FUTIQUE NEOLOGISMS 3

Compiled by Max More

“Extropians are future shock wave riders.” - Jay Prime Positive.

The Futique Neologisms series is intended to provide a compilation of neologisms regarding advanced and future technologies and their applications. Some of them are purely for fun, but others may become entrenched in regular usage. Some of the terms listed are already widely accepted in transhumanist/extropian cultural groups.

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 a 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, September 1991, p.133) [Alvin Toffler, Future Shock, 1970]

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 later generations. [Mark Plus, April 1992]

BIEVOMECH - (pron. bi-evo-mech) Biological methods and mechanisms evolved through natural selection. Examples: Hearts, lungs, skin, gills, DNA, ribosomes, and analogous non-teleologically evolved mechanisms in xenoevolutures. [Tanya Jones, Jay Prime Positive, Ralph Whelan, December 1991]

BOGOSITY FILTER - A mechanism for detecting bogus ideas and propositions.

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.) [Coined by Stewart Brand, The Media Lab, 1987.]

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 < m_c). [David Krieger, November 1991]

CYBRARIAN - Net-oriented information specialist. [Jean Armour Polly, 1992]

EXTROPIATE - Any drug that has extropic effects, including all cognition enhancing and life extending drugs. [David Krieger, December 1991]

EVOLUTURE - An organism produced through evolution; the antonym of creature. [Mark Plus, June 1991]

KNOWBOTS - Knowledge robots, first developed by Vinton G. Cerf 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 is 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.) [Corporation for National Research Initiatives]

MORPHOLOGICAL FREEDOM - The ability to alter bodily form at will through technologies such as surgery, genetic engineering, nanotechnology, uploading. [Max More, April 1992]

NEG - Someone who typically complains, moans, and whines. Someone practicing the contrary of dynamic optimism.

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]

PERICOMPUTER - Any small, portable computing device such as a laptop, an

electronic pocket calendar, or Apple’s forthcoming Newton. [Lawrence G. Tesler]

POWERSHIFT - A transfer of power involving a change in the nature of power, from violence to wealth, or from wealth to knowledge. [Alvin Toffler in Powershift 1990]

SMART BAR - A bar at which smart drinks are sold. Smart drinks usually contain choline and/or an amino acid precursor (such as phenylalanine, tyrosine, or glutamine) for stimulatory neurotransmitters.

SMART-FACED - The condition resulting from social use of cognition-enhancing drugs: “Let’s get smart-faced.” [Russell E. Whitaker, December 1991]

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 computers methods of working. [See Mark Weiser, “The Computer for the 21st Century” in Scientific American, September 1991.

VITOLOGY - The study of any life-like system, including biology and artificial life. [Max More, December 1991]

XENOEVOLUTURE - An evoluture from a planet other than Earth. [Jay Prime Positive, December 1991]

The source of unattributed neologisms is not known to the compiler. Please send any corrections and additions, c/o the editor.

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EXTROPY #9 Summer 1992