User:Davidgoodheart/Sandbox-interm-7

Kelly Wilson
Born	United States
Nationality	American
Occupation(s)	author, comedian
Known for	publishing notable books
Children	2

Kelly Wilson is female American comedian and author.

Biography

Wilson is the author of books named Live Cheap & Free, Don’t Punch People in the Junk, and The Art of Seduction: Nine Easy Ways to Get Sex From Your Mate, and has also written and published many articles and short stories for both children and adults. Wilson's books have been a success as her most recent publication, Caskets From Costco, was a finalist in several different book awards which are the 18th annual Foreword Reviews’ INDIEFAB Book of the Year Awards, at the 10th annual National Indie Excellence Book Awards, the 2016 Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Contest.

Early life

As a child, Wilson grew up in an abusive home. Both of her parents were alcoholics and when she was 17 her dad left her family, and her family then moved to Oregon. Wilson soon got a scholarship and started to attend College in Portland. Wilson later spent ten years as an elementary school teacher, while nurturing her lifelong love of writing.

Current and personal life

Wilson is married, and a mother of two, and lives in Portland with her children and husband. Wilson likes hiking, camping and her newest interest is kayaking which she is studying, and is a Christian.

References

[[Category:20th-century American writers] [[Category:21st-century American comedians] [[Category:American actresses] [[Category:American Christians] [[Category:American comedians] [[Category:Educators from Oregon] [[Category:Living people] [[Category:Writers from Portland, Oregon]

Linne Dominelli
Born	Linne Marie Dominelli (1950-09-04)September 4, 1950 Long Beach, California, U.S.
Disappeared	January 22, 1984 (aged 34)
Status	Missing for 40 years, 10 months and 18 days
Nationality	American
Height	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)

Linne Marie Dominelli (born Sept 4, 1950) is an American woman who was reported missing on January 22, 1984. Some agencies spell her name as "Lynne".

Disappearance

The last time that anyone remembered seeing Dominelli was in Long Beach, Los Angeles, California where she was observed driving. Dominelli had borrowed her ex boyfriend's van, a light blue 1975 Dodge Tradesman, so that she could travel to the Monterey Bay area. The van was later found parked in a secluded area of Paso Robles, more than one hundred miles from Dominelli's destination and over two hundred miles from where she was last seen. It was discovered unlocked with a single key inserted into the ignition. The inside of the van was ransacked and the vehicle's license plates were missing.

Investigation and aftermath

Even though the local sheriff's department conducted a complete investigation, no clues have ever been found regarding the fate of Linne Dominelli, and the circumstances surrounding her disappearance are considered suspicious.

See also

• List of people who disappeared mysteriously

References

[[Category:1980s missing person cases] [[Category:1984 in California] [[Category:Crimes in California] [[Category:Missing person cases in the United States] \ {Infobox officeholder | name =Charles Bunstein Stover | image =Charles Bunstein Stover 1913.png | image_size = | caption = | birth_name = | birth_date = (1861-07-14)July 14, 1861 | birth_place =Riegelsville, Pennsylvania | death_date = April 25, 1929(1929-04-25) (aged 67) | death_place =University Settlement House
New York City | death_cause = | resting_place = | resting_place_coordinates = | residence = | nationality = | other_names = | known_for = | education =Lafayette College | employer = | office =Parks Commissioner for New York City | title = | salary = | networth = | height = | weight = | term = | predecessor = | successor = | party = | boards = | religion = | spouse = | partner = | children = | parents = | relatives = | signature = | website = | footnotes = }}

Charles Bunstein Stover (July 14, 1861 – April 25, 1929) was a social activist and the Parks Commissioner for New York City from 1910 to 1913.

Biography

Stover was born in Riegelsville, Pennsylvania, on July 14, 1861. He attended Lafayette College and graduated in 1881. He studied to become a Presbyterian minister at the Union Theological Seminary and graduated in 1884. He also took classes at the University of Berlin, before moving to Manhattan's Lower East Side.

In 1886, Stover founded the Neighborhood Guild on Forsyth Street, the first settlement house in the United States. In 1898, he and Lillian Wald, director of the nearby Henry Street Settlement, founded the Outdoor Recreation League (ORL), whose mission was to provide play spaces and organize games for the children of the densely populated Lower East Side. The ORL opened nine privately sponsored playgrounds and advocated that the City itself build and operate playgrounds. In 1902 the City assumed the operation of the ORL playgrounds, and in 1903 opened what is presumed to be the first municipally built playground in the nation, Seward Park in Manhattan’s Lower East Side; the ORL had opened an outdoor gymnasium there in May 1899, on city-owned land.

In January 1910, Stover was named parks commissioner for Manhattan by New York City's newly-elected mayor, William Jay Gaynor. Stover's tenure was controversial; in July 1911 The New York Times reported that he was being asked to hand in his resignation. He did not resign and was not fired; in August 1911 he announced major plans were underway for Central Park and Riverside Drive Park. In April 1913 Stover said "I do not believe in the policy that the parks are merely places people to walk through and look at the trees and gaze at the landscape from a distance, nor do I believe that any one should be permitted to destroy anything, but I take the position that certain parks of the asphalt and the lawns should be open most liberally to the young people for amusement, proper athletics, and recreation, under proper circumstances."

Disappearance and reappearance

In October 1913, Stover told his staff and coworkers that he was going out for lunch then he disappeared. In mid-November he was erroneously thought to have died in Delaware when a body resembling him was found. A week later, he was seen in Washington, D.C., by a former city official. In late November, a nationwide search began, which included sending a short film clip to 10,000 moving-picture places across the United States. Shortly thereafter, Stover mailed his letter of resignation from Cincinnati, and Ardolph Loges Kline, the Mayor of New York City, replaced Stover with Louis F. La Roche, Stover's deputy. On January 28, 1914, Stover returned to the University Settlement House.

Later life and death

Stover spent the rest of his life developing a summer camp at Beacon, New York, operated by the University Settlement House. He died at the University Settlement House on April 24, 1929, at the age of 67, leaving an estate valued at only $500.

Legacy

The granite Stover Memorial Bench overlooking Central Park's Shakespeare Garden, to commemorate Stover, was approved in 1935 by Robert Moses and installed in 1936. It is a whispering gallery. Under Stover's name is inscribed Founder of Outdoor Playgrounds.

See also

• List of people who disappeared

References

Sandra Cantu
Born	Sandra Renee Cantu (2001-03-08)8 March 2001 Tracy, California, U.S.
Died	27 March 2009(2009-03-27) (aged 8) Tracy, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Homicidal asphyxiation
Body discovered	San Joaquin County, California, U.S.
Resting place	Tracy, California, U.S.
Nationality	American
Known for	Murder victim

Sandra Renee Cantu (March 8, 2001 – March 27, 2009) was an eight-year-old American girl who attracted national attention after she went missing on March 27, 2009. Her body was discovered ten days later inside a suitcase in a nearby irrigation pond. On April 10, 2009, police arrested Cantu's neighbor, 28-year-old Melissa Huckaby, and charged her with the kidnapping, rape, and murder of Cantu. She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.

Kidnapping and death

Eight-year-old Sandra Cantu lived in Tracy, California, at Orchard Estates Mobile Home Park with her mother, grandparents and three older siblings. On March 27, 2009, she played at a friend's house after school until approximately 4:00 p.m., when she returned home. She left the mobile home saying that she was going to play at another friend's house. When she did not return for dinner, the family called the police at 7:53 p.m.

Police located footage from a surveillance camera near the family home. The footage, which showed Sandra crossing the street in front of her home before moving out of frame, played on national news stations. A search of the mobile home complex was conducted without results and the FBI was called in to assist on the case. Over the course of the weekend, dogs, equestrian teams, ATVs and a helicopter from the California Highway Patrol were brought in to search for Sandra. A $22,000 reward was offered for information in the case, according to police.

One early suspect was a local man who was witnessed kissing Cantu on the mouth two years earlier at a local swimming pool, when she was six. He was interviewed and cleared of any involvement.

Cantu's body was found 10 days later when an irrigation pond underwent a routine draining and a suitcase containing the body emerged. Cantu's autopsy revealed that she had been beaten and sexually assaulted with a foreign object before being smothered. Her toxicology results showed the presence of the benzodiazepine Alprazolam, also known as Xanax.

Melissa Huckaby

Upon remains having been found, police became suspicious of a number of odd coincidences regarding a neighbor of the family. Melissa Huckaby, a 28-year-old Sunday school teacher, lived in the same mobile home park as Cantu. Huckaby was born in Orange County, California. She is the granddaughter of Clifford Lawless, former pastor of Clover Road Baptist Church in Tracy, California. Huckaby studied criminology at a community college before she and her daughter moved in with her grandparents at the Orchard Estates Mobile Home Park. She told police that Cantu often played with her own daughter.

On the day Cantu disappeared, Huckaby sent a text to Cantu's mother that said: "Tell the police that I had something stolen today around 4 p.m. I don't know if that makes a difference or not."

The next day, a vigil was held for Sandra. Melissa approached police and FBI agents to report that she had found a note on the ground. They reported she was "very agitated, crying, hyperventilating." The note stated: "Cantu locked in stolin (sic) suitcase. Thrown in water on (sic) Bacchetti Road and Whitehall Road. Witness."

Prior to the discovery of the body, Huckaby wasn't a prime suspect because of her sex, according to lead investigator, Tracy police Detective Timothy Bauer. "She wasn't really a top priority," Bauer said. They were "focusing on all these guys in the trailer park." The profile that FBI experts assigned to the case was a white male, aged 25 to 40, with a criminal history of sexual assault or child pornography. Huckaby was interviewed on multiple occasions, but her behavior was assumed to be attention-seeking, rather than evidence of involvement. After the body was found in the suitcase she had reported stolen, they began taking a closer look at Huckaby's behavior. They took notice of "the unusual fact that a woman who reported losing a suitcase should be the one woman out of everyone in this complex who should happen to find a note that reports that the stolen suitcase was used to hide the child's body," FBI Special Agent Michael Conrad told the grand jury.

The police got a further lead when a retired U.S. Marine and his wife notified police that they spotted Melissa Huckaby and her SUV at the irrigation pond on their property at Bacchetti Road and Whitehall Road between 5:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. on the day Sandra disappeared. They reportedly recognized her on television. He described her as "distracted and hurried," and she told him "I just had to pee real quick," when he saw her.

Police reviewed surveillance footage further, which revealed that Cantu is seen walking towards Huckaby's residence at 3:54 p.m. Huckaby's SUV is seen driving away from her residence eight minutes later. At approximately the same time, she calls the trailer park manager to report that a suitcase, made by the manufacturer Eddie Bauer, was stolen from her trailer. 85 minutes later, surveillance video from the church parking lot where Huckaby taught Sunday school shows her driving away from the church. 30 minutes later, she is seen returning to the church. It is during this 30-minute time frame that she was spotted at the irrigation pond.

FBI agents searched the church and collected a rolling pin from the kitchen. It is assumed to be the object used in the sexual assault. The rolling pin reportedly had a "bloody smudge" on it as well as a bent handle, authorities said. The rolling pin came back positive for Sandra's DNA.

Guilty plea

On April 10, 2009, Huckaby was arrested and charged with the murder. She pleaded guilty to first degree murder and kidnapping to avoid the death penalty and was sentenced to life without parole.

Huckaby, at her sentencing said, "I still cannot understand why I did what I did. This is a question I will struggle with for the rest of my life." Huckaby had a history of mental health problems, including borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. The prosecutor in the case speculated that she committed this crime for attention. "There were 20 or so times that Melissa cut herself, set fires or verbally or psychologically attacked someone else, such as a roommate," said Deputy District Attorney Thomas Tesla. "And there was something like that going on here [after the murder], where she wanted to be the center of attention."

Ten weeks prior to Cantu's murder on January 17, another child living in the same mobile home park was reported missing. The police began a search that concluded when she was dropped off at her home several hours later by Melissa Huckaby. The family drove to the emergency room when the child appeared to be sedated and slurring her words. Upon examination, the child was found to have muscle relaxants in her system. Later, the child would report that Huckaby gave her a cup of water that "tasted like medicine," but had very little memory of the events that day. Huckaby was questioned, but police ultimately decided not to press charges, citing lack of evidence. Following her arrest for Cantu's murder, she was charged with the January 17 incident.

Police also revealed that Huckaby was a person of interest in the investigation regarding two fires set in 2007 at a home where she lived at the time. She was also suspected in another drugging involving a man who was arrested by police for driving under the influence. Police suspect she slipped him the substance found in his system. Police eventually dropped charges for these crimes as part of her plea deal for Cantu's murder.

See also

• List of people who disappeared mysteriously

External links

• Obituary by the Associated Press on Legacy.com retrieved April 7, 2009.
• America's Most Wanted | Sandra Cantu - Missing Child File
• Sandra Cantu articles from SFGate.com
• Transcripts: HLN Series "Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell" New Developments in Sandra Cantu Case, Aired April 15, 2009

[[Category:2000s missing person cases] [[Category:2001 births] [[Category:2009 deaths] [[Category:2009 in California] [[Category:2009 murders in the United States] [[Category:Deaths by person in the United States] [[Category:Formerly missing people found dead] [[Category:Incidents of violence against women] [[Category:March 2009 crimes] [[Category:Missing person cases in California] [[Category:Rapes in the United States] [[Category:Sexual assaults in the United States] [[Category:Tracy, California] [[Category:Violence against women in the United States] [[Category:Women murder victims]

External links

• Media related to Charles Bunstein Stover at Wikimedia Commons

[[Category:1861 births] [[Category:1929 deaths] [[Category:Central Park] [[Category:Formerly missing people] [[Category:Lafayette College alumni] [[Category:Missing person cases in New York] [[Category:Temporary disappearances]

Dynamite Kid
Billington as part of The British Bulldogs
Birth name	Thomas Billington
Born	(1958-12-05)5 December 1958 Golborne, Lancashire, England
Died	5 December 2018(2018-12-05) (aged 60) Ince, Cheshire, England
Spouse(s)	Michelle Smadu ​ ​ (m. 1982; div. 1991)​ Dot Billington ​ ​ (m. 1997;  2018)​
Children	3
Family	Billington Hart (by marriage)
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	Dynamite Kid
Billed height	1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Billed weight	103.5 kg (228 lb)
Billed from	Liverpool, England Manchester, England
Trained by	Ted Betley Jack Fallon Billy Riley John Foley Stu Hart
Debut	24 December 1975
Retired	10 October 1996

See also

• List of people who disappeared

References

The Galactic Commons (GC) is a fictional universe created by Becky Chambers for her novels The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, A Closed and Common Orbit, and Record of a Spaceborn Few.

Traveling Through GC Space

First laid out in The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, there are few methods used to travel through GC space. Disregarding fuel types, to move short distances GC spaceships employ the use of solid and liquid fuel, in the same way as conventional 20th/21st century rockets. For long distance travel, such as between star systems or to different ends of the galaxy, drives that can penetrate the 'sublayer' are used. The sublayer is a seemingly extra-dimensional area outside of human perception, but with the right equipment, and alien crewmembers who can comprehend it, the sublayer can be used to create wormholes. By 'drilling' through space using an interspacial bore, the sublayer can be accessed, piloted through, and exited. Dropping buoys in transits keeps the tunnel open, and when cages are placed on either end, a stable wormhole has been created. This allows for comfortable and fast long-distance travel through GC space.

In order to travel to areas not yet linked via wormhole, pinhole drives can be used - these quickly drop small craft in and out of the sublayer to allow for very fast transit across long distances.

Sublayer 'drilling' requires ambi for fuel - one of the most sought-after resources by members of the GC.

Faster than light travel has also been invented, but due to issues of time travel and the general destruction caused by its use FTL is banned by the GC council.

Planets and Places

• Arun - A rogue planet. Sianat technology allows a small settlement to exist there, and it serves as a place of exile for Sianats who either refuse the Whisperer or seek to have it cured.
• Aganon - One of the last outposts of the Enhanced Humanity movement. It is an isolationist fringe planet which has no contact with other worlds, even for trade. The Humans there speak a language known as Sko-Ensk. Almost all of the past timeline in A Closed and Common Orbit takes place on Aganon, but only a small part of that world is directly shown.
• Earth - The original homeworld of Humans, now inhospitable and barely habitable. Earth is surrounded by an orbital habitat ring that is home to the Samsara Project, a Human-led reclamation project. One area of reclaimed grassland has been given to extremely hardcore Gaiists, who have attempted to recreate a hunter-gatherer existence on it.
• Hagarem - The seat of the GC Parliament and bureaucracy. It is implied to be a Harmagian world.
• Hashkath - The homeworld of the Aandrisks. Hashkath is a large moon of a ringed planet called Theth, and has moons of its own. Its primary city is Reskit.
• Mars - The primary Human world within the Solar System, originally settled by wealthy refugees from Earth some time before the ships of the Exodus Fleet were launched. Mars is, at best, partially terraformed, and Martian cities are domed. Its capital and primary city, Florence, is named after the first Human to set foot on Mars in the books' timeline, not after any city on Earth.
• Port Coriol - An independent multispecies port and community, located on a moon known as Coriol. Coriol is described as a moon which is tidally locked to its planet, which is in turn tidally locked to its sun. Most of the present timeline in A Closed and Common Orbit takes place on Port Coriol.
• Risheth - A planetless star which the Aandrisks turned over to the Exodus Fleet after the GC made contact with the Fleet.
• Sohep Frie - The homeworld of the Aeluons.

Species

Various intelligent species inhabit GC space, or are known to the GC.

• Aandrisk – A cold-blooded, bipedal, quasi-reptilian species with claws and scales. Adults have a shock of feathers on their heads. They are one of the most influential members of the Galactic Commons. They first started exploring space in solar-sail powered pods. Their home world is the moon Hashkath. Their language, Reskitkish, is difficult for Humans to speak, as words are pronounced on both exhales and inhales. Conversely, most Aandrisks have a distinct accent when speaking other languages, as they do not have lips.
• Aeluon – Physically similar to Humans, but with fine, reflective scales rather than skin. Aeluons naturally communicate using flashes of colour on their cheeks, as they have no natural method of perceiving or producing sound. In order to converse with other species, they use neural implants which allow them to process sound, and have 'talkboxes' installed in their throats. These implants allow them to both listen to and engage in spoken conversation. The Aeluons are an influential species within the GC, and provide much of its military strength. It's also notable that almost all other species find them visually attractive, with the Harmagians being a notable exception to this.
• Akarak – Small, spindly, birdlike beings who commonly wear mechanized suits that completely cover their bodies, and which may include helmets. The Akarak homeworld was colonized and ruined by the Harmagians before the founding of the Galactic Commons. Akaraks are rarely encountered, and are marginalized when they are; some have even resorted to piracy.
• Grum – A six-limbed species, in which any limb can serve as an arm or leg as needed. Grum have a branching windpipe with six voice boxes, so all words in the Grum language have several sounds blended together, and Grum have to make extra effort to synchronize their vocal cords when speaking other languages. The Grum are on the verge of extinction after a long intra-species war ravaged their world and greatly reduced their population.
• Harmagian – A slug-like species, with tentacles for a chin that allow them to add complex gestures to regular communication. Harmagians normally use motorized carts for mobility, as that is the only way they can keep pace with other species. Prior to the founding of the Galactic Commons, the Harmagians were imperialistic and colonialist, and they remain an influential species.
• Human – Humans were unaware of extraterrestrial species, and vice versa, until the Aeluons made contact with the Exodus Fleet after one of their research probes stumbled across it. While nominally unified under the umbrella of the Human Diaspora, Humans remain a divided species roughly half a century after being admitted to the Galactic Commons. While Solans and Exodans have largely put their past rancor and hostility aside, the Fleet remains politically and culturally separate from the Solar System, and many Exodans remain opposed to, or at least suspicious of, aspects of culture which are seen as "Martian". Humans have also established a number of colonies of various sizes, which are collectively referred to as "the independent colonies" even though they are within the GC and the Diaspora. In addition to these Human communities, many Humans have relocated to multispecies communities within the GC. Also, there are a number of Human fringe colonies outside of the GC and the Diaspora.
• Laru – A tall, long-necked, fur-covered species that can walk on either two or four legs. They are often allergic to Aandrisks.
• Quelin - A large, hard-shelled, quasi-crustacean species. Quelin are known for being officiously bureaucratic and legalistic, and even somewhat xenophobic, in their dealings with other species. Quelin are rarely seen outside their own space unless they have been exiled from it.
• Rosk - A large, hostile, non-GC species engaged in a border war with the Aeluons.
• Sianat – An ape-like species, who are ceremonially infected by a virus they call 'The Whisperer', which both gives them the ability to see and comprehend extra-dimensional particles and places, and greatly shortens their lives. Once infected by the Whisperer, a Sianat is considered to be a plural being, and is referred to as a Pair. Sianats are naturally carnivorous, but after being infected, they file their teeth, and subsist on a special nutrient paste.

General terms

A partial list of literary inventions of life in GC space.

• AI - Artificial Intelligence systems perform a wide range of jobs including routine mechanical system monitoring and operation, customer service jobs such as receptionist, and even spaceship operation. There are legal restrictions on where they can be installed. AI systems may be sentient, though more specialized systems usually are not sentient. Nonsentient AI systems are ranked according to their intelligence level. Sentient AI systems are not recognized as persons under GC law.
• Ansible - A mechanism for interstellar communication. This is usually shortened to "sib" when referring to conversations.
• Artigrav net - A device capable of generating a gravitational field. Due to slight discrepancies in gravity, moving from a location covered by artigrav to a place with natural gravity, such as a planetary surface, can be uncomfortable. It is also noticeable when shifting between two different artigrav nets, such as when going between two ships.
• Body kit - A synthetic body built to house an AI. Transferring or installing an AI into a body kit is a felony punishable by fine and imprisonment. If an AI is caught in a body kit, the kit is confiscated and the AI is erased. In almost all of the present timeline in A Closed and Common Orbit, the viewpoint character is an AI in a body kit.
• Deepod - A small, automated pod equipped with a pinhole drive. Deepods carry individual passengers, and travel along predefined, marked paths. Rosemary Harper used a deepod to travel to the Wayfarer.
• Dentbots - Tiny nanobots in a gel similar to toothpaste which monitor the condition of, and address any problems found with, one's teeth.
• Exodan - A Human born to the Exodus Fleet, whether or not they are currently living in a Fleet ship. Most living Humans are either Exodans or descended from Exodans.
• Exodus Fleet - A fleet of homestead ships built by Humans to leave behind an Earth facing environmental collapse. The Fleet is still home to a large segment of the Human population. After centuries of mixing, the bronzed, amber-colored people born to the Exodus claim no nation, being a blend of all of humanity's disparate parts. Almost all of Record of a Spaceborn Few takes place aboard the Fleet.
• Fringe colony/fringe world - An independent colony world that operates outside of the GC, and is often located near the fringes of GC space. Some fringe colonies offer goods or services that are illegal within the GC, while others are isolationist.
• Gaiist - A Human who believes that Humans should not have left Earth, or at least should not have left the Solar System, and should return to it. Many Gaiists are xenophobic, though not all are.
• GC Transportation Board - An administrative body regulating all aspects of travel throughout GC space. The board licenses tunnelers and tunneling ships, and assigns tunneling jobs. At the start of The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, the board's incessant demands for timely and thorough reporting prompted Ashby to hire Rosemary Harper as a clerk to do the paperwork he couldn't.
• Grounders - People who live on planets or moons.
• Hanto - Spoken and gestural language of the Harmagians.
• Homestead ship - A ship designed for long-term, often multi-generational, habitation. Homestead ships can range in size from the giants of the Exodus Fleet to ones just large enough for one or two families.
• Imubots - Nanobots located in a sapient's body, helping and augmenting the immunity and regeneration systems of that person. The imubots can be controlled and directed through the wristpatch. If no special instructions are given, they will autonomously assist bodily functions.
• Kick - A generic term for any alcoholic beverage.
• The Linkings - The GC's equivalent of the Internet.
• Mek - A drink brewed much like coffee, but which has a calming effect. It is enjoyed by most, though not all, species, and appears to affect all of them in much the same way.
• Modders - People who modify their bodies using cybernetic implants.
• Red coast bug - A pseudo-crustacean native to the coastal areas of at least one Aeluon world. While Aeluons think they're pests, Humans think they're delicious.
• Redreed - A smokable plant used much like tobacco. Aeluons are often allergic to the smoke.
• Sapient - A general term describing beings from different sapient races.
• Scrib - A data analysis, display, and communication device like a souped-up tablet computer.
• Sim - An interactive virtual reality program used for entertainment, though some are also meant to be educational. Sims are played on a unit called a sim hub.
• Smash - A smokable substance popular for its euphoric effects.
• Solan - A Human who lives in the Solar System. Most Solans live on Mars, though some live on orbiters around the outer planets. Solans still use the Earth-based solar day and year, both of which are shorter than the GC standard day and year.
• Spacers - People who live in space, either through birth or by choice.
• Standard - The standard year of the GC's standard calendar; the events of the books start in GC Standard 306, though the past timeline of A Closed and Common Orbit and the prologue of Record of a Spaceborn Few take place earlier. Dates are given as day of year, and are written as day/year. The dates given in The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet imply that a standard year is probably 400 standard days long, though its length is not explicitly stated.
• Stasie - A device for long-term food storage. A stasie will delay spoilage to some extent, and high-end units will prevent it.
• Sublayer - An extra-dimensional area of space that can be used to create wormholes, allowing for incredibly fast travel between star systems.
• Talkbox - A surgically implanted device used to transform neural impulses into audible speech. Talkboxes were developed by the Aeluons after they made contact with species that communicate via sound.
• Tenday - A period of ten standard days, which serves as the GC standard calendar's equivalent of a week.
• The Whisperer - A virus that infects, alters, and eventually destroys the nervous system of Sianats, but does not affect other species. It allows Sianats to view and understand things, such as the sublayer, which are normally outside the perception of other sapients.
• Wristpatch - A patch installed in the wrist, or wrist-equivalent, of GC citizens, usually covered by a protective wrap. It is used to confirm identity and pay for goods and services, and can be used to access a person's imubots.

[[Category:Fictional universes]