The Ubiquitous Medium of The Aether is a gargantuan, safe nation, remarkable for its state-planned economy, compulsory military service, and punitive income tax rates. The hard-nosed, hard-working population of 45.242 billion Aetherians have some civil rights, but not too many, enjoy the freedom to spend their money however they like, to a point, and take part in free and open elections, although not too often.

The enormous government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Spirituality, and Defense. The average income tax rate is 64.2%.

The strong Aetherian economy, worth a remarkable 1,731 trillion voids a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is quite specialized, is led by the Basket Weaving industry, with major contributions from Woodchip Exports, Gambling, and Information Technology. Average income is 38,270 voids, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 4.5 times as much as the poorest.

The Navy has outraged the international community by sinking a boatload of refugees to prevent them reaching the shore and the nation has an international reputation for compassion. Crime, especially youth-related, is almost non-existent, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. The Aether's national animal is the aether bunny, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

The Aether is ranked 193,666^th in the world and 4^th in Bad Science for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring 44.16 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.