Wishing all four of my blog's readers a Happy New Year in 2007.

For me, 2006 was only slightly better than 2005- i certainly had my share of slings and arrows, and there are some things I simply wish I could undo. I think they call this "life."

I could spend a lot of time and space fretting over days past, but I'd prefer to look forward into 2007, and make a few (probably wrong) predictions.

I think 2006, like '04 and '05 before, will fade into the forgotten rather quickly. IT seems to me this country is trying to heal after having a dagger of divisiveness plunged into it's heart, and the sooner we get past all that, the better off we'll collectively be.

I predict another wave of absorbtion by search companies (Yahoo and Google) of smaller niche firms (think real-estate meets Google maps). Google will further infuse itself into our daily lives as the primary information interface.

I predict wider adoption of non-POTS (Plain Old Telephone System) communication systems (think SKYPE). Telephone numbers are all but meaningless these days, with VOIP providers offering phone numbers in any area code you want, regardless of your geographical location.

I predict 2007 will be the last year of the corporate media conglomerate. Current mass media production is still tied to a (soon to be obsolete) model of monopolizing physical distribution. Digital distribution has practically eliminated the need for tangible "things" to be moved between locations, decimating companies who'd founded themselves on that model.

I predict 2007 will see hundreds of companies "outed" for spamming social networks (Digg, MySpace, etc).

I predict a significant number of small companies will abandon Microsoft's Office Bloatware in favor of web-based apps, ala Google Apps for Domains. 2007 will be the last Year of Outlook.

I predict the continued convergence of digital appliances....i.e., cell phones will play more than mp3's and YouTube videos. PVR's will outstrip DVD players in sales. High-Def televisions will fly off the shelves, but customers still won't pay the premium for HD programming. Blu-Ray and HD-DVD will continue to battle for standards supremacy, and HD-DVD will win out, but it won't matter (See: monopolization of physical distribution.) By next Christmas, HD video will be available on handheld PVR's.

2007 will see the rise of the Personal Technology Consultant - people paid to accompany others while navigating the digital world - as a solution to the overwhelming variety of devices and software. Someone's got to make it all play together....

Last, 2007 will see a lot of predictions proved wrong. Mostly, mine.