No matter how closely we look, 2019 and 2020 may turn out to have been two of the strangest years in memory, the former for all of the weird things that happened, the latter for those that did not. This fall, in place of the usual listicles of predictions from pundits (and what a horrid term that really is!) far and wide for the coming year’s exciting innovations and events, we get articles from Bloomberg experts referring to books on why predicting is just so, well, hard.
Another article on 2020 makes the point that all the trends are ending, so, well, that guy’s cupboard was bare, too.
But perhaps my favorite came from the No. 2 fellow at the CES show, running this week in Las Vegas, whose idea of the future is “5G, Streaming Media, and the Home Network.” If this were 2015, he would be so right.
My suspicion is that those having so much trouble seeing forward are unaware of the deep connections between innovations, their pace and quality, and the national business models that drive them. But since this is our bread and butter, we have plenty on our plate.
This year, as last, we are offering up predictions at the annual event hosted by the Technology Alliance Group (TAG), in Bellingham, which will be happening on Friday, January 10, from 11:30 to 1:30. We’ll be releasing this version of the Global Report a few minutes afterward.
For those interested in my longer comments on the general economic and technological landscapes in 2020, as well as a half-hour interview on Pattern Computer Inc. and its latest achievements and discoveries, I’d recommend staying tuned to next week, when we will post a URL for that video.
Here, meanwhile, are my Top Ten predictions for 2020, followed by a graded refresher in the “Takeout Window” on last year’s calls.
