Lexicon of Terms
Some helpful lingo when considering a sci-fi setting: http://www.extropy.com/neologo.htm
Megascale Engineering: http://www.aleph.se/Trans/Tech/Megascale/
Nanotechnology articles: http://www.zyvex.com/nano/
String Theory: http://www.superstringtheory.com/
Adhocracy
A non-bureaucratic networked organization. "This form is already common in organizations such as law firms, consulting companies and research universities. Such organizations and institutions must continually readjust to a changing array of projects, each requiring somewhat different combinations of skills and other resources. These organizations depend on many rapidly shifting project teams and much lateral communication among these relatively autonomous, entrepreneurial groups." [Scientific American, Sept. 1991, p.133. Alvin Toffler, Future Shock, 1970]
Aeonomics
(from aeon and economics) The study of the economic problems of immortal existence. [Mark Plus, Aug 1991]
Affective Computing
An emerging computer science niche devoted to the design of smart devices that can sense and adapt to a user's moods and interests.
AI
Artificial Intelligence. See the Artificial Intelligence Resources for more information.
AI-Complete
(In analogy with NP-complete) A problem where the the solution presupposes a solution to the 'strong AI problem' (that is, the synthesis of a human-level intelligence). [Definition from the Jargon File]
Aleph
A point or state where an infinite amount of information is stored and processed (As in the Omega Point). [Mitchell Porter]
Algernon
Any human who, via artificial or natural means, has some type of mental enhancement which carries a price. [Eliezer S. Yudkowsky, 1996; term based on the novel Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes]
A-Life
Artificial life: The modeling of complex, life-like behavior in computer programs. A-Life forms can evolve and produce behaviors not contained within rules set by the programmers.
Amortalist
A person who opposes death.
Arachniography
A bibliography of web pages. [Andrew J. Butrica]
Arch-Anarchy
The view that we should seek to void all limits on our freedom, including those imposed by the laws of nature. [T.O. Morrow, 1990]
Arcology
Arcology is a termed coined by Italian architect Paolo Soleri in 1959 to describe the concept of Architecture and Ecology working as an integral system. Arcology designs are fully 3-dimensional mega-structure cities which can (theoretically) achieve much greater efficiencies, and promote more social interaction than 2-dimensional cities, while using far less land and consuming fewer resources. See also the FAQ of Arcosanti. [Definition by Nathan Koren]
Arrow Impossibility Theorem
The theorem in economics, due to Kenneth Arrow, which says that you can't construct a "social preference function" (ranking the desirability of various social arrangements) out of individual preferences, while retaining a particular set of features ("nondictatorship" - the social preference function can't be just one person's individual preferences; consistency - the social preference function can't rank A above B, B above C, and C above A; "positive relation" between individual and social preference - if the social preference function ranks A above B, and some person's individual preference changes from "B above A" to "A above B", that shouldn't cause the social preference to switch to "B above A"; and an "irrelevance" assumption which I don't quite remember, but is something like this, that if an individual changes their mind about the relative worth of C and D, it shouldn't affect the social preference standings of A and B.)
Artilect
An ultra-intelligent machines (from "artificial intellect"). [Hugo de Garis, Cosmism: Nano Electronics and 21st Century Global Ideological Warfare].
Asex
A person who has been physically and mentally altered so that ve no longer is male or female [Greg Egan, Distress]
Asimort
(a) A dead science fiction writer. (b) A dead secular humanist. (c) Any person who believes it to be their duty to die to "make room" for future generations. [Mark Plus, Apr 1992]
Asimov
An AI that has been constrained in some way to serve human interests. [Rudy Rucker, Wetware, 1988. Based on Isaac Asimov's three laws of robotics]
Assembler
A molecular machine that can be programmed to build virtually any molecular structure or device from simpler chemical building blocks. Analogous to a computer-driven machine shop. [K. Eric Drexler, Engines of Creation, 1986]
Athanasia
The act of preventing death. [W. T. Quick, 1988]
Athanophy
A philosophical system that offers a possible means of overcoming death scientifically. [Michael Perry, 1991]
Atheosis
The process of recovering from belief in a God. [Mark Plus, August 1991]
Atomtronics
Just as electrons are used in electronics and photons in photonics, atomtronics is the emerging technology where cold, neutral atoms are manipulated on or near an atom chip.
Augment
A person whose physical or cognitive abilities have been technologically expanded beyond the range of natural humans. [David Brin, The Postman]
Autoevolution
Evolution directed by intelligent beings instead of natural selection.
Autoevolutionist
Someone who regards autoevolution as desirable; the opposite of a biological fundamentalist.
Automated Engineering
The use of computers to perform engineering design, ultimately generating detailed designs from broad specifications with little or no human help. Automated engineering is a specialized form of artificial intelligence. [K. Eric Drexler, Engines of Creation, 1986]
Automorph
To shape oneself, using all forms of technology, in accordance with personal values. This includes self-sculpting the physical, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual aspects of oneself. [Max More/Natasha Vita-More]
Automorph Art
An art style within the genre of Extropic Art which artist's greatest work is his/her own being.
Autopotent
A system having complete power and knowledge over itself. [Nicholas Bostrom, 1996, Predictions from Philosophy?]
Autoscient
A system having complete knowledge of its inner workings. [Mitchell Porter, originally in the form auto-omniscient, Jan 1998]
Avatar
A computer-generated representation of a human user.
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Baby Universe
See 'basement universe'.
Basement Universe
A small artificially created universe linked to the old universe by a wormhole. This could then be used for living space, computing or as an escape from a decaying universe. "Baby Universes" has been postulated by some theories about black holes (see This Week's Finds in Mathematical Physics, Week 31 by John Baez) and inflation cosmology.
Bean Dip Catastrophe
(humorous) A potential disaster at the far edge party: if it gets big enough the bean dip will form a black hole. [Keith Henson, 1987; explained in this exerpt from Great Mambo Chicken and the Transhuman Condition by Ed Regis]
Beanstalk
A strong cable lowered from a geosynchronous satellite and anchored to the ground (often with a small asteroid at the outer end to provide some extra tension and stability). This would provide cheap and simple access to space using elevators. Also called an orbital tower. (See The Orbital Tower by Jerome D. Rosen and sky hooks) [This is an old idea in science fiction and probably first discussed by Yuri Artsutanov, although it was popularized by Arthur C Clarke's The Fountains of Paradise (1979). The term Beanstalk was spread by the roleplaying game 2300AD by GDW]
Bekenstein Bound
The Bekenstein Bound is an 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
I <= (2 Pi E R)/(hbar c ln2)
where I is the information, E is the energy, R is the radius, hbar Plank's constant, c the speed of light. It can also be written as
I <= k M R
Where M the mass in the region and k a constant having the value ~2.57686*10^43 bits/(m kg). This bound was derived by J. D. Bekenstein in another but equivalent form, relating the entropy of black holes to their area (S = A/(4 hbar G), where A is the area of the event horizon).
Berserker
A self-reproducing machine programmed to destroy (intelligent) life. The existence of berserkers is one possible explanation for the Fermi paradox. [Fred Saberhagen, several science fiction novels]
Betelgeuse-Brain
A jupiter-brain so large that it has to be supported by its own radiation pressure to avoid collapsing. [Mitchell Porter, 1995]
Big Crunch
Opposite of the Big Bang: the singularity at the end of time, in a collapsing universe.
Binerator
(Binary system plus generator) 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. [Steve Burns]
Biochauvinism
The prejudice that biological systems have an intrinsic superiority that will always give them a monopoly on self-reproduction and intelligence. [K. Eric Drexler, Engines of Creation, 1986]
Bioinformatics
Uses a cluster of mathematical techniques to uncover information about biological function.
Biological Fundamentalism
A new conservatism that resists asexual reproduction, genetic engineering, altering the human anatomy, overcoming death. A resistance to the evolution from the human to the posthuman. [FM-2030]
Biomarkers
Molecular biomarkers are biological indicators that signal a changed physiological state, stress, or injury due to disease or the environment. As used in anti-aging medicine and "age management" programs, biomarkers are well-studied physiological indicators of functional rather than chronological age. Examples: Blood fats, reaction times, skin elasticity, cardiovascular function, grip strength, balance.
Bionics
(a) The science of connecting biological systems to artificial organs, or other systems. (b) An attempt to develop better machines through understanding of biological design principles or imitation of biology. The first use is most common among transhumanists and science fiction fans, the other is most common among cyberneticists. [Origin uncertain, although it seems to have been popularized by The Six Million Dollar Man]
Bionomics
Literally, the merger of biological and economic theory. In its more figurative sense, the merger of the world of the made and the world of the born. Bionomics will flourish as an academic discipline because as the two worlds merge, economic systems will assume the properties of biological ones. [Michael Rothschild]
Biophiliac
Someone who values life of all kinds for its own sake.
B-Life
Biological Life (as opposed to A-Life).
Biostasis
Broader than "cryonic suspension"; suspension of all biological activity, by infusing the patient with cryoprotective chemicals and freezing or vitrifying (cryonic suspension), or by chemically bonding cellular components in place. [K. Eric Drexler, Engines of Creation, 1986]
Blight
A malign infomorph that uses perversion attacks to increase its own power. Like a computer virus, but with intelligence. [First used by Vernor Vinge in A Fire Upon the Deep, 1992].
Blind Uploading
To upload somebody by scanning their neural patterns and simulating them directly with little or no changes (also called brute force uploading) [Anton Sherwood, Dec 1994]
Blue Goo
Nanomachines used as protection against 'Grey Goo' and other destructive nanomachines, possibly even used for law-enforcement (see 'Nanarchy'). According to the entry in the Jargon File, it is sometimes used to denote any form of benign nanotechnology in the environment. [Alan Lovejoy]
Bogosity Filter
A mechanism for detecting bogus ideas and propositions.
Borganism
1) An organization of formerly autonomous beings who have merged their individual wills to create one, collectively conscious being; 2) The social and political theory that advocates the creation of borganisms. [T. O. Morrow, >H Humor: Borganism in the media]
Bose-Einstein Condensate (BEC)
A BEC is a group of atoms that have the same quantum wavefunction. See the BEC Homepage for more information. [Predicted 1924, created 1995]
Breakeven Point
As medicine and life extension advances, the life expectancy of the population increases somewhat each year, and this process may accelerate given new technologies or new knowledge. The longer you live, the more medical advances will occur during your lifetime which extend your life expectancy. During this extra time more medical advances can occur, and so on. If the increase of life expectancy becomes larger than one year longer life/year lived the breakeven point is reached (after the fusion physics term for the point where more energy is produced than is used to drive the reactor) and individuals have a finite chance of living indefinitely. Quite naturally, the breakeven point presupposes that medical advances never run into any firm barriers, and that they can be developed fast enough, which is of course very speculative. [Anders Sandberg, 1997]
Broadcatching
"Catching television and other media selectively so that the sum of the collected parts is personalized." (Quote by Nicholas P. Negroponte, Scientific American, September 1991, p.112.) [Stewart Brand, The Media Lab, 1987]
Brute Force Uploading
To upload somebody by scanning their neural patterns and simulating them directly with little or no changes, and no attempts to refine the patterns (also called blind uploading). This is often used as a benchmark in discussions about what capabilities are needed for full uploading.
Bush Robot
A flexible robot structure, where each manipulator branches off into smaller copies of itself, forming a fractal tree over many scales (possibly down to the nanoscale). Each branch would contain a distributed system to calculate movement and minimize central processing [Hans Moravec, Mind Children].
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Calcutta Syndrome
The condition in which the ratio of available mass to population falls below the minimum level necessary to support a given quality of life (M/P < mC). [David Krieger, Nov 1991]
Calm Technology
Technology that recedes into the background of our lives. [Likely Mark Weiser and John Seely Brown at Xerox PARC. See The coming age of calm technology]
Calorie Restriction
A reduction in caloric-intake for the purposes of slowing one's rate of aging as well as preventing disease or the morbidity/mortality associated with disease. So far this is the most promising (if somewhat cumbersome) life extension method; animal experiments have shown definite positive results with a low-calorie diet. See also the Calorie Restriction FAQ.
Casimir Effect
A small attractive force which acts between two close parallel uncharged conducting plates. It is due to quantum vacuum fluctuations of the electromagnetic field, which creates a lower energy density of the vacuum between the plates than outside them. The effect was predicted by Hendrick Casimir in 1948 and verified in 1996 by Steven Lamoreaux. See What Is The Casimir Effect? for more information.
Cerebrosthesis
(from cerebral and prosthesis) An electronic device interfaced with the brain to overcome a neurological deficiency, such as normal human intelligence. (Cf. neuroprosthesis - see Extropy #7). [Mark Plus, Aug 1991]
Chinese Room
A thought experiment due to John Searle attacking the strong AI postulate. A person in a locked room carries on a dialogue with us by way of Chinese written on paper passed back and forth under the door. The person in the room responds according to instructions stored in a vast library of rule-books, and does not understand Chinese. Since the person doesn't understand the language and the rule-books obviously lack understanding, Searle claims that there is no real language knowledge involved. Searle likens dialogue with a computer to this situation, and hopes that it makes it clear why he says that computers are not aware. The scenario has been widely debated, but proponents of strong AI point out that the system room + person could be said to possess knowledge of Chinese, in just the same way as the neurons in a human brain (which themselves lack knowledge about Chinese) can form a system that can know the language. See The Chinese Room Argument for more information.
Chrononauts
Those who travel through time, either by biostasis or through possible loopholes in physical laws as currently understood.
Church-Turing Thesis
The proposition that there is no way to compute the answer to any question that is beyond the powers of a universal Turing machine. See The Church-Turing Thesis for more information.
Cobots
Collaborative robots designed to work alongside human operators. Prototype cobots are being used on automobile assembly lines to help guide heavy components like seats and dashboards into cars so they don't damage auto body parts as workers install them. [Wired 5.07 Jargon Watch, Jul 1997]
Compuform
To turn matter into computronium. [Charlie Stross, Dec 1999]
Computronium
Matter that has been transformed from its natural state into a computer of the maximum physically achievable efficiency. (An Extropian might argue that this is matter's "natural state".) What constitutes "computronium" varies with the level of postulated technology; a rod-logic nanocomputer is probably too primitive, since the basic elements consist of hundreds or thousands of atoms. More likely forms of computronium include three-dimensional quantum cellular automata, or exotic forms of matter such as neutronium, Higgsium, and monopolium. [Definition by Eliezer Yudkowsky]
Concentrated Intelligence
An intelligent entity (esp. a Jupiter-Brain) which is spatially concentrated into a single volume, as dense as possible, to reduce communications lag. This arrangement is not as flexible as a distributed intelligence, but probably more efficient.
Connectionism
The approach to cognitive science that gives a fundamental explanatory role to neuron-like interconnections rather than to formal or explicit rules of thought.
Consilience
From William Whewell, who in his 1840 synthesis The Philosophy of the Inductive Sciences spoke of consilience as a "jumping together" of knowledge by linking facts and theory across disciplines to create a common groundwork of explanation.
Contelligence
(from consciousness and intelligence) The combination of awareness and computational power required in an Artificially Intelligent network before we could, without loss of anything essential, upload ourselves into them. [Timothy Leary]
Continuity Identity Theory
The theory that "I" am the same person as various future and past selves with whom I am physically and temporally continuous. (Cf pattern identity theory).
Cosmythology
Non-scientific usage of loosely understood scientific ideas (often filled with catch-phrases and buzzwords like "quantum", "chaos" and "emergent") to explain or "prove" pseudoscience or mysticism. Typical examples are claims that quantum mechanics proves that consciousness has an essential role in physics or that the "butterfly effect" shows that magic is possible. [Vic Stenger, The Unconscious Quantum, 1995]
Cryo
Exceedingly cool, as in "That's so cool, it's cryo!". [Natasha Vita-More]
Cryobiology
The study of the effect of low temperatures (below the freezing point of water) on biological systems. A primary goal of this field is the preservation and long term storage of organ systems such as hearts, kidneys, etc. for use in transplantation. This goal has not yet been reached and currently only individual cells and organisms consisting of only a very few cells (such as embryos) can be successfully treated, stored, and revived.
Cryocrastinate
To put off making arrangements for cryonic suspension. [Mark Plus, Aug 1991]
Cryogenics
The study of materials at very low temperatures (near absolute zero). Cryogenics is a branch of physics.
Cryonics
The practice of suspending people and animals at extremely low temperatures, partially protected from freezing damage with cryoprotectants, on the basis that there is a significant possibility that more advanced medical technology in the future will be able to revive them.
Cryonized / Cryonization
New terms for "cryonics" and "cryopreservation" introduced in the 2001 movie Vanilla Sky.
Cryopreservation / Cryonic Suspension
See 'Cryonics'.
Cryp
Cryptographic currency, digital cash. Payment by electronic means where the seller is guaranteed payment, but the buyer can remain anonymous. [Eli Brandt, Nov 11, 1992, on the Extropians email list]
Crypto Anarchy
The economic and political system after the deployment of encryption, untraceable e-mail, digital pseudonyms, cryptographic voting, and digital cash. A pun on "crypto," meaning "hidden," and as when Gore Vidal called William F. Buckley a "crypto fascist."
Cryptocosmology
The study of possible reasons we haven't found any evidence for other intelligent life in the universe (the Fermi paradox), especially looking at reasons why advanced intelligence would blend in with their environment. An adaptation of the word cryptozoology, the search for unknown or imaginary animals.
Cybercide
The killing of a person's projected virtual persona in cyberspace. This may be part of a VR game, or may be an act of vandalism. [Max More, Aug 1991]
Cyberfiction
Science fiction embodying the technological ideas of cyberpunk, without necessarily embodying cyberpunk's amoralism or nihilism. [Max More, May 1991]
Cybergnosticism
The belief that the physical world is impure or inefficient, and that existence in the form of "pure information" is better and should be pursued.
Cyberian
A person belonging to the Timothy Leary/Mondo2000 psychedelic side of the transhumanist movement.
Cybernate / Cybernize
To automate a process using computers and robots.
Cyberspace / Cybermatrix
The informational and computational space existing in and between computers.
Cybrarian
Computer Net-oriented information specialist. [Jean Armour Polly, 1992]
Cypherpunk
One interested in the uses of encryption using electronic cyphers for enhancing personal privacy and guarding against tyranny by centralized, authoritarian power structures, especially government.
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Deanimalize
Replace our animal organs and body parts with durable, pain-free non-flesh prostheses. [FM-2030]
Death Forward
Automorphing so fast and profoundly that individual continuity is lost. (In analogy to fast forward) [Alexander Chislenko, 1996, Networking in the Mind Age]
Deathism
The set of beliefs and attitudes which glorifies or accepts death and rejects or despises immortality.
Deep Anarchy
The view that "the State" has no real existence; states can be abolished only by changing beliefs and behavior. [Max More, 1989, Deep Anarchy - An Eliminativist View Of "The State", Extropy #5]
Deflesh
To replace flesh with non-flesh. [FM-2030]
Designer Personality
Part of automorphing, a designer personality is a human personality that has been shaped by that individual according to their own evolving values, using all types of technology, rather than leaving the personality to the accident of birth and environment.
Diamondoid
Like diamond; chemical structures or systems (especially 'nanomachines' as envisioned by K. Eric Drexler) based on diamond derivatives or stiff carbon bonds.
Digital Pseudonym
Basically, a "crypto identity." A way for individuals to set up accounts with various organizations without revealing more information than they wish. Users may have several digital pseudonyms, some used only once, some used over the course of many years. Ideally, the pseudonyms can be linked only at the will of the holder. In the simplest form, a public key can serve as a digital pseudonym and need not be linked to a physical identity.
Directed Evolution
While this can refer simply to selective breeding, in current use it refers to biochemical methods that generate numerous potential substances from which the most promising can be culled and recombined leading to better drugs.
Disassembler
A system of nanomachines able to take an object apart a few atoms at a time, while recording its structure at the molecular level. This could be used for 'uploading', copying objects (with an 'assembler'), a dissolving agent or a weapon. [K. Eric Drexler, Engines of Creation, 1986]
Disasterbation
Idly fantasizing about possible catastrophes (ecological collapse, full-blown totalitarianism) without considering their likelihood or considering their possible solutions and preventions. [David Krieger, 1993]
Discovery Science
Converging sciences and technologies plus multi-level study and integration, in biology combining information technology and biotechnology. In biology: All the elements in the biological system being studied are defined (as the genome and proteome projects are doing). Then the system is perturbed in an attempt to discover the relationships of the elements to one another. Finally, systems approaches integrate diverse measurements and data to enable graphical displays and computational models that describe structure and function. [Leroy Hood]
Distributed Information Architectures
Information structures and processes which are spread over geographically separate physical processors. This includes distributed deep Net searches and decentralized content management.
Distributed Intelligence
An intelligent entity which is distributed over a large volume (or inside another system, like a computer network) with no distinct center. This is the opposite to the strategy of Concentrated intelligences. Distributed intelligences have much longer communications lags, but are more flexible in their structure and can survive damage to their parts.
Divergent Track Hypothesis
Cultures tend to converge towards a few attractor states (for example borganisms), while the attractor states diverge from each other. A rival to the strong convergence hypothesis [Nicholas Bostrom, 1996,Predictions from Philosophy?]
Diversity IQ
A basic measure of the capacity to survive and prosper in the Age of Access. Diversity IQ is built on the ability to move freely and tolerantly among people of various races, cultures, backgrounds, and beliefs. [The 500-Year Delta, Jim Taylor and Watts Wacker, 1997]
Dividuals
A copy of a personality surviving in more than one body. Example: "Keith Henson wishes to become a collection of such dividuals so that he-plural can explore the galaxy in parallel." (See the 'Far Edge Party') [Mark Plus, 1992]
Doomsday Argument
If humanity is assumed to grow exponentially until it ends at some point in time ("doomsday"), then it is more likely to find a randomly selected human near the end of history than at the beginning. Hence, since we are alive today we can deduce that we are close to the end of history and use Bayesian reasoning to estimate the expected remaining time. The argument (which can be applied to many other things, such as the remaining time the Earth is inhabitable) is hotly debated, and involves many subtle assumptions of probability. [The argument originated by Brandon Carter, and was published by John Leslie in The End of the World (Routledge 1996)] See A Primer on the Doomsday Argument by Nick Bostrom.
Download
To transfer an mind from one computational matrix to another, especially a slower one. See 'Upload'.
Dryware
An artificial part of a cyborg (usage similar to hardware, software, and wetware). [Anton Sherwood, 1995]
Dubifier
A word used to make a statement uncertain or show the limits of its applicability ("The experimental data appears to fit the model in the parameter range tested", "I think so", etc). (Based on quantifier, something that tells how much there is of anything.) [Heath M Rezabek, ca 1992]
Dyson Sphere
A shell built around a star to collect as much energy as possible, originally proposed by Freeman Dyson (although he admits to have borrowed the concept from Olaf Stapledon's novel Star Maker (1937)). In the original proposal the shell consists of many independent solar collectors and habitats in separate orbits (also known as a Type I Dyson Sphere), but later people have discussed rigid shells consisting of only one piece (called a Type II Dyson Sphere). The latter construction is unfortunately both unstable (since it will experience no net attraction of the star), requires super-strong materials and have no internal gravity. The Dyson Sphere is a classic example of mega-technology and common in Science Fiction. See also The Dyson Sphere FAQ.
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Ecoalypse
(from ecological and apocalypse) A projected ecological catastrophe which would destroy all life on Earth. [Mark Plus, August 1991]
Ectogenesis
In vitro reproduction; synthetic wombs.
Einstein-Rosenburg Bridge
(see Worhmole)
EI
Emergent Intelligence. An intelligent system that gradually emerges from simpler systems, instead of being designed top down.
Embryomeme
Suggestion of a new meme to be used in a group with a shared set of knowledge. Usually made by somebody with an inflated ego trying to coin the phrase. [Max M. Rasmussen, Jan 1999]
Embedded Computing
Small, inexpensive processors embedded in all kinds of objects from industrial machinery to household appliances. These may be used to regulate operations internal to the equipment and, more interestingly, may have wireless connections to software in other locations through the OverNet.
EmNets
Networked systems of embedded computers.
Emulation
An absolutely precise simulation of something, so exact that it is equivalent to the original (for example, many computers emulate obsolete computers to run their programs).
Enhanced Reality
A personalized view of reality, the result of filtering, translation and addition of new perceptions (such as annotations, information or virtual objects). Unlike VR (virtual reality), which is immersive and only deal with virtual objects, ER would improve interaction with real objects and situations (in addition to virtual objects). See Intelligent Information Filters and Enhanced Reality. [Alexander Chislenko]
Envirocapitalism
The use of free markets to protect the environment.
Ephemeralists
Persons who reject immortalist technology and values (the result of deathist thinking). [Max More, 1990; from "Ephemeral", Robert A. Heinlein, 1958]
E-Prime
E-Prime is English without the verb "to be" in its sense of "is of identity". It originated in the tradition of General Semantics, to avoid many of the pitfalls of natural languages which confuse the outside world and the observer. For a more detailed introduction, see E-Prime: English without the verb "to be".
Escalatorlogy
(derogatory) A fatuous belief in an endless evolutionary escalator exalting the human race. (referring to eschatology, the study of final things, and especially the physical eschatology of Frank J. Tipler). [Mary Midgley]
Eternal Life Postulate
The assumption that life, once it arises in the universe, lasts forever (primarily made by Frank J. Tipler in his 'Omega Point Theory').
Eupsychia
A society specifically designed for improving the self-fulfillment and psychological health of all people. A culture or sub-culture made up of psychologically healthy or mature or self-actualizing people. A Eupsychian sub-culture is "decentralized, voluntary yet coordinated, productive, and with a powerful and effective code of ethics (which works)." [Abraham Maslow, 1954]
Euthenics
Improving the current generation, as opposed to eugenics, which seeks to improve future generations [R. C. W. Ettinger, Man Into Superman, 1972].
Evolutionarily Stable Strategy (ESS)
A strategy which is remains the most optimal even when there are a small number of individuals using other strategies in the population.
Evoluture
An organism produced through evolution; the antonym of creature. (semi-serious) [Mark Plus, June 1991]
Exconomics
The study of possible trans- and post-human economies.
Exes
Ex-humans, posthuman beings. [Hans Moravec, Mind Age, 1995]
Exformation
Useful and relevant information, not just data. [The original definition by Tor Norrestranders was the information which has been abstracted away, and now is implicitly included in the message]
Existential Technology
(existech) A technological framework for self-determination and mastery over one's own destiny. [ Steve Mann, VibraVest/ThinkTank: Existential Technology of Synthetic Synesthesia for the Visually Challenged, 1997]
Exophobia
The fear of new, complex and different things; everything outside normal experience.
Exoterra
In Extropic Art and Transhumanist Art, the artistic representation and exploration of concepts involving space beyond the Earth's atmosphere. [Max More]
Extropia
A conception of evolving communities embodying values of Boundless Expansion, Self-Transformation, Dynamic Optimism, Intelligent Technology, and Spontaneous Order. May be instantiated in virtual cultural communities such as those on the Net, or in future actual communities such as Extropolis or Free Oceana. [T. O. Morrow, 1991]
Extropian
One who seeks to overcome human limits, live indefinitely long, become more intelligence, and more self-creating. A transhumanist who affirms the values and attitudes codified and expressed in The Extropian Principles. [Max More, 1988]
Extropiate
1. Any drug that has extropic effects, including all cognition enhancing and life extending drugs. [David Krieger, December 1991] 2. a derogatory term for passively optimistic perversions of the extropian meme like "technology will make everything better". Extropiates makes believers passively wait for everything to get better instead of doing something about it (a kind of rapture of the future) [Gregory Houston, Mar 1997]
Extropic
Any action or process that promotes extropy.
Extropic Art
A genre of the Transhumanist Arts period; see the Extropic Art Manifesto. The premiere piece was "A-Life" a digital arts which evolved into a net.art piece "The Aesthetics of Memetic Evolution", and later "A-Life Swarm".
Extropolis
A proposed Extropian community located in our solar system, possiblly at L-4 or L-5 orbits, or the Asteroid Belt. (Later extended to possible communities in virtual space.) [Max More, 1991]
Extropy
The extent of a system's intelligence, information, order, vitality, and capacity for improvement. [T. O. Morrow, 1988. Definition by Max More]
Far Edge Party
One of the main problems of exploring the stellar systems of the galaxy even for very advanced civilizations is that a serial journey even at the speed of light would take so long time that most of the stars would have died during the journey. One solution is to parallelize the problem: the explorer travels to a new system, creates a number of copies (xoxes) of himself and sends them to other systems, while he remains behind exploring the system (this is a variant of exploring the galaxy using von Neumann machines). After around 10 million years, when all of the galaxy has been explored, the explorers gather together at a prearranged place, and exchange or merge their memories ("The Far Edge Party"). This was proposed by Keith Henson as a possible method for a single individual to visit all of the galaxy within a reasonable time.
Femtotechnology
See 'picotechnology'.
Fermi Paradox
"If there are other intelligent beings in the Universe, why aren't they here?". Since it appears to be quite possible for a technological species to spread across the galaxy in less than 10 million years (using von Neumann machines) or otherwise change things on such a large scale that it would be very visible (see Kardaschev types), the lack of such evidence is puzzling or implies that other technological civilizations doesn't exist. There have been many attempts to explain this, for example the "Wildlife Preserve" idea (the aliens doesn't want to interfere with younger civilizations), that they transcend and become incomprehensible, that they hide or that they are actually here, hidden on the nanoscale, but the problem with these attempts is that most of them just explain why some aliens would not be apparent. See The Fermi Paradox for more information. [E. Fermi]
Flatlander
Mildly derogatory term for someone who has never been off a planetary surface, i.e. into space. Resonant with the term used in Edwin A. Abbot's classic mathematical fantasy Flatland: a Romance of Many Dimensions to describe two-dimensional creatures unaware of the third dimension of space. [from Larry Niven's Known Space stories]
Fluidentity
Pun on fluid identity and/or fluid entity. A state in which traditional boundaries of identity are completely in flux while immersed in a superliquid economy, cyberspace anarchy and/or distributed Super-Intelligence matrix (see functional soup). [Paul Hughes, May 1998]
Foglet
A mesoscale machine that is a part of an utility fog. [J. S. Hall, 1994]
Fork
To use a nondestructive form of uploading to create an infomorph version of youself while still keeping the old biological version. See the 'Practical Mind Uploading Approach'. [Adam Foust, Dec 1995]
Fredkin's Paradox
The more equally attractive two alternatives seem, the harder it can be to choose between them - no matter that, to the same degree, the choice can only matter less. [Marvin Minsky, 1985, The Society of Mind].
Friendly AI
An AI which is, broadly speaking, one of the good guys; an AI which operates roughly within humanity's moral frame of reference; an AI which has the potential and the will to become at least as philosophically enlightened, from our perspective, as intelligence derived from a human or group of humans; an AI sufficiently advanced to engage in independent real-world planning, which makes human-benefiting, non-human harming decisions. See What Is Friendly AI?. [Eliezer Yudkowsky, 2000]
Functional Soup
A possible posthuman state where knowledge, mental modules and access to physical bodies can be shared between distributed infomorphs largely independent of the physical substrate of their world. Terms such as individuality become diffuse, and are replaced with teleological threads. [Alexander Chislenko, Technology as extension of human functional architecture, 1997]
Futique
Stylishly futuristic.
Future Shock
"A sense of shock felt by those who were not paying attention." [Michael Flynn, Analog, Jan 1990. Coined by Alvin Toffler, 1970, Future Shock]
Galaxy Brain
The ultimate (?) distributed intelligence, an intelligent being with parts spread across an entire galaxy. The internal communication lags would be on the order of tens of thousands years, making the top level very slow (but subminds could be much faster). The parts could be jupiter brains or other intelligent superobjects.
Gaussian
People whose characteristics (like intelligence or length) are normally distributed (the Gauss distribution); normal people in both senses of the word. Used to refer to unaugmented people, since augmented people could have a radically different distribution of characteristics.
Genegeneering
Genetic engineering.
Gene's Law
This postulates that the electricity needed to run a computer circuit will decline exponentially because of advances in battery technology, better power management, and because circuits consume less power as they shrink.
Genetic Algorithm
Any algorithm which seeks to solve a problem by considering numerous possibilities at once, ranking them according to some standard of fitness, and then combining ("breeding") the fittest in some way. In other words, any algorithm which imitates natural selection. See the Genetic Algorithms FAQ.
Genie
An AI combined with an assembler or other universal constructor, programmed to build anything the owner wishes. Sometimes called a Santa Machine. This assumes a very high level of AI and nanotechnology.
Godel's Theorem
(Godel's incompleteness theorem) 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 axiom set strong enough to include arithmetic which is complete will be inconsistent (it will say yes and no to at least one question). See What is Godel's theorem?.
Golden Goo
Another member of the grey goo family of nanotechnology disaster scenarios. The idea is to use nanomachines to filter gold from seawater. If this process got out of control we would get piles of golden goo (the "Wizard's Apprentice Problem"). This scenario demonstrates the need of keeping populations of self-replicating machines under control; it is much more likely than grey goo, but also more manageable. [MCH/JoSH, sci.nanotech, Jul 16, 1996]
Guy Fawkes Scenario
If nanotechnology becomes widely available, it might become trivial for anyone to commit acts of terrorism (such as making nanomachines build a large amount of explosives under government buildings a la Guy Fawkes). This would either force strict control over nanotechnology (hard) or a decentralized mode of organization.
Gravitics (or the Electro Gravitic Drive)
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A 'reactionless' engine which creates an electromagnetic field dominated by charged gravitons. The field has polar directions; up, down, left, right, front and back. The directional nature of the field allows the controller to create 'gravity' toward the desired direction. Further, the field can propel mass forward by creating a negative mass in front of the object. This negative mass also creates the phenomenon allowing for wormhole transit.
Great Filter
The Great Filter refers to the hypothetical mechanism(s) or principle(s) by which the great number of potentially life-bearing planets get filtered out before they have produced intelligent life forms that expand into cosmos. See also the 'Fermi paradox'.
Green Goo
Nanomachines or bio-engineered organisms used for population control of humans, either by governments or eco-terrorist groups. Would most probably work by sterilizing people through otherwise harmless infections. See Nick Szabo's essay Green Goo -- Life in the Era of Humane Genocide. [1993]
Grey Goo
Out-of-control replicating nanotechnology; some calculations indicate that the entire ecosphere could be consumed within weeks or days. One of the primary risks threatening the complete destruction of humanity. [K. Eric Drexler, Engines of Creation, 1986] Perhaps an even more dangerous variant is "red goo", or military nanotechnology.
Grok
To fully understand, see, get it, dig, etc. [From Robert A. Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land, 1961]
Hallucinomemic
An idea that induces hallucinations ("Some things have to be believed to be seen") [John McPherson, July 1993]
Haptic Interface
A virtual reality interface that adds a sense of touch, using force feedback or other techniques. Already commonly used in a crude form in computer gaming, such as car racing games and jet fighter simulators.
Hard Takeoff
A Singularity occurring with extreme speed and rapidity, over the course of hours or weeks rather than months or decades. Most hard takeoff scenarios involve Artificial Intelligence because of the probable ability of an AI to rapidly absorb enormous amounts of computing power, run on basic computing elements with limiting serial speeds of 2GHz (as opposed to 200Hz neurons), and recursively self-improve by rewriting one's own source code; however, it is also conceivable that a hard takeoff scenario could develop out of brain-computer interfaces. [Definition by Eliezer Yudkowsky]
Heat Death
A cosmological end state of universal thermodynamic equilibrium - ie the same temperature everywhere, meaning there's no energy for anything except reversible interactions.
Hive Computing
Using unused computing resources in a network to speed up calculations or distribute parallel programs. [Probable origin: Hive Computing: working together for the common good by Steve G. Steinberg, Wired3.11, Nov 1995]
Homorph
A transhuman or posthuman with a humanoid body [Greg Bear, Eon, 1985]
HPLD
Highest Possible Level of Development. This is a concept (and abbreviation) from a Stanslaw Lem story. The idea is that there is an end-state of technological evolution, when it is possible to carry out everything consistent with physical law, and that this end-state is essentially unique. Because of the uniqueness of this state, it is possible to theorize usefully about it, while the paths between here and there are shrouded by mind-boggling complexity (AKA the 'Singularity'). [definition by Carl Feynman. The original story is "Altruizine, or A True Account of How Bonhomius the Hermetic Hermit Tried to Bring About Universal Happiness, and What Came of It", in The Cyberiad]
Hubris
A collection of Extropians, as in "A school of fish, a hubris of Extropians".
Hypertext
Massively interconnected database providing the ability to track information in all directions, notify you of updated information, etc. [Ted Nelson]
Hyponeiria
Lack of dreaming, a pathological deficiency of imagination. [Dean Shomshak, Jan 1996]
Hypotech
Hypothetical technology. [Michael M. Butler]
IA
Intelligence Amplification. Technologies seeking to increase the cognitive abilities of people.
Ideal Identity
An internal model of our personality as we wish it to be; the person we seek to become [Max More, Extropy #10].
Immortalist
A person who believes in the possibility of, and who seeks to attain, physical immortality [Max More, Extropy #10].
Immortechnics
Collectively, the technologies which are applied to attempt radical life extension, such as calorie-restricted dieting, cryonics, uploading, etc. [Mark Plus, July 1991]
Imp
Electronic implant, especially in the brain. [Ron Hale Evans]
Inactivate
Non-living but not dead (in the latter's permanent sense). A person in biostasis, or one subsisting in data storage, awaiting downloading. [Max More, 1989]
Infoglut
A state of voraciously gathering information, with little or no care for its quality or relevance. Often infoglut develops when an information starved person finds a dense source of information, like the Internet. Closely related to information overload, but more insidious since the victims think they actually profit from it.
Infomorph
A uploaded intelligence, or information entity, which resides in a computer. See Charles Platt, The Silicon Man, p.109. [1991]
Information-Theoretical Death
A person has reached information-theoretic death if a healthy state of that person could not possibly be deduced from the current state. The exact timing of information-theoretic death depends on presently unknown details of how the brain works. The current best estimates put it several hours after clinical death. Definition from the glossary in the Cryonic FAQ by Tim Freeman.
Inline Universities
(as opposed to online universities), nanocomputer implants serving to increase intelligence and education of their owners, essentially turning them into walking universities. [Max M. Rasmussen]
In Silico Biology
Thorough computer modeling of biological processes that obviate the need for slow biological trials and tests.
Interfacer
A person who acts as an interface between virtual corporations or other net-based organizations, and the physical world and its local economic rules. [Robert Ingdahl, Dec 1995]
Internalnet
An information network inside a living body, for example between nanochondria, bionic implants, or external wearable computers. [Ken Clements, 1996]
Internet Ontology
A standardized classification of Internet content enabling computers to "understand" the content they are processing. See 'Semantic Web'.
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Jupiter-Brain
A posthuman being of extremely high computational power and size. This is the archetypal concentrated intelligence. The term originated due to an idea by Keith Henson that nanomachines could be used to turn the mass of Jupiter into computers running an upgraded version of himself.
Khaki Goo
Military nanotechnology; see 'grey goo'.
A classification of possible civilizations after energy usage. Type I civilizations control all available energy on a single planet. Type II civilizations control all available energy in a solar system (for example, using Dyson spheres). Type III civilizations control use all available energy in an entire galaxy. (Mitch Porter suggested that a Type IV civilization controls all available energy in the entire universe) We are currently moving towards a Type I civilization. [Nikolai Kardaschev, 1964].
Knowbots
Knowledge robots, first developed Vinton G. Cref and Robert E. Kahn for National Research Initiatives. Knowbots are programmed by users to scan networks for various kinds of related information, regardless of the language or form in which it expressed. "Knowbots support parallel computations at different sites. They communicate with one another, and with various servers in the network and with users." [Scientific American, September 1991, p.74]
Kolmogorov Complexity
The Kolmogorov complexity of a string of bits is the length of the smallest Turing machine program which produces the bit string as output. (It is therefore somewhat dependent on one's choice of Turing machine, but since every Turing machine can be emulated by an universal Turing machine with a constant increase in program length this doesn't matter much). See An Introduction to Kolmogorov Complexity and Its Applications for more information.
Leonardo da Vinci Syndrome
Creative people often get more ideas and visions faster than they can implement them, making them unable to complete a project before rushing off to the next (like Leonardo da Vinci).
Linde Scenario
A scenario for indefinite survival of intelligent life. It assumes it is possible to either create basement universes connected to the original universe with a wormhole or the existence of other cosmological domains. Intelligent life continually migrates to the new domains as the old grow too entropic to sustain life. [Mitch Porter, The Linde scenario, v0.01, 1997. The name refers to Linde's chaotic inflation cosmology, where new universes are continually spawned]
Liquidentity
See 'fluidentity'.
Lofstrom Loop
An beanstalk-like megaconstruction based on a stream of magnetically accelerated bars linked together. The stream is sent into space, where a station rides it using magnetic hooks, redirects it horizontally to another station, which sends it downwards to a receiving station on the ground. From this station the stream is then sent back to the launch station (a purely vertical version is called a space fountain). This structure would contain a large amount of kinetic energy but could be built gradually and would only require enough energy to compensate for losses when finished. Elevators could be run along the streams, and geostationary installations could be placed along the horizontal top. [Named after Keith Lofstrom, who did the first detailed calculations on it in: Lofstrom, Keith H., "The launch loop -- a low cost Earth-to-high orbit launch system," AIAA Paper 85-1368, 1985].
Longevist
A person who seeks to extend their life beyond current norms (but who may not wish to live forever) [Max More, Extropy #10].
MASPAR
Shorthand for MASsively PARalell computers, computers using many simple processors at the same time.
Mataglap
"Mataglap is an Indonesian word meaning 'dark eye' or, probably, 'dilated eye'. It is an indication that someone is about to go berserk and start killing people at random. I applied the word in Aristoi to a berserk form of nanotechnology that devoured the planet." (From the Walter John Williams FAQ). See also 'grey goo'. [First used in the nanotech sense in Aristoi, 1992].
Megatechnology / Megascale Engineering
Technology using energies, scales or methods far beyond the current levels (but still bound by physical law). Typical examples are ground-to-orbit beanstalks, Lofstrom loops, terraforming, Dyson spheres, stellar husbandry and Tipler cylinders. See Megastructures for more information.
Megatrends
The major forces shaping societies and economies over the coming decade or so. See the book Megatrends, by John and Patricia Naisbitt.
Mehum
Derogatory term for "mere human". [from the Illuminatus Trilogy by Wilson and Shea].
Meme
Self-reproducing idea or other information pattern which is propagated in ways similar to that of a gene. See the Alt.Memetics FAQ for more information. [Richard Dawkins, 1976]
Memetics
The study of memes. [Douglas R. Hofstadter]
Memie
(after genie) a thought which, once out of the mouth, does anything it damn well pleases [Bob Arter, July 1993]
Memius
An effective spreader of ideas [John McPherson, July 1993]
Memotype
1. The actual information-content of a meme, as distinct from its sociotype. 2. A class of similar memes. [Glenn M. Grant]
Memoid / Memeoid
True believer in a meme and willing to die for it. [Keith Henson, 1985]
Merchancy
A proprietary, commerce-oriented quasi-state which claims sovereignty over its land and property but not the allegiance of its citizens/clients; e.g. Mr Lee's Greater Hong Kong in Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. [Anton Sherwood, 1994]
Merkle's Wager
Based on Pascal's Wager, Ralph Merkle's argument for the rationality of making arrangements for cryopreservation. It consists of a matrix of four choices: Sign up and it works; sign up and it doesn't work; don't sign up and it works; don't sign up and it doesn't work. Merkle concludes that signing up for suspension is the only sensible option. [Max More]
Mesoscale
A device or structure larger than the nanoscale (10^-9 m) and smaller than the megascale; the exact size depends heavily on the context and usually ranges between very large nanodevices (10^-7 m) and the human scale (1 m).
Metatrends
Technological and economic trends formed from the convergence of several trends or megatrends; also trends on top of trends, such as when the exponential growth of a technology forms just part of a larger trend that is itself growing exponentially. This kind of "acceleration of acceleration" is the simplest form of metatrend. [Max More]
Metcalfe's Law
Metcalfe's Law says that the potential value of a network is proportional to the square of the number of nodes in the network. Metcalfe's Law is v=xn2, where v=value, n=nodes on the network and x is a constant value. See Metcalfe's Law and Legacy for more information. [1970]
Micromachines
This includes all devices operating on a microscopic level such as micromirrors used in optical switches, tiny accelerometers which deploy airbags, and bioMEMs which can internally monitor a patient and release accurate doses of medication on time.
Mindkind
All intelligent beings.
Molmac
Molecular machine [Kilian, Gryphon]
Morphological Freedom
The ability to alter bodily form at will through technologies such as surgery, genetic engineering, nanotechnology, uploading. [Max More, Apr 1992]
Mutual Reality
Multi-user virtual reality. [Benjamin Jay Britton, 1996]
Nanarchist
Someone who circumvents government control to use nanotechnology, or someone who advocates this. [Eli Brandt, Oct 1991]
Nanarchy
The use of automatic law-enforcement by nanomachines or robots, without any human control. [Mark S. Miller]
Nanite
Slang term for a nanomachine (see nanotechnology), esp. a machine able to replicate itself. [Popularized by the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Evolution", Sep 1989]
Nanobiotechnology
The use of nanotechnology in biotechnology, examining the intersection and cross-fertilization of the two fields. Related to nanomedicine.
Nanobot
A molecular-scale robot created using nanotechnology.
Nanochondria
Nanomachines existing inside living cells, participating in their biochemistry (like mitochondria) and/or assembling various structures. See also nanosome. [Ken Clements, 1996]
Nanocomputer
A computer built using nanotechnology (manufacturing to molecular specifications). A lower bound on nanocomputing speeds has been set by calculating the speed of an acoustic computer using "rod logics" and messages that travel at the speed of sound; a one-kilogram rod logic, occupying one cubic centimeter, can contain 10^12 CPUs each operating at 1000 MIPS for a total of ten thousand billion billion operations per second. Note that rod logics are the nanotech equivalent of vacuum tubes; electronic nanocomputers would be substantially faster. [K. Eric Drexler, Engines of Creation, 1986]
Nanofacture
The fabrication of goods using nanotechnology [Geoff Dale, 1995].
Nanomedicine
The use of molecular-scale devices (nanotechnology) to repair damage and boost the immune system. For some applications, see Nanotechnology and Medicine by Ralph C. Merkle. [Max More, Extropy #10, 1993].
Nanosome
Nanodevices existing symbiotically inside biological cells, doing mechanosynthesis and disassembly for it and replicating with the cell. Similar to nanochondria. [Anders Sandberg, Jan 1998]
Nanotech
Slang for nanotechnology.
Nanotechnology
As used by venture capitalists, technology which operates in the nanometer (billionth of a meter) scale. As used by transhumanists, technology which uses precise positional control of reactants to mechanically synthesize large-scale structures to exact molecular specifications - "positional chemistry" or "mechanosynthesis". Molecular nanotechnology is distinguished by the observation that in theory, it can produce virtually any material object, including a duplicate of itself, and can moreover operate on a scale that is small relative to human biology - allowing medical technology verging on total control of biology, including the halting or reversal of aging. [K. Eric Drexler, Engines of Creation, 1986]
Neg
Someone who typically complains, moans, and whines, Someone practicing the opposite of practical optimism.
NEMs
NEMs are nanoelectromechanical systems. The term was coined as an extension of the thousandfold larger MEMs (microelectromechanical systems).
Neomorph
A transhuman or posthuman with a non-humanoid body. [Greg Bear, Eon, 1985]
Neophile
One who welcomes the future and who enjoys change and evolution.
Neophobe
One who fears change and wants to abort technological and social transformation.
Neurocomputation
The study of how natural and artificial neural networks process information.
Neurohack
A broad term covering most forms of biologically based intelligence enhancement, including brain-computer interfaces, genetic engineering for higher intelligence, addition of extra brain tissue, various proposed neurosurgical methods, et cetera; may also be used to refer to a sufficiently unusual and extreme natural perturbation to cognitive processing. [Eliezer Yudkowsky, 1998]
Neuroinformatics
The use of information technology to understand the human brain. Also, the study of the key principles by which brains work with the goal of implementing these in artificial systems that interact intelligently with the real world.
Neuronaut
A person who explores their own neural functioning and internal mentational processes by various means, including deep introspection and meditation, psychoactive drugs, mind machines, and neuroscientific understanding.
Neuron Star
A neutron star used as a basis for a densely packed mind (similar to a jupiter brain or a omegon) exploiting neutronium or quark matter for computation [Damien Broderick, 1996]
Neuroprosthesis
Implanted cybernetic brain augmentation.
Neurosuspension
Cryonically suspending only the head or brain of a person.
Nootropic
A cognition-enhancing drug that has no significant side-effects. (cf. extropiate) [C. Giurgea]
Now Shock
Being shocked or confused by the rapid changes that has already taken place, a kind of future shock before the present. [Michael Rothschild, "Cornucopia Or Black Hole?", Upside, Oct 1995]
Nutraceutical
A foodstuff or parts of foodstuff that offers medical or health benefits related to the prevention and treatment of disease.
Offloading
Removing the cognitive load by various means, such as enhanced reality, knowbots, graphical user interfaces, hypertext or information screening. [Felix Ungman, 1995]
Omega Point
A possible future state when intelligence controls the Universe totally, and the amount of information processed and stored goes asymptotically towards infinity. See the Omega Point Page. [Origin: Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, The Phenomenon of Man, 1955. See also Frank J. Tipler's The Physics of Immortality for a more modern definition]
Omegon
An intelligence turning itself into a neutron star, black hole or even a baby-universe in order to increase its computing speed or to evolve towards a Omega Point. [Vic Stenger, 1995]
Omnescience
The widespread lack of understanding and knowledge of science. [Raymond Tallis, Newton's Sleep, 1995]
O'Neill Cylinders
A pair of cylindrical space colonies that rotate around their respective axis to produce simulated gravity (one rotates clockwise and the other counterclockwise to minimize torques). [Named after Gerard K. O'Neill, who described them]
O'Neill Colony
A rotating space colony, especially large ones with internal ecosystems, such as O'Neill cylinders or Bernal spheres. [Named after Gerard K. O'Neill]
Ontological Conservatives
"Basement reality dwellers", people who regard physical reality as fundamentally important and simulated/emulated realities as bad, due to fear of the unknown elements or the effects of such simulated realities. They regard solid state civilizations as a bad idea. [Natasha Vita-More, Nov 1997]
Optimal Persona
An imagined model of the ideal person we want to become. The Optimal Persona is the ideal self, the higher (and continually developing) individual much like Nietzsche's conception of the Ubermensch but applied to the individual. [Max More, 1993; same name but different conception from that used by Bruce Sterling in Islands in the Net]
Orbital Tower
See 'beanstalk'.
Overnet
The emerging communications and computation network including the Internet as well as mobile wireless devices, telematic devices, private networks, and billions of embedded chips with wireless connections. [Max More, Nov 2001]
Pancritical Rationalism
A nonjustificationist epistemology in which every statement is subject to criticism. See Pancritical Rationalism: An Extropic Metacontext for Memetic Progress by Max More for more information.
Partial
A computer simulation of part of a person's personality, created in order to carry out a task not requiring the entire person. [Greg Bear, Eon, 1985]
Partialate
A partial personality used as a personality surrogate. [Max More, July 1991]
Pattern Identity Theory
The theory that "I" am the same individual as any other whose physical constitution forms the same or a similar pattern to mine. (Cf continuity identity theory).
Pericomputer
Any small portable device such as a laptop computer or PDA (personal digital assistant). [Lawrence G. Tesler]
Perimelasma
The closest approach on an orbit around a black hole, similar to the words perigee for the Earth, perihelion for the sun, periastron for a star, etc) [Geoffrey Landis]
Perversion Attack
Infiltrating somebody's computer systems in order to use them against their owner. [Vernor Vinge, A Fire Upon the Deep, 1992]
Pharming
Short for pharmaceutical farming. The process of genetically engineering crops to protect them or their consumers from disease. For example, researchers at Texas A&M and Tulane University have genetically altered potatoes to include antigenic material from E. coli bacteria, one cause of diarrhea. Theoretically, such potatoes could both feed people in developing countries and vaccinate them against E. coli. [Gareth Branwyn in Jargon Watch, Wired 4.01, Jan 1996]
Phyle
A race or tribe; a body united by ties of blood and descent, a clan. Used in Neal Stephenson's The Diamond Age to denote non-nation based cultures and societies.
Physical Eschatology
A branch of theoretical applied science studying how intelligent life could affect and survive in the remote future. The field was opened by Freeman Dyson by his paper Time Without End: Physics and Biology in an Open Universe. [1976]
Picotechnology
Technology using objects on the pico- and femto-scale (as nanotechnology would use nanoscale objects). This would involve nucleons and other elementary particles doing useful work, involving quantum effects. Unlike nanotechnology, picotechnology has no feasibility proofs and remains pure speculation. Also called femtotechnology.
Pidgin Brain
An artificial part of a posthuman brain designed so that activity, memories and skills stored in it can easily be transferred to other pidgin brains, a "neural ligua franca". [Michael M. Butler]
Pink Goo
(humorous) Humans (in analogy with grey goo). "Pink Goo to refer to Old Testament apes who see their purpose as being fruitful and multiplying, filling up of the cosmos with lots more such apes, unmodified." [Eric Watt Forste, Aug 1997]
Plexure
"The ability to see knowledge as through different lenses, that is, through different epistemological systems, to enter and hold different worldviews." [David Zindell, The Broken God, 1993]
Pome
A computer-generated poem.
Posthuman
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Posthuman" is a term used by transhumanists to refer to what humans could become if we succeed in using technology to remove the limitations of the human condition. No one can be certain exactly what posthumans would be like (there may be many differing types, and they may continuing changing) but we can understand the term by contrasting it with "human": Posthumans would be those who have overcome the biological, neurological, and psychological constraints built into humans by the evolutionary process. Posthumans would have a far greater ability to reconfigure and sculpt their physical form and function; they would have an expanded range of refined emotional responses, and would possess intellectual and perceptual abilities enhanced beyond the purely human range. Posthumans would not be subject to biological aging or degeneration. It would be unrealistic to expect posthumans to be "perfect" by our standards. What we can reasonably say is that posthumans would have greater potential for good or bad, just as humans have greater potential than other primate species.
Postjudice
A negative opinion based on exposure. [Perry E. Metzger, 1997]
Power
A posthuman entity of tremendous intelligence and capability, possibly the result of transcending [Vernor Vinge, A Fire Upon the Deep, 1992]
Powershift
A transfer of power involving a change in the nature of power, from violence to wealth, or from wealth to knowlege. [Alvin Toffler, Powershift, 1990]
Prisoner's Dilemma
A two-player non-zero sum game where each player can choose between cooperation and defection. The pay-off matrix is (cooperate=C, defect=D):
If both players cooperate, they get 3 points each. If they both defect they earn just one each. If one defects and the other cooperates the defector will gain 5 points and the cooperator nothing. If the players will play the game only once, it is rational to defect, but if they will continue to play it several times (the iterated prisoner's dilemma) different strategies become possible. In this case mutual cooperation gives a high pay-off, but defectors can exploit naive cooperators. But since mutual defection does worse than cooperation cooperators can come do dominate the population as long as they are not too vulnerable to defectors.
The game is a standard model in game theory, and has been widely modelled in theoretical sociology, theoretical biology and economics. It seems to capture some of the tensions between selfishness and altruism, which has led to a great interest in what strategies are evolutionarily stable in the iterated dilemma.
The name derives from a scenario where two prisoners have to independently decide if too testify against each other or not. See also Principia Cybernetica's article on the dilemma.
Privacy Management
Critical in the Age of Access and one of the next great growth sectors. As connectivity spreads, privacy management will become the ultimate status tool. [The 500-Year Delta, Jim Taylor and Watts Wacker, 1997]
Prolongevity
The idea that human lifespan can and should be extended. [Gerald J. Gruman, 1955]
Quantum Computing
Computing using quantum effects, especially to solve untractable problems (like factorization or breaking cryptosystems). See the Centre for Quantum Computation for more information.
Quantum Cryptography
A system based on quantum-mechanical principles. Eavesdroppers alter the quantum state of the system and so are detected. Developed by Brassard and Bennett, only small laboratory demonstrations have been made. See What Is Quantum Cryptography? for more information.
Quasispecies
A fuzzy distributions of genotypes characterizing a population of quickly mutating organisms or molecules. [Manfred Eigen]
Rapture Of The Future
Naive optimism that everything will be all right in the future and that future technology can solve every concievable problem.
Red Goo
Deliberately designed and released destructive nanotechnology, as opposed to accidentally created grey goo.
Red Queen Principle
(based on Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll, where the Red Queen points out "in this place it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place.") In evolution the principle says that for an evolutionary system, continuing development is needed just in order to maintain its (relative) fitness. See The Red Queen Principle in Principia Cybernetica. [L. van Valen, 1973]
Red Queened
To be outrun by evolution or change. See the 'red queen principle'. [Damien Broderick, June 1997]
Refined Emotions
One result of automorphing: transhuman/posthuman emotions that have been self-sculpted to remove unhealthy evolutionary baggage (where "health" is understood as contextually effective in bringing about survival and flourishing).
Regenerative Medicine
A collection of applied biotechnologies which aims to repair human tissues and replace or regenerate organs. Includes fields investigating stem cells, tissue engineering or organogeneis, telomerase, biomaterials, and therapeutic cloning.
Remembrance Agent
A software agent that augments human memory by watching the current context (for example what is written in an editor) and displays a list of documents which may be relevant. This is a simple but workable form of intelligence amplification, likely suited for wearable computers. See Remembrance Agent: A continuously running automated information retrieval system. [Thad Starner, 1995]
Reversible
A process that can occur in both directions, i.e. A->B and B->A. Reversible processes do not produce any entropy.
Rif
A Rifkinite, or supporter of Jeremy Rifkin and his anti-genetic engineering, anti-nanotech crusade; against any and all research or implementation in these areas. [Glenn Grant, 1990]
Sans Ceiling Hypothesis
There are no upper limit to what sufficiently advanced intelligent life can do (as opposed to the view that there are fundamental limits set by physical law). [Paul Hughes]
Sapper Meme
An offensive (as opposed to benign or defensive) meme, intelligently-designed to infect a host, reduce the host's memetic immunity, and prepare the host for infection. [Keith Elis, Apr 1998]
Scenario Planning
A rigorous method combining creative and critical thinking for generating alternative plausible futures for the purpose of testing strategies for their robustness. Originally invented by the U.S. military, and pioneered in the business world by Shell Oil, scenario planning is an increasingly common tool in a business world having to deal with rapid and drastic changes in competitive conditions, as well as in issues of foundation and governmental policy.
Santa Machine
See 'genie'.
Scheme
A meme-complex. [Douglas Hofstadter]
Seed AI
An AI designed for recursive self-improvement; that is, improvement followed by another round of improvement at that higher level of intelligence. Rather than building a mind which is superintelligent from the start, the theory holds that only some bounded level of intelligence need be achieved in order for the AI to become capable of open-ended improvement of its own source code. [Eliezer Yudkowsky, 1998, 2000,2001. Definition by Eliezer Yudkowsky]
Semantic Web
Web architect Tim Berners-Lee's conception of a future stage of the Internet, where computers would be able to understand content using semantic layers based on XML, rather than being limited purely to syntactic manipulation. A Semantic Web would require several layers on top of XML, with an Internet Ontology sitting at the top. [Tim Berners-Lee, The Semantic Web, Scientific American, May 2001]
Sentience Quotient
In the article "Xenopsychology" by Robert Freitas in Analog of April 1984 there is an interesting index called "Sentience quotient". It is based on: The sentience of an intelligence is roughly directly related to the amount of data it can process per unit time and inversely to the overall mass needed to do that processing. This would be something like baud/kilograms. And since that would rapidly turn into a real big number, base 10 logs are used. The "least sentient" would be one bit over the lifetime of the universe massing the entire known universe, or about -70. The "most sentient" is claimed to be +50. Homo sapiens are around +13, a Cray I is +9, a venus flytrap is a peak of +1 with plants generally -2.
Shih
"Shih was the opposite of facts and raw information; shih was the elegance of knowledge, the insight and skill to organize knowledge into meaningful patterns. As an artist chooses colours or light to make her pictures, a master of shih chooses textures of knowledge - various ideas, myths, abstractions, and theories - to create a way of seeing the world. The aesthetics and beauty of knowledge - this was shih." [David Zindell, The Broken God, 1993]
Singularity
The postulated point or short period in our future when our self-guided evolutionary development accelerates enormously (powered by nanotech, neuroscience, AI, and perhaps uploading) so that nothing beyond that time can reliably be conceived. [Vernor Vinge, The Coming Technological Singularity, 1986]
Singularitarian
Originally defined by Mark Plus to mean "one who believes the concept of a Singularity", this term has since been redefined to mean "Singularity activist" or "friend of the Singularity"; that is, one who acts so as to bring about a Singularity. [Mark Plus, 1991; Singularitarian Principles, Eliezer Yudkowsky, 2000]
Sky Hook
A long, very strong, cable in orbit around a planet which rotates around its center of mass in such a way that when one end is closest to the ground, its relative velocity is almost zero. It would function as a kind of space elevator; shuttle craft would anchor to the end and then be lifted into orbit where they would be released. It is closely related to the idea of a beanstalk. [Originally described by Y Artsutanov in 1969. The name was propbably coined by Hans Moravec in "A Non-Synchronous Orbital Skyhoo k," Journal of the Astronautical Sciences, Vol. 25, No. 4, October-December 1977, pp 307-322 ]
Smart Contracts
A type of secure digital rights management that essentially enforces contracts using code with no need for legal authorities to intervene.
Smart-Faced
The condition resulting from social use of cognition-enhancing drugs: "Let's get smart-faced." [Russell E. Whitaker, Dec 1991]
Sociotype
1. The social expression of a memotype, as the body of an organism is the physical expression (phenotype) of the gene (genotype). Hence, the Protestant Church is one sociotype of the Bible's memotype. 2. A class of similar social organizations. [Glenn M. Grant]
Solid State Civilization
A posthuman or alien civilization where most people have no physical bodies and exist as information inside computers.
Space Fountain
A vertical stream of magnetically accelerated pellets reaching out into space, where a station held aloft by its momentum reverses the direction and directs it towards a receiver on the ground. Essentially a simpler version of a Lofstrom loop. [I'm not sure who originated the idea; judging from Robert Forward's Indistinguishable from Magic it was a collaborative effort. A paper about the idea can be found in Hyde, Roderick A., "Earthbreak: Earth to Space Transportation," Defense Science 2003+ Vol. 4, No. 4, 1985, pp 78-92 ]
Spike
Another term for the singularity, suggested by Damien Broderick since the growth curves look almost like a spike as it is approached. [Damien Broderick, The Spike, 1997]
Spintronics
Based on the magnetic properties of electrons, could lead to advances such as M-RAM, or magneto resistive memory which will retain data after power is turned off. Boot-up time would be eliminated, and processing and storage might be done in the same chip.
Spock Meme
The idea that transhumans will evolve to the point there they will have no need for emotion or love. This is unlikely since emotions are important for cognition; a more likely development is refined emotions with less evolutionary baggage. [QueeneMUSE, July 1996]
Spontaneous Voluntarism
A fully free society, with a totally free market and no institutionalized coercion. [Max More, 1989]
Star Lifting
To remove material from a star for industrial use or for stellar husbandry. Possible methods would involve increasing its rotation until material began to drift off the equator or squeezing it using intense magnetic fields from particle accelerators. [Dave Criswell]
Stellar Husbandry
To control the evolution and properties of stars, especially to stabilize them, prolong their lifetimes, manipulate the stellar wind, lift off useful material or create new stars. Typical methods would be star lifting or mixing the stellar core with envelope material to make hydrogen burning last longer. [Dave Criswell]
Steward
Someone who wants to manage the world as a precious resource, as opposed to extropians who want to let an evolution-like process change it (it should be noted that the term extropian used in this definition doesn't necessarily cover all people calling themselves extropians). The stewards and extropians represent divergent philosophies of change: stewards think about what is already there, while extropians think about how things can or will evolve. [Jaron Lanier, Getting Deeper Into The Topspin, Spin Magazine, 1991]
Strong AI Postulate
The assumption that an intelligent machine can be built, at least in principle. Some versions of the postulate are more narrow, and say that intelligence is computable on Turing machines (i.e. the mind is a program). This essentially means that intelligence is only dependent on pattern, not its material basis.
Strong Convergence Hypothesis
All sufficiently advanced cultures converge towards the same state. A rival hypothesis is the divergent track hypothesis. See also 'HPLD'. [Nicholas Bostrom, 1996, Predictions from Philosophy?]
Superlongevity
The extension of the human lifespan beyond the genetic limit of approximately 120 years.
Surge
A relatively slow Singularity take-off. Slow means a few months to a few years rather than in weeks or hours. A Surge might result from superintelligent AI or augmented transhuman superintelligence being slower to develop than some expect, or due to economic, cultural, and political brakes on technological acceleration. [Max More]
Suspended Animation
This term refers to the ability to start and stop, at will, a biological system (usually a person) through some physical means (usually the use of cold temperatures). Suspended animation does not currently exist.
Synthespian
An artificial actor, for example a 3D model animated by motion capture from a real actor or a computer program. See Synthespian History, Technology, and Future for more information. [Jeff Kleiser and Diana Walczak, 1985]
TAZ / Temporary Autonomous Zone
A mobile or transient location free of economic and social interference by the state. [Hakim Bey, The Temporary Autonomous Zone - Ontological Anarchy, Poetic Terrorism, 1985]
Technocalyps
The fusion of utopian dreams and apocalyptic fears of the millennium. [Michael Grosso]
Technocyte
A nanoscale artificial device (especially a nanite) in the human bloodstream used for repairs, cancer protection, as an artificial immune system or for other uses. [Anders Sandberg, 1995]
Technosphere
An expanding sphere of civilization/technology, spreading outwards using von Neumann Probes or simple colonization. Judging from how most life behaves, it will gradually restructure matter and energy inside itself in various ways. Due to the finite speed of light it can only spread slower than lightspeed. [Mitchell Porter]
Teleological Thread
A sequence of goals following each other. Refers to the possibility of strong morphological freedom, where individuals can change all their properties and their configuration; only the general goals may stay the same, and they may drift forming a teleological thread. [Alexander Chislenko, Technology as extension of human functional architecture, 1997]
Terraform
To change the properties of a planet to make it more earthlike, making it possible for humans or other terrestrial organisms to live unaided on it, for example by changing atmospheric composition, pressure, temperature or the climate and introducing a sel f-sustaining ecosystem. This will most probably be a very long-term project, probably requiring self-replicating technology and megascale engineering. So far Venus and especially Mars looks as the most promising candidates for terraforming in the solar system. See The Terraforming Information Pages for more information. [Jack Williamson, 1938]
Theoretical Applied Science
The study of technology that is based on conservative and contemporary scientific knowledge, but have not yet been created. Especially it studies what is possible and impossible according to known physical laws. See Theoretical Applied Science by Nick Szabo.
Tithonus Syndrome
The consistently negative portrayal of immortality in fantasy and science fiction. Based on the Greek myth of Tithonus, who was granted eternal life but forgot to ask for eternal youth. See Internet and Greek Mythology for more information. [S. L. Rosen]
Tipler Cylinder
A theoretical way of time-travel is using the spacetime warping around a very massive, infinitely long cylinder rotating near the speed of light around its axis. [Originally described by Frank Tipler in "Rotating Cylinders and Global Causality Violation" Physical Review D9, 2203-2206. 1974]
Tiplerite
A person with religious faith in Tipler's Omega Point Theory (So far very rare, if any). ["The Tiplerite Church" was mentioned briefly in The Nanotech Chronicles by Michael Flynn]
TransArt
An art style that represents the Transhumanist Arts Statement (TransArt) written in 1982. The premiere piece was 1979 film "Breaking Away" which story line themes human evolution in breaking away from our biological restraints. (Filmed at Red Rocks Amphitheater, sponsored by the University of Colorado Film Department.) [Natasha Vita-More, 1982]
Transbiomorphosis (Transbiological Metamorphosis)
The transformation of the human body from a natural, biological organism into a superior, consciously designed vehicle of personality. [Max More, August 1991]
Transcend
To become vastly superhuman and incomprehensible for unaugmented beings. [Vernor Vinge, A Fire Upon the Deep, 1992]
Transcension
The transition between humanity and posthumanity. [Erik Moeller, June 1996]
Transcient
A very advanced and fast being. [T. O. Morrow, Apr 1996]
Transclusion
A thing existing in more than one place at once; virtual copying of information used in hypertext systems, such as Xanadu. [Ted Nelson, Byte, Sep 1990]
Transhuman
Someone actively preparing for becoming posthuman. Someone who is informed enough to see radical future possibilities and plans ahead for them, and who takes every current option for self-enhancement. TheReader’s Digest Great Encyclopedia Dictionary (1966) defines "transhuman" as meaning "surpassing; transcending; beyond". In the Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary (1983), "transhuman" is defined as meaning "superhuman," and "transhumanize," meaning "to elevate or transform to something beyond what is human". Yet, these are not a complete and contemporary meanings.Today, we refer to transhuman as meaning an evolutionary transition from being biologically human toward our merger with technology, as set forth by well-known futurist FM-2030 (f/k/a F.M. Esfandiary), as "a new kind of being crystallizing from the monumental breakthroughs of the late twentieth century. ... the earliest manifestations of a new evolutionary being." [Term: FM-2030, Are You A Transhuman?. (The word was first used in "Transhuman 2000" by FM-2030 in Woman in the Year 2000 (Ed. Maggie Tripp) in the 1970s, and later by Damien Broderick in The Judas Mandala from 1982 (of which an excerpt called "Growing Up" was published in Galileo in 1976), and Natasha Vita-More in the TranArt "Transhumanist Arts" Statement 1982.)
Transhumane
Transhumans who emphasis on transhumanist values and concerns, especially kindness and compassion. [Natasha Vita-More]
Transhumanism
"Philosophies of life (such as the Extropian philosophy) that seek the continuation and acceleration of the evolution of intelligent life beyond its currently human form and human limitations by means of science and technology, guided by life-promoting values." [Term and Defintion: Max More, 1990]
Transhumanist
Someone actively preparing for becoming posthuman. Someone who is informed enough to see radical future possibilities and plans ahead for them, and who takes every current option for self-enhancement. Term first used in "Extropy The Journal of Transhumanist Thought" [Max More, 1989]
Transhumanist Arts
An art period reflecting creative works of transhumanity. Just as Modern Art represents much of the arts of the 20th Century, Transhumanist Arts covers the arts of the late 20th Century into the 21st Century which reflects the vision of transhumanists. [Natasha Vita-More, 1989]
Transhumanities
Art, literature, and other aesthetic media for transhumans (or transhumanists). [Mark Plus, 1990]
Trapdoor Function
A function that is easily computable, but whose inverse is very hard to compute unless an extra bit of information is provided. The term is used in cryptography.
Turing Machine
An idealized computer consisting of an infinite tape and a read-write "head" which moves back and forth on the tape, reading and writing, according to a rule set that refers to i) what it sees on the tape ii) an internal "memory" state.
Turing Test
Turing's proposed test for whether a machine is conscious (or intelligent, or aware): we communicate via text with it and with a hidden human. If we can't tell which of our partners in dialogue is the human, we say the computer is conscious. See The Turing Test Page for more information.
Ubergoo
A related term to grey goo, used (jokingly) to refer to the mistaken idea that during the singularity powerful technologies would decimate non-transhumanists, and that some transhumanists would see this as desirable. [Dale Carrico, 1996]
Ubiquitous Computing
Also known as "embodied virtuality". Computers that are an integral, invisible part of people's lives. In some ways the opposite of virtual reality, in which the user is absorbed into the computational world. With ubiquitous computing, computers take into account the human world rather than requiring humans to enter into the computer's methods of working. [See Mark Weiser, "The Computer for the 21st Century".Scientific American, Sep 1991]
Universal Constructor
A machine capable of constructing anything that can be constructed. The physical analog of a "universal computer", which can perform any computation.
Universal Immortalism
The view that the problem of death can be solved in its entirety (including bringing back those "dead" who were not placed into biostasis) through a rational, scientific approach. [R. Michael Perry, 1990]
Universal Turing Machine
A 'Turing machine' with a rule set which allows it to imitate any other Turing machine (if the rule set and the input of the machine to be emulated are presented on the tape).
Uplift
To increase the intelligence and help develop a culture of a previously non- or near-intelligent species. [From the Uplift novels by David Brin]
Uploader
1) A person advocating uploading. 2) a person making an upload.
Uploading
The transfer of a personality (memories, knowledge, values, desires, etc.) from the biological human brain to a suitable synthetic computing device in order to allow easier upgrading of intelligence, self-modification, and backup of the self in case of accident. See the Mind Uploading Home Page for more information.
Utility Fog
A collective of nanotechnological devices ("Foglets") that link together into a complex network in the air, able to work together to exert force in any direction or transmit information between each other. This would give users almost complete control over their environment. See Utility Fog by J. Storrs Hall, Extropy #13 and #14. [J. Storrs Hall, 1994]
Vaccime
(pron. vak-seem) Any meta-meme which confers resistance or immunity to one or more memes, allowing that person to be exposed without acquiring an active infection. Also called an 'immuno-meme'. Common immune-conferring memes are "Faith", "Loyalty", "Skepticism", and "tolerance". See also entry in the memetic lexicon. (Glenn M. Grant.)
Vasten
To enhance one's mind strongly ("to become vast"), related to transcending. [David Zindell, The Broken God, 1993]
Ve
Gender-neutral alternative to 'he' or 'she'.
Venturism
An immortalist transhumanism founded on the principles (1) to do what is right, understood as implying the benefiting of intelligent life and the reduction or elimination of abuses to the same; and (2) the advocacy and promotion of the worldwide conquest of death through technological means. See The Society For Venturism. [David Pizer, 1986]
Viewquake
Insights which dramatically change one's world view. [Robin D. Hanson]
Virion
1) The infectious unit of a virus. 2) (capitalized) A carrier of the Virus meme-complex. [Duane Hewitt]
Virtual Community
A community of persons not located in close physical proximity but forming a cultural community across computer networks.
Virtual Retinal Displays (VRDs)
These are now (Jan 2002) moving from the labs into initial industrial applications and perhaps into consumer products. VRDs use low-power lasers to "paint" information directly on the retina, allowing a virtual overlay to give the appearance of a full-size monitor that could be used with tiny portable devices. With the move from research to early uses in medical and engineering applications, VRDs could become an intimate and portable means of interacting with the informational world in the next decade.
Virtual Rights
Rights given for convenience to a partial; these rights are really rights of the person whose partial it is, rather than of the partial itself. Similar in some respects to currently existing corporate rights. [Max More, July 1991]
Vitology
The study of any life-like system, including biology and artificial life. [Max More, Dec 1991]
Vivisystem
A systems with lifelike properties (adaptability, complexity, evolvability, resilency etc.), such as ecosystems, alife, economies and minds. [Kevin Kelly, Out of Control, 1994].
Von Neumann Machine
A machine which is able to build a working copy of itself using materials in its environment. This is often proposed as a cheap way to mine or colonize the entire solar system or galaxy. An early fictional treatment was the short story "Autofac" by Philip K. Dick, published in 1955, which actually seems to precede John von Neumann's original paper about self-reproducing machines (J. von Neumann, 1966; The Theory of Self-reproducing Automata, A. Burks, ed., Univ. of Illinois Press, Urbana, IL.). See also the John von Neumann page at Xerox.
Von Neumann Probe
A von Neumann Machine able to move over interstellar or interplanetary distances and to utilize local materials to build new copies of itself. Such probes could be used to set up new colonies, perform megascale engineering or explore the universe (see the 'Far Edge Party').
Wetware
Similar to hardware, but denotes a biological system, most commonly the human nervous system (see also dryware). [Possible origin: Vacuum Flowers, Michael Swanwick, 1987].
Wormhole
A postulated topological structure in general relativity, where a space-time "tunnel" links two distant points with a shortcut. Whether they can be physically realized is not known, and they seem to require exotic matter to be stable. If they can exist, and can be built, they could provide a possible way to travel faster than light (in a global sense, since locally the travellers would move slower than light). For more information, see Traversable Wormholes: Some Implications, by Michael Clive Price.
Xenobiology
The study of (possible) alien lifeforms and their biology. Other related words are xenopsychology (the study of alien mental processes), xenotechnology (the study of alien technologies) and xenosociology (the study of alien societies). [First use unknown, but the word has been extensively used in science fiction].
Xerophilia
Not from the Greek root xero, meaning "dry," but from the company that turned its dry-copying procedure into a global trademark. The love of copying, and the ability of everything to be copied. [The 500-Year Delta, Jim Taylor and Watts Wacker, 1997]
Xox
(from Xerox) An (atomically) identical copy of a person. A kind of dividual. [Tihamer Toth-Fejel, Dec 1995]
Xoxer
A being who wants to create xoxes of itself. [Tihamer Toth-Fejel, Dec 1995]
Xenoevoluture
An evoluture from a planet other than Earth. [Jay Prime Positive, Dec 1991]
Zero Knowledge Proof
An interactive or probabilistic proof that demonstrates that one person has a certain pice of information without revealing it. Very useful in cryptography.
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