Taittinger Comtes de Champagne '59— Beowulf Shaeffer enjoyed this drink on Earth in 2645. ["Flatlander"]

tannin-secretion pills— In 2645 Crashlanders including Beowulf Shaeffer took these pills to darken their skin, to prevent sunburn when offworld. ["Flatlander"]

tape— The standard form of data storage in Human Space. Circa 2355 "teacher tapes" were used for instruction. In 2367 letters were mailed on credit-card-sized tapes. In 2645 a verbal contract was legally binding when recorded on tape, and Beowulf Shaeffer took entertainment tapes on his journey in the Long Shot. In 2644 books were sold as disposable tapes. In 2647 tridee programs were stored on tape. ["The Ethics of Madness", "The Warriors", "A Relic of the Empire", "At the Core", "Grendel"]

Tau Ceti— A G0 yellow dwarf star with four planets, one of which is the Human colony world Plateau. It is 11.9 light years from Sol system. ["The Ethics of Madness"]

Telepath— The following individual Kzin telepaths, named "Telepath" after their profession, are documented:

(a) The Telepath of Tracker ["The Warriors"]

(b) Telepath of the Traitor's Claw ["The Soft Weapon"]

Margo Tellefsen Copyright © 1997 by The Icon Factory

Tellefsen, Margo— Human female Flatlander, in 2647 captain of the Argos. She was lovely, green-eyed, and had expensive tastes. [Spoiler alert: "Grendel"] She was an accomplice in the kidnapping of the Kdatlyno artist Lloobee, and was Larchmont Bellamy's mother. After the kidnapping was resolved, she and Beowulf Shaeffer apparently became lovers and traveled together for two years, 2647-49. ["Grendel"]

Thrint— A member of the Thrintun species.

"Thrint" by Bonnie Dalzell Copyright © 1975

Thrintun— (singular Thrint; also called Slavers) A species whose mind-control Power over all sentient beings (except Bandersnatchi) enabled them to rule the galaxy 1.5 billion years ago. They had ball-shaped heads, big single eyes, massive Mickey Mouse hands, great splayed feet, lightly armored skin, and clusters of naked-pink tendrils at the corners of wide mouths. See also Slaver Empire. ["A Relic of the Empire", "The Handicapped", "The Soft Weapon", "There Is a Tide"]

thruster drive— A highly advanced space drive which defies Newton's third law of motion; its acceleration is reactionless. There appear to be two types, detailed below. ["Flatlander", "There Is a Tide", Ringworld]

(a) The more common type is used by various species in Known Space as a spacecraft drive. This thruster drive is not inertialess: the acceleration is felt by those in the ship. Therefore, a ship's artificial gravity field must compensate for the thrust, to avoid crushing passengers and cargo [1]. This thruster technology was offered for sale by the Outsiders for a trillion stars. As late as 2645 Humans had not purchased this technology, although the Puppeteers had been using it for many millennia. By 2830, this type of thruster drive was commonly used on Human-built spacecraft, although with a much weaker thrust (commonly about 20 gees) than on Puppeteer ships (nearly 200 gees); see space propulsion.

(b) The less commonly encountered type is also a proprietary Outsider technology; it is inertialess in addition to being reactionless. In 2645, Outsider ship #14 used such a thruster drive to accelerate the Slower Than Infinity to near-lightspeed in a matter of minutes, apparently with an acceleration on the order of 2500 gees. [Spoiler alert: "The Color of Sunfire", Ringworld] The Puppeteers used thrusters of this type, purchased at great cost from the Outsiders, to move their worlds; see Fleet of Worlds.

Cecil the Sea Serpent on Time for Beany

Time for Beany— A children's television show originally broadcast in 1949-1955, featuring the puppet "Cecil the Sea-sick Sea Serpent". A campish revival was seen by Pierson, the Human who circa 2500 was the first to see an alien whose heads and necks resembled Cecil. This caused the alien race to be dubbed "Pierson's Puppeteer", or just Puppeteer. ["The Soft Weapon"]

Tnuctip— A member of the Tnuctipun species.

Tnuctip cap— A colored cap found inside the Tnuctip stasis box in 2657. It was suggested this might be a defense against the Thrintun mind-control Power. ["The Soft Weapon"]

Tnuctip communicator— A small metal widget found in 2657, inside the Tnuctip stasis box, which operated in hyperspace, and was apparently a "subminiature" hyperphone.

copyright © 1973 by Paramount Pictures

Tnuctip spy weapon— [Spoiler alert: "The Soft Weapon"] Found in the Tnuctip stasis box in 2657, this strange and powerful weapon was able to change shape between multiple forms, and was powered by total-conversion of matter to energy. Apparently it was used by a Tnuctip (see Tnuctipun) spy in the Tnuctipun-Slaver war. It had a bronzy metal sculpted handle attached, which fit the Tnuctip six-fingered hand. A groove ran down one side of the handle, with a guide and nine notched settings. The weapon also had two "hidden" settings. Each setting had a different function, as detailed below. ["The Soft Weapon"]

(0) The "neutral" setting; a small mirrored sphere with no apparent function.

(1) A long slender cylinder with a red knob near the end and a toggle near the handle; a variable-sword.

(2) A parabolic mirror with a silvery knob at the center, and a control dial; possibly a sonic stunner which only affected Thrintun.

(3) A pistol, firing both solid and explosive bullets.

(4) A smaller, rosy-hued sphere; function unknown

(5) A short cylinder with an aperture in the nose and two wide, flat metallic projections at the sides, which fired a stream of plasma; a one-Tnuctip rocket "scooter".

(6) A laser with a telescopic sight and a microphone; both a weapon and a message laser

(7) A flat-ended cylinder with a wire grid near the back; a sentient computer

(8) A shape like a topology diagram of a sphere turned inside out; an energy absorption field

(9) A hidden setting— a cone with a rounded base; a total-conversion beam

(10) A second hidden setting— a double cone with rounded bases and points that barely touched; the self-destruct setting, triggering a total-conversion explosion.

Tnuctip stasis box— [Spoiler alert: "The Soft Weapon"] A bronzy metal cylindrical container wrapped in a stasis field, thought to be a Slaver stasis box of unusual shape until it was opened. Nessus negotiated its purchase in 2657 from Outsiders in return for a promise of payment for 14 million stars, and intended to take it to the Institute of Knowledge on Jinx for study, but it was stolen and opened by the outlaw Kzinti of the Traitor's Claw. It contained several objects, detailed below. ["The Soft Weapon"]

(a) The Tnuctip spy weapon

(b) A cube of raw meat, found to be poisoned, in something like plastic sandwich wrap.

(c) A Thrint (see Thrintun) hand, covered in a hard clear coating; apparently a war trophy. One finger wore a chronometer.

(d) Small containers of bullets for the Tnuctip spy weapon

(e) The Tnuctip cap

(f) A transparent bulb of clear fluid, 40% hydrogen peroxide and 60% water

(g) The Tnuctip communicator

Artist concept of a Tnuctip by Todd Hamilton Copyright © 1994 by Bill Fawcett & Associates

Tnuctipun— (singular Tnuctip) An ancient species of master technologists possessing high intelligence and great cunning. They were already practicing biological engineering when they were found and enslaved by the Thrintun. They knew the secret of total conversion of matter to energy. Much of the Slaver Empire's technology was invented by the Tnuctipun, who eventually revolted against their masters in the Tnuctipun-Slaver war. They were small, compactly built bipeds. Each of their hands had six fingers and two long opposed thumbs. The Tnuctipun's biological creations include air plants, Bandersnatchi, food yeast, stage trees, and sunflowers. See also Slaver stasis box, Tnuctip stasis box. ["The Handicapped", "The Soft Weapon", "There Is a Tide"]

Tnuctipun-Slaver war— About 1.5 billion years ago, the Thrintun (also called Slavers) ruled the Slaver Empire. The brilliant and cunning Tnuctipun, their most intelligent and inventive slave species, eventually revolted. Most of what the Tnuctipun had invented for their masters turned out to be traps. Most notably, the Bandersnatchi were created intelligent and immune to the Thrintun Power, as spies. It is believed the war which followed eventually culminated in the Thrintun's use of an unimaginably powerful psionic amplifier to order everyone, everywhere to commit suicide, resulting in the death of nearly all other sentient beings in the galaxy. Then, with no slaves, the Thrintun also died. [2] ["A Relic of the Empire", "The Handicapped", "There Is a Tide"]

Tom— Human male flatlander, in 2353 Marcia Loeffler's husband. ["The Ethics of Madness"]

total-conversion— [Spoiler alert: "The Soft Weapon"] The Tnuctip spy weapon was powered by the ultimate form of atomic power, total conversion of matter to energy. The tiny power plant in the handle of the weapon was much more advanced and more effective at producing power than the larger fusion reactors used by Humans and other interstellar species of Known Space. See also total-conversion beam ["The Soft Weapon"]

total-conversion beam— [Spoiler alert: "The Soft Weapon"] A blue beam which triggered a total-conversion reaction (an ultra-powerful nuclear explosion) in whatever it struck. This was one of the functions of the Tnuctip spy weapon. If the Kzinti Empire had been able to duplicate the total-conversion beam, it likely would have given them the power to conquer all Known Space. ["The Soft Weapon"]

touch-sculpture— An art form created by the Kdatlyno, who "see" by sonar. Other species need to touch this art form, rather than look at it, to appreciate it properly. ["At the Core", "Grendel"]

Tracker— The Kzinti starship which circa 2366 made first contact with Humans by attacking the Angel's Pencil. A typical Kzinti warship, it was a huge red sphere covered with ugly projections— ridges and bumps— scattered at seeming random over its surface. It was decorated with a circle of green dots-and-commas, the Kzinti alphabet. It used a gravity polarizer for propulsion. Its weapons included an inductor, missiles, fusion bombs, lasers and anti-missiles. [Spoiler alert: "The Warriors"] Tracker was destroyed by a laser from the photon drive of Angel's Pencil. ["The Warriors", "Telepath's Dance"]

Traitor's Claw— A four-Kzin (see Kzinti) scout starship, in 2657 under command of Chuft-Captain, carrying Flyer, Slaverstudent and Telepath. It was a large squat cone, carrying both the gravity polarizer and fusion drive. The ship's name was a reference to its official status as an outlaw vessel. If they were caught, the Kzinti Patriarchy would pretend the ship had not been given permission to raid in Human space, in violation of the Covenants of Sasht. [Spoiler alert: "The Soft Weapon"] The Traitor's Claw was involved in the incident of the Tnuctip spy weapon in 2657, and was destroyed when that weapon exploded. See "The Soft Weapon" (story summary). ["The Soft Weapon"]

transfer booth— A transportation device which moves its occupant at the speed of light from one booth to another by means of matter transmission. For transfer, the booth's contents are converted to a massive quantum particle described as a "super-neutrino". They are used only for transportation on the surface of a planet. The typical transfer booth is the size of a telephone booth. Presumably, larger and less safe cargo transfer units are also used. Each booth has a unique identifying number, and to select a location the traveler enters this as if dialing a telephone number. Transfer booths were used on Earth beginning circa 2500 [3]. By 2850 the ease of travel via Earth's ubiquitous transfer booth network had greatly contributed to the homogenization of Earth cultures. The transfer booth was developed by Gregory Pelton's great-to-the-eighth grandmother, using licensed Puppeteer technology. See also stepping disc. ["Neutron Star", "At the Core", Fleet of Worlds, "Flatlander", "Grendel", Ringworld]

Editorial Note: Continuity

transfer motor— An application of transfer booth technology. In 2645, Gregory Pelton served drinks in a glass which would never empty, using a hidden, tiny transfer motor. ["Flatlander"]

translator— The autopilot-computer on Louis Wu's starship in 2830 was able to translate the unknown, alien Trinoc language. ["There Is a Tide"]

tridee— A form of entertainment which replaced television. In 2647, sparsely-settled Gummidgy had only one tridee channel. ["The Handicapped", "Grendel"]

Trinoc "coin"— An object used for a coin-toss gamble by a Trinoc in 2830. It was a sharp-edged metal lens with images stamped on each side. ["There Is a Tide"]

Trinoc pistol— This hand weapon used by a Trinoc emitted no visible beam, but in 2830 blew a hole in its target with a crack! and a lightning-colored flash. ["There Is a Tide"]

Trinoc spacesuit— In 2830, a roughly Trinoc-shaped balloon, with constrictions at the alien's joints, and air jets at wrist and ankle. ["There Is a Tide"]

Trinoc starship— Encountered by Louis Wu in 2830, the Trinoc vessel was small and conical. Its hull was green with darker green markings. ["There Is a Tide"]

"Trinoc" by Todd Hamilton copyright © 1994 by Bill Fawcett & Associates

Trinocs— An interstellar, paranoid species of Known Space. They were not encountered by Humans until 2830; their sphere borders the Kzinti Empire. ["There Is a Tide"]

Physiology: Trinocs are five feet tall, with more than three feet of skinny leg, a beer barrel torso, and a head that seems all triangles. Their "neckless" neck is hidden under rolls of chrome yellow skin. They can snap their head around instantly to look directly backwards with their three deep-socketed eyes. Their mouth is triangular, with the edges of yellow, serrated bone knives showing behind three gristle lips. They have a complex elbow and a three-clawed hand. The atmosphere of Earth-like worlds is poisonous to them. An unconfirmed source states they breathe a "primordial reducing atmosphere" mainly composed of methane and ammonia [4].

Behavior/Psychology: Other races regard Trinocs as paranoid. The Trinoc encountered by Louis Wu in 2830 regarded Humans as "insufficiently suspicious". This individual said it gambled for survival, but only when necessary, and never for pleasure. It regarded trying to avoid chance as insanity.

See also Trinoc coin, Trinoc pistol, Trinoc spacesuit, Trinoc starship

typewriter— Garvey used an electric typewriter, a museum piece circa 2646, to allow a Grog to communicate with him without use of telepathy. ["The Handicapped"]

Tzlotz Beer— A soft drink on Earth in 2645. ["Flatlander"]

Footnotes

[2] Garvey states this as fact ("The Handicapped", Neutron Star p. 222), but a Trinoc says it more tentatively ("There Is a Tide", Tales of Known Space p. 212).

[3] "In three-and-a-half centuries the transfer booths had done this to the infinite variety of Earth" (Ringworld ch. 1, p. 2). That scene takes place in 2850, and 350 years earlier would be 2500.

[4] Ringworld Roleplaying Game— Creatures Book p. 11