It’s that time again! My 2011 predictions were only about half right, but I hope that my predictions for 2012 are a little more accurate. Let’s gaze back into that crystal ball…
1. The World Does Not End
The human race has evolved to look for patterns, helping to explain the world around us. Sometimes, these patterns aren’t exactly accurate. We thought the world was going to end with Y2K (we’re still here!) and now we think that the world is going to end in 2012, because that’s when the Mayan Calendar abruptly ends too. Several comic strip artists have already illustrated this point, but I’m fairly certain the human existence will continue beyond 2012.
2. Barack Obama Wins 2012 Election
Some time ago, there was a poll conducted that asked how Obama would fair against various Republican candidates in the 2012 US Presidential election. The poll revealed that Obama won against any specific candidate, but lost against the generic Republican. In other words, the winner of Obama vs. Romney would be Obama; the winner of Obama vs. Cain would be Obama; the winner of Obama vs. Gingrich would be Obama; but the winner of Obama vs. Generic Republican Candidate would be Generic Republican Candidate.
Unfortunately for the GOP, they do have to pick a specific candidate to run against the current POTUS. Barack Obama may not have completely lived up to his promises of hope and change, but he should be able to overcome whatever specific Republican candidate faces off against him in the 2012 campaign.
3. Baltimore Ravens Are Super Bowl XLVI Champions
This is a tough one. The current NFL season has seen many assumptions turned on their heads with Indianapolis only having two wins (no Peyton makes a profound difference) and the 49ers having the second best record in the league. Even so, the Ravens have been reasonably consistent (they had hiccups too) and they have a solid shot at the Vince Lombardi Trophy. I say the Ravens face off against Aaron Rodgers and the defending champion Green Bay Packers, beating them in a close and hard fought game.
4. Canucks Get Stanley Cup Rematch with Bruins
Last year, I predicted that the Vancouver Canucks would win the Stanley Cup. They came up one game short of that feat, losing quite badly to the Bruins in game seven. The riots that followed didn’t make us feel any better. I’m not sure if the Canucks will win the Cup this second time around, but it looks like we could see the same Cup final pairing.
5. Canada Finishes Top 16 Total Medals at 2012 Olympics
Sticking with sports, the 2012 Summer Olympic Games are set to take place in London. Canada has usually been a better contender at the Winter Olympics, but we have been able to make some steady progress. In terms of a total medal count, Canada went from 24th to 21st to 19th place in the 2000, 2004, and 2008 Summer Olympic Games, respectively. For 2012, I predict a top 16 finish.
6. Amazon Does Not Buy Research in Motion
In the world of technology, all kinds of rumors are surrounding the eventual sale of Research in Motion. The BlackBerry maker has certainly seen brighter days, but all of those patents hold a heck of a lot of value. There have been rumblings about many potential suitors and Amazon is one of the latest. However, I don’t see Amazon going through with this deal. RIM may get sold, but not to Amazon.
7. Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita Struggle for Attention
Even though there are better games available for the Nintendo 3DS these days, it’s becoming harder and harder to justify the typical $40 price point for individual games on a portable console. Yes, Mario Kart 7 and Fruit Ninja aren’t exactly the same thing, but consumers have come to expect that their portable games cost no more than a few dollars. The PlayStation Vita was recently released in Japan and is set for North America in February. I have a feeling it will be met with a similar fate as its Nintendo competitor. They’ll get some attention from mostly diehard fans, but they won’t achieve the same kind of mass appeal as the old Game Boy or even the relatively recent Nintendo DS Lite.
8. Google+ Continues to Play Second (or Third) Fiddle
Considering that Google dominates so many aspects of our daily lives, it only made sense that its social network would have a big impact too. That hasn’t really come to be, despite all kinds of fervor among early adopters and social media evangelists. It’s not going to fade into the sunset, but it won’t be the de facto social tool that Facebook (or Twitter) has become.
9. US Dollar Breaks 1.10 Vs. Canadian Dollar
The American dollar has struggled these last few years, largely due to the struggling economy. As one of the most profound business factors outside of my control, the exchange rate between USD and the Canadian dollar is of monumental interest to me. I’m trying to be optimistic, but realistic at the same time. So, I’m predicting that the USD/CAD rate will peak at around 1.10 some time in 2012, but will settle around the 1.05 to 1.07 mark by the end of next year.
10. Seven Movies Are Nominated for Best Picture Oscar
Without getting into the details, the nomination process for the Best Picture Academy Award is changing for 2012. There will now be anywhere from five to ten nominees for this category. This prediction isn’t really based on anything aside from some early buzz, but I say seven is a good number. Some possible nominees include Hugo, The Artist, The Descendants, War Horse, and Midnight in Paris.
Do you have any fun predictions for 2012? Let’s hear them in the comment section below.
I’m willing to go along with your predictions for 2012. I think you’re going to nail them all.
Personally, I’d like to see Google + climb up above Facebook, but that’s only because I have an intense dislike for Facebook.
I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
Well, let me predict based on your predictions:
b>1. The world will not end – This one is to inflate your average Michael đ
2. President Obama wins 2012 Election – Unless he really stumbles, no one on the GOP side is worth it. Plus Speaker of the House John Bonner keeps screwing up and giving Obama a boost by screwing with the popular opinion of the American people.
3. The Saints win the SB – The Ravens do not have what it takes to get out of the AFC Championship game against the Patriots. The Packers vs the Saints will be the real SB, but it will be Pats, vs Saints.
4. Flyers beat Blackhawks to win Stanley Cup – Rematch of a few years ago. The Blackhawks retooled and took a year to gel, while the Flyers have completely retooled and their new team leadership is gelling quite fast. By the end of the season Mike Richards and Jeff Carter will be completely wiped from the Flyers memories.
5. America is in the top 3 in medals at 2012 Olympics – This is my padding for my average to offset the WAG of #4,
6. Amazon does not need RIM, moves Kindle Fire to be a complete iPad competitor – Selling at a loss and then starting to add features and make it more than a reader is going to make a great alternative to the iPad. This is just the tip of the iceberg for the Fire.
7. xBox continues to destroy the competition – Just a fact of life that xBox is here to stay and it is supported better and all the games that I have seen on it vs the others are not even comparable.
8. Google+ becomes the smart persons Facebook and surpasses it in users – G+ already has 400 million users in 18 months and will surpass Facebook in users sometime in the next two years. Facebook is for the family, it will always be that, while G+ is more technical and for the more computer or advanced user. I think it will always be that way until Google takes over the world. I never post specifically on Facebook anymore, it all goes through Foursquare or G+.
9. The US Dollar will continue to flounder against the Canadian Dollar – Mainly because the GOP and the Tea party sect of the GOP don’t understand how to compromise or how to listen to their constituents. The US economy will not rebound until sometime in late 2013.
10. The Oscars implode because they suck – The Oscars have become to self centered and out of date that who really cares what the industry thinks of its own work? Who votes for the awards? The members of the academy, which is the most stupid thing I have every heard of. It should be the people who buy the tickets that vote because it’s really all about the money isn’t it? They make the movies not for humanitarian motives, but to make a profit or to get known so that they can make money.
Well, that is my version :-)I want to add one though:
Extra Credit 11. My son Alex is born on February the 24th, 2012 – That is total guess based on Ultrasound info that he is 8 days more advanced than the OBGYN estimates of a due date of Feb 28th and our history of our children coming late. So, in my formula he is actually due on the 20th of Feb., but both current kids were a combined average 3.5 days late. I rounded up to the 24th based on all the info that I have at my fingertips.
Happy New Year.
Thanks for the comprehensive comment, Ray. Happy new year! đ
Sorry about the Oscars Suck comment. It is all a persons preference whether they like the Oscars. While my wife watches it, I don’t and haven’t for a long time because I feel that like Halloween and many of the holidays they have all become such a money making enterprise that they have little true meaning to how good a movie, actor, or director really is.
I watch a movie because I want to, not because the academy or a reviewer tells me I should. I have found that I go to the movies that reviewers tell me are no good because they are actually the enjoyable movies. I watched The Kings Speech at my in-laws house because everyone else wanted to watch it. I fell asleep because it just wasn’t a good movie to me.
Again, sorry for bashing.
“The Oscars implode because they suck”
I can’t really say whether that’s true or not (I’m not very artsy). I just find the statement funny. đ
Ah, I was waiting for this! I’ll start by responding to the first one in agreement. I took it seriously at first what with all the science shows hyping it up but in practicality, it doesn’t make sense.
For the second, I’m not sure. The general discontent against Obama is been palpabale but on the other hand, the opposition has mostly been jokes like Perry or Bachmann. Ron Paul seems like he might be a credible opposition though.
I agree Google won’t ever overtake Faceook also. The latter simply has too much of a foothold despite their constant attempts for improvement bringing out resentment in the users!
-Jean
I can’t predict how many movies the Academy will select as best picture nominees, but suppose it’s seven, as you predict, here are the seven I’m picking, my shoo-ins: The Artist, The Descendants, The Help, Hugo, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, War Horse. Bridesmaids could make the list too, and perhaps the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Personally, I’m rooting for The Iron Lady getting a nod too.
Incidentally, of the seven movies: The Artist, The Descendants, The Help, Hugo, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, War Horse, it’s still to early to say who’d win, though The Artist is a frontrunner. I liked all seven of the movies, though I thought War Horse was the biggest of the seven movies. It’s the grander film. Midnight in Paris is a personal favourite. It’s probably my favourite of the year. The Descendants was a picture that was driven by George Clooney’s performance, much as the Iron Lady appears to be dominated by Meryl Streep’s performance. For that, we can discount The Descendants. The Artist, like Hugo, is an outstanding movie about movies. Both films celebrate the cinema, and this will strike a chord with Academy voters. The Artist has the edge because it’s unlike conventional movies today (its silent, & in black and white), and that novelty sets its apart from the other nominees.
So, are you picking The Artist to win?
Of the ones of interest to me (American football, for example, is not), I would tend to agree with you.
You say “The human race has evolved to look for patterns”, I agree with this completely, and I would say the pattern in the past has been that predictions for the world to end have been false. So I think this one will be too đ
I would HOPE that G+ surpasses Facebook, but I can’t see it happening. They still haven’t let under 18s in, and I think the boat has sailed on that one anyway. Under 18s are a huge part of the social media ‘market’, and without them there was no way Google could have succeeded, in my opinion. I also don’t think that adding them in now will save them, because the hype’s gone from it.
I’m not going to make any predictions of my own, but repeat one that Leo Laporte made which interested me, even if I’m very doubtful of it happening. He thinks that Google will sell or spin off YouTube as a separate product.
Wow I am not so sure about your predictions but i try and stay away from making them myself. I really don’t think Obama will win though.
Obama is going to win with ease because the Republicans have no one and the public is not happy with the way the GOP led House of Representatives has not worked to help pass bills that would help them. Their approval rating is so low that they would have to give everyone one million dollars to just get into positive numbers.