Good Bye 2004, Hello 2005

Welcome to 2005, the beginning of individual media control (production, distribution, and reception control). After soaking in the 2005 technology zeitgeist for the past couple weeks, I’d like to present my top 5 predictions for how our work and media lives with change this year.

  1. Good Bye Desk, Hello Starbucks
    You already have a mobile phone, a webmail account, and an instant messaging account. The chances of you replacing your 5 year old desktop computer with a laptop and wireless card is 99%. All the tools you need to work are mobile now. Feel more productive on your couch at home? work from there. Feel more comfortable at the coffee shop on the corner? Perfect, besides, meetings are far more enjoyable there.

    Need a place quieter than either the office or the Starbucks yet still away from home? Look for more places like Emeryville’s Gate 3 Work Group popping up in your neighborhood.

    This flexibility is a huge cost savings for businesses also. One organization I know of has been so successful, it is working on a way to help other companies apply what it learned.

  2. Good Bye Radio, Hello Podcasting
    We’ve talked about the worthlessness of the AM/FM dial and the promise of satellite radio. There are two major issues with the AM/FM dial
    1. It has a limited range.
    2. The programming isn’t interesting or explorative.

    Satellite is aiming to solve both those problems – if you buy a new radio for your home, car, and daily walks and pay a monthly subscription fee. Podcasting solves the same problems without an additional expense. Over the coming year, I predict public radio embracing podcasting with both arms.

  3. Good Bye Reality TV, Hello Video Blogging
    Baffling premises, contrived situations, and questionable outcomes are all signs that the show format pioneered by MTV has jumped the shark. Still need your voyeurism? Riding on the same technology as podcasting, video blogging will bring the everyday lives of everyday people to a Quicktime viewer near you.
  4. Good Bye TV Guide, Hello BitTorrent
    Where’s the value of a TV schedule in a world where everything is always available? None. Though the TiVo is recording, you still need to be in front of it. The BitTorrent protocol transfers the large files like vlogs, podcasts, and other video faster and with less bandwidth than direct downloads. As an added bonus, each download becomes another source, continually archiving and accelerating the most popular files. Jon Stewart started it, more video will follow.
  5. Good Bye Web Designer, Hello News Reader
    Years ago, I saw phones and PDAs accessing web-based information. I took that as a sign I needed to move from website visual design to interaction design and information architecture. With RSS, you can get the latest updates of any website automatically, without having to open your web browser. It’s like email, but without the threat of spam clogging things up. The RSS file is only text; no fancy layouts, bad graphics, or Flash to load. Just the important stuff.

    Some RSS newsreaders like NetNewsWire offer visual themes, so you can style all your favorite websites the same. Some sites are even preferring visitors access their feeds. Check out the last 100 podcasts. It has a very primitive visual presentation, with orange ‘XML’ buttons (links to RSS feeds) as the most prominent visual element.