The technology industry, like our galaxy is a vast space. While it has yielded incredible and vibrant discoveries in the past 20-30 years of exploration, there are still many, many things we don’t know about this incredible place. We have made incredible strides since the birth of the internet age, some achievements being nearly as incredible as putting men on the moon. So what would today's technological landscape look like if it was applied to our vast and wondrous galaxy? Well, put on your space suit, strap in, and enjoy the ride...
As the gravitational pull from liftoff throws you into the very depths of your seat, and the world you once knew fades away at millions of miles an hour the first thing you notice is darkness. As the ship begins to settle and slow for the journey the weight that was on your chest during the entire liftoff begins to lift. What was only five minutes or so felt like an eternity and as your breathe comes back you begin to become more aware of the fact you are floating in space and begin to examine your surroundings. When you look outside, the craft the first thing that catches your eyes is the millions of tiny stars dotting the never-ending black landscape like grains of sand on a warm ocean beach. These stars represent the millions and millions of ideas, thoughts, designs, inventions, and entrepreneurial ventures that comprise the technology industry. You only hear of the big companies, the incredible ground breaking ideas but many people forget all those little tiny dots are up in the sky and are a critical part of the landscape of the galaxy, just as all those ideas and innovations are a critical part of the technological galaxy as well.
A star, much like an idea in this industry, is full of potential when it is born. The possibilities for it during its lifetime are numerous. However, both tend to have a pre-determined lifespan. Many stars are born, some hang around for a while, some even shine pretty bright in the sky but in the end all these tiny little stars die. Some without ever being seen by the billions of eyes below. Ideas in the technology field are very similar. We have all heard of the Apple’s, Microsoft’s, and IBM’s of the industry and we celebrate their birth and continued success. However, there are hundreds if not thousands (maybe even millions) of ideas and platforms that have been birthed since the creation of our technological galaxy…many of them dying before ever reaching the ever hungry eyes that watch the sky by night.
The number of stars is overwhelming at first, but as the voyage continues on you begin to become comfortable with the millions of lights surrounding you. Before long a large mass begins to take shape in the distance growing in size as you move closer. At first it’s a dark mass, with little discernible detail from this distance. As the craft powers closer you begin to notice small details on the planet. Large bodies of water, masses of land, an atmosphere. The closer you get the more vibrant these details become. Incredulously you can see massive structures visible from space that were clearly not crafted by any natural force.
Dumbfounded you begin to takes pictures and make observations of this seemingly earth-like planet. It’s massive, far bigger than the planet you just left. The closer you get the more you are able to establish without a doubt that this planet is inhabited, and inhabited by intelligent life. The discernible structures are enormous, cutting out against the land but smooth in design. The landscape has been shaped and not only the planet itself but the various crafted shapes and structures that dot the landscape are a thing of beauty to those lucky enough to witness it. You notice that light on the surface, even specks of movement. A thriving and vibrant population! The questions begin to pile up in your mind faster than any possible super-computer could even begin to keep up with. This planet that you have discovered is Apporungine (Apple). A planet of seemingly highly intelligent life that has far surpassed even our greatest achievement, opening up hundreds of questions, thoughts, and ideas of the future.
Outside the atmosphere of Apporungine, the craft briefly stops its voyage. You sense you are on the verge of incredible discoveries and send a scan out millions of miles in all directions. Perhaps thinking you have discovered a planetary series similar to our own. Before long your hypothesis is proven correct! The galaxy scans show nearly a dozen other planet sized masses. Enraptured by earth-shattering discovery of Apporungine but spurred on by your mission of exploration (and limited fuel stores), you direct the ship onwards to observe and explore the other planetary shapes.
After some time, another planetary mass comes in view on the horizon. Still beaming from the first discovery, your mind begins to fantasize as to what unimaginable treasures lies in the not so great beyond. You immediately notice this planet is bigger than the last, and your already racing mind goes into overdrive. However, as you get close enough to this enormous planet to begin noticing details on the surface, your heart begins to drop. Unlike the striking beauty of Apporungine, this planet was barren by comparison. It bore some similar features to Apporungine, fairly large bodies of water and land masses. There were even signs that at some point this planet had supported life. However, unlike the beautiful structures on the surface of Apporungine, the structures that were noticeable here were crude and looked misplaced on the surface of the massive planet. Welcome to Microshia. After some preliminary scans of the surface, you are able to determine that the planet itself is older than Apporungine, and perhaps at one point had been more advanced, but due to some event, circumstance, or unknown combination of the two, no longer was home to a population of cutting edge intelligence. Those days seemed to be a thing of the past for Microshia.
Perhaps these inter-planetary populations had been able to make contact with one another? Had the population of Apporungine surpassed that of Microshia? Without years of study it would be impossible to know for certain beyond speculation.
And so we move on to the next planet, with far more questions than concrete answers. The third planet in this system Goreaker seemed to have a history similar to that of Microshia. A large planet, even larger than Microshia, but lacking the sophistication of the first planet discovered in the system. A population that had perhaps once been advanced for its time but had clearly been surpassed by the advanced race on Apporungine.
If the expectation that the next set of planets would be anything close to the standard Apporungine had set from the start, then that expectation would have been filled with more hot air than a hot air balloon. In fact, the next three planets were much like the previous two. Soneuye, Hawlethian Pathway and The Hectorian Transit Cluster bore a similarity closer to that of Microshia and Goreaker. Ranging in large to medium size these planets looked as if they had once held thriving intelligent populations but all had been dwarfed by the advancement and sophistication of the people of the planet Apporungine. The more of the Technosian Galaxy that was explored the more it became clear that these planets and their populations had at some point communicated with each other. It also became clear with every new planet explored that while there was a complex communication between planets, and for an unknown reason, Apporungine was the superior planet and perhaps even the center of the Technosian Galaxy.
By the time the exploration voyage had reached the last four planets in the Technosian galaxy, any hope of finding another planet with intelligent life comparable to that of Apporungine was all but extinguished. The last four planets were all but barrens wastelands. A few of them showed signs of life, but if they had at one point housed thriving intelligent populations nearly all evidence of this had vanished. Lenus, Asuttine, Deloria & Huawen we all but barren wastelands.
With all the planets of the Technosian Galaxy explored, a few speculative observations could be made.
- Apporungine was clearly the most advanced race of people in the Technosian Galaxy. It is safe to assume Apporungine is the center of the Galaxy due to the clear superiority of its people.
- Microshia & Goreaker did at one point have sophisticated populations but have been surpassed significantly by Apporungine
- The remaining planets in system are lagging significantly behind the first three planets, especially Apporungine. Whether or not they will ever make up that gap remains to be seen.
Apporungine is clearly the gem of the Technosian Galaxy and hosts a far superior and sophisticated race of intelligent life. The different races of the various planets clearly communicate or have communicated in the past. Whether or not they maintain current communication remains to be seen. One thing is for sure, it would take quick an incredible feat to catch up to it.
