Bob, the word you're searching for is 'Interregnum'

Robert X. Cringely, in his last PBS column:

The world is unsettled. It's not just this damned financial nightmare we have to deal with but also a sense of between-ness, like something has just ended yet still lingers slightly though it is obvious that something new is about to arrive. But will it be a good something new? That's hard to tell.

In past eras we used to have interregnums between the reigns of kings. These days, we see them in the pauses between empires, hegemonies, and technology-driven waves of infrastructure. We're there.



I'll try to get some thoughts posted on waves of technology and deflation over the Christmas holiday. It won't be fun, but it may be interesting.