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A Deepness In The Sky
''A Deepness in the Sky'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Vernor Vinge. Published in 1999, the novel is a loose prequel (set 30,000 years previous) to his earlier novel '' A Fire Upon the Deep'' (1992). Plot summary An intelligent alien species is discovered to exist on the planet Arachna orbiting an anomalous star, dubbed OnOff. The star is named this because for 215 of every 250 years it is dormant, releasing almost no detectable energy. During this period, Arachna freezes and its fauna go into hibernation. The planet's inhabitants, called "Spiders" by the humans for their resemblance to arachnids, have reached a stage of technological development very similar to that of Earth's humans in the early 20th century, although humans believe that they may once have been capable of space travel. If this is true, then whoever can establish ties with the aliens first could reap unimaginable rewards; humans have made contact with only one other intelligent (but non-tec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vernor Vinge
Vernor Steffen Vinge (; October 2, 1944 – March 20, 2024) was an American science fiction author and professor. He taught mathematics and computer science at San Diego State University. He was the first wide-scale popularizer of the technological singularity concept and among the first authors to present a fictional "cyberspace".. Revised and expanded from "Viewpoint", ''Communications of the ACM'' 32 (6): 664–65, 1989, . He won the Hugo Award for his novels '' A Fire Upon the Deep'' (1992), '' A Deepness in the Sky'' (1999), and '' Rainbows End'' (2006), and novellas '' Fast Times at Fairmont High'' (2001) and '' The Cookie Monster'' (2004). Writing career Vinge published his first short story, "Apartness", in the June 1965 issue of the British magazine '' New Worlds''. His second, " Bookworm, Run!", was in the March 1966 issue of '' Analog Science Fiction'', then edited by John W. Campbell. The story explores the theme of artificially augmented intelligence by conn ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to generate pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes inside the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and radio waves to form images of the organs in the body. MRI does not involve X-rays or the use of ionizing radiation, which distinguishes it from computed tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography (PET) scans. MRI is a medical application of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) which can also be used for imaging in other NMR applications, such as NMR spectroscopy. MRI is widely used in hospitals and clinics for medical diagnosis, staging and follow-up of disease. Compared to CT, MRI provides better contrast in images of soft tissues, e.g. in the brain or abdomen. However, it may be perceived as less comfortable by patients, due to the usually longer and louder measurements with the subject in a long, confining tube, although ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Megasecond
The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of Units (SI) is more precise: The second ..is defined by taking the fixed numerical value of the caesium frequency, Δ''ν''Cs, the unperturbed ground-state hyperfine transition frequency of the caesium 133 atom, to be when expressed in the unit Hz, which is equal to s−1. This current definition was adopted in 1967 when it became feasible to define the second based on fundamental properties of nature with caesium clocks. As the speed of Earth's rotation varies and is slowing ever so slightly, a leap second is added at irregular intervals to civil time to keep clocks in sync with Earth's rotation. The definition that is based on of a rotation of the earth is still used by the Universal Time 1 (UT1) system. Etymology "Minute" comes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kilosecond
An order of magnitude of time is usually a decimal prefix or decimal order-of-magnitude quantity together with a base unit of time, like a microsecond or a million years. In some cases, the order of magnitude may be implied (usually 1), like a "second" or "year". In other cases, the quantity name implies the base unit, like "century". In most cases, the base unit is seconds or years. Prefixes are not usually used with a base unit of years. Therefore, it is said "a million years" instead of "a megayear". Clock time and calendar time have duodecimal or sexagesimal orders of magnitude rather than decimal, e.g., a year is 12 months, and a minute is 60 seconds. The smallest meaningful increment of time is the Planck time―the time light takes to traverse the Planck distance, many decimal orders of magnitude smaller than a second. The largest realized amount of time, based on known scientific data, is the age of the universe, about 13.8 billion years—the time sinc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Superluminal Communication
Faster-than-light communication, also called superluminal communication, is a hypothetical process in which information is conveyed at faster-than-light speeds. The current scientific consensus is that faster-than-light communication is not possible, and to date it has not been achieved in any experiment. Faster-than-light communication other than possibly through wormholes is likely impossible because, in a Lorentz-invariant theory, it could be used to transmit information into the past. This would complicate causality, but no theoretical arguments conclusively preclude this possibility. A number of theories and phenomena related to faster-than-light communication have been proposed or studied, including tachyons, neutrinos, quantum nonlocality, wormholes, and quantum tunneling. Proposed mechanisms Tachyons Tachyonic particles are hypothetical particles that travel faster than light, which could conceivably allow for superluminal communication. Because such a particle wou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Faster-than-light
Faster-than-light (superluminal or supercausal) travel and communication are the conjectural propagation of matter or information faster than the speed of light in vacuum (). The special theory of relativity implies that only particles with zero rest mass (i.e., photons) may travel ''at'' the speed of light, and that nothing may travel faster. Particles whose speed exceeds that of light ( tachyons) have been hypothesized, but their existence would violate causality and would imply time travel. The scientific consensus is that they do not exist. According to all observations and current scientific theories, matter travels at slower-than-light (subluminal) speed with respect to the locally distorted spacetime region. Speculative faster-than-light concepts include the Alcubierre drive, Krasnikov tubes, traversable wormholes, and quantum tunneling. Some of these proposals find loopholes around general relativity, such as by expanding or contracting space to make the object ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pham Nuwen
''A Fire Upon the Deep'' is a 1992 science fiction novel by American writer Vernor Vinge. It is a space opera involving superhuman intelligences, aliens, variable physics, space battles, love, betrayal, genocide, and a communication medium resembling Usenet. ''A Fire Upon the Deep'' won the Hugo Award in 1993, sharing it with '' Doomsday Book'' by Connie Willis. Besides the normal print book editions, the novel was also included on a CD-ROM sold by ClariNet Communications along with the other nominees for the 1993 Hugo awards. The CD-ROM edition included numerous annotations by Vinge on his thoughts and intentions about different parts of the book, and was later released as a standalone e-book. It has a loose prequel, ''A Deepness in the Sky'', from 1999, and a direct sequel, '' The Children of the Sky'', from 2012. Setting The novel is set in various locations in the Milky Way. The galaxy is divided into four concentric volumes called the "Zones of Thought"; it is not clear ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Free Trade
Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold Economic liberalism, economically liberal positions, while economic nationalist political parties generally support protectionism, the opposite of free trade. Most nations are today members of the World Trade Organization multilateral trade agreements. States can unilaterally reduce regulations and duties on imports and exports, as well as form bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements. Free trade areas between groups of countries, such as the European Economic Area and the Mercosur open markets, establish a free trade zone among members while creating a protectionist barrier between that free trade area and the rest of the world. Most governments still impose some protectionist policies that are intended to support local employment, such as applying tariffs to imports or Subsidy, subsidies to exports. Governments may ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Suspended Animation
Suspended animation is the slowing or stopping of biological function so that physiological capabilities are preserved. States of suspended animation are common in micro-organisms and some plant tissue, such as seeds. Many animals, including large ones, may undergo hibernation, and most plants have periods of dormancy. This article focuses primarily on the potential of large animals, especially humans, to undergo suspended animation. In animals, suspended animation may be either hypometabolic or ametabolic in nature. It may be induced by either endogenous, natural or artificial biological, chemical or physical means. In its natural form, it may be spontaneously reversible as in the case of species demonstrating hypometabolic states of hibernation. When applied with therapeutic intent, as in deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA), usually technologically mediated revival is required. Basic principles Suspended animation is understood as the pausing of life processes b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mass Surveillance
Mass surveillance is the intricate surveillance of an entire or a substantial fraction of a population in order to monitor that group of citizens. The surveillance is often carried out by Local government, local and federal governments or intelligence agency, governmental organizations, but it may also be carried out by corporations (either on behalf of governments or at their own initiative). Depending on each nation's laws and Judiciary, judicial systems, the legality of and the permission required to engage in mass surveillance varies. It is the single most indicative distinguishing trait of Totalitarianism, totalitarian regimes. It is often distinguished from targeted surveillance. Mass surveillance has often been cited by agencies like the National Security Agency (NSA) as necessary to fight terrorism, prevent crime and social unrest, protect national security, and control the population. At the same time, mass surveillance has equally often been criticized for violating pri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Information Appliance
An information appliance (IA) is an appliance that is designed to easily perform a specific electronic function such as playing music, photography, or editing text. Typical examples are smartphones and personal digital assistants (PDAs). Information appliances partially overlap in definition with, or are sometimes referred to as, smart devices, embedded systems, mobile devices or wireless devices. Appliance vs computer The term ''information appliance'' was coined by Jef Raskin around 1979. As later explained by Donald Norman in his influential ''The Invisible Computer'', the main characteristics of IA, as opposed to any normal computer, were: * designed and pre-configured for a single application (like a toaster appliance, which is designed only to make toast), * so easy to use for untrained people, that it effectively becomes unnoticeable, "invisible" to them, * able to automatically share information with any other IAs. This definition of IA was different from today's ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hyperfocus
Hyperfocus is an intense form of mind, mental attention, concentration or creative visualization, visualization that focuses consciousness on a subject, topic, or task. In some individuals, various subjects or topics may also include daydreams, concepts, fiction, the imagination, and other object of the mind, objects of the mind. Hyperfocus on a certain subject can cause side-tracking away from Work (human activity), assigned or important tasks. Psychiatrically, it is considered to be a trait of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) together with inattention, and it has been proposed as a trait of other conditions, such as schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). One proposed factor in hyperfocus as a symptom involves the psychological theory of Lateralization of brain function, brain lateralization, wherein one Cerebral hemisphere, hemisphere of the brain specializes in some neural functions and cognitive processes over others. Those who have a tendency to hyp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
