3D AV entertainment system
Culture and Sports / Information and Communications / Society / Technology

An audio-visual entertainment system developed in the 21st century featuring a 3D sound map run through a VR system during playback, offering a vivid 3D-sound experience. The listener can control the 3D sound map with its 3D equalizer, making it possible to achieve the same audio experience regardless of their location in the room. The sound will follow the listener in real time, with the system making corrections for any acoustical changes caused by the layout of or type of materials present in the room. Capable of more than simple playback, it allows the listener to adjust specific frequencies of sounds as well, creating environments that raise alpha wave activity in the brain or contain 1/f noise, for example.

AMM
Acronyms / Culture and Sports / Outer Space / Society

Acronym for the Astronauts Memorial Museum. A museum displaying exhibits related to all aspects of space exploration and development, it is divided into 4 main areas – the Coral Hall, the Moon Corner, the Space Corner, and the Beyond Corner. Popular among both tourists and Beyonds, with the Beyond Corner containing exhibits related to the Policenauts and Beyond Coast itself. The table coral placed in the lobby was extracted from the Great Barrier Reef, and is admired by Beyonds as a symbol of the CELESS.

Amphibian
Culture and Sports / Outer Space / Society

Slang for a person who travels between Earth and outer space. This has replaced the antiquated word "astronaut" in common speech, though it is still used in the scientific and historical sense.

bent cigarette
Culture and Sports / Society / Technology

The only type of cigarette that still produces secondary smoke. It is lit simply by bending the end of the cigarette, and similarly, bending the filter extinguishes it. Since the chemical reaction it utilizes does not produce any ash, an ashtray is not necessary with this type of cigarette, and it has also reduced the littering of cigarette butts as well as lowering the risk of fire associated with cigarettes. Furthermore, as it does not give off secondary smoke, a known cause of cancer and other diseases, its effects on surrounding people are extremely limited. Due to the addition of ignition and extinguishing parts, it is somewhat longer than a conventional cigarette. Sold exclusively in certain areas on Earth.

Jonathan Ingram smokes mixed cigarettes, an offshoot of the bent cigarette, composed of chemically processed leaves and conventional dried leaves at a 7-to-3 ratio. This composition results in them giving off a little ash and smoke.

Beyond Coast 30th Anniversary Festival
Culture and Sports / Society

A festival celebrating Beyond Coast's 30th anniversary. There are numerous events currently being held all over Beyond to celebrate the birth of mankind's first space colony. The Tokugawa Group is its main sponsor and has provided most of the funding for the celebrations. The main focus of the events is on AMM, the Astronauts Memorial Museum.

Beyond News
Culture and Sports / Information and Communications / Society

A BBC news program, featuring a wide area of topics covering both Beyond Coast and Earth. It conducts interactive, around-the-clock broadcasts via a series of satellites, covering breaking stories as they happen.

Beyonds
Culture and Sports / Outer Space / Society

Slang for Extraterrestrials, people born and/or raised in outer space. In a narrower sense, it also refers to people living on Beyond Coast; approximately 40% of Beyonds are second-generation citizens born on a space colony. As even the most minute accident could turn into a major life-threatening incident on a space colony, Beyonds are taught to respond to everything in their daily lives in a calm and precise manner. This is reflected in their fashion, way of speaking, culture, and feelings, creating an undeniably unique group of human beings. Beyonds are capable of keeping their emotions under control and maintain a cool demeanor even amid the constant tension experienced on a space colony. People from Earth call the calm and concise way Beyonds speak a "Beyond accent"; conversely, on Beyond they call the inflectional and emotional way Terrestrials speak a "Home accent".

biovestite
Culture and Sports / Life Science / Society / Technology

A person who has undergone sex reassignment treatment at the genetic level, instead of via previous techniques such as surgery and hormone treatment; therefore, it is also possible for a woman to become a man with this method. While not permitted by law in most industrialized countries, sex change operations are conducted in many developing countries. However, because gene therapy sex changes require highly specialized facilities, it is thought that the number of people actually performing them is extremely limited.

calcium foods
Culture and Sports / Life Science / Outer Space / Society

Bones, joints, and muscles undergo considerably less stress in weightlessness than normal gravity, causing the calcium in bone cells to be leached from the body. Calcium foods, also known as "cal foods", were developed as a way to replace this lost calcium. Examples include capsules containing crushed eggshells and milk containing casein phosphopeptides. A famous dish in calcium cuisine consists of mixing one of these with soybeans and seaweed, both of which are particularly high in calcium.

Many others methods have been developed for replacing calcium, which tends to be lost easily when living in outer space. Almost all food and drink consumed in space is either naturally high in calcium or is supplemented with calcium. One can also find products such as calcium chewing gum and candy, calcium carbonated beverages, and calcium seasonings.

CELESS
Acronyms / Culture and Sports / Life Science / Outer Space / Society

Acronym for Closed Ecological Life Support System. The system that regulates the internal environment on space colonies, space bases, and underwater bases, enabling them to function on their own. The structure exists as an independent biosphere, totally unreliant on any outside assistance or intervention to sustain itself.

Beyond Coast supplies all the food its inhabitants need and recycles its energy in accordance with this system.

chaos system
Culture and Sports / Society / Technology

A logic system that allows for irregular changes in a machine's operation, unlike previous stable logic systems. With the implementation of chaos systems in air conditioners and lighting equipment, among other appliances, the user can experience a level of comfort that also contains an appropriate amount of variation. Can now be found in numerous facilities and products.

Elles
Culture and Sports / Society

A handbag company headquartered on Beyond Coast, synonymous with high-quality handbags. They create one design each year, after which they destroy all remaining stock, as well as the models used to make the bags, and create a new design. Elles bags have only a single design sold throughout space each year, which could be cited as the secret behind their popularity. The high price of Elles bags on Earth has led some to come all the way to Beyond just to purchase one. Their production process remains a closely guarded secret, but it is said the company has developed a special technique employing a weightless environment.

grunge metal
Culture and Sports / Society

A new music trend that has emerged on Beyond Coast in 2040, said to have been created by musicians trying to add a sense of the carefree decadence found on Earth into progressive metal, which was itself a revival of some of the styles found in the 20th century. Popular mainly among the younger generation of Beyonds. More than just music, the rugged look of the artists' clothing has obtained popularity as a "Home fashion". Beyonds find the loose nature of grunge metal's clothing a fresh change compared to the strict dress code they were made to follow growing up.

Before the emergence of grunge metal, most popular music consisted of high-frequency instrumental songs, but now vocal songs and big band-style music have made a comeback after a 10-year absence. Many lyrics of grunge metal songs talk about Earth's nature, people, and love, contrary to the political themes featured in other recent music. It is often played at repatriatist gatherings. Some of the more famous bands include Small Marcy and The Vocal Cowboys.

This is Dave Forrest's favorite genre of music.

Home
Culture and Sports / Outer Space / Society

Slang for Earth; came into use in this sense after human beings first started living permanently in outer space and were now looking back on where their species originated.

Home accent
Culture and Sports / Information and Communications / Outer Space / Society

Refers to the inflectional and emotional tone of voice and way of speaking of people on Earth. Also known as an Earth accent. Does not refer to any language in particular, but instead refers collectively to the various accents, intonations, and pronunciations of words found in all languages, the way they are spoken on Earth.

On the other hand, in space, people are taught to communicate in a clear and concise manner due to the constant threat of danger that they face. Even a small verbal misunderstanding could be fatal; therefore, any vague or indirect expressions, contractions, or signs of emotion have disappeared from peoples' speech, resulting in a form of language that could almost be called "digital". The only exceptions to this are contractions such as "let's". This is to avoid the ambiguity that such contractions would bring about in their unabbreviated form, i.e., "let us play" could be either a request or a suggestion, whereas "let's play" is unambiguously a suggestion.

Nevertheless, Beyonds who were born and raised on Earth still retain a Home accent.

Hyper Award
Culture and Sports / Society

An annual internal video game award presented inside Konami, created in commemoration of the video game Hyper Olympics. It has since been renamed the Konami Award, and remains a much sought-after prize for company developers even today.

Kabuki Quarter
Culture and Sports / Outer Space / Society

A red-light district located in the center of Beyond Coast. Its main attraction is zero-gravity sex, which has become so popular there are tours from Earth that go to Beyond just to visit this area of the colony. It is said to have started after the outbreak of STBO on Earth, when various entrepeneurs in the adult entertainment world moved their businesses to Beyond Coast to escape the disease. No one knows for sure who gave it its name, though it is thought to be named after the Kabuki-cho red-light district located in Shinjuku, Tokyo.

Lucas World
Culture and Sports / Society

A theme park based around a Hollywood filmmaker. Its more popular attractions are the ones incorporating 20th century movies and VR. Several dozen such parks can be found across the world, from America to Europe and beyond.

There is also a smaller version of the park, called Lucas Land, located in Neo Kobe City, Japan.

Maximum
Culture and Sports / Society

A major fast food restaurant chain first started in outer space that specializes in hamburgers. Hamburgers are easy to eat in space and other weightless areas, hence the company's choice of menu items. One can find a Maximum restaurant in nearly every space station today, and in many areas of Earth as well. Also known for its establishment of an automated drive-thru for Amphibians in a remote area of the solar system 3 years ago. It offers 2 types of meal packs – a 1G Pack and a Zero G Pack. Its most popular food is the calburger, which is high in calcium.

medical accessory
Culture and Sports / Life Science / Society / Technology

A DDS fashion accessory built out of an alloy containing a particular drug, which is absorbed into the body at the points of contact between the skin and the metal. Many types are available, including rings, bracelets, and earrings. A number of medical professionals are concerned that with conventional medical treatments such as pills, which require regular doses, there is the possibility that patients might forget to take a dose, which would reduce the effectiveness of the medication. With a medical accessory, all patients have to do is simply wear it to ensure they get the proper dosage of their medication.

The designs of medical accessories have been gradually refined over the years, to the point where they cannot be distinguished from normal fashion accessories. Some are even more desirable than normal accessories, with one in particular, a bracelet for treating peptic ulcers devised by a famous fashion company, achieving widespread popularity with its creative design. However, since they are only issued for medical purposes and are not sold to the general public, there have been numerous cases in recent history of young women intentionally developing an ulcer just so they can wear one.

Moonsault
Culture and Sports / Society

A high-proof vodka cocktail popular on Earth. Called a Moonsault because drinkers say it makes them feel as if they are doing a somersault on the Moon. Created accidentally in Kobe, Japan, when a pharmacology student wanted to see how much alcohol the human bloodstream could withstand.

This is the same type of cocktail the main character in Snatcher drinks at Outer Heaven.

multi-process story
Culture and Sports

A development process created to experiment with how best to combine a game's story with its interactivity. Previous adventure games have primarily used the idea of multiple endings to expand a game's interactivity, but this method does not let all players experience the best possible story the game has to offer. Policenauts takes the completely opposite approach, keeping the basic framework of the game the same, thereby allowing all players to appreciate the game's story and themes to their fullest, and instead changing small elements of the game's content in response to the player's pace and actions throughout the course of the game.

With this method, a player's individual actions, no matter how minute, are reflected in the game's dialogue and events, while the basic story and themes remain unchanged. This helps draw the player into the game and also allows the developers to fine-tune the story and ending in one fashion.

This method, previously used in Snatcher, has now been further developed with Policenauts. It could be said it has offered up one possibility for the future of interactive cinema.

neo immigrant
Culture and Sports / Outer Space

A refugee fleeing to outer space in an attempt to escape the various problems on Earth, such as overpopulation and the North-South problem. In particular, there has been a sharp increase in the number of day laborers who illegally enter Beyond Coast. Earth's mafia is known to support organizations who assist illegal immigrants, who, due to overcrowding, are just as much of a problem as legal immigrants. Not limited to just economic refugees, there are also many refugees fleeing regions of conflict on Earth.

News Order
Culture and Sports / Information and Communications / Society

BBC's premier news program. Anchor Karen Hojo's popularity, in part due to her hard-hitting attitude, has earned the show consistent high ratings. It has also received the award for Outstanding News Program from the Beyond Coast Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the last 3 years. Is broadcast live via satellite to the Moon and Earth as well.

Picno 8
Culture and Sports / Information and Communications / Society / Technology

The latest model in the Picno series of handheld graphic computers first released by Konami at the end of the 20th century. It is the size of a standard handheld drawing board and works with its own pen. Its built-in solar cell makes it convenient for portable use, and it can connect to a printer for making printouts. Features several drawing modes, from watercolors to oil paints. It offers a Visual Field Screen to allow for stress-free drawing even in large crowds of people, and G Pixel Stability for drawing in zero gravity.

The graphic computer Marc Brown carries around with him is a Picno 8.

Specs
* 64-bit bus with custom RISC CPU (including 16 48-bit DSP chips)
* 1536x1152 resolution 48-bit color screen
* Real-time 3D rendering, wireframe modeling, and various imaging effects

pilot disk
Culture and Sports

A trial version of a video game that precedes the release of the full version. Derived from the term "pilot episode", or an episode that serves to launch a television program.

The first pilot disk, made for the PC Engine version of Snatcher in 1992, was also released shortly before the full version. It was produced in limited quantities, making it a collector's item for hardcore fans.

The Policenauts pilot disk for the 3DO is Konami's second pilot disk. More than just a demo of the game, it is an interactive database, containing sketches and designs, behind-the-scenes looks at the game, interviews, and a glossary of the game's technical terminology.

Private Collection
Culture and Sports

A "digital book" on Policenauts, based on the limited edition pilot disk released for the 3DO. A rare item containing additional development materials and loaded with previously unreleased behind-the-scenes information.

PVR
Acronyms / Culture and Sports / Information and Communications / Society / Technology

Acronym for personal virtual reality. A virtual reality system designed for home use, consisting of a data suit, visor, computer, and network connection. Numerous types of software can be downloaded.

quick tie
Culture and Sports / Society / Technology

A one-touch necktie made out of shape memory alloy fibers. Developed by the fashion industry as a way to maintain the position of a tie even while in zero gravity, it has become popular among young people on Earth as well, since it is easy to both tie and remove.

The long-standing tradition of a business suit and tie continues on in outer space.

Snatcher
Culture and Sports

A video game released by Konami for the PC-8801 and MSX2 computer formats in 1988. Was remade into a CD-ROM version for the PC Engine in 1992, and later the Sega CD in 1994. PlayStation and Saturn remakes were also released in 1996.

It is a cyberpunk adventure that takes place in the year 2047 in Neo Kobe City, Japan. It has since garnered a cult following.

space history
Culture and Sports / Outer Space / Society

A recently established field of study that focuses on the history of mankind's activities in outer space. Is a required subject in all space colony secondary schools. The Beyond Coast Education Board has placed a strong emphasis on it in order to impart on today's youth the importance of examining "how we got to where we are in space today."

space weather forecast
Culture and Sports / Information and Communications / Outer Space / Society / Technology

A forecast designed to predict the arrival of large doses of radiation and magnetic storms caused by solar flares. Solar flares, released from the surface of the Sun, can have various harmful effects not only on the human body, but on computers and other sensitive equipment as well. Space weather forecasting aims to predict these before they happen and inform people of when they will occur via television, radio, and the Internet. When a flare does occur, scientists can estimate the size of the flare and any effects the resulting solar wind might have by observing the wavelength and time intervals of the radiation released during the several stages of the flare, and issue reports and warnings as necessary.

Shield warnings are issued during times of intense radiation, with a colony's outer walls and block shields lowered for protection. All extravehicular space activity and the takeoff of space flights are prohibited during this time.

telomere lengthening
Culture and Sports / Life Science / Society / Technology

A medical procedure developed this century that delays the aging process by manipulating pieces of DNA responsible for aging called telomeres. Telomeres, located at the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes and composed of a six-base DNA sequence of TTAGGG in humans, are tightly wound and highly repetitive structures that are extended over time by telomerase, a special reverse transcriptase, in order to prevent cellular senescence. However, the action of telomerase is not enough to extend telomeres indefinitely, due to the nature of cellular division. As these structures are considered an aging clock for the body, it is thought that by synthesizing telomerase and thereby extending telomeres as they naturally decrease with every cell division, it is possible to extend an organism's life span. While not permitted by law, it is said that the military, along with certain government organizations, have already started performing this procedure on people via gene therapy. A consequence of telomere lengthening is an increased risk of cancer, though this too is addressed via gene therapy. Further research is currently being conducted that will attempt to turn normal cells into immortal cells without the aid of such regular procedures.

Terrestrial
Culture and Sports / Outer Space / Society

Slang for a person born on Earth.

Tokugawa Festival of Japan
Culture and Sports / Society

A festival organized by Tokugawa for Japanese people living on Beyond Coast. Held once a month, its official purpose is to thank employees for their hard work and promote friendship among coworkers, but it is also an occasion for Tokugawa businesses on the colony to get together to consult with one another. Anyone employed by a Tokugawa company, a family member of an employee, or persons with Japanese blood can participate.

Kenzo and Lorraine Hojo met one another at this festival.

UCBC
Acronyms / Culture and Sports / Outer Space

Acronym for The University of California at Beyond Coast. Famous for its work in the fields of bioethics, space history, and organ transplantation.

Anna Brown attends UCBC, where she majors in bioethics.

vehicle smuggling
Culture and Sports / Society

Inhabitants of Beyond Coast who are not satisfied with the lower level of speed offered by electric engine vehicles will sometimes smuggle in fossil fuel internal combustion engine vehicles, which are prohibited on space colonies, from Earth. However, smuggling a fully assembled vehicle into a colony is not easy, so the smuggler will usually disassemble it and transport the parts separately. The high price of black market gasoline on colonies also poses a problem for smugglers.

videophone
Culture and Sports / Information and Communications / Society / Technology

An information platform based on the videophones of the 20th century. Modern videophones also allow the user to turn off the video feature if they want, and it is possible to send still picture- and text-only messages as well. Videophones started to become widespread at the beginning of the century, but with privacy concerns and changes in communications practices, nearly all calls have now become either voice- or text-only, with video calls common only between close friends and family members. The decline of the video feature could be cited as one of the effects of the information explosion that occurred shortly after the turn of the century. Home versions are usually integrated into an information terminal as standard. Public videophone terminals are frequently the targets of vandalism, many having their cameras broken, with the result that governments have decided not to install cameras on all future terminals. Today's videophone differs from previous videophones in that the visual output is reduced in size to allow for faster processing, and it frequently employs burst lines, which codify communications to prevent eavesdropping.

VR girl
Culture and Sports / Information and Communications / Society

Slang for an actress who appears in pornographic PVR software. Although VR girls are considered different from regular actresses, they have become just as common as their traditional counterparts. The monthly software product Girls Mate, which features VR girls, averages 100,000 downloads an issue. Since a VR girl is created from CG captured from a real woman, they have necessitated the rethinking of current copyright and likeness laws. Questions have been raised regarding how far a person or object processed with CG should be afforded protection, as well as the creation of new CG copyright laws concerning the right to conduct CG processing. However, the total number of problems raised by the existence of VR girls extends far beyond merely ethical issues.

VR pornography
Culture and Sports / Information and Communications / Society

A virtual reality program featuring adult content. One of the darker sides of the VR experience, this type of entertainment has fast become a major problem, going against the Virtual Reality Ethical Guidelines. Users value its interactivity more than the amount of nudity it contains.

zero G kit
Culture and Sports / Outer Space / Society / Technology

A garage kit that has had its parts cast in zero gravity. There are various types of kits available, such as resin, vinyl, and metal. One of its main attractions is the lack of air bubbles or seam lines due to it being cast under weightlessness. It is also capable of preserving the small details that tend to become lost between the mold and cast in 1G.

Furthermore, casting a kit as a whole, previously impossible, keeps the number of parts to a minimum, allowing even beginners to enjoy model assembly. The zero G kit has even been called the savior of the hobby works industry. The techniques used with zero G kits have also been applied to many traditional plastic models.

zero G rhythmic gymnastics
Culture and Sports / Outer Space / Society

A type of rhythmic gymnastics performed under microgravity, first started 40 years ago by an astronaut, also a former rhythmic gymnast, looking for a way to prevent muscle atrophy in zero gravity. There are both timed freestyle events and traditional fixed events using balls, hoops, ribbons, ropes, and clubs, with competitors judged in technical merit, artistic merit, and execution. Apart from the same skills needed in sports such as traditional rhythmic gymnastics and synchronized swimming, competitors also need to focus on maintaining their balance under weightlessness. The sport was once called the "artistic sport for the Space Age", and remains the most popular and unique competitive sport on Beyond Coast, though it is still surrounded by the problem of calcium loss in its child practitioners. The Beyond Coast Athletics Association has established regulations specifying suitable practice times and ages in an attempt to address the issue.

Anna Brown belongs to UCBC's zero G rhythmic gymnastics club.

zero G salon
Culture and Sports / Life Science / Outer Space / Society

A type of salon located at the center of Beyond Coast, in its weightless area, which takes advantage of the effects of zero gravity to preserve the youthfulness and elasticity of a person's skin. The skin is also much less likely to sag and become wrinkled in general in zero gravity. Many of the treatment methods employed were originally devised by female astronauts.

Chris Goldwin goes to a zero G salon.