Augmented meter: A PIFFEN meter that contains an intelligent agent for dissemination of Ray LeGhir's document chronicling the transition.

Backlooking:  The act of utilizing information from the past. Such activity is considered to be irrelevant and unnecessary in an efficient economy.

Bioeconomic device: A tool invented by Ray LeGhir to measure consumers' willingness to pay for any given product; may also be used as a perfect lie detector.

Bitdoo:  Inefficient or inaccurate information. Used colloquially to mean "bullshit."

Bitwaste:  See bitdoo.

Bonding: Direct exchanging of internal data between two individuals who merge their private netgorks. Accomplished by joining the radio transceivers mounted in their skulls.

Cement poles with rotating triangles:  Transmission towers used to speed the flow of data; they also serve as landscaping for expansive outdoor public areas.

Channel:  A dedicated frequency on the Public Netgorks covering a particular topic or serving a specific group of individuals.

Channel boss:  The individual, employed by the Public Netgorks, who oversees content for a particular channel.

Doobyte:  An individual with a low efficiency ratio.

Efficiency ratio: A measure of an individual's economic performance, as determined by his/her PIFFEN meter implants.

ExpressTube: A global network through which physical product is transported to end users. Product is retrieved at ExpressTube outlets, which are located in all residences and businesses as well as various public facilities.

Flex-o-padding:  A spongy, synthetic ground covering used to landscape public areas and inhibit the germination of seedlings.

Headware:  A fashion accessory worn on the head that boosts data processing speeds and enhances retrieval capabilities.

Ingestion booth: A public facility linked to the ExpressTube system where comestibles can be purchased in exchange for value.

Instability Theorem: The postulate that an idealized economy could stray from an efficient outcome if people are triggered to think differently about the future (or past). The theorem implies that certain pieces of data could exist that people are better off not knowing—thus the efficiency of missing information.

Internal laws:  1) Do not eat earth-grown food products; 2) Do not touch plants or animals; 3) Avoid sexual arousal of any kind.

Knotulinum: A toxin developed by Martha Buliment that is ten times more deadly than botulinum; named in honor of Knotty Burgstaller.

Mega-shuttle:  An airborne vehicle capable of transporting up to 1000 humans at supersonic speed.

Netgork: The group of individuals who subscribe to a particular channel on the Neural Web; can consist of just one individual, in which case it is a private netgork.

Neural Web:  The medium which links each human's PIFFEN meter to form a global communications network; powered by radio transceivers embedded in the fontanels of each human's skull.

Pepwad:  A pulverized flour consisting of three parts wheat, two parts adzuki bean, and one part paprika.

PIFFEN meter: A miniaturized bioeconomic device implanted in each human's hypothalamus.

Pirater:  One who taps into another's private netgork.

Private data: Any information that doesn't effect economic efficiency.

Proddings: Voices that haunt Ralph Peterson. You'll have to read the book to find out their source.

Public Netgorks: The collection of all channels broadcast on the Neural Web, excluding private netgorks.

Retrofitter:  An individual with a damaged PIFFEN meter who consequently makes inefficient transactions in the economy.

Signal: A packet of data transmitted via transceiver into the Neural Web.

Transceiver:  A device implanted in the fontanels of each human's skull that transmits radio signals to the Neural Web.

Transition: The period of time in history between October 31, 2008 and November 14, 2008.

Treeless zone of habitation:  An area kept free of plants and animals to protect public safety; maintained by the Web Protection Agency.

Unprotected zone:  An area outside the protective capacity of the WPA; may contain live plants and/or animals.

Value: The accumulation of worth, as determined by rise or decline in one's efficiency ratios.

Wastebyte: See Doobyte.

Web Protection Agency (WPA):  The public utility commission responsible for overseeing and maintaining the Neural Web.

Webless:  Outside of the Neural Web; refers particularly to data.