X Change

The Great Plague. The Great Plague resulted from a generic flaw introduced into the human genome after the Decision. As a result, 95% of the male population was wiped out in the second half of the 22^nd century eventfully leading to the Gender Crisis and the Tiresias Compromise and the all-female society of the 24^th century.

Hotop. Short for hot-topic; Net gossip. A hotop is a thread of discussion about a particular topic on the Net. The topic can be any noteworthy item from major news events to trivial matters involving fashion, celebrities, or unusual events. A hotop can last from a few hours to several weeks depending on the topic and the level of interest.

Medtech. Short for medical technician; a person trained to treat physical injuries, diseases, or aliments. After the Genetic Revolution, the medical doctors of the 18^th, 19^th, and 20^th centuries were replaced by medtecs. With medicine on a firm scientific foundation, treatment of injuries and disease is handled mainly by machines under human supervision. Medical doctors were therefore replaced by technicians trained to use these machines. The research previous conducted by medical doctors prior to the Genetic Revolution is not performed by scientists and bioengineers.

The Net. The Net is the integrated world-wide communications network linking everyone on the planet in a continuous and ever-present data-stream of news, entertainment, gossip, and facts. In principle, all human knowledge and information can be accessed via the Net; these can take to from of text, pictures, videos, etc. The Net also hosts all the Virtual Personas created through Blue Onyx.

The New Social Contract. The social contact developed after the Tiresias Compromise by the World Federation that established the rules and laws for the post New Golden Age era. This contract guarantees individual liberty and rights as well as personal prosperity. Poverty and crime are virtually eliminated and a near utopian world is established. This world is governed by the new social elite who, in conjunction with the Servitude Laws, are responsible for maintaining order, keeping the peace, and insuring prosperity.

Psychtech. Short for psychiatric technician; a person trained to study and treat mental disorders. After the Genetic Revolution, medical doctors were replaced by medical technicians known as medtechs. Treatment of physical problems is handled by machines under human supervision with new research and technical advancements being conducted by scientists and engineers. Treatment and research were therefore separated into two distinct fields for physical problems. For mental disorders, the situation is more complicated since even in the 24^th century the human mind is still not fully understood. The physical component of treating mental disorders is therefore handled with machines, but the diagnosis and treatment of the mind is handled almost exclusively by humans. In addition to treating mental disorders psychtechs engage in active research into the human mind.

Restricted Sex. As part of the Tiresias Compromise, the male sex is confined to special breeding colonies known as Duenas. In addition, women are restricted to having only female offspring using seaman provide by the few remaining males in the Duenas. As a result, the de facto gender becomes female with male referred to as the restricted sex because of the tight controls placed on their gender.

Servant. See Slave.

Servitude Laws. These laws define both crime and its corresponding punishment. In essence the Servitude Laws reestablish indentured servitude as the punishment for all crime with relatively minor crimes being punished with public humiliation or short periods (anywhere form a day to a year) of personal service to the victim or the public. More serious crimes are punished with longer terms of service and the most severe crimes with a lifetime of service and an (almost) complete loss of rights and freedom. In the latter case, the offender is typically sold at public auction to the highest bidder and the proceeds used to compensate the victims and the government.

Slave. Technically an irrevocable indentured servant, as established by the Servitude Laws. Criminal offenders found guilty are sentenced to terms of public or private servitude as punishment for their crime. The length and terms of service vary depending on the severity of the crime. The rights and freedom afforded these offenders is proscribed by law; however, they are not completely without rights. Women sentenced to terms less than their lifetimes are termed servants while women sentenced to a lifetime of service are called slaves. In all cases, severe physical abuse is not allowed and under no circumstances can a slave or servant be physically injured or killed by her owner. The rights guaranteed a servant vary with the severity of the sentence. For short periods of servitude, the servant may retain most, if not all, her legal and civil rights as well as her personal freedom; her only obligation being to satisfactorily complete her service within the prescribed period. In general, these rights and freedoms decrease as the length of the sentence increases. For sentences lasting several years, the servant effectively loses most of her legal rights as well as her personal freedom. For slaves all except the most basic rights to life and limb are lost as well as all personal freedom. Since crime is relatively rare so are slaves. As such slaves are expensive to obtain and own and quickly become lucrative status symbols for the ultra-wealthy and powerful.

Standard Year. The time required for the Earth to complete one complete orbit around the sun. Nominally 365.25 days, where one day is the time required for the Earth to make once complete revolution about its axis.

Tiresias Compromise. The compromise is named after the legendary ancient Greek Tiresias who was changed into a woman and then back into a man as punishment for displeasing the gods. The Compromise established men as the restricted sex controlling their numbers and location on the planet. In particular males were relegated to the status of breeding slaves and confined to and raised in special all-female colonies called Duenas. The male genome is altered at the time to restore aggressiveness and virility. To ensure control of the male population, only one male is allowed in a Duena at a time and males are never allowed to meet or come into contact with each other. In addition, males are kept from even knowing about the existence of other males. In practice Duenas are separated by large distances to avoid the spread of potential plague and disease among the male population, making any such meetings virtually impossible. The practical effect of the Tiresias Compromise is to eliminate all males from the general population and ensure that an adequate and stable number of males are maintained at all times to guarantee the continued survival and viability of the human species. Women desiring children are restricted to having daughters; male offspring no longer being permitted. The Tiresias Compromise restructures humankind into an all-female society and eventually results in the New Social Contract.

Transport. A vehicle used to transport people and goods from one place to another on the Earth. Transports vary in both size and type; depending on the vehicle, they can travel over water and land and through the air. Specialized transports can also travel underwater however all these vehicles are restricted to travel within the Earth's atmosphere. In general, transports are automated and do not require a human pilot. These vehicles are the main form of transportation between cities and other widely separated locations on the Earth. No special facilities are required for handling transport, though larger vehicles may require reinforced or special structures to accommodate their size and weight.

Vid. Short for video; the term refers to any audiovisual media or medium and comprises both modern, pre-modern and ancient forms and formats.

Venkatesan Modification. Named after its inventor, Nina Venkatesan, this genetic modification refers to the changes made to the human genome to insure or provide built-in or internal behavioral compliance with the Servitude Laws as specified by the New Social Contract. The effect of these changes is to establish a sub-conscious tension within the mind whereby abhorrence to specific types of anti-social behaviors is simultaneously linked to sexual arousal. The anti-social behaviors selected are the usual quasi-sexual or sexual taboos: appearing nude in public, explicit displays of sexuality (whether in conversation or by overt physical gesture or suggestive appearance), unusual ('kinky') sexual activities, etc. The resulting psychological tension is exploited as an internal deterrent against violating the law since the public humiliations proscribed as punishment by the Servitude Laws are themselves quasi-sexual in nature; typical shamings involving being stripped naked in public and exposed to verbal ridicule and physical punishment. This is further re-enforced by the legal mandate that all late-teenage school girls attend at least one public shaming. This genetic modification is particularly effective since it exploits one of the strongest human drives, the sex drive, to accomplish is behavioral goals. The Venkatesan Modification is viewed as the price paid for the peace and prosperity guaranteed by the New Social Contract.

World Center for Generic Resource Management (WCGRM). The government agency and authority in charge of reproduction and the oversight of bioengineering activities is the WCGRM. Particularly notable, is that the WCGRM is the repository of all male genetic material produced by the world's Duenas. This generic material is processed and held by the WCGRM for use in research and reproduction. For women desiring to have children (daughters) the WCGRM provides the necessary male genetic material to licensed reproduction centers where it is combined with the woman's eggs and gestated to produce her offspring ex utero.

World Federation. The central government of the world, similar the United Nations of the 20^th and 21^st centuries but more powerful and centrally controlled. Individual states and governments still control the various regions of the world, which in the 23^rd and 24^th centuries, has a political map not dissimilar the 21^st century. However, the World Federation has the power to guarantee individual liberties and rights, regulate the world economy, and enforce the general peace. It has the only standing military on the planet as well as various police forces with preemptive authority over the police forces of local states and governments. Notable among these is the Financial Investigative Services (FIS) which is responsible for the investigation of financial activities and crimes. In addition, Blue Onyx, the world financial regulatory body is also a part of the World Federation. The World Federation is headed by the Counsel General who has executive power over the entire organization.

Year. See Standard Year and Biological Year.