Country Dictionary

A fork of Rural Dictionary

ride the edge

to be ahead in a certain skill or profession, to be on a cutting edge and take all the risks of being the first and leading the others

A recent graduate in quantum physics, Amalia now rides the edge of nanotechnology.

by Mikhail Epstein November 06, 2003

noocracy

noocracy n Greek noos, mind, and Greek -kratia, power or rule Ð a system of world government based of the integrated mind of civilization and its transpersonal decisions; syntellect as a ruling principle of the future society.

As the thinking matter increases its mass in nature and geo- and biosphere grow into noosphere, the future of the humanity can be envisioned as noocracy--that is the power of the collective brain rather than separate individuals representing certain social groups or society as whole.

by Mikhail Epstein November 06, 2003

the booming 1990s, the dooming 2000s

a nickname for our decade

American culture likes to divide itself into decades: the prosperous fifties, the rebellious sixties, the egoistic seventies, the greedy the eighties, the booming ninetees… Finally, the dooming 2000s

by Mikhail Epstein October 08, 2003

videocracy

videocracy n. (from Latin video, I see + Latin cratia, from Greek kratos, power, rule; cf. ideocracy) Ð the power of visual images in shaping contemporary societies; the crucial impact of television, cinema, internet, and advertising on public opinion, political affairs, market strategies, etc.

Videocracy has become the flip side of democracy in the mass media age.

by Mikhail Epstein November 15, 2003

chronopath

chronopath n. (Gr. khronos, time + Gr. patheia, suffering) Ð a person who suffers from chronopathy, i.e. a disorder of time sense. chronopathic adj Ð characterized by chronopathy.

Why are you always late? Are you a chronopath? He has no ill intentions or disrespect when he misses one appointment after another. He is severely chronopathic since his childhood.

by Mikhail Epstein November 13, 2003

hibyer

hibyer, n. (hi+bye+suffix er) a marginal acquaintance with whom "hi' and "bye" are the most typical units of verbal exchange; the vocabulary of a minimal relationship.

Do you know this woman? - Not really, we are hibyers. They were married for ten years, but now they are only hibyers. I was surprised when hibyer stopped for a more substantial conversation.

by Mikhail Epstein November 16, 2003

netscapist

netscapist (net + escapism) - a person who escapes from unpleasant realities into the networld (see netscapism).

Netscapists are ubiquitous today. If you chat with a neighbor for hours from your computer instead of seeing him in a cafe, you are in danger of becoming a netscapist.

by Mikhail Epstein November 08, 2003