Oikarinen, Jarkko
In the summer of 1988, the internet age pioneer and creator of the Internet Relay Chat (IRC) was working at Finland’s University of Oulu in the Department of Information Processing Science, where he administered the department’s Sun Unix server, running on a public access bulletin board system called OuluBox. Partly inspired by Jyrki Kuoppala’s rmsg program, and partly by Bitnet Relay Chat, Oikarinen decided to improve OuluBox’s existing multi-user chat program, called MultiUser Talk (MUT), written by Jukka Pihl, and in turn based on the basic talk program then available on UNIX computers. Oikarinen first deployed the IRC at the end of August 1988. Markku Järvinen made the client program more usable by including support for Emacs editor commands, and before long IRC was in use across Finland on the Finnish network FUNET, and then on the Scandinavian network NORDUNET. Oikarinen then got an account on the well-known machine “ai.ai.mit.edu” at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), from which he recruited the first IRC user outside Scandinavia, Mike Jacobs, and gave the IRC software to Vijay Subramaniam. Subramaniam passed the software to his friends Jeff Trim at the University of Denver and David Bleckmann and Todd Ferguson at Oregon State University, who began running IRC on their machines, respectively “orion.cair.du.edu” and “jacobcs.cs.orst.edu.” They emailed Jarkko and obtained connections to the Finnish IRC network to create a transatlantic connection, and the number of IRC servers began to grow rapidly across both North America and Europe. The program became well known to the worldwide public in 1991, when its use skyrocketed as users logged on to get up-to-date information on Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. When IRC first started regularly hosting users, Oikarinen asked some friends at Tampere University of Technology and Helsinki University of Technology to start running IRC servers to distribute the load. Other universities joined soon after.
Oiroke
Japanese for “sexy.” In anime and manga, it describes adult storylines and animation.
Old Town
According to the Sin City graphic novel series by Frank Miller and the movies it inspired, Old Town is a sleazy section of Basin City. Full of bars and prostitution, the cops in town have a deal with The Girls of Old Town: They steer clear, and the Girls deal their own brand of justice if anyone steps out of line. Everyone knows that the Girls of Old Town can be your greatest fantasy or your worst nightmare. It all depends on how you treat them.
Old Witch, The
1. In the Dragon Ball series, a character who fused with Elder Kai, an action which caused much of his physical abilities to disappear, although he did gain several magical abilities in their place, the foremost of which was the ability to release a person’s hidden power.
2. In graphic novels, the “hostess” of The Haunt of Fear series, as well as a presenter of tales in Crime SuspenStories, Tales from the Crypt and The Vault of Horror.
Oldboy (film)
An advertising executive is kidnapped and held hostage for 20 years in solitary confinement. When he is inexplicably released, he embarks on an obsessive mission to discover who orchestrated his punishment. Based on the 1996-98 Oldboy (manga) series, the 2013 film was directed by Spike Lee.
Oldboy (manga)
Manga title character who for ten years had been confined in a private prison without knowing why. His only contact with the outside world was a television set and the voices of the other prisoners. In time, he transformed himself into something hard and lethal. One day, without warning or explanation, he is sedated, stuffed inside a trunk and dumped in a park. When he awakes, he is free to reclaim what’s left of his life, and seek out his revenge. The illustrated series inspired Oldboy (film).
OMAC Project, The
According to DC Comics, sometime in the not-so-distant future, an alien named Professor Z discovers a mathematical equation that can predict futuristic events with a 98% degree of accuracy. Z predicts that Earth will face a “Great Disaster” and human civilization will end. This causes Z so much distress that he becomes mentally unbalanced. Seeking a way to avert this disaster, his fellow aliens create The Global Peace Agency (GPA) and disguise themselves by appearing to have no facial features whatsoever. The citizens of Earth believe they are highly placed individuals within the world’s governments who did not want to create a national bias, nor carry weapons that would instill fear and anger that would cause The Great Disaster. There are, however, times in which violence is needed. The GPA names Dr. Myron Forest to head the OMAC project. He creates Brother Eye, an extremely advanced computer housed in an orbiting satellite. Brother Eye uses electronic surgery to perform a computer hormone operation on a civilian named Buddy Blank by means of meta-human biotechnology. Blank is transformed via technologically-driven biogenetical upgrades that became the leader of the GPA into the One Man Army Corps, or OMAC, to battle the international criminals that the GPA cannot deal with. Dr. Forest is murdered and his secret dies with him. Buddy has a child and later a grandchild that he will call Kamandi, after the Command D bunker in New York. The Great Disaster occurs on Earth-51, though the initial Crisis on Infinite Earths stop it from occurring.
After the Infinite Crisis, the remains of Brother Eye are collected and stored in a bunker at Northern American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). Brother Eye’s programming is split between a hard drive in the bunker (which contains the majority of its core programming) and a backup satellite orbiting the Earth. Brother Eye awakens, but its programming has been corrupted. It believes that all humans, metahuman or not, are to be exterminated. It has also manifested a form of multiple personality disorder: at least two “voices” are heard in its internal conversations.
One OMAC sleeper agent, Michael Costner, is held back by the artificial intelligence (A.I.) as the last potentially active cyborg, in case the A.I. gets into a desperate situation. It activates him, saving him from a police round-up. Retaining strong aspects of his personality, along the way Michael fights off heroes such as Firestorm and Cyborg.
Brother Eye rebuilds itself out of space debris. It reasons that Michael’s resistance can be dampened by heroin in his blood system, and it becomes dormant until such a situation appears. The A.I. also plans to remake Vienna Barstow, Michael’s lover, into a more obedient OMAC after he unintentionally infects her with OMAC nanotechnology. Batman detects its activities in space and sends Superman to investigate, but Brother Eye traps Superman in a kryptonite-laced chamber. Brother Eye reveals to Michael that it is planning to end humanity by smashing the moon and the Earth against each other. Michael manages to free Superman, but it is Barstow who destroys the satellite, sacrificing herself and her unborn child by destroying the nuclear furnace powering it.
Buddy Blank’s belt is a receiver for the Brother Eye satellite to control and transform him into an OMAC. In his OMAC form, he has superhuman strength, partial invulnerability, super speed, flight, energy projection, and self-repair, all of which are controlled by increasing and decreasing the density of the biotechnology inside Blank. Buddy Blank also appeared on Batman Brave and the Bold, in which Equinox made him and Shrapnel fight to the death.
OMAC was announced as one of the 52 new #1 titles that would be released in September 2011 as part of DC Comic’s relaunch of their entire line. Issue #1, written by Keith Giffen and Dan Didio, was released on September 7.
Omake
A popular term on many fan art and anime sites, it is a Japanese word meaning “bonus” or “extra.” It basically encompasses any material on the site that does not fit into any of the available categories on the sites such as downloads, photos, rants or links.
“Once More With Feeling”
Written and directed by series creator Joss Whedon, this musical extravaganza episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which originally aired November 6, 2001, centered around a demon who compelled Buffy, her friends, and the entire town of Sunnydale to sing their hearts out … as they reveal their most guarded secrets to one another! The popular episode spawned a CD soundtrack.
Once Upon A Time
This popular 2011-18 television series borrowed elements and characters from popular Western literature, folklore and fairy tales, as well as Walt Disney films. Created by Lost and Tron: Legacy writers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz for the ABC network, the series premiered on October 23, 2011. The storyline ran in two parallel worlds: our modern world, and the land of fairy tales. In the premiere episode, the Evil Queen casts a dark curse obtained from Rumpelstiltskin over the land, robbing every citizen of their original memories. The characters emerge in the seaside town of Storybrooke, Maine with new identities and no idea who they really are. Enter Emma Swan, a 28-year-old bail bondsperson. A 10-year-old boy named Henry, who turns out to be the son she gave up, shows up at her door and asks her to come back to Storybrooke with him to help break the curse. The popular series, the episodes of which usually include segments that detail both the characters’ fairytale past lives and their lives in the present day, featured some seasons with specific themes (Neverland, Wonderland, Oz, Frozen, etc.), and stars Jennifer Morrison, Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Dallas, Lana Parrilla and Robert Carlyle.
One Piece
Gol D. Roger, known as the Pirate King, was the strongest and most infamous being to have sailed the Grand Line, and his capture and death by the World Government triggered a change throughout the world. His last words revealed the location of the greatest treasure in the world, One Piece. It was this revelation that brought about the Grand Age of Pirates, and men chased and dreamed of finding One Piece (which promises an unlimited amount of riches and fame), and quite possibly the most coveted of titles for the person who found it: The Pirate King. Enter Monkey D. Luffy, a 17-year-old boy who defies the standard definition of a pirate. Along with finding One Piece, his reason for being a pirate is one of pure wonder: the thought of an exciting adventure and meeting new and intriguing people. Following in the footsteps of his childhood hero, Luffy and his crew travel across the Grand Line, unveiling dark mysteries and battling strong enemies, all in order to reach One Piece.The manga series debuted in English on January 2, 2003 by VIZ Media.
“One Ring, The”
During the Second Age in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, the Dark Lord Sauron persuaded Celebrimbor and his people, the Elven smiths of Eregion, to forge the Rings of Power, while secretly, he forged the One Ring. It was made as the Master Ring, the One Ring which would control all the others, and dominate their bearers. Sauron allowed much of his will and power to go into it. Thus, he was at his most powerful when wearing the Ring; however, it also caused his power to weaken considerably if he was not in possession of it. Although it appeared to be made of simple gold, the Ring was virtually impervious to damage, and could only be destroyed in the very fires where it had originated. With the Ring, he controlled the Nine Rings that were given to nine mortal Men, who were corrupted and turned into the Nazgûl, his chief servants.
Inscribed in the Black Speech of Mordor, the translation is as follows:
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.
Being endowed with Sauron’s will, the Ring was completely evil, and even when separated from him, it had somehow a will of its own, ultimately serving its master. Over the millennia, Isildur, Gollum (Smeagol) and Bilbo Baggins wore – and were corrupted by a great desire for – the Ring. Bilbo left the Rng to his nephew Frodo, who would journey to Mount Doom to destroy it.
The central item in Tolkien’s epic tale, one theory is that the One Ring may have been inspired by the Ring of Silvianus and its inscribed curse. The hypothesis is based on Tolkien gaining knowledge about the Ring of Silvianus through the archaeologist Mortimer Wheeler, for whom Tolkien wrote the text “The Name ‘Nodens.’” However, Tolkien scholars Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull have pointed out that there is no “evidence, or good reason to believe, that Tolkien was inspired by the Roman ring.”
One-Above-All
Debuting in Marvel Comics’ Eternals #13 (1977), The One-Above-All (also known as The Prime Celestial and The Celestial) commanded the massive mothership that carried the Fourth Host through space. While in the Earth’s atmosphere, the Fourth Host were confronted by the Deviants, a humanoid species created by the Celestials. When the Deviants attempted to assault the Celestial mothership, the Eternal called the Forgotten One to come to their rescue, dismantling the Deviant’s bomb. The One-Above-All was so impressed, the Forgotten One was brought aboard the mothership and rechristened “Hero.” As Hero, he was sent to warn the Eternals from interfering with the Celestials, but the Eternal’s ally Thor bested him in combat.
One-shot
In comic books and graphic novels, a story that is contained (beginning, middle and end) in one issue, which is not typically included in any series or considered to be in any ongoing characters’ canon storyline.
Online
Originally, a term meaning controlled by or connected to other computers in a network; today, the term is typically used to mean that an entity is connected to the internet.
Online mapping service
A service on specifically geared computer websites that utilize satellites and other sources to provide the user exhaustive graphical and text information in the form of maps and databases. Online mapping services can be used for tasks such as planning trips, determining geographical positions, finding landmarks and businesses, obtaining addresses and phone numbers, and plotting storm tracks. The first well-known online mapping service was MapQuest, which was launched in 1996. Since then, several other internet companies, including Google and Yahoo, have brought mapping services to the internet. In addition to interactive maps with the universal functions of zooming and re-centering, some services offer topographical maps, satellite images, weather and climate maps, demographic maps and traffic information. The most sophisticated sites work with the Global Positioning System (GPS) to provide the wireless-equipped mobile user with moment-to-moment position data, as well as street-by-street directions to help the user get from the current location to a specific destination. Google Maps and similar services have also become very popular in mash-up applications. One such mash-up, HousingMaps, is a mash-up of Google Maps and Craigslist rental ads that displays geographical information for rental properties.
Open source software
Software which contains source code (the code computer programmers manipulate to change how a program or application works) that is available for modification or enhancement by anyone. Programmers can improve that program by adding features to it or fixing parts that aren’t working correctly.
Operating System (OS)
A program that manages all other programs (called applications) in a computer. The operating system determines which applications should run in what order and how much time should be allowed for each application, manages the sharing of internal memory among applications, handles input and output to and from attached hardware devices, such as hard disks, printers, and dial-up ports. Linux, Windows, VMS, OS/400, AIX, and z/OS are all examples of operating systems.
Oppenheimer, J. Robert
“Father of the Atomic Bomb” Julius Robert Oppenheimer was born on April 22, 1904 in New York City. After graduating from Harvard University, Oppenheimer sailed to England and enrolled at the University of Cambridge, where he began his atomic research at the Cavendish Laboratory in 1925. A year later, he teamed with Max Born at Göttingen University, where he met a host of prominent physicists, including Niels Bohr. He received his doctorate at Göttingen while developing what became known as the “Born-Oppenheimer method,” an important contribution to quantum molecular theory.
Oppenheimer became politically active in the 1930s, agreeing with Albert Einstein and Leo Szilard that the Nazis had the capability to develop a nuclear weapon. Following the Nazis’ 1939 invasion of Poland, Oppenheimer was selected to manage the “Manhattan Project,” a U.S. Army experiment aimed at harnessing atomic energy for military purposes. He led the scientific end of the Manhattan Project in Los Alamos, New Mexico beginning in 1942. The project was populated by many scientists who had escaped fascist regimes in Europe, and their mission was to explore a newly documented fission process involving uranium-235. 1945 saw the first test of an atomic bomb, and with its success, two more bombs were deployed in the following month: one in Nagasaki, Japan, and the other in Hiroshima. These actions essentially ended WWII.
After seeing the bomb’s devastation, however, Oppenheimer argued against its further development, and he resigned from his post that same year. Oppenheimer went on to become chairman of the General Advisory Committee of the Atomic Energy Commission, which, in October 1949, opposed the development of the hydrogen bomb. This shocking opposition led to accusations that Oppenheimer was a Communist supporter, and in 1953, he was suspended from secret nuclear research and stripped of his security clearance by the Atomic Energy Commission. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy announced Oppenheimer would receive the Enrico Fermi Award. After Kennedy’s assassination, President Lyndon B. Johnson presented the award to him in December of that year. Oppenheimer continued to support international control of atomic energy in his later years. He died of throat cancer on February 18, 1967 in Princeton, New Jersey.
Optical media
Discs that are read by a laser, including compact discs (CDs), digital video discs (DVDs), and all the variations of the two formats: CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs (featuring read-only memory), CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD+R, Blu-ray and many others. Optical media typically does not have seek time (the time it takes to access information on different parts of the disk) that is as fast as hard drives, but it has many other advantages. Because optical discs are not based on magnetic charges like hard drives are, the discs have a longer shelf life (around seven times longer than magnetic media) and are less likely to lose their data. The discs are also more durable than hard drives, and are much cheaper to produce, making them ideal for backups and for transferring small amounts of data between different computers.
Optimus Prime
Leader of the Autobots, a faction of heroic robots from the planet Cybertron who wage their battles to destroy the evil Decepticons in the Transformers series of animated shows and live-action films. Seeking control of their homeworld, and by extension peace in the universe, the kind and compassionate Optimus puts all his talent to use to improve the world around him, and has dedicated himself to the protection of all life, particularly the inhabitants of Earth. As all Transformers have to ability to reconfigure themselves into motorized vehicles, Optimus can transform into a cab-over flat-nose truck. Armed with a laser rifle and the mystic talisman known as the Autobot Matrix of Leadership (or Creation Matrix) within his chest, Optimus’s other features have at one time or another (depending on the source) included short-range optic blasts, holographic map projections, and deployable hydro-foils which allow Optimus and the other Autobots to traverse bodies of water with ease. One of Optimus’s most notable characteristics in any form was his adamant commitment to leadership by example, and avoidance of any hypocrisy in his command, but beyond this, the animated series presented Optimus Prime as a straightforward, wise and essentially upbeat battlefield general. The Marvel Comics series, on the other hand, in addition to these more obvious characteristics, suggested an Optimus secretly plagued by self-doubt and, more importantly, a conflicted sense of pacifism that often made him an extremely reluctant warrior, and it was occasionally implied that the conflict with the Decepticons lasted as long as it did primarily due to his unwillingness to take a more aggressive stance.
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