The one sure thing is that change will come.  Like?
Q1 2012 by David Kolssak

There is an old adage that says, “the only thing certain in life is death and taxes.”  The origin of this phrase may be rooted in the beginnings of this country by a man named Benjamin Franklin.  Everyone knows that story of Ben’s famous kite.  Although he made important discoveries and advancements, he did not “invent” electricity.  He did, however, invent the lightning rod which protects buildings and ships to this day.  Moreover, Mr. Franklin was responsible for the Franklin Stove.  Ben was able to see a need and fulfill it.  He saw that people struggled to keep a fire burning through the night and saw how many perished being careless.  By designing the Franklin Stove, he created a more efficient way to keep people safe and warm - a furnace. 

People say that necessity is the mother of invention and it is true to this day.  The trick is to find what people need and find ways to fulfill it. 

This year the world lost a man who could see what people wanted (not necessarily needed) and fulfilled it.  Steve Jobs, who was best known for his days at Apple Computer, lost his battle with pancreatic cancer in October of 2011.  Although I had never met him, I had marveled at his curiosity, perspective and ability to make technology human and full of wonder. 

For those people who know me, I am certainly no ‘apple guy’.  I prefer a PC to a Mac, and a Droid to an iPhone.  However, no one can dispute that Mr. Jobs (and his company) have left an indelible impact on the world as we all know it (my family has 2 iTouches an iPad and an iPad2).  After all, Mr. Jobs gave us the Apple computer with subsequent versions of Annie and Lisa (can you say Oregon Trail?).  He also gave us the iconic Macintosh computer, Pixar animation studios, iTunes, iPods, iPhones and iPads. 

Apple products were integrated into our lives and the subconscious of America like a thief in the night.  We simply NEEDED the products that Mr. Jobs created and followed the trend to purchase them.  We assimilated the products into the life we know today- one where children pick up an iPad and simply know what to do with it.  One that compels people to create applications to solve problems or simply entertain.  And one that creates new ways to do things, like read, write, learn, view or interact.  Thank you Mr. Jobs.

For those of us who are less inventive than Steve Jobs, we are left to speculate on what will be the new trends in 2012.  I will humbly make some predictions...

One thing is for sure; social media is here to stay.  I am not sure if anyone really knows how to use it in a sustainable fashion but I would bet that there will be companies who will emerge to help all of us figure out how to use it better.  I would also suspect that social media (specifically Facebook and Twitter) will play a major role in the Presidential election in the fall.  Good organizing tools for these social media sites will emerge to help companies corral audiences and deliver content that is meaningful and compelling. 

Apps will become more commonplace and people will begin to embrace the idea that everyone needs one to compete in the marketplace.

The cloud will continue to be heralded as a haven for computing and the general public will continue to scratch their heads.

Real time media will reign.  The delivery of content directly to us right where we are will change entertainment as we know it.  There is a real shift underway from television to streaming and downloadable content.  News and media will meet us right where we are- in a car, in a plane, on a bus, in our homes.  Bandwidth availability will allow us to see and hear what we want where and when we want it.  It will be interesting to see which media companies emerge and survive. 

Although I am not sure that I am ready for all of this change, I can tell you that there is no stopping it.  So Cheers to 2012 and all that it can bring.  I am hopeful for many things this year but mostly for each one of us to remain human – to laugh, to love, to engage, to embrace, to challenge, to think and to be real.

Technology has a tendency to make each of us more isolated as we email, text and interact via one way communication.  As this trend continues, it is difficult to ignore the fact that human interactions become more important.  The firm handshake, the look in the eye and the non-verbal queues will always remain important parts of our society.  It is those technologies who are mindful of our humanity that will become part of our everyday lives.