Fast Protosun— [Spoiler alert: "Flatlander"] The glowing, highly radioactive ball of gas, not yet collapsed into a star, which the antimatter planet orbits. Presumably it is composed of antimatter gas; it is glowing although a normal protosun would not. In 2645 it was moving at 80% lightspeed through the very edge of Known Space. ["Flatlander"]

Fertility Board— On overcrowded Earth, by 2126 Fertility Laws were used to strictly limit population. The Fertility Board decided how many children any individual could have. In general, the Board allowed geniuses and other exceptional people to have an unlimited number of children. Those with genetic disorders, including albinos, and those with a potential for schizophrenia, epilepsy, and diabetes, were barred from having any. Most others were allowed two children. The most important function of the ARM was enforcement of the Fertility Laws. In 2648 the Fertility Board prevented Beowulf Shaeffer from fathering children on Earth because he was an albino. ["ARM", "The Ethics of Madness", "Grendel"]

Fertility Laws— see Fertility Board

Finagle— A fictional deity originating in Belter culture, whose name is invoked to express frustration. "Murphy" (of "Murphy's law") is his fictional prophet. Expressions include "Finagle take my luck!" and "Finagle's gonads!" ["The Soft Weapon", "Grendel", "There Is a Tide"]

Finagle's First Law— "The perversity of the universe tends to a maximum." [Protector (p. 105), "Grendel", "The Soft Weapon"]

"Flashlight Laser" by James Clouse copyright © 1994 by Bill Fawcett & Associates

flashlight-laser— This handheld device emits a powerful beam of light, which can be narrowed to a laser to function as a weapon. They were in use in Human Space by 2644. ["A Relic of the Empire", Ringworld]

flatland phobia— The inability of some Humans native to Earth to tolerate living in an alien environment. Such people generally cannot leave Earth. Sharrol Janss had flatland phobia. Carlos Wu also had it, although perhaps to a lesser extent as he was able to use hypnosis to allow him to travel to Jinx in 2651. ["Grendel", "The Borderland of Sol"]

Flatlander— A Human native to Earth. Originally a Belter term; by 2645 also used as an uncomplimentary term for someone who's never been off-planet, in the manner of "landlubber." ["Flatlander", Ringworld]

"Puppeteer Fleet of Worlds" by Schuyler Horn

Fleet of Worlds— [Spoiler alert: "A Relic of the Empire", "At the Core", "The Color of Sunfire", Ringworld] The Puppeteers' home worlds, five planets arranged in a Klemperer rosette [1], orbiting in a ring around a common (but empty) orbital center. When the Puppeteers found out about the Core explosion, they started the Puppeteer migration, leaving their sun behind and moving their planets at relativistic speed towards galactic north, out of the plane of the galaxy. It was said their ultimate goal was the Clouds of Magellan, small satellite galaxies of our Milky Way galaxy. [Ringworld]

flower-thing— see Gummidgy flower-thing

Flyer— A male Kzin, in 2657 the pilot of the Traitor's Claw. ["The Soft Weapon"]

Detail of flycycle, by Stephen Martiniere Copyright © 2004, Tor Books

flycycle— (also called skycycle) A motorcycle- like vehicle which circa 2646 used an oversized lift belt motor to fly, and a force-field generator to stop the wind. ["The Handicapped"]

food yeast— During the Slaver Empire, uninhabitable worlds were seeded with yeast which was harvested to feed the Thrintun's slaves. This yeast became the origin of life on many worlds. It appears likely that the biochemistries of Kzinti and Humans are so alike [2] because both evolved from this food yeast. The relationship between Human and Pak suggests this also applies to the Pak homeworld. [World of Ptavvs]

force field— see crash field, flycycle, police web, pressure curtain, sonic fold

Fortunados— Cigarettes which Beowulf Shaeffer smoked in 2641. ["Neutron Star"]

"FTL-SPACE"— The name of a touch-sculpture by the Kdatlyno artist Hrodenu, which in 2645 was on display in the Art Section of the Institute of Knowledge on Jinx. ["At the Core"]

one of Earth's crumbling freeways

freeways— On Earth in 2645 these long unused roadways for groundcars were broken and collapsed, but still the first man-made object a space traveler could see when descending to Los Angeles spaceport. Two freeways were maintained by antique groundcar enthusiasts: the Santa Monica Freeway and the Pennsylvania Turnpike. ["Flatlander"]

Frumious Bandersnatch— The scientific name of the Bandersnatchi species. ["The Soft Weapon"]

Fuller, Dr.— Human male Crashlander working at the Laboratory for Xenobiological Research on Down circa 2646. Garvey discussed Grog biology and behavior with him. ["The Handicapped"]

fusion drive— A powerful rocket using fusion to heat the fuel to extreme temperatures, used on spaceships both as a space drive and a weapon. Because of the extreme heat and harmful radiation emitted, it is too dangerous (to the surroundings) for use in lifting off from an inhabited world. It was a capital offense on Earth to steal a fusion motor in 2371, or to use one in Earth's atmosphere in 2645. ["Neutron Star", "The Ethics of Madness", "A Relic of the Empire", "Flatlander"]

fusion motor— see fusion drive

Footnotes

[2] For example, Kzinti can eat Humans without allergic reaction, and gain nourishment from the meat. "And Kzinti were much closer to human than were any other species; so close that at one time they must have had common microbe ancestors" ("The Soft Weapon", Neutron Star p. 84).