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Detail of Louis Wu in impact armor art by Larry Blamire copyright © 1979 by Galileo Magazine impact armor— A fabric which normally is flexible, like cloth, but under a blow becomes rigid all over. It provides protection against injury from such things as bullets, blows, and falls. Impact armor does not appear to be in common use in Human space. In 2657 a Puppeteer spacesuit incorporated impact armor. ["The Soft Weapon"] inductor— A Kzinti weapon which heats metal in the target by induction. Its effect is slow. Circa 2366, the Tracker carried this weapon. ["The Warriors"] Institute of Knowledge— A prominent organization of Human space, located on Jinx. Amongst its diverse accomplishments were the discovery of BVS-1 in 2639, followed by a contract with General Products to survey this neutron star; a display of Kdatlyno art in its Art Section; and study of Slaver Empire artifacts. A Puppeteer executive consulted the Institute in 2645 when Beowulf Shaeffer wanted to know the location of the spaces between the galaxy's spiral arms. [Spoiler alert: "The Soft Weapon"] The Tnuctip stasis box, purchased from the Outsiders in 2657, was being taken to the Institute when it was stolen by Kzinti. ["Neutron Star", "At the Core", "The Soft Weapon"]

Interworld— By 2657, the language commonly used by Humans to communicate with other species in Known Space. By 2850 it had replaced English as the common language of Human Space, and had replaced all regional languages on Earth. Nessus, a Puppeteer, complained Interworld was difficult for a non-human to learn and pronounce. See also languages, Wunderlander. ["The Soft Weapon", "Fly-By-Night", Ringworld] Interworld Playoffs— Circa 2646 these were broadcast on tridee. ["The Handicapped"] Isolationist Party of Wunderland— Apparently a radical group on Wunderland advocating political isolation from Human space, perhaps opposed to the influence of the UN on their world. Sigmund Ausfaller thought them a potential customer, in 2641, for a stolen, heavily armed starship. ["Neutron Star"] Editorial Note: Supplemental

Sharrol Janss (with green body paint) Copyright © 1997 by The Icon Factory Janss, Sharrol— Human female Flatlander, in 2645 a computer programmer for Donovan's Brains. It was said she had a tendency towards hero worship. She met and fell in love with Beowulf Shaeffer (Bey) in 2645. They wanted a family, but Sharrol had flatland phobia so could not leave Earth, and Bey was not allowed to have children there. So they arranged for Carlos Wu to father two children by her. See also pickpocket. ["Flatlander", "Grendel"] jet backpac— Worn by a Kzin warrior in 2657, used for fast movement on a low-gravity world. See also space propulsion. ["The Soft Weapon"] Jilson— Human male Downer, circa 2646 a local guide for Garvey's trips to the desert to observe Grogs. ["The Handicapped"] Detail of Jinx orbiting Binary art by John Schoenherr copyright © 1974 by Condé Nast Publications Jinx— A Human colony world in the Sirius star system. Colonized prior to 2100, by 2106 the first colony settlement, Sirius Mater, had a population of nearly 200. Having nearly six times the mass of Earth, Jinx is a heavy gravity world of 1.78 gees. It is a moon of the gas giant Binary, third planet of Sirius A. Jinx is tidally locked to Binary, giving it a slow rotation and a "day" more than four Earth days long. One face, the East End, always points towards Binary. (For someone on Jinx, with Binary filling the sky, the planet does not appear to rotate on its axis. Therefore Jinxians do not orient themselves to a "north pole" or "south pole", but rather to inward-pointing "East End" and outward-pointing "West End".) The shape of Jinx is unique; it was stretched into an egg-shape by Binary's tidal forces, and after its core cooled it retained that shape as tidal forces pushed it away from Binary over billions of years. As a result it resembles an Easter egg, with colored bands of ocean and atmosphere. The Ends are 600 miles higher in altitude than the central sea level, which puts them well out of the atmosphere, and the Jinxians have placed vacuum industries there. Bandersnatchi survive on Jinx, apparently having been there since Slaver Empire times. Jinx is home to the famed Institute of Knowledge, and is one of three or four Human colonies mistakenly settled following erroneous ramrobot signals; see slowboat. [World of Ptavvs, "The Ethics of Madness", "At the Core", "Flatlander", "Grendel"] See also: "The Origin of Jinx" in the Articles section.

Jinxian— A Human native to Jinx. The heavy gravity makes them short and wide, massively built and very strong, the strongest bipeds in Known Space. It also gives them heart trouble and a short lifespan. Jinxians have a reputation as punsters, and an undeserved stereotype of their superhuman strength being matched by low intelligence. They use sonic stunners for dueling. The loser suffers only loss of "face"; it is said a Jinxian would rather lose an arm. ["A Relic of the Empire", "The Ethics of Madness", "Flatlander", "Borderland of Sol"] "joker"— Human male Flatlander, in 2645 an antique groundcar enthusiast at the Santa Monica Freeway. Body paints gave this thin "joker" glossy green hair, a bony white face, and a wide scarlet grin. ["Flatlander"] Editorial Note: Literary Jumpin' Jeepers— Live food for sessile Grogs aboard the Argos in 2647. ["Grendel"] Jurgenson, Paul— The technician who in 2366 serviced Douglas Hooker's desk doc. ["The Ethics of Madness"]

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