Predictions 2006

That Day After the abject failure of last year's predictions I jokingly threw in some predictions which I thought could not possibly be incorrect. Let's see how we did shall we?

It's going to be a good year for big and small screen science fiction epics.

You can download a demonstration of how right I was right here. It's an mp3 of the closing theme to Doctor Who, as it appeared on Christmas Day without the maniac continuity announcer. Thousands of words have been written (partly by me) and hundreds of hours spoken in the subject of this, but that theme explains the differing attitude to that drama. For years the theme was recorded in an office tucked away somewhere on a synthesiser. Here is it being played by a full orchestra with the brass section belting out the welcome return of the middle eighth.

Elsewhere on television, Battlestar Galactica was startlingly amazing, and Star Trek: Enterprise was surprising yet disappointing in equal measures the franchise fell into decline. I hear that Tom Hanks is interested in a revival. Good luck.

I also knew that Serenity was imminent. What I wasn't prepared for was (a) what a great film this was and (b) how closely it grazed the atmosphere of the mainstreat before bouncing off into space. It won the Film 2005 poll, something which was put down to a fan block vote (well yes), then, since neither of the guests had seen it, they talked about Star Wars instead.

Which is what I'm bound to do. What a disappointment. Oh the space battles were very good and some of the dialogue. But on a fundamental level it was a failure which can be summed up with the first words from Darth Vader's grill: "How's Padme?" and "Nooooooooooo......." Any writer/director who throught that millions of fans had waited thirty years to find that out really does need to make a few small films like he's promised.

Globally things are going to get worse before they get better.

I could make a list but instead I'll link to the BBC's review of the unusual and bizarre.

A well known celebrity will get divorced in a very public way.

Brad Pitt & Jennifer Aniston. And the rest ...

People will learn more about themselves.

Well have we. I mean really? I don't know that I have. I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that actually people don't fundamentally change from one year to the next. The props will change, where they are and what they're doing but the attitude isn't going to.

My life is going to change in a big way.

Resigned my job. Went to university. Which is fairly big. As to everything else? I'd look at the last prediction.

I'd give myself three and a half. Which is better than last year. I think this time I'm going to be wildly specific. So...

Something shockingly surprising happens in Doctor Who which no one saw coming.

The US goes to war with another country without any international support, particularly the UK.

A cheap usable text equivalent of the ipod will be released and will be wifi compatible giving access to the internet and texts, wherever whenever.

The ban on smoking in public places will tip the habit into terminal, steady decline.

My life is going to change in a big way.

I think it's going to be another one of those years.