Saving Sumac

Glossary of Technical and Slang Terms

AIOS: Artificial Intelligence Operational Software
McGruff: The AIOS used in emergency response vehicles and military transports is also used for interactions with the public. Clearly named for the crime-fighting pooch of the 1980’s that tried to “take a bite out of crime”, McGruffs have the same scratchy voice.
Vehicles: Nearly all major highways, most metro roads, and many secondary and rural roads have been converted to solar fields. The solar roads’ collected energy is transferred into homes, businesses, and other facilities via underground power lines. Wireless chargers are a part of all roads and all modern vehicles, and thus all one needs to do to charge a vehicle is go somewhere in it. All buildings have the ports to charge a vehicle if needed, due to a lengthy time of no use, extended use, or battery repair. With the most primitive OS being sufficient for operating any vehicle, very few old-fashioned cars remain, especially since burn-fuels aren’t readily available or cheap. The few cars left are strictly governed and even the slightest violation carries tremendous penalties for the owner and operator. Some vehicles are a hybrid of old and new, with engines and steering wheels as well as the same AIOS and every system as newer auto-pods.
Auto-pods: Any of a wide variety of privately owned vehicles that lack the controls found in old cars. Typically operated by a Harvey (or an inferior AIOS), these rides are fully auto. An auto-pod owner can summon his whip from anywhere via his PC; can access the pod by voice, iris, DNA, fingerprint, or password.
Law Dogs, Army Dogs, Med Dogs: Any government wheels equipped with a McGruff AIOS. All have traditional driver’s controls but are still usually driven by AIOS. All have the power are generally an oval couch with a control console in a cabin of smart-glass, Law Dogs have row seats much like old squad cars did. Due to the great wealth of the nation, dogs are regularly updated or retired and sold. Planned obsolescence was made criminally illegal in the early 2020s, and regulations to key vehicles both in use and updateable were written into law.
Ex Dogs: Privately owned vehicles stripped of McGruffs and equipped with Harveys. Only a few people know enough about driving to bother with these unattractive cars, but they’re affordable and rugged. Farmers love them, as do hunters and any others with a need to go a significant distance off road. Standard auto pods have a limited range off-road and are not built for rough terrain.
PC: Personal Communicators (or computer) are the key to the Utopia of 2035. Required by law as they are, PCs are provided at no direct cost to citizens (though foreign visitors must either provide their own or pay for one to be issued). Very strictly enforced laws require people to quickly report any lost or damaged unit when someone’s device is broken or lost. They often have a panic attack or a full-blown break-down. People live in a digital world; PCs are their phones, keys, and the sum of their digital identity and monetary value. Psychiatric illnesses resulting from PC over-usage and addiction are a very real problem, and counseling centers are in most cities, funded by the federal government. PCs have a “4D” display that leaps from the wrist device and gives resistance to touch, giving the impression of materialization and making it very easy for hand manipulation. PCs store very little data in themselves (< 1,000 GBs) and are thus really just a link between user and cloud and net. The perpetual monitoring of people’s vitals, location, and compliance with laws requiring the PCs to be worn are the bane of crime and tragic deaths… example: Have a heart attack and a MedicDog brings EMTs to you in minutes; Commit a crime and a Law Dog brings cops just as fast.