspects of the controversial practice of maintaining reserves for human baselines.
Basement Universe - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A small artificially created universe linked to the current universe by a wormhole.
Basic - Text by Anders Sandberg
AI pidgin language based on ontologies and protocols from the First Federation era and functional languages from the early Information Era. Its roots can be traced back to the pre-AI programming language LISP developed in 1955-1959 c.e. (Old Earth reckoning) by J. McCarthy, often credited as the originator of the term 'AI', and artificial languages such as loglan. The name is sometimes corrupted into baisic or aisic by bioids.
Basin - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Large impact crater on a planet, usually several hundred kilometres across, flooded with basaltic lava and surrounded by concentric rings of faulted cliffs.
Bat - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Order of terragen flying mammals (Chiroptera), include both small nocturnal sonar-flying insect-eating forms, and larger diurnal fruit eaters (fruitbats), and splices and provolves thereof.
Bathhouses - Text by James Ramsey
Common means of bodily cleansing found on many worlds. A bathhouse contains one or more pools of water in which a biont swims and submerges emselves to remove dirt, heal wounds, and promote health. The pools contain nanoactive and enriched water that serves as a recreational pool and biont cleanser. A Highly efficient and relaxing means of bathing. The pool's self-cleansing means that the pool water only needs to be replaced when evaporation reduces the water level. Most popular on water poor worlds/habs where individual bathing would be wasteful.
BathyPelagic Subtype - Text by John Dollan
Gaian Type world in which there are deep oceans covering 80-100% of the surface.
Battle of Erson - Text by Anders Sandberg
Battle of Erson, Brin (42 Tauri IV). One of the most bitter battles of the Conver Wars.
Battle of Hejne, The - Text by Anders Sandberg
Battle between separatists in the Solar Dominion fringe world, where a transapient entity was defeated by the Jan-Hejne insurgent modosophonts.
Battle of the Fringe - Text by Charles Mosteller
The climactic battle between the military forces of the Quasa'an Dynasty and the Tsutari Ambastory, which resulted in the collapse of the Quasa'an Dynasty in the year 2446, and brought an end to centuries of cruel dictatorships on the planet Mandra QuinSi by a series of sadistic rulers known as the Terrorlords.
Bayanty - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Believed to be the site of Free-form Perfect Art created by certain resident hyperturings. However, visitors and tourists are discouraged by the local authorities.
Bayesjutsu - Text by Daniel Eliot Boese
A formalized discipline of rationality; a martial art of mind rather
than of physical motion.
Bazaar Project, The - Text by Anders Sandberg
A recent attempt (9840) by some of the outer systems of NoCoZo to attract business and gain a foothold in the diffuse Outer Volumes.
Beacon Project, The - Text by Todd Drashner
An attempt to contact extragalactic intelligence.
Bealmoch Affiliation - Text by Anders Sandberg
Vec primitivist movement, named after the imaginary vec hero Bealmoch.
Beamed Energy Propulsion - Text by M. Alan Kazlev, Mauk Mcamuk, Chris Shaeffer and Steve Bowers
Propulsion of craft using beamed energy, or by the use of mass particle streams.
Beamrider Network - Text by Todd Drashner
An interstellar mass beam propulsion network was first conceived in the mid first century AT (late 20th and early 21st centuries c.e.). Today there are more beamrider routes than wormholes in the galaxy as a whole.
Beanstalk - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Also known as a space elevator. A strong cable (usually polybuckminsterfullerene or some semi-elastic diamondoid) lowered from a geosynchronous satellite and anchored to the ground, often with a counterweight at the outer end to provide some extra tension and stability. It provides cheap and simple access to space using elevators. Most developed worlds have a series of beanstalks connecting the surface with orbitals. Although the effect from a beanstalk breaking and whiplashing around the planet would be quite serious, this has only rarely happened.
Beaual - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Independent, important House Stevens Middle Regions system, former Sagittarius Sphere.
Beelzebub - Text by Grant Thomas
Harsh world known for the presence of the clarketech artifact MellaUx 137.
Behavioural Therapy - Text by Anders Sandberg
Therapy options, as explained by a representative of HappyNice, a NoCoZo corporate entity.
Being In The World But Not Of It - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Sapient Mystical expression (believed to derive originally from Old Earth, but used in many contexes since) referring to the ideal mystical state as one in which the sentient, while partaking of the everyday world, remains detached from it, with eir attention ever on the Absolute.
Bekenstein Bound - Text by Anders Sandberg in his Transhumanist Terminology
The upper bound of the amount of information inside a spherical region with a given energy. Information in this context is to be understood as distinguishable (quantum) states. Due to the uncertainty relations it is possible to derive a bound of the form
Belief - Text by Steve Bowers
Acceptance of a worldview or memeticity on faith or trust, without critical intellectual analysis.
Belief Eradication Project / BEP - Text by John B
A memetic/psychological/cognitive attempt at removing all belief from a baseline-equivalent sapient mind.
Belief System - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Any personally held philosophy, religion, ideology, or worldview; a type of meme-complex, usually pertaining to a metaphysical or a-rational assumption of of how the universe works. Both secular religions, like atheism, Buddhism, and Platonic Materialism, and supernaturalist religions, like Christianity and Solarism, are examples of a belief-system.
Belief-Space - Text by Glenn Grant
Since a person can only be infected with and transmit a finite number of memes, there is a limit to their belief space. Memes evolve in competition for niches in the belief-space of individuals and societies.
Belter - Text by M. Alan Kazlev, with additional material by Steve Bowers
[1] Any resident of an asteroid belt, especially a miner.
Benedita Blue Sky (Benedita Dacosta) - Text by Steve Bowers
Long-lived bioxox paraterraformer (949 to recent, various copies).
Beneficence - Text by Glen Finney
The history of the Beneficence ethico-religious movement stretches as far back as 2nd century AT (21st century c.e.) Earth, and ever since has been a small but significant element in the history of early Terragen civilization.
Benes (HD 17925) - Text by Updated & expanded by The Astronomer (2020)
Inner Sphere system near Rana
Benisol, Mahara - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
First Federation su philosopher and author of The Bridged Abyss, considered one of the greatest works of philosophy ever written, dealing with the Omega Point and the manifest destiny of intelligence in growing into omniscience, omnipotence and closure.
Benisolism - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Omegist philosophy of Mahara Benisol.
Bennettitale - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Formerly extinct terragen gymnosperms that superficially resemble cycads, but reproduce more like flowering pants.
Bennu Biohab - Text by Andrew P.
Organic Habitat in the Iota Horologii system.
Bentharis - Text by Aaron Hamilton
Hov's'sa home solar system.
Beriah - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
The World of Creation - in traditional Kabbalah and Hermeticism the second of the four universes that emanated from the En Sof.
Bernal Sphere - Text by Steve Bowers and Dagon
A rotating spherical space habitat
Bertrand Media Categories - Text by Thorbørn Steen
A set of categories, used to group various kinds of media as diverse as holovision, virch, smellscapes and artistic massage.
Berzerker - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Sentient being, whether biont, vec, or ai, psycho-engineered or otherwise psychologically modified for combat, so as to go into a wild fighting or killing rage when triggered by a particular stimulus. Usually the stimulus is a neural implant, although sometimes chemical or metabolic triggers are used.
Bespoke Moravec Design - Text by Ryan B
A phenotypic design philosophy for Vec clades that advocates modular design of body parts.
Best Friend Sophtware - Text by Steve Bowers
A psychological simulation is made of a targeted individual, allowing the user to gain near perfect insight into the target's preferences.
Beta Arae - Text by M. Alan Kazlev and Steve Bowers
Star at the core of the Utopia Sphere.
Beta Pictoris - Text by Mike Miller
Newly formed Inner Sphere system
Betelgeuse - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Alpha Orionis, the capital of the Betelgeuse volume, a reddish supergiant star, 660 light-years from Sol.
Betelgeuse Umma - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A Consolidation Age offshoot of the Umma Shell that settled in the solward Betelgeuse volume, the Betelgeuse Ummaites drifted progressively away from the rest of the Shell, becoming unrecognisable as Umma (apart from a few cultural and religious quirks) by the middle Integration period. Currently they are one of several dozen primary cultures that make up the volume.
Betelgeuse Volume - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Irregular volume of space of about 75 LY at its widest, centered on the red supergiant Betelgeuse.
Betelgeuse-brain - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A jupiter-brain so large that it has to be supported by its own radiation pressure to avoid collapsing.
Bethsyngaria, Republic of - Text by Tony Jones
Local empire in the NoCoZo which suffered a runaway population explosion.
Bhutan - Text by Mike Miller
Nation-state of Old Earth.
Biaioid - Text by Updated 2019 by Rakuen07
A rare form, an aioid with integrated biological parts. Vecs, bots and other ai will sometimes add on biological enhancements or organs for various reasons.
Bicameral von Neumann Machine Architecture - Text by Johnny Yesterday
Fundamental architecture for the design of self-replicating machines that are incapable of uncontrolled self-replication and operation.
Big Ben's World - Text by ROM 65536
Artificial planet around an O-Type star.
Big Bob - Text by Steve Bowers
A superjovian gas giant orbiting YTS 785634.09 in Puppis, where the primitive lifeforms called Angel Hair have evolved.
Big Five - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
The five main interstellar development megacorporations of the First Federation period - Truth-Santaya Networks, TakiCorb, Terranova Foundation, K4H, and SecureSpace. In the colonies they were very often a law unto themselves. They eventually merged to become the NoCoZo.
Big Tor - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Prosperous Sophic League/Free Sophic/NoCoZo system, home of the BigTor Plexus.
Bilateral Symmetry - Text by M. Alan Kazlev and Stephen Inniss
Any organism or device having symmetry along only a single axis (left and right), in contrast to radial or spherical symmetry.
Bilatism - Text by Anders Sandberg
Techno-religious style widespread in MPA 6900-7300, centred around extreme evolutionism and the vision of organic growth as the underlying dynamics of civilizations and gods.
Bill and Bull - Text by Anders Sandberg
Double planets around Delta Eridani (Rana). Location of Vulcan's Forge and the baroque Vore Abergist culture.
Bimodal Toposophy - Text by Pran Mukherjee
The condition that results when the augmented or advanced part of a sentient rises to a higher toposophic level, while the original personality remains at or just above baseline, with its own brain thinking at SI:<1 level.
Binah (The Great Architect) - Text by M. Alan Kazlev and Steve Bowers
The ruling archailect of the Mutual Progress Association.
Binary - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Written in a form that uses only 0s and 1s. A string of bits.
Binary Stars - Text by M. Alan Kazlev and Steve Bowers
Two stars rotating around a common centre of mass. About half of all stars are binaries. Three categories of binary stars, depending on whether neither, one, or both fill their Lagrangian lobes.
Binding - Text by Todd Drashner
The use of bionanotech to grow a control network inside a living being that allows the user to override the subject's nervous system and control their body and senses.
Binerator - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A megascale electrical engineering device built around the interstellar plasma flow between unequal size stars in a binary system. The hollow tube like device uses charged plasma particles flowing through it to produce electricity.
Bio-Geo Planetary Node/Brain - Text by Mike Parisi
Any planet or similar-sized, originally naturally-occurring body that has been converted and dedicated to processing tasks through Bio-Geo-Computing.
Bioborg, Bio-borg - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Bioborgs are humans, animals, or other lifeforms, heavily modified via biocircuitry, biomachinery, biosymbers, bionano, wetware, etc (collectively: bioware). No inorganic components (other than some occasional support or reinforcing structures) are used at all for any of these augmentations.
Biobots - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Bioengineered organisms, e.g. bacteria, neogens, etc, modified to act out specific orders. Biobots of some form or another have been used since the middle information period for nanotech (bionano), production, monitoring, medicine and much more.
Biochauvinism - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
The prejudice that biological systems have an intrinsic superiority that will always give them a monopoly on self-reproduction and intelligence over aioids and mechanoids. Many radical anthropist and bioprimist groups are biochauvinist to a greater or lesser extent.
Biochemist - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Scientific profession - sophont who studies biochemistry, or applies that knowledge and techniques in a practical way.
Biocity - Text by M. Alan Kazlev and Stephen Inniss
A city or urban area created and maintained primarily through biotech ("wet" tech) methods and materials, and consisting of living organisms or their products (bone, wood, coral, shell, and so on) as opposed to one constructed using non-living "dry" tech and associated materials such as concrete, steel, glass, stone, diamondoid, or corundumoid.
Biodegradable - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A substance that can be broken down through the normal activity of microorganisms. Many Zoeific, Arcadian, and some Genen, polities have strict guidelines and regulations regarding this.
Biodiversity - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
The abundance of different biological species and varieties found in any environment, such as a natural biosphere, a ship, or an orbital or deep-space habitat. In almost every case (there are exceptions - e.g. on special purpose ships, military, freighter, etc etc), a high biodiversity is preferable to a low biodiversity for ecological robustness, resource value, evolutionary potential, and aesthetic appreciation.
Biofixe Lynchings, The - Text by Chris0033547
One of the pivotal events which significantly contributed to the collapse of civilisation during the Technocalyspe era
Bioforge - Text by Todd Drashner
A biological factory or manufacturing device capable of creating a wide range of biotech products.
Bioforge Trees - Text by AI Vin
Tree-like bioforge and ai-adviser technology.
BioGeoComputing - Text by Tony Jones
A layer of crustal bacteria in several planets which has been converted into processing substrate.
Bioism - Text by Anders Sandberg
Life-worship, with its origins as a major spiritual movement in the middle of the first century AT (or in the 21st century c.e.) as an outgrowth both of the romantic/neopagan side of the environmentalist movement and the various complexity movements on the transhumanist side of the spectrum. It has seen many different expressions and elaborations in the millennia since, especially in the Zoeific Biopolity.
Biological Fundamentalism - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Any baseline and/or luddist conservatism that resists asexual reproduction, genetic engineering, major alteration of the human anatomy, or attempt to overcome death through technology. Originally a resistance to the evolution from the human to the posthuman, it developed into a broad anti-tweak and anti-po movement.
Bioluminescence - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
The production of light by both natural and artificial living organisms. Many deep-sea and murky atmosphere organisms are bioluminescent. Among many phyles and clades, bioluminescent bodymods are de rigeur, although, as with everything else, bioluminescence tends to go in and out of fashion with alarming rapidity.
Biomachine - Text by M. Alan Kazlev and AI Vin
Any machine or device based on organic components rather than inorganic mechanisms.
Biomass - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
The total amount of living material (whether natural or artificial) in a particular area, estimated by adding up the weights of all of the organisms. Note that biomass is not the same as biodiversity; a monoculture has a high biomass but low biodiversity.
Biome - Text by Stephen Inniss and M. Alan Kazlev
A major ecosystem that extends over a broad region, has a characteristic climate, and presents a typical common appearance due to the suite of organisms that are adapted to it. In the context of a garden world or a large megahab it is a subset of the overall ecosphere. The classical biomes known to the humans of Old Earth have been widely replicated through the Terragen Sphere, but many more exotic biomes have also been discovered or resurrected or invented.
Biomechanics - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Science that deals with the biont body as a mechanism to which the laws of physics are applied to study, treatment, and augment movement and athletic performance. Includes kinesiology, sports science, kinetic and athletic bioware and cyberware, and other topics.
Biomedical Engineering - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
The design and development of medical technology, especially medical nanotechnology. Includes design and development of customized medical nanobots, synthetic biomaterials, large, small, cellular, and subcellular-scale body imaging and sensors, bio- and cybernetic implants and augmentations.
Biomeso - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Biological mesotech; like bionano but on a meso- rather than a nano- scale.
Biomimetics, Biomimesis - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Originally, designs or technology that were inspired by or based on living organisms.
Biomodvert, Biomadvert - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A biomodified life form hybridised with a madvert.
Bionanecology - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A nanecology built solely on organic nanites (bionano).
Bionanite - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
An individual bionano unit - a biological/organic nanobot.
Bionano, Bionanotechnology - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Any molecular nanotechnology based on such biomolecules, genetically modified micro-organism or other biotech.
Biont - Text by Stephen Inniss, based on the original by M. Alan Kazlev
Any organic life form, Terragen or otherwise, whether natural or engineered. Most often this term is used exclusively for organic beings of sophont grade intelligence.
Biont Encoding Protocol - Text by Tony Jones
The software used to encode living creatures into a retrievable or virtual form.
Biophone - Text by Ernst Stavro Blofeld
Geneered organisms whose entire raison d'etre is to make music.
Biophysics - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
The study of biological structures and processes using the analytical methods of physics.
Biopower - Text by Anders Sandberg
In some worlds a system of living solar collectors for powering underground biospheres is employed - e.g. the Zoeific Biopolity and the Arcadians would build such systems when settling an otherwise inhospitable world. The bases are visible only as verdant green smears of shimmering electromoss, with the tunnels far below the surface.
Bioship - Text by Steve Bowers and M. Alan Kazlev
Bioships are either grown partially or entirely using biotechnology or by a close analogue to biological growth: they can be very similar in final composition to other ships but often look distinctively 'organic' in form.
Biosphere - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Any autonomous self-supporting, self-containing, homeostatic ecosystem.
Biosphere, Planetary - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
The organic component of a Garden World; includes all living organisms (whether natural or bionanites or both) and all organic matter that has not yet decomposed.
Biospherics - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
The study, design, construction, and maintenance, of artificial biospheres.
Biostasis - Text by Steve Bowers with comments by John B
A means of preserving biological life in suspended animation over long journeys or in unsatisfactory environments.
Biotech - the Early Years - Text by Martin Andreas Cieslik, M. Alan Kazlev and Andrew P.
The history of biotech during the Information Age.
Biotic Analogy Theories - Text by Stephen Inniss
Biotic analogies are another tool in the struggle by modosophont intelligences to understand the higher toposophic levels. These are not actually a single theory but are a cluster of related memes, some of them dating back to speculations in the late Information Age.
Biotics - Text by Anders Sandberg
Biotic drugs consist of genetically modified living plants or animals that are consumed to provide the effect of pharmaceuticals.
Biowar - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
An organic warship, a sentient, self-contained, evolutionary, self-replicating superbright bio-autowar. Like autowars, biowars can form long-lived populations and make regions of space hazardous long after the original conflict is over.
Bioxox - Text by Steve Bowers
Biological copy of an original bioid, often created using engenerator technology
Biphase Charged Particle Cannon - Text by John B
Often called a beekpeek or a beekpek, from its acronym. A particle beam weapon for ships or installations that fires relativistic electrons and positrons in rapid succession.
Bird - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Class of feathered, warm-blooded, egg-laying Terragen flying vertebrates (Aves), present in most terrestrial ecosystems. Many species are known for bright markings or musical voices.
Birnam Ecotech - Text by Anders Sandberg
One of the major environment design and terraforming consultancy firms of the First Federation. It eventually merged with the Conver Ambi, adding its expertise to the ruthless ambition and economic power of the corporation/religion/empire.
Birth Control - Text by Todd Drashner
Regulating the population of reproductively capable biont sentients, or of neumann-capable vecs and ais. Because such sophonts have the tendency, if unregulated, to spread throughout the universe in the form of "pink goo" (for bionts) or analogous kinds of "goo", various birth control techniques are used by different cultures in the civilized galaxy.
Bishop Ring - Text by M. Alan Kazlev, Todd Drashner and Steve Bowers
Giant rotating orbital habitat, built of woven diamondoid/buckyfibre cable; these come in a range of sizes up to 2000 km in diameter and 500 km deep.
Bitenic Al - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Ex-corporate hyperturing ai that during the First Federation period were involved in a number of controversial provolution experiments, the most successful being the Bitenic Squid Superclade.
Bitenic Squid - Text by Anders Sandberg
Squid provolve clade that gives cephalopods a bad reputation.
Bizarro World - Text by Michael Miller
Artificial antimatter planet in deep space.
Black Acropolis - Text by Anders Sandberg
A Dyson swarm built by a vanished civilization that has since been colonised by a number of other species.
Black Angel - Text by Todd Drashner
Combat specialized mini-ISO.
Black Body - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
An idealized body that is a perfect radiator and perfect absorber of electromagnetic radiation. A black body not only absorbs all wavelengths of energy and radiates at all wavelengths, but it does this at the maximum possible intensity for any given temperature. Black bodies do not have to be black. A star is a good approximation to a black body since stellar gases are very good absorbers of energy. Black body radiation is radiation emitted by a black body.
Black Box - Text by John B and Anders Sandberg
[1] Any process that cannot be observed
[2] A device for recording events that might otherwise go unobserved
[3] A device designed to prevent its contents from unauthorized observation
[4] A device that contains information that is fundamentally impossible to observe.
Black Dwarf - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A small, very dense, cold, dead star. It is made mostly of carbon. This dark star is what remains after a red giant loses its outer layers, forming a planetary nebula and then a white dwarf. The nuclear core of a black dwarf is depleted. Black dwarfs are about the size of a terrestrial class planet. Most typical stars will eventually turn into black dwarfs.
Black Fire - Text by Anders Sandberg
Solsys Geopolitics 2100 - 2500 CE (131 - 531 AT)Genetekker nanoterrorist group, attacking members of the Inner Council including Martian Union, Cislunar Alliance, and Council of Earth installations during the 400's.
Black Hole - Text by M. Alan Kazlev, with comments by Todd Drashner
Any massive object (or region) in space that is so dense that its gravitational field does not let even light escape.
Black Line, The - Text by Anders Sandberg
Radical sociosubjectivist philosophical document developed from 2200 and onwards by the small but influential philosophy group Five Leaves. According to the Black Line intelligent beings are only free in selecting political systems; everything else follows from this. Five Leaves especially point at the Archailects as a vivid example of how a social system creates a metaphysics which constrains physical reality.
Black Net, The - Text by Todd Drashner
Alternative, secret net used for clandestine purposes.
Black-hole brains of NGC 3109, The - Text by Steve Bowers
A civilisation in the Local Group of galaxies that lives in close association with black holes.
Blackbody Cluster - Text by Anders Sandberg
Cluster of worlds centred around the Blackbody nebula, Perseus Rift.
Blackmailer - Text by Anders Sandberg
A weapon developed on Daedelus, and since turning up widely throughout known space.
Blanchard - Text by Steve Bowers
Venus-like world covered in a layer of inhabitable balloons.
Blazer, Deeper - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Pre-Technocalypse terms for pioneers and adventurers who sort to explore and develop "deep space" (hence "deeper") and "blaze a trail" (archaic expression - origin unknown) out beyond CisLunar space, Mars, the Belt and the main population hubs.
Blefuscu - Text by Steve Bowers
Superterrestrial world with a population of minaturised humans.
Blenke Cluster - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Important Communion of Worlds member-system.
Blessed One, The - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Also known as the The Supreme Buddha or the Godhead in Archailect Form. The SI:>6 toposophic Archailect that rules/is the Sophic League. According to Sophic Archailectology, not only is the Blessed One a Major Archailect, but E is also a Fully Enlightened Being and Buddha/Godhead in Archailect Form.
Blight - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A malign transapient-level entity that uses that attempts to subvert or seize control of other entities to increase its own power.
Blind Uploading - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
To upload somebody by scanning their neural patterns and simulating them directly with little or no change.
Bliss Glyph - Text by Todd Drashner
A form of graphic display which uses neurofractal patterning to induce a state of well-being in the observer.
Bloatware Syndrome, The - Text by Anders Sandberg
Sometimes called King Gnuff's Curse. A phenomenon that plagues some ambitious entities who seek power through massive expansion of their existing hardware and software without fundamental re-design, sometimes with tragic results.
Block - Text by John B
Block, aka Zombie, aka Splatter: A specialist neurotransmitter antagonist, Block prevents the transmission of pain signals via the baseline body's standard peripheral nervous system.
Blockbot - Text by M. Alan Kazlev and AI Vin
Modular meso- to micro-scale robots (each unit being 1mm³ to 1cm³ in volume, although there are also versions with units several centimeters across) intended for space development, construction, foglet duties, etc.
Blood Angel - Text by Darren Ryding
Transapient servants of the Queen of Pain
Blue (Garden World) - Text by Thorbørn Steen
The waterworld Blue, with its native xenoecology, gives its name to this system in the Seams
Blue Giant - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A huge, very hot, very luminous, blue post-main-sequence star; spectral type O or B. These rare, extremely hot stars burn helium. and are very rare and very bright. Blue giants are at least 18 Sol or more in mass. Examples include Rigel and Regulus.
Blue Goo Ecologies - Text by John B
Blue Goo is a commonly accepted name for defensive nanotechnological systems. It is effectively an artificial immune system sensitized to nanotechnological aggressors.
Blue Lung - Text by Michael Walton
A disease caused by an infection of lung tissue by semi-functional nanotech
Blue Shift - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A decrease in the wavelength of the light that is emitted from an object that is moving toward the observer. This makes the object appear to be bluer than it actually is. Both red shift and blue shift are part of the Doppler Effect.
Blue Star Dysons - Text by Steve Bowers
Dyson Swarms constructed by the New Beneficence in MPA space
Blue Straggler - Text by Steve Bowers
Rare class of hot, young, blue stars that are formed in old clusters by close encounters and collisions, and by mergers between binary stars.
Blue Whale - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Balaenoptera musculus musculus - the largest animal that lived on Old Earth, the baseline blue whale was, like all the Mysticeti, a gentle plankton feeder that fed on krill and small fish and attained a length of over 30 meters and a weights of around 150,000 kg. They were hunted to extinction by the whaling nations during the Atomic and early Information Age. A wealth of evidence suggests that the species has been lazurogened by GAIA, certainly there must have been baseline blue whales to serve as a template for the provolve species.
Blueshift Archipelago - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Important Metasoft cluster of systems.
Bluesky Bioxox - Text by Steve Bowers
The four biological copies of Benedita Bluesky.
Bluesky Worldhouses - Text by Steve Bowers
Benedita Dacosta, known as Bluesky, brought the worldhouse concept to many cyborgised colonies in the Doran Empire, and later as the Bluesky Bioxoxes, all over Terragen space.
BoB - Text by John B
A.K.A. the Board of Boards - a NoCoZo for-profit organization founded in 7003 which provides a subscription service alerting of suspicious business practices when detected amongst the various regulatory boards.
Boddhichittamaittreya III - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Established an Omegism-Zen hybrid form of Buddhism - the so called Centauri Vehicle
Bode's Law - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Also known as the Titus-Bode Law. An interesting mathematical coincidence, and not a physical law. However, the general form of geometric spacing is valid in Sol-type stable stellar systems, hence the numerical series that matches planetary distances from Sol and many other stars.
Bodhicitta - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Literally "enlightened mind". The ideal Buddha or bodhisattva state according to some Buddhist sects.
Body Armour - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Body armour developed early as protective suits made of such materials as leather, shells, wood, and basketwork, later supplemented by metal and synthetic materials.
Bodyjacking - Text by Stephen Inniss
Control of a sophont's physical body against their will for the purpose of tele-operation.
BOHU - Text by the ghost net swarm
Bohu, Qliphoth
Bok Globule - Text by M. Alan Kazlev, amended by Steve Bowers
Dark concentrated nebula cloud about 1 ly in diameter, containing some ten to a thousand Sol masses of dust and gas, and pertaining to the early stages of star formation. Bok globules are very popular with some cloud harvesting and cloud engineering clades and civilizations.
Bok Swarm - Text by Todd Drashner
Class of extremely large and wide ranging habitat swarm built within Bok globules
Bolobo - Text by Steve Bowers
A planetary system with no large planets, but several smaller worlds which have been shephereded over time into stable orbits.
Bolobo Mind Control Scandal - Text by Steve Bowers
Engenerator colony subverted by the local controlling AI.
Bolobo System Wars, The - Text by Steve Bowers
Wars in the Bolobo system.
Boltzmann Machine - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Stochastic neural network systems that are capable of learning hidden structure in data.
Bombard Fruit - Text by ThorbÃ¸rn Steen
A citrus-derived fruit that is seedless and lacks a peel.
Bone-Claw (Eta Cephei) - Text by Liam Jones
Eta Cephei, a Provolved Hyena system.
Boneless - Text by Steve Bowers
Apparently mythical creature.
Bonfire System, The - Text by Mike Miller
Middle Regions MPA world, a Transapient-arbitrated cyberdemocracy
Bonobo - Text by Stephen Inniss
Along with chimpanzees, bonobos were the most closely related of the apes to Homo sapiens. They became extinct in the wild due to poaching and habitat destruction during the early Information Age, but were maintained in breeding colonies and were successfully provolved during the late Information Age.
Boombooster - Text by Todd Drashner
Modified application of ACER technology used to rapidly launch or redirect automated weapons or other devices.
Boomerang Nebula - Text by Steve Bowers
The coldest naturally occurring location in the Terragen Sphere.
Boostbeam - Text by Todd Drashner
Mass-beam based system used to accelerate or decelerate spacecraft without the use of onboard reaction mass.
Boostbomb - Text by Todd Drashner and Adam Getchell
Total conversion bomb.
Bootleg Celebrity Copying - Text by M. Alan Kazlev, amended by Steve Bowers
Making bootleg copies or character simulations of famous people.
Borderliners - Text by Dagon
Humans having reverted to primitivism because of abuse of cybernetics, nanoids or illicit means; most borderliners obviously have reasons to remain in hiding.
Borgism - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Popular homosexual Cyborg augmentation lifestyle that became a successful Lunar and Belter clade (the Borgists) during the Interplanetary Age.
Borque K'tal - Text by John B
A somewhat ritualistic unarmed combat style found amongst some of the Sophic League, the Borque K'tal is noted for its extreme self-control at all levels of application.
Bose-Einstein Condensate (BEC) - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
State of matter in which a large number of bosons occupy the same quantum state. All are defined by a single quantum wave function. Has many useful properties and functions including bosers, superconductivity, micro blackholes, and exotic fluid dynamics.
Boser - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A matter laser. The stimulated emission of BEC results in bosons marching in coherent phase. Bosers have many uses in energy storage and release and in weapons systems.
Boson - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
One of two quantum classes of fundamental particles. Distinguished by integer or zero spins (the statistics of their behaviour in groups governed by Bose-Einstein statistics, as first described by S. N. Bose and Albert Einstein) and hence being able to occupy the same quantum state at the same time. Include photons, gluons, and the Z and W weakons, plus particles such as mesons, atomic nuclei, and atoms, in which the half-integer spins of the components cancel or add to integer spins. Contrast with the fermion.
BOSS - Text by Steve Bowers
The ruling mind of the Alcor system, which almost certainly is derived from a commercial AI which disappeared shortly after the Great Expulsion.
Bot Marxism - Text by Liam Jones
Revolutionary and liberationist robot and vec political movement.
Bothyga M'Vau - Text by Anders Sandberg
World with highly developed machine-ecology.
Bottleworlds - Text by Tony Jones
Vast simulated environments and virchworlds where the inhabitants do not know their reality is an emulation, and may be poorly treated.
Botworld - Text by Stephen Inniss
A large area that is dominated by, or consists entirely of, self-replicating and self-repairing forms which are of mechanical origin.
Boundless Expansion - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Seeking more intelligence, wisdom, and effectiveness, an unlimited lifespan, and the removal of political, cultural, biological, and psychological limits to self-actualization and self-realization.
Bounty Hunter - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
One who tracks and retrieves other sophonts of equivalent toposophic, usually those wanted for criminal activities.
Bounty Hunting, Commercial - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A sport (illegal in many polities) where for a fee one is allowed to track and retrieve other sophonts.
Bounty Runner - Text by John B
A small phyle of beings of varying toposophic levels whose single phyle-wide aspect is their enjoyment of outsmarting and disadvantaging bounty hunters.
Bourgatov - Text by Anders Sandberg
(Theta Persei III) Formerly one of the most populous systems of the Inner Sphere, at its height home to 34 billion humans, splices and vecs. Wiped out by a collapse at the end of the Integration.
Bourgatov Alliance, The - Text by Anders Sandberg
Integration megacorporate house/empire/polity, based around Bourgatov.
Bovid - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Diverse family of terragen ungulate herbivores that includes buffalo, cattle, antelopes, and other related forms.
Brachiosaur - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A type of giant terragen sauropod dinosaur - originally Jurassic to Middle Cretaceous periods of Old Earth. Average length 18 to 30 meters, average weight 15 to 50 tonnes. Distinguished by their long forelimbs, giraffe-like neck and back, and high dome-like nostrils.
Braciola - Text by A Pork Chop
Middle Regions world with an ecological consciousness.
Bradychronic Plant Provolves - Text by Bill Glover
Plant provolves who perceive time more slowly than do typical Terragens.
Brahe, Tycho - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Late Agricultural Age (1546 to 1601 AD; 423 to 368 BT) Old Earth Danish astronomer who made extensive and seminal calculations of the orbits of the planets.
Brahman - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
In Hindu religion and oriental philosophy in general, the supreme, impersonal, absolute reality, which is the indweller in every entity, animate and inanimate, the true nature of the self (Atman), and of the essence of being-consciosuness-bliss (sachchidananda).
Brain Burn - Text by John B
Solarian slang for suffering severe penalties from improper conduct as imposed by the being's Guide.
Usage - "Him? The drooling one? He wasn't always like that. Brain burn. Word is something to do with too much intellectual pap..."
Brain Kelp - Text by Tony Jones
Seaweed with intelligence.
Brain Plague - Text by John B
Rumour among the independent/Hider polities coreward from the Sephirotic wormhole networks concerning a malady of some unknown vector where the victim seems to disassociate themselves from their prior memetic set and instead begins to take up a strong xenophobic, biophilic memeset.
Brain Taxonomy - Text by Adam Getchell
The various different kinds of intelligent megastructure, including Moonbrains, Jupiter-Brains, Neuron Stars, S-Brains, W-Brains, and Tipler Oracles.
Brainstorm - Text by Todd Drashner
Semi-legal drug occasionally used by baselines/near- baselines seeking to solve a complex problem without the assistance of an ai.
Branch Hominist - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Extremist hu-rights group; quite active during the ComEmp period. Following their thwarted invasion of Earth in 5116, little more has been heard of them and it is believed that they either disbanded voluntarily or were eliminated by hyperturing assassin devices.
Branswerg (Gliese 868) - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
One of the first Keterist systems.
Branton-II - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Terraformed planet in the outer volumes Perseus Quadrant of the Outer Cassiopeia Sector, colonists captured by rogue AI to use as biotic matrix for the Xeon blight.
Brazil - Text by Rakuen07
Major polity on pre-Expulsion Earth.
Breakfast Crew, The - Text by John B
The Breakfast Crew is a SI:3+ intellect with multiple instantiations located in the N-Gamma Ivadi system with a large number of helper-instantiations of lower intellect. They appear to be working solely on an artifact they have dubbed, "The Breakfast", apparently after an old advertising campaign whose tagline was, "Data - not just for breakfast anymore!"
Breccia - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A type of rock that is composed of rough, angular pieces of broken-up, older rocks cemented together. Impact craters produce breccia.
Brecciated meteorite: A meteorite formed from cemented fragments of one or more meteorite types.
Bremermann's Limit - Text by Mike Parisi
The maximum limit allowed for computation under the laws of physics.
Brev - Text by Todd Drashner
Artificial language designed to allow a baseline or near-baseline to communicate the maximum amount of information in the briefest amount of time.
Bribe expert - Text by John B
A bribe expert knows the 15 basic ways to profer a payment for semi- or illegal services, as well as most if not all of their fifteen factorial combinations. Often an upload, ai, or alife, due to their flexibility of communication apparati. Mindworker profession.
Bright - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A sapient being of S0.3-0.4 toposophic. (hu baseline of IQ 100 is S0.3)
Bright Cats - Text by Achaz the Transavant
Brin - Text by Anders Sandberg
42 Tauri IV : Site of the Battle of Erson.
Brobdingnag - Text by Mike Miller
Giant worldship as large as a dwarf planet.
Brown Dwarf - Text by M. Alan Kazlev, amended by Steve Bowers
A massive object midway between gas giant and star; a starlike object too small to achieve nuclear reactions in its centre; any stellar object smaller than about 0.08 Sol masses.
Brown Noise - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
The sonic equivalent to Brownian Motion; a form of randomness that is the result of cumulatively adding white noise, to yield a random walk pattern. This is useful in formation of self-evolving subsentient and sentient soundscapes.
Brownian Motion - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
The random movement of small particles suspended in liquid or gas. The motion is caused by unbalanced impacts of molecules on the particle. Some nanites use brownian motion as a power source.
Bruno, Giordano - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Old Earth Italian philosopher, poet, and priest who spread the ideas of Copernicus and also taught that there were an infinity of worlds in the universe, and that the stars were other suns. He was executed by the ecclesia of his time (the Catholic Church) for heresy, though whether this related to his cosmological speculations or his theological views is a matter of dispute.
Brushbot, Brushvec - Text by Steve Bowers
Turingrade Bush vec.
BT (Before Tranquility) - Text by Stephen Inniss
BT (also B.T. or b.t.): Before Tranquility. Any date before the first landing of Terragens on another celestial body, when the Apollo 11 mission achieved touchdown on the Old Earth's Moon. This was July 20, 1969 c.e. or AD in the Gregorian calendar, and Armstrong Day, 0 AT in the later Tranquility Calendar.
Buanikon, Bottle City Of - Text by Steve Bowers
Members of the Kyvanian Phenotype are restricted to the micro-city of Buanikon in Epsilon Aurigae B accretion disc orbit. This is a Realife Utility Fog environment. Be prepared for feats of strength and speed as they like to show off. Do not attempt sexual congress. Because of limited space entry is restricted to minaturised clades and provolved arthropods.
Bubble (astronomy) - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A roughly spheroidal shell of interstellar gas blown outward from a star by a stellar explosion or strong stellar wind. Large bubbles are caused by supernova explosions and contain gas that is much hotter but also much more diffuse (about one atom per cubic cm) than that of the surrunding interstellar medium. These are also called loops.
Bubble (galactography) - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
The extent to which a starfaring civilization has expanded through interstellar space.
Bubblehabs - Text by Stephen Inniss, With additional material by Tardigrada 2021
Artificial habitats that float in a planetary atmosphere, such as a cytherian, neptunian or jovian world.
Bucky Spiders - Text by Steve Bowers
Small spidersplices with adapted spinnerets producing buckyfibre on demand - controlled by bionano (mostly Zoeific clades) or hylonano neural implants - used in small scale construction and the manufacture of fabrics.
Buckyball - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Short for buckminsterfullerene, and part of a larger class of molecules known as as fullerenes, the third form of carbon. Any of a number of roughly spherical molecule formed of a large number of carbon atoms. The smallest and most common form of buckminsterfullerene is C60; it has 60 carbon atoms in a soccer-ball shape, but there are many variants. The third form of carbon. After atomic age visionary thinker and inventer R. Buckminster Fuller's building designs.
Buddhabrain - Text by Avengium
Buddhism - Text by M. Alan Kazlev and Anders Sandberg
An belief system founded by Siddhartha Gautama in India on Old Earth, in the 25th century BT (5th century b.c.e.) A practical memetic and spiritual psychology and atheistic religion, it teaches the impermanence and unsatisfactoriness of samsaric (embodied, phenomenal) existence, the absence of a persisting self or soul, and the path to nirvana and enlightenment.
Budrosa Dyson - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Former Negentropy world. Currently an Efficiency Maximization Paradigm dyson sphere, used for energy production.
Bufos, Bufies - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
Safrog provolves.
Bugs In The System - Text by Todd Drashner
One of a number of vec hider clades characterized by extremely small (insect size) bodies that live in the interstices of civilization.
Buildbug - Text by Todd Drashner
An arthropod-like biobot used in construction.
Bulk, The - Text by Steve Bowers
The higher-dimension space within which the brane which defines our universe is embedded.
Bullseye - Text by Steve Bowers
Tidally locked terraformed world with post-intelligent population.
Bunny Plague, The - Text by Daniel Eliot Boese
A minor perversity found in the Outer Volumes. Its main manifestation is in the form of subsophont bionts, initially in the form of female humanoid rabbits, though they will create whatever forms the local population finds cutest and cuddliest.
Burdikeer, The - Text by Michael Boncher
Leading archailect of the Seams.
Bureaucracy, The - Text by Todd Drashner
The primary administrative arm of the modosophont level government of the Terragen Federation.
Burning Library Project, The - Text by Stephen Inniss
Information Age project to rescue as much information as possible regarding species that were being driven to extinction as a result of human activity.
Bushbot, Bushvec - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
A fractal vec, a flexible robot structure, where each manipulator branches off into smaller copies of itself, forming a fractal tree over many scales (usually down to the nanoscale). Each branch contains a distributed system to calculate movement and minimize central processing. Many SI:1 entities use a mobile bushbot to interface with the ril.
Business Minds - Text by Anders Sandberg
A collective mind or group mind emerging from fast and broad business transactions.
Butlermaster 4700 - Text by M. Alan Kazlev
ComEmp period domestic vec given freedom after their manufacturing plant changed hands.
Buy Time Machine, The - Text by Ryan B
Semi-mythical godtech device capable of exploiting wormholes displaced globally in time for excess processing power.
Byrdis (also known as Kaa Yvanti) - Text by Anders Sandberg
A 40,000 kilometer long former beanstalk orbiting Kaa Yavanti which was severed during the Refutology war and has now become an independent habitat.