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Your e-mails: "What's Next" for 2006
(CNN) -- In addition to Time magazine's coverage of "What's Next?" CNN.com asked readers what they thought would be next for 2006. Here is a selection of those responses, some of which have been edited The video iPod seems like a really cool thing to have. I think this would be a very great thing for the deaf community as well. I wonder if options such as closed captioning or subtitles would be included in the iPod when watching things such as television shows? I think the word/sound translator will be the most unique instant translator. It will help international commerce and speed up trade! It will also help the political and racial relations of Mexico and the United States by showing how migrant workers contribute to America's economic well-being. While there will not be a dramatic reduction in structural and vehicle fires, innovations in burn victim protection will grow in the areas of fire/burn protective blankets, children's bedding and nightwear, kitchen grease fire extinguishing blankets, etc. New fabrics will make everything that came before them obsolete. This is not just a prediction; it is based on current developments not widely known to industry or the public. I think that the new "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie will be huge in 2006! My forecast for 2006 is that women's professional sports will gain popularity. I think Microsoft's Windows Vista operating system will be unsuccessful in contrast to Windows XP, Windows 2000 and maybe even Mac OSX. I also predict that in about five to seven years, Linux will grown and win a good portion of Microsoft's market share. Microsoft's market share will undoubtedly decrease by the end of 2006. Africa will see the beginning point of its redemption. How will this happen? Young Africans will push themselves to abandon the invisible borders between African countries. Such an empowerment of change will trigger a collective vision to build roads, schools, hospitals and trade networks around one currency. The next generation of politicians, philanthropists, and public servants will bring a new wave of young Indians. First generation, American-born Indian men and woman are coming out of the shadows of their parents' strict Indian values, and growing up smart and experienced in leadership and service. You will see more of them in areas where Indians reside, but also representing their fellow citizens, despite color or culture. The country can go in one of two directions: fear and xenophobia, which will make it harder for diversity in leadership, or openness and a willingness to get better and be more worldly and diverse. Watch out for the young Indian leaders in politics! I vision a new high-speed rail transportation base. This new train base will eliminate steel rails that split length ways reducing accidents. High-tech urethane applied to the new rails or made to fit over existing steel rails and wheels. This train will be powered by a special hybrid electric/diesel engine. I would be very surprised if we did not have TCP/IP servers (e-mail, Web, etc) that are fully portable by 2006-2010. By this I mean, sub-notebook sized; even PDA-sized servers. For the first time, Internet entrepreneurs will be able to put an entire online operation inside a briefcase, handbag, or large inside pocket. That's my prediction - if this happens, things will really start to change for the small enterprise. Next will be nanorobots. These bugs will film, analyze, and repair diseased human bodies. Similar bugs will be used for espionage and legal litigation. I think that 2006 will be the year for independent rock/new rock. Bands like Death Cab For Cutie, Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party, Kaiser Chiefs, The New Pornographers, and Hot Hot Heat will explode into the music community. Keep your ears perked to radio, not the no-longer-music-oriented MTV, but MTV's affiliate MTV2, and NPR All Songs Considered. The next generations of cars will have built-in Internet based radios, navigations ability, and live traffic updates. The computer components will have a more user friendly designed for vehicles. Cirrus and XM will not be as popular in a future. This idea may not make it in 2006, but I am sure will be here by 2010. By then we will begin to see cell phones that possess digital images that project from the phone. For example, a subscriber's phone will ring, the subscriber will see the name or picture of whoever is calling and when they choose to answer that call, a digital projection of that caller's image will appear in midair. We will see a break from people talking directly into cell phones, and they will thus hold conversations with this digital image. I think 3D TV and 3D Mobile Phones aren't too far off. The movies are already gearing up for new digital films like "Chicken Little" that Disney is releasing in 3D in November, and we're already seeing smaller flat panel screens in phones and PCs deliver 3D without the goofy glasses. It appears to be only a matter of time before we can get the cinema 3D experience on our mobile phones and TVs. I can't wait! The movie series planned about polygamists in Utah is a terrible idea. Yes, we know polygamy is bad news, but it's not necessary to highlight it to the point that others ignore all the goodness of Utah residents. I think this will be a huge misrepresentation of people in Utah. 
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