The Progression Switch

by Brian Krogstad, Damien Darby, Mark Fischer (Editor)

Throughout the history of life on this planet there have only been a handful of brief evolutionary moments when creation radiantly bursts ahead, expressing itself in unique forms and sometimes complementing those already struggling to survive and dominate. Humanity has been given a handful of powerful blessings by Mother Nature since we stood up and began to branch out into undiscovered territory. From opposable thumbs to abstract thought and enhanced central nervous systems capable of comprehending the potential future and recalling the distant past, bestowed upon the human animal are the attributes of gods.Seeding our numbers throughout Africa, Europe, and Asia, over the Bearing Straight and onto every available landmass, we broadened our horizons and multiplied.So did our technology, especially in the last hundred years or so. The species, riding on the back of innovative ways to harness energy and produce petrol-food, ballooned from less than one billion in number to more than seven.In the contemporary era, and just as the progression switch was flipped, we stood upon the precipice of true artificial intelligence, the verge of sending off a self-sustaining greenhouse to Mars, and finally starting to discover some of the universe's most coveted secrets.We were about to initiate mining asteroids, genetically engineer our food supply, and get to distant planets with big solar blankets that collect protons from starlight. Robotics, augmented reality, and smart technology were taking over the role of living and working from mortals.No one saw it coming, though - perhaps not even the cosmos itself. Fate mistakenly thought he was bluffing. Life's plan to reach out from Earth and evolve on distant destinations was immediately halted without warning by one suicidal factory worker from the heart of China.In the end it wasn't a doomsday comet, our planet wasn't invaded by an advanced civilization, nuclear war didn't break out, and we didn't go back to the Stone Age because of a really nasty bug. Nope, it was a lonely Chinese genius named Báo. Well, that's how history records his name, anyway. The character stands for retribution, but the word doesn't come draped in negativity like it would in English.Instead, as defined in the Chinese language, it's neutral and refers to the natural consequences of one's actions. To understand, just tie in the idea of karma, or the Yin and Yang theory, and avoid preconceived judgments of good/bad and right/wrong.  One of our own threw the switch, and maybe, just maybe, it was that decision that ended up saving us.The global reaction wasn't as savory as some of our more romantic historians like to claim. While the brunt of modern civilization was still in shock, the machine halted and even the angels held their breath.What would we do next?Imagine an electromagnetic pulse going off

87 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 6, 2013

About the author

Brian Krogstad has had a successful and prolific career as a business development consultant, social media adviser, marketing consultant, and sales expert. Since early 2010, Krogstad has personally advised Criss Angel, the world famous celebrity magician, on aspects of business development, Internet broadcasting, social media, and creative marketing. Throughout his career, he has served as a consultant to various celebrities, publishers, producers, as well as multiple Fortune 500 companies.

Krogstad is bilingual, fluently speaking both English and Spanish. In the past he has lived abroad and worked professionally in Mexico. Krogstad continues to travel to Spain, Puerto Rico, Las Vegas, New York, and Hawaii multiple times throughout the year as a business consultant. He currently lives in California.

Traveling to various countries and discovering new cultures has inspired Krogstad’s unique and creative writing style. Essentially living on airplanes and in hotel rooms, he has ample time to research, author, and develop books and articles of his own to be released to the public upon completion.

Krogstad is putting his final touches on his recently released Dark Application Series, a mobile-technology themed series of science fiction, technothriller books. The first book in the series, The Dark Application: ONE, was released in December of 2012 and is currently being converted into a screenplay.