virtonautics n (virtual + nautics, from Greek nautikos, of ships, sailing, like in astronautics) Ð experimental exploration and development of virtual worlds.
Now virtonautics is still in embryo, but in the future it will become as common an occupation as aeronautics and astronautics today.
by Mikhail Epstein November 2, 2003

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.
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.
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

oneirogenic adj (from Greek oneiros, "dream" + genic; cf. photogenic, telegenic) Ð having a propensity to appear in somebody's dreams.
Some people are photogenic while others are oneirogenic. These characteristics rarely coincide. A person who is plain and unnoticeable in real life may haunt our dreams and imagination.
Have you noticed that cats are more oneirogenic than dogs?
To surprise your friends at a party, ask them: "Do you find me "oneirogenic"? If the answer is "yesÓ, ask them to recall your adventures in their dreams.
Have you noticed that cats are more oneirogenic than dogs?
To surprise your friends at a party, ask them: "Do you find me "oneirogenic"? If the answer is "yesÓ, ask them to recall your adventures in their dreams.
by Mikhail Epstein November 2, 2003

foodnik n food + suffix nik Ð someone for whom food and eating are main joys of living and are full of sacral significance.
He invites me to cook together a dinner, but I will hardly meet his expectations. He is a real foodnik.
by Mikhail Epstein November 6, 2003

multividual n Latin multus, many + Latin individuus, indivisible Ð a multiple individual that embraces many selves and in a technological perspective can possess multiple bodies.
As early as 1970s, psychologists indicated the emergence of a proteic type of personality who combines the properties of different individuals. This is not a schizophrenically split personality, but the one rich in roles and selves, a multividual who cannot be confined to a single self.
The multiplicity of selves often reveals itself in the acts of inspiration and artistic creativity. Eventually these multiple selves will acquire not only symbolical and imaginative embodiments, like in theater, but also independent bodies. Like a bio-species is exemplified by a multiplicity of individuals, a multividual will become a psycho-species exemplified by various organisms. Such multividuals will reach across continents assuming various material guises and performing various social and professional roles, and simultaneously they will be aware of their unique destiny and moral responsibility.
The multiplicity of selves often reveals itself in the acts of inspiration and artistic creativity. Eventually these multiple selves will acquire not only symbolical and imaginative embodiments, like in theater, but also independent bodies. Like a bio-species is exemplified by a multiplicity of individuals, a multividual will become a psycho-species exemplified by various organisms. Such multividuals will reach across continents assuming various material guises and performing various social and professional roles, and simultaneously they will be aware of their unique destiny and moral responsibility.
by Mikhail Epstein November 6, 2003

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 7, 2003

a person who enjoys meetings and all sorts of administrative events and tries to attend as many of them as possible.
Being socially active is one thing, meeting for the sake of meeting is another. I try to stay away from meetniks for whom getting together is an end in itself. Meeting without meaning is worse than meaning without meeting.
by Mikhail Epstein October 2, 2003
