Index

An index is an indirect shortcut derived from and pointing into a greater volume of values, data, information or knowledge. Index may refer to:

Business

Publishing

Halo (megastructure)

Halo rings are fictional megastructures and superweapons in the Halo video game series, giving its name. They are referred to as "Installations" by their AI monitors, and are collectively referred to as "the Array" by the installations' creators, the Forerunners. The series' alien antagonists, the Covenant, refer to the structures as the "Sacred Rings", believing them to form part of a greater religious prophecy known as "The Great Journey". According to Halo's fiction, the Forerunners built the rings to contain and study the Flood, an infectious alien parasite. The rings act together as a weapon of last resort; when fired, the rings kill any sentient life capable of falling prey to the Flood, starving the parasite of its food. The installations are at the crux of the plot progression for the Halo series.

The Halos are massive ringworlds, which feature their own wildlife and weather. The constructs resemble Larry Niven's Ringworld concept in shape and design. The structure that Halo: Combat Evolved takes place on was initially to be a hollowed-out planet, but was changed to its ring design later in development; a staff member provided "Halo" as the name for both the ring and the video game after names such as Red Shift were suggested.

The Index (band)

The Index were an American garage rock and psychedelic band from Grosse Point, Michigan who were active form 1966-1969 and are known for a sound characterized by droning guitars, as heard on their two albums, both released in 1968. Though they remained largely unknown for a number of years, since the 1980s they have come to the attention of garage rock collectors and fans.

History

The Index were formed in Grosse Point Michigan in 1966 as a three-member band called Chicken Every Sunday, when lead guitarist John B. Ford along with rhythm guitarist and bassist Gary Francis decided to start a band and asked drummer Jim Valice to join. All of the members had previously played in other local garage bands. The band would often play at parties and small venues. One day after rehearsal they decided to change their name, but unable to come up with an apt moniker, guitarist Ford, recommended that they drop a book on the floor and choose whatever word came up at first, so he proceeded to do so, and the band changed their name to the Index. Upon hearing the first album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1967, they incorporated some of its sonic influences into their often highly reverbed sound, which has sometimes been characterized as "mournful" and "droning," with certain songs' melodies based around modes, imbuing their music with what rock critic, Richie Unterberger, has described as a "surfing on the moon feel."